Newsletter # 48 Recap

Newsletter  # 48  Sat. 12/15/12

HOL  R9  Cashcall Futurity G1

Looks to be the last graded race for 2 yr olds this year. A nice, field performance wise, but I'm not too impressed by most of the pedigrees. Not that pedigrees matter all that much until the classic distances are reached but I base my choices on what I think their potential is down the road.

Three years ago Lookin At Lucky won this but the last two winners were not much of a factor in the TC races. There have been a few champs that have won this race but it hasn't been all that consistent in producing TC contenders. I'm not too impressed with this years field but one never knows, after all, it's horse racing.

As far as breeding, there are a couple that have pedigrees that might stand them in good stead when the longer races come up but as of now I'm not too excited by them.

He's Had Enough doesn't have any big figures but any horse that can do battle on even terms with Shanghai Bobby must have some talent. I really like his pedigree which tells me he can handle any distance. The key for him is not to get bogged down along the rail and encounter too much traffic when he makes his run.

Violence has a nice out crossed pedigree and hasn't done anything wrong yet. Question is how will he take to the track out there. He's a nice colt but, if he should win this, Pletcher will probably do with him as he did with Gemologist last year and let him wind down and then go try to go to the derby with only 2 prep races next year. How'd that work out?

Oxbow has a pedigree that couldn't have been planned better in my opinion. The problem with so many really nice bred colts is that no matter how much potential they may have, it still comes down to how the trainer handles them and if they are up for a big race when the time comes. Lukas has probably won more stakes than anyone but that was a long time ago. He still gets a nice one now and then but seems to have lost his touch. If it wasn't for the trainer I would probably put this one on top.

Really Mr Greely has the papers to be a good one also but hasn't tangled with anything good yet having won a graded race with only 5 runners. Looks to be fast and should take to the distance.

1- He's Had Enough
2- Violence
3- Oxbow
4- Really Mr Greely
Long Shot- Title Contender

RECAP

This one ended up with 4 horses wanting the lead and a very fast pace. I was afraid that He's Had Enough would get bogged down on the rail and that's what happened being compounded by a bad start.

Violence enjoyed the luxury of sitting off this pace and getting a dream trip but being the nice colt he is, he brought his A game and took it all. He has a pedigree full of potential and could go a long way in the hunt for top honors this year but, as I predicted, Pletcher is going to try to get him to the derby with just 2 races and this has been his plan with quite a few and it hasn't worked out very well.

Fury Kapcori was in a pace duel all the way and hung on very well to finish second. I don't know whether this means he's a very good colt or that there were none in here with much closing ability beside Violence.

I was impressed by Oxbows race more than the others. He was hard used early and very wide around the first turn trying to get up on that quick pace.It had to take a lot out of him early on. He then dropped back slightly and then made what might have been a premature move around the final turn and ran out of gas but did fight back hard to regain fourth. The bad post was his undoing in my opinion.

We will have to wait and see how Violence does against a more realistic pace and some better colts. I also want to see what happens if Oxbow happens to get an easy lead or is able to sit just off a normal pace in one of his future races.
Backstretch

Iroquois Recap

Newsletter  #42  Sun. 10/28/12

Iroquois Stakes G3  CD  R10

This isn't usually a race of any importance but sometimes the winner takes something else along the Triple Crown trail and that's what I do, follow the trail.

Overanalyze will probably be the favorite being a Pletcher horse and having won his last in a G2 at BEL. I'm kind of undecided concerning his pedigree. He won nicely last time with a change of tactics coming off the pace. Having won a sprint last time doesn't tell us anything about his ability to get a distance but this is only a mile and he figures to contend here. A longer distance down the road is another story.

Uncaptured is a nicely bred youngster that had ripped off four wins in a row. He became a bridgejumper in his last when he failed to hit the board at odds on. I saw that race and he ran into trouble in the stretch and was taken up. There was an inquiry but no DQ. I don't know how much closer he could have been but he's been too good to disregard off one shaky race. His pedigree says he could be a good one.

