April Run
This race is named in honor of the Irish bred and French
trained champion April Run. Her final victory as a three year old in the
Turf Classic at Aqueduct against the best North American older turf runners
sealed her Three Year Old Championship in France. But then she came back the
next year and won the Turf Classic again, this time she destroyed the field in
the stretch. Then it was on to Laurel and the Washington D.C. International and
this time she beat the best older turf runners the world had to offer. Again she
was a Champion in her native France and she was named Champion Turf Female in
North America and one of the finest racehorses I ever laid eyes on.
New South Wales
1-cream-Jo Ann Christmas 6M by Caerleon. She always
seems better going farther but the 2001 Breeders Bowl Distaff G-1 winner
is no slouch at any distance and must be respected here because of that win if
nothing else. Prepped for the Equinics going 14 furlongs on an off track at
Ascot. Leaves the open ranks behind and returns to the distaffers where she has
been unbeatable in her last four tries and ships in fit and sharp 8-1.
Terrapin Jockey Club
2-mtready-East Around Ton 5M by Wollaston. A winner of
2 of 5 starts from the upstart Terrapin Jockey Club who have only been in
existence for a few months but have shown their sportsmanship by fielding a full
Equinics Team. She is still the rank outsider in the field with nothing to lose
and enough speed to give several runners a headache. When she gets back to
Maryland and tells her stablemates she stood in the gate with Jo Ann Christmas
on one side and High Cozzene on the other, no one is going to believe her
99-1.
Viking Racing
3-racelord-High Cozzene 6M by Cozzene. Trained by the
Ben Jones of the Sim world who is famous for racing his horses fit and keeping
them in top company almost forever. As for High Cozzene she is just amazing. I
typed her name into Coker's PP's and the results made me dizzy… Since week 711,
as far back as the PP's go, she has been in 37 races. At 19 different tracks, I
didn't count how many countries. Of those 34 were in stakes races and in that
whole time, she missed one check… one! Simply amazing racemare and
trainer combination. Oh, and by the way, she seems to be rounding back into top
form too 9-1.
Minnesota
4-chilukkil3-Sexy Saratoga 4F by Lear Fan. A Multiple
graded stakes winner with her biggest win coming in the Grade 3 Dodge This
Stakes at 10 furlongs on soft ground at Queensland. But the real story is
she was claimed by her current connections two starts back for $50,000 in Sweden
where she was unplaced at .20 cents to the dollar. Prepped for this in a sprint
where she was a fast closing forth. She has since been freshened and should show
up sharp and hoping for soft ground 32-1.
Team Independent Unity
5-jbarba-Deadly Con 4F by Law Society(Ire). This
Grade 1 winner is another who prepped for this race against the colts and
is always well meant. She is coming off a very hard luck year where her string
of seconds must have been giving her trainer a case of hives. But her race two
back in the Miami Beach Turf Stakes makes me think she might be on her way to
the winner circle real soon. She can be this good on her best and her best might
be this weekend 9-1.
A.S.R.
6-sam812218- Project Matter 6M by Deputy Minister.
Hasn't been at her best since winning the Taiwan 1166 Handicap but she
has been facing top company in almost every start since then. She seems to be
wanting more ground since that win so the added distance this weekend should
offer good results. A Grade 1 stakes winner at a mile with many other
efforts good enough to win this one if she can get the distance. Don't overlook
because she always seems to be around at the finish 8-1.
South East Racing Association
7-whacked-Bright Silver 6M by Nureyev. A lightly raced
six year old who has really turned it around since being claimed for $25,000
this past summer. The daughter of Nureyev is starting to show her true colors on
the turf and is well on her way to being competitive in top company. She only
has one start at the distance and she won that race in a cakewalk against lesser
foes. Really gets the acid test this weekend but looks ready for the task so far
20-1.
Missouri
8-keytomint-Best Alice 5M by A. P. Indy. Comes into
the race off a career best effort, winning the Exploding Outhouse Stakes
while making all the pace and drawing off in the stretch by 5-1/4 lengths
while leaving High Cozzene in her wake. Her best effort at the distance was a
wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 2 Empire State Cap outrunning many
stakes winners that day too. Comes into this race off her biggest win and might
be the horse to beat here this weekend 6-1.