Positively has a positively super pedigree and I thought he could be special but he's had a problem in his last two. He got knocked around at the start of the Bashford and dropped to last but was really coming at the end and almost caught Circle Unbroken who is a nice one but is sidlined. He had a bad post in his last, the Breeders Fut., and had to drop way out of it to get to the rail but was really motoring down the lane. I'd really like to go with this one but with the outside post at this distance he'd have to get lucky to get any kind of position. I will be following him this winter and think he has the goods to get the longer distances.

Heaven's Runway has a nice pedigree and some speed. Hasn't met much yet but could be better than he's shown so far. Might have a chance if able to get loose.

Five Iron has speed and is kind of inbred to the RAN line but I have doubts about his long distance talent.

Pataky Kid ran a big one at this distance winning a G3 at AP but he's another inbred to RAN and may not like anything longer than 8-8 1/2f.

1- Positively...decided to take a shot and hope for a good trip.
2- Overanalyze...should be there at the end
3- Uncaptured...may be better than this
4- Pataky Kid...may bounce right back at this distance
Long Shot...Heaven's Runway...may carry his speed this distance.

Backstretch

RECAP
Overconfident ride by Calvin! This is not to say he would have won but it could have been a lot closer. Calvin got him out of the gate good and used him some to gain position because he didn't want to get shuffled back to last again. Took hold and had a good spot but made a premature big 5 wide move around the turn.

Uncaptured, the winner, is a really nice bred colt. Inbred with that Round Table in the tail should be at home in the classic distances. As I said, he got blocked in his last so he was much better than he looked off his last.

I've been up in the air about the breeding of Overanalyze and have my doubts about him getting a distance of ground. He didn't beat much in his last and it showed. I guess he won't be on my list of TC contenders.

Newsletter # 37 Recap

Newsletter  # 37  Sat. 9/22/12

Pennsylvania Derby

Parx R 11

As you know, the newsletter was meant to keep an eye on this year's 2 yr olds and their trek to the Triple Crown as 3 yr olds. I also planned on keeping to the graded races because it's a huge chore to keep tabs on all the babies that are running. Since there are no graded races for the youngsters this week I thought I would give a look at what's left of this year's 3 yr olds in the PA Derby.

It doesn't look like any of the 3 yr olds will be taking on older horses this year as in years past when they have a chance at a million bucks against their own kind. It looks like the present day champs are going to prove to be a cut below past heros because one of the tests for the champion 3 yr old was to be able to beat older horses, like in the JGC race. With all the horses being hurt or retired in their 3 yr old seasons it doesn't leave all that many really good older horses left to compete against anyway.

It's too bad in my opinion that the ranks of the 3 yr olds are so thinned that the field for this race is such that there are only two in it that have won a grade 1 and one that has won a grade 2. As far as pedigrees, I can't eliminate anyone on their pedigree as they all have nice breeding but most have not lived up to their full potential.

Alpha will be the chalk and his connections have actually done a masterful job of getting him into the softest spots possible. Not that he doesn't always bring his A game to the track but I don't see where he's beaten anything note worthy. I think he stole the Jim Dandy against a nothing field and was all out to deadheat another who hasn't accomplished much. He's a nicely bred horse that I think is still limited to 1 1/8 even though he managed to beat a sup par field in the Travers. This is another race without much quality, if there's any quality left in this crop at all.

Macho Macho has the papers to qualify here. He beat Bourbon Courage, who is a very nice one that came back to win the LA Derby and has not thrown a bad race since Asmussen has had him and I think he can handle these.

I know Golden Ticket ran a dead heat with Alpha last time but I think he got lucky with his trip. Also, in that race I felt that the best horse ran third because of a bad trip. GT has been fairly steady against lesser and ran a liftime best last time but I have doubts that he can repeat that.

Handsome Mike is a horse that I had thought to be better than he looks but never seems to get the right trip. When he has tried the front end there has been somebody running neck and neck with him. He ran into Paynter in the Haskell at MTH and didn't run all that bad. I'm hoping to see him use his speed to track the leaders one time and maybe show more than he has in the past.

Casual Trick is one that I liked way back when but it doesn't seem like Zito has been able to get it together this year. He had Fast Falcon wake up in the Travers so maybe things are starting to come together for him.

1- Macho Macho
2- Alpha
3- Handsome Mike
4- Casual Trick
Long Shot- Stephanoatsee

I don't usually do the filly races but I have an interest in a couple youngsters this year. In a couple of weeks a nice Irish filly named Watsdachances is going in the Miss Grillo stakes at BEL and her next stop, if all goes well, is the Breeders Cup. My interest is that a good friend of mine is one of the owners and I like to feel I had a small part in his investing in her. It will be fun to root for her and it would be swell to see her win the BC. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
                                                                RECAP

Originally I had tossed Alpha because I couldn't think of one really good horse he had beaten, seemed like his spots were well picked and soft. I thought that Macho Macho would be the horse to beat off his last and this race could have been a lot closer if MM hadn't lost so much ground by running extremely wide around the first turn. He also had a see-saw trip but was running strong at the end. I ended up putting him back in the mix because he has been consistent but I guess that was a mistake.

I had liked Handsome Mike in several races this year but he was never able to get clear on the front end and ended up in a speed duel each time. I had keyed him in that El Camino race and thought he ran great although tiring at the end. He has a great pedigree and I felt he would shine sooner or later.

I never liked the pedigree of Alpha because I thought he has distance limitations. He did win at 1 1/4 against a nothing field and he managed to steal the Dandy race against nothing again. He is a much over rated horse beyond 1 1/16.

I would have liked to see Fast Falcon in this race but now I have no idea what's next for him. I think he could be the best left of the 3 yr. olds by years end.

At any rate, it was a profitable race for me and mine and now looking to the Breeders Cup to cap off a nice year of winning bets.

Backstretch

Newsletter # 35 Recap

Newsletter # 35  Sat. 9/8/12

AP  R7  Arlington-Washington Futurity

This race doesn't have any of the young stars that were running at Sar but one never knows where a future star may pop up. This race was a more important race years ago but now being only a G3 with a relatively small purse it looks like the big timers are skipping it.

There are a few nice horses in this led by Muppet Man. I like his pedigree with all that Bold Ruler in him. He's a speedy type and an old lesson is to never bet against an undefeated horse. He has the rail but I don't think that's an advantage in a one turn race like this. Off his first two starts he looks like the one to beat. A homebred that's done everything right so far.

G. Gomez comes in from CA for this although I don't think he will make much difference. M. Mena won last time with Pataky Kid and he's a very capable jock. Petaky's pedigree is so-so but he's coming up to his third race so should improve some more but he's going to have to get closer to the pace in this one and his very sharp works say he may be sharpened enough to contend a little earlier.

I like the pedigree of Scissortail, another Okla bred like Pataky Kid, and though she's still a maiden I look for some big improvement in this one. She ran into trouble in her last but could be closer to the pace today. Maybe Donnie thinks this is a softer spot than the filly race.

Stormin Monarcho is very nicely bred and seems to give a decent effort each time he runs. Was too far off the pace in last against Muppet and had a rough trip in the race with Mylute. May be better than he looks on paper.

Mylute is one of those with a pedigree that sometimes fools me. He must be a nice looker judging by the price he brought at the sales. His sire Midnight Lute was a good one but a lot of the best sires are horses that match up well with a lot of mares. I don't care for this match but, as I said, I sometimes get fooled by this type so I can't discount him. He's run well in all his starts and the jock is having a good year. I also don't think the post will be a hinderence at this track and distance.