Ireland
9-zinjahal2-C'est La Vie(Ire) 4F by Grand Lodge. She
only has two wins, but both are stakes wins. A true router who jumped right into
stakes company after two unsuccessful tries against maiden sprinters and just
missed breaking her maiden in a Newmarket Stakes in her first try around two
turns. Eventually broke her maiden in a 12 furlong marathon Stakes in Taiwan,
but topped that by beating colts at 10 furlongs in South Carolinas Cagire ll
Stakes by 9 widening lengths. Prepped for this in the 14 furlong Grade3
Triage Distaff Stakes finishing second in her best effort to date and going
to the post this weekend an unbelievable 61-1.
Nexis
10-desperado2-A.P. Magic 5M by Forty Niner. Really
came into her own this past year and seems to be in peak form right now. Looks
like she may have bounced a bit in her last, most likely brought on my her
career best effort in her start before that in Louisiana. A repeat of that
effort or her race in the Grade 2 Milky Way Stakes and she will be very
hard to catch at 10 furlongs, a distance she seems to love 10-1.
Nebraska
11-bbor-Sky Tune(Gb) 5M by Mtoto. Looks like she
really needed her last coming off a two-month freshening, after a string of very
tough races in top company since being claimed for $30,000. She rewarded her new
owners this fall with a huge win in the Grade 1 Flower Pot Stakes in New
York. She should rebound this weekend while switching to her best distance. This
is well within her range 7-1.
Vermont
12-futurestar-Nurse Coon(Ire) 8M by Last Tycoon(Ire).
A very versatile runner and maybe the class of the field who is a multiple
Grade 1 stakes winner on both turf and dirt. Won an allowance race
handily in her only start at 10 furlongs three races back. She was a fast
closing fifth to First Ryder in last years Breeders Bowl Distaff run on the main
track, and maybe her biggest victory came when she ran down Rotten Ant in the
Grade 1 Shimko Special. She is no stranger to the turf either winning the
Grade 1 West Point Thoroughbred.com way back when she was a spry six year
old. Has had two allowance starts at her home base in Vermont and a minor stakes
in Hong Kong as preps for this. Favored in the morning line at 5-1.
North West Racing Circuit
13-broadbrush-Jeremy's Deserts 4F by Green Desert.
Really put herself on the map last time out coming from dead last with 3/8s to
run to win the Washington 1271 Stakes beating the much-improved Bright
Silver in the process. Really doesn't have the big numbers of most of the top
runners but her running style suits the distance and the conditions this
weekend. With plenty of horses running extremely fast on the pace is just what
all good closer what. Forget the odds she should be flying home fast in the last
few strides 41-1.
DelPenn
14-glennspeck-Faintly Not Jove 4F by Miesque's Son.
Always preps for big turf races in sprints at home in Delaware then sneaks into
town in the dead of night and gets the money. Don't let the 17-1 odds fool you
this filly is a multiple graded stakes winner on the turf with over a million
dollars in earnings and knows the fast way around a turf course and with the
recent sprint under her belt should be ready for a top effort this weekend
17-1.
East-West Connection
15-mingo-Moose Babe 5M by Sadler's Wells. Another very
versatile mare that could win a race on a tennis court if she had too. A stakes
winner on both turf and dirt and she is in career form right now and has never
been worse than second at 10 furlongs. Has elevated her game to another level in
her last ten starts or so with her biggest wins coming in three of her last four
starts 8-1.
Queensland
16-dowelly-Amanda Jane 5M by Sadler's Wells. The Queen
of Queensland is a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner at 10 furlongs on the
turf. Her biggest win came this past June at Queensland in the Grade 1
Doomben Cup where she totally dominated colts that day including; Champion
Turf Horse, Breeders Bowl Turf G1 winner and Sim Horse of the Year, Joe
Cayenne. She made all the pace in last years Breeders Bowl Turf Distaff
G1 only to be caught by Jo Ann Christmas while beating last years Arc winner
and Sim Female Turf Champion Cecil Roo. She has been freshened since Christmas
and ships into Hong Kong rested and the horse to catch if she's ready 13-1.
Recap: My bet is going to be a four horse trifecta box using
#3 High Cozzene, #8 Best Alice, #11 Sky Tune(Gb), and #16 Amanda Jane (3-8-11-16
box). And key wheel #11 with 3-8-16 and key wheel #16 with 3-8-11. Sky Tune is
the fastest at the distance recently and Amanda Jane could repeat her Queensland
effort at any time so if she runs her race she makes my ticket a good one. Best
Alice and High Cozzene are just a fraction behind Sky Tune and have every chance
to win it too.
Good Luck to everyone-Irisharse