1- Muppet Man
2- Patacky Kid
3- Mylute
4- Stormin Monarcho
Long shot- Scissortail G

LAD  R10  The Super Derby

I'm wondering if this could be a race like the West Virgina Derby where Hansen folded up. In that race Bourbon Courage came from way back and couldn't quite get up. I really like his pedigree and think he likes a distance of ground. He ran into some very fast horses at a shorter distance at CD and BEL and think he might like the pace a tad slower. I know that those that put a lot of stock in dosage numbers and consider the sire the most important horse in the pedigree feel this horse can't get a distance but I always say; "Look at the mares", and the mares in this pedigree have great sire lines.

Fly Lexis Fly has a super nice pedigree and should improve off his first start in the US. Has some sharp works and with blinkers off may rate a little more kindly. I suppose G. Gomez had his choice and took Pataky Kid figuring it was an easier spot but Garcia thought it worthwhile to come in from CA.

Blueskiesandrainbows is a quick one and is coming off a win in the Swaps. However, the two he beat in that race went in the Travers and didn't show much at all, but of course, the Travers was tougher than this one. He got a liftime best Beyers in his last but he may get a lot of pressure in here and I'm not sure he can hold up. I'm not fond of his pedigree either so I'm looking to beat him and get some value.

Rousing Sermon is one of those with a kind of mixed up pedigree and really hasn't won anything noteworthy and was beaten here at this distance by Hero of order who virtually wired the field at 100/1. Having M. Smith on his back can only help because I regard Mike as probably the best closing jock in the country. Should get a minor piece.

Key Donation has a fair pedigree and seems to be on the upswing and has been right there in all his races except his first that was a sprint taken off the weeds. Has a very hot boy up and can't be eliminated.

1- Bourbon Courage
2- Fly Lexis Fly
3- Blueskiesandrainbows
4- Rousing Sermon
Long shot- Key Donation
Backstretch
RECAP

Patacky Kid did show some sharper speed and laid just off the pace and had a good closing kick to take all the marbles. Muppet man ran another good one but just wasn't good enough.

The Super Derby went as I thought it would with Hero of Order putting pressure on Blueskiesandrainbows who is one that I think needs a clear lead. Many times a speed horse can outrun it's pedigree if allowed to get away on the lead with no pressure and Blueskies is that type.

Bourbon Courage has a really nice pedigree and after this win I expect him to go on to bigger and better things. Despite the dosage I think he could get 1 1/4 with no problem. He has great acceleration on the turns where it really counts.

As I thought he would, Fly Lexis Fly ran a much improved race and with the blinkers off rated better but I feel he was held a little too far off the early pace but wasn't going to catch the winner in any case. He's another with a great pedigree who should move forward off this race.

I have read a lot of negative comments about Mike Smith that I don't feel are deserved. Regardless of what anyone else says, my opinion is that there is no better come from behind jock in the country. Mike gave Rousing Sermon a good ride and got what he could out of it. Rousing Sermon is a plodder type and has never won anything but State Bred races so I didn't expect him to get anything but a minor piece. I guess there are those who think Mike should have gotten off and carried the horse to the finish line.

Backstretch

Newsletter # 34 Recap

Newsletter # 34  Sun. 9/2/12

The Sapling

MTH  R9  9/2/12:
Pletcher is making things a little difficult because he has two horses cross entered and we won't know which is running where until post time. The only thing I can do is include both in the Sapling and the Hopeful so I hope we don't have some confusion.

As you know I am going to pick them by pedigree rather than performance so I may have something on top that doesn't figure as well as some of the others.

Pletcher has Overanalyze and Lawn Man cross entered in addition to having Drum Roll in this race and Shanghai Bobby in the Hopeful. I understand he has about 120 2 yr. olds so he's loaded for bear. It seems that most of his youngsters score in their first start so he sure has them fired up.

He may be longer odds than his stable mate but I like the pedigree of Drum Roll over the others.
Lawn Man is well bred but he's one that I think will not get the Derby distance but will do well till that point.
Lucci the Lion, although a NY bred, has a really nice pedigree and may make an impression despite his low speed number.
Tap and Trade is a KY invader who is nicely bred and looks to be coming up to a big race. He showed a lot of improvement in his last and I think he will move forward off that one.
1- Drum Roll
2- Lawn Man
3- Overanalyze
4- Lucci the Lion
5- Tap and Trade

The Hopeful
SAR  R9  9/3/12:
This looks to be a better field than the Sapling and has more possiblities because there are some really well bred youngsters in here.

Bern Identity is probably going to be the favorite off his win in the Sanford plus having Ramon on his back. He's nicely bred even though I'm not in love with his type pedigree  he could be a good one.
Breen has another nice one in Vegas No Show who is cutting back in distance and may be coming at the end.

Shanghai Bobby looks to be the best of Pletcher's entries and I suppose Rosie is sticking with this one more out of keeping her connections than preferring the horse.
As far as Pletcher's other two, Overanalyze and Lawn Man I think either would have a better shot in the Sapling.

Asmussen usually has a few nice ones and Show Some Magic took a few starts to get his maiden win but could be a contender.

Lukas likes to throw maidens against winners for some reason or other and even though Royal Art has a nice pedigree I don't think he's ready for these yet.

Majestic Hussar blew them away in his only start in the slop and could win some more in sprints but I'm not too keen on him down the line when they start stretching out.

Fortify has a pedigree that I just love. I think he's bred to run all day in addition to having speed. He's one of a few that is running without lasix and I'm hoping he can prove that good ones don't need it. Bravo doesn't ride a lot of Mc Laughlin's horses but does well when he does get the mount. I know Jersey Joe isn't ranked up there with the top NY jocks but when he has a good horse he pulls off a lot of upsets. I think he is very under rated and doesn't get bet the way he should when in NY.

1- Fortify
2- Shanghai Bobby
3- Bern Identity
4- Show Some Magic
5- Lawn Man

Good Luck,
Backstretch

RECAP
A few scratches in the Sapling left nothing much in there. Brave Dave shot out to the lead and set some fast fractions but nobody could close on him in spite of the last 1/4 being relatively slow. I wasn't impressed by this race.

It was a nice field in the Hopeful and Bobby proved to be much the best making him 3 for 3. Looks like he may be a real good one but I think he will have distance limitations come derby time. Even though Fortify couldn't catch the winner I wonder what will happen when the others run without lasix as he does. I think we will hear more from Fortify in the future.
Backstretch

Newsletter # 33 Recap

Newsletter # 33  Sat.  8/25/12

The Travers  Sar R12

With all the leading 3 yr old contenders having been injured, sick or retired, this years race looks to be a battle of the survivors, none of which has been really impressive. Seems unlikely that the Travers would only have one G1 winner,Liaison, in it but it is what it is.

Alpha, the favorite, has been handled nicely by always picking his spots and it still seems to be working well because, as I said, there's nothing in here that's been impressive. He may win this race on form alone but I am still waiting to see one with his type of pedigree get the 1 1/4 distance on top so I will go against him here. If he wins, he wins, but until he does I will still buck those type pedigrees.

There are 5 in here that have pedigrees I like but none has yet to race to their potential.
Speightscity has a very nice pedigree, although I just read that there's no way he can get the distance because of his sire. I just don't understand these experts that base their opinion of a horse's distance ability solely on the sire. This same "Expert" also said Alpha can get any distance based on his sire.
Speightscity has been badly mishandled all year and jumping into this race off a 6 mo. layoff because of an injury seems to be an indication of more crazy training. They intend to send him to the front and see how far he will go which may put some pace in the race if nothing else.

Street Life has a decent pedigree and is in the hands of a very good trainer. He looks to want a distance but is going to have to be more involved early to be effective and I don't know if he's up to it.

Atigun is well bred but the only race he showed something was the Belmont and that race usually produces some flukey results. I am however discounting the Jim Dandy race because I feel that race was stolen by Alpha by being allowed to set a snail's pace on a sloppy track. In that race Atigun was held way off that slow pace and had no chance to gain.

Liaison has a nice pedigree and is the only G1 winner in the race which he won as a 2yr old. They were always high on him but he just couldn't put it all together for some reason even though trained by Baffert. He gained ground and finished strong in the J. Dandy slow walk in his first over the track. They didn't ship him back to CA so he has had a couple works here and Bejarano flies in for this. I think he will get a piece and could actually win it all.

Nonios doesn't have my kind of pedigree but off performance I think he's the one that should be the chalk. None of these has run as well as he did chasing Paynter in the Haskell. I think Paynter is the best 3 yr old out there and would be 2/5 in this race. Nonios chased him and hung in very well. Another plus is that he gets JR in the saddle. He showed he can run close up and stay so I don't think he will let anyone steal this.

I really love the pedigree of Fast Falcon. This is a lightly raced colt and he hasn't shown any big numbers yet but I feel the potential is there. In the Jim Dandy he made a nice move turning for home and got within striking distance of the leaders but then backed down. I kind of think this was a combination of being a little short on condition and with the slow pace nobody was going to catch the two leaders anyway. I can't discount him because of one oddball race and I have seen Zito score with many a bomb over the years. Also, not that Rosie isn't a good jock, I think that Junior is a little better and may improve his chances. I'm going to take a big chance with this one and shoot for the moon.

I don't think much of the rest even though this is a wide open race.

1- Fast Falcon
2- Nonios
3- Liaison
4- Atigun
Longshots- Street Life, Speightscity


RECAP

I think this race actually had a pretty soft pace and everyone knew that the two leaders wouldn't stay no matter how slow they went. Alpha and Golden Ticket were sitting 3rd and 4th in perfect stalking positions where they wern't being used at all. When the two up front quit they were in perfect position to take over. Being that they had an easy time of it they had plenty left for the drive.

The most impressive horse was Fast Falcon. The far outside post really hurt him because he had to drop back to last to get over or be hung out to dry around the turn.

In addition to having to drop back to dead last because of the bad post, this is what junior had to say after the race;

"All of a sudden by the three-eighths pole (Street Life) just stopped in front of me when I thought he was going to start to kick up," said Junior Alvarado, rider of Fast Falcon. "So, I had to move up, check a little bit and move outside. He started to pick it up again, but I'm sure that's what cost me the race."

I really didn't think Alpha could get the distance but being that the race was so ordinary I'm really not that surprised. Looking into the future, I feel that Fast Falcon is a horse to be reckoned with before the year is out. He has one of the very best pedigrees I've seen all year and, not having raced as a 2yr old, I think he is a late bloomer who is just coming into his own. I'm hoping to see him in the JGC next.
Backstretch

Newsletter # 30 8/4/12 Recap

Newsletter # 30 Sat. 8/4/12

MNR R1  MNR Juvenile
The reason I'm looking at this race is that I'm interested to see what Circle Unbroken does. I won't be betting because he will be very short odds but I want to see how much potential he has. I like his breeding and think he will handle more distance later on in the 2 yr old stakes. It's possible he could be a factor when the breeders Cup rolls around. He beat Positively last time, although that one exited the race with an injury, and I really like Postively's pedigree. We will just have to wait and see if Circle can handle the likes of the colts that will be contesting the stakes at the spa.

This race is a little unusual in that there are 3 geldings in here. We normally don't see 2 yr old geldings in thse type races and if any turn out to be good it means they will keep racing rather than be retired at an early age.
Several in here have nice pedigrees but only a couple have shown ability at this point but one never knows with these babies because they may show sudden improvement at any time.

1- Circle Unbroken
2- Maybe So
3- Triple Cross
4- Pitch N Roll
Long shot- No Way R J

DMR R8 The Best Pal G2

Before I get into this race I want to repeat something I've said many times over the years; I don't care what the numbers say, "Only the horses know if they are going fast or slow". After every major race the pundits are always commenting about how fast or slow the pace was according to the fractions. What is considered a slow pace may actually be a fast pace and the reverse is also true. I don't care what the numbers say, I consider how the pace is contested. For instance, in the recent Haskell, everyone is saying that Gemologist was terrible and that he is finished. This is being said because he tired badly and finished up the track. I happen to think he tired because he set a very fast pace regardless of what the fractions were. Why do I say this? I heard, from one that examined the track, that, although listed as fast, the track was actually very sticky.

 Another thing I noticed was that Nakatani, who is an excellent judge of pace, (see Nehro in the KY Derby) started to move on the leaders with Nonios on the backstretch in the Haskell but quickly changed his mind. I believe he thought they were going too fast and he backed off. Although no match for Paynter, he finished second. I wouldn't dismiss Gem off that race just yet.

I mention all this because in the race at hand we have a couple who were in the HOl Juv. last time and that was a race where I thought the 2 leaders were on a suicide mission. Amarish and the other horse ridden by Krigger were both determined to get the lead and neither would give an inch and they cooked one another.

In this race there are some nice pedigrees, starting with Heir Of Storm who is nicely bred but has the Mr Prospector line in the wrong positions to qualify for the classics by my standards. May be a good one up to a little more than a mile but won't get longer. Breeding says he may be a precocious one and be a contender early on. Gets lasix for this one.

Moreno has what I call a Heinz "57" pedigree which is not to my liking. May be kind of quick in sprints but I'm not looking past that. Is still a maiden.

Miss Empire is a filly taking a shot at the boys. I'm not crazy about her pedigree although it's loaded with stamina. I would think her best chances will come in much longer races.

Scherer Magic is one that I liked last time. Has a really nice pedigree and I love all that Tom Fool blood in it. He could turn out to be the best that Iowa has ever produced. I'm hoping he goes on to bigger and better things because he's also a gelding and would keep on racing if all went well.

Heir Kitty has a lovely pedigree and the only knock I have against it is that it's another with those Mr Prospector mares in the wrong slots. I like the damsire line and that could make a difference with this one.

Amarish is a well bred colt with an outcross in his pedigree. I would think that he would relish a distance but not the way he ran his last. As I said, he really got cooked last time and the best can get burned out in that manner so I think he deserves another chance, especially if he gets an uncontested lead if that's the way they want to run.

K Court, not a bad pedigree but not exactly the kind I like. He may get better with more distance.

1- Scherer Magic...hoping he's for real
2- Amarish...seems to be the speed...can bounce back but may be faint hearted.
3- Heir Of Storm...Should like this distance..1st lasix may help
4- Miss Empire..giving her a shot because she should be coming on late...stablemate may prefer turf.

Backstretch

Recap:

The Mountaineer race was a good battle between the top two with Maybe So just edging Circle Unbroken. Both may turn out to be nice colts down the road. Triple Cross was scratched so our top 3 were all in the money.

The Best Pal was a bummer for me because I was using the DRF PPs and never looked at entries which caused me to not see Know More who was on another page in the DRF.

This is not saying I would have picked him to win but he had the best pedigree by far of all that were in the race. If you recall, I'll Have Another ran second in this race last year getting beat by Creative Cause and we know the rest of the story. The kicker is that Know More has the same connections as IHA. They said they had a plan for I'll Have Another last year and followed it and probably will get the 3yr old of the year award.
I also read that they think Know More is the best one they have this year so they may have a plan for him also. There have been some really good horses that have won this race in the past so I'm forced to think that Know More will be one of the leading contenders heading to the Triple Crown next year.

Miller had 2 fillies in here and they ran 2nd and 3rd with Miss Empire stumbling at the start forcing her to come a long way to get up for the show. She should relish a longer distance and I think she should be a major factor with the girls later on.

As a side note, Strong Wind, who dueled with Amarish in their previous race came back to win a minor stake wire to wire while Amarish folded again in this race. Amarish is nicely bred but seems to be really faint hearted. Of course, the pace in this race may have been a tad fast but the runnerup filly stayed on well so I don't think the top two choices in this race, Scherer Magic and Amarish, can handle a quick pace.

Lookin At Lucky and Dixie Union were also winners of this race so perhaps history will be repeated.

Backstretch