2016 Sanford Stakes Filled With Potential
By: Laurie Ross, Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds
Opening weekend at the
Spaaa. It wouldn’t be complete without a stakes race for two year olds. After
all, this is where the blue-bloods hang out, both the horses and the people. The
prestigious Sanford Stakes (G3) is traditionally held on the first Saturday of
the meet at Saratoga.
First contested in 1913, the
six-furlong event has a roll-call that reads like a who’s who of racing
legends. The 1914 winner was the filly Regret, who then became the first filly
to win the Kentucky Derby. Other major winners include the Champions Tom Fool,
Hail To Reason, Secretariat, Affirmed, Forty Niner and Afleet Alex. Famous
also-rans include the great Man O’War,
who suffered his only defeat in the Sanford Stakes in 1919, Triple Crown hero
Omaha, and Champion Juvenile Boston Harbor.
Five last-out two-year-old
colts will vie for the chance to stand in the winner’s circle of the 2016
Sanford Stakes.
Todd
Pletcher has six Sanford Stakes trophies on his mantle. He’s
just one race shy from tying for the most wins. The record of seven is owned by John Gaver, Sr., who conditioned
the great Tom Fool and many other champions for the Whitney family’s Greentree Stable.
John
Velazquez has guided the winner home seven times, more than any
other jockey.
This year, the pair team up
with the well-bred Bronson (Medaglia d'Oro - Cambiocorsa, by Avenue of Flags). The pretty gray colt won his debut by 1 ¾ lengths and
traveled five furlongs in :59.33, pretty much in hand with brief hand
urging near the wire. Bronson appeared
uncomfortable during the race. He ran with his head up and never extended his
stride. Bronson had a slow
pre-race four-furlong move in :49.4 over
the Saratoga track.
Pedigree notes: Bronson’s immediate female family is loaded
with blacktype earners. Four of his five half-siblings,
are turf stakes winners or stakes placed. A couple have placed on dirt, but Bronson is the only
one to have won over the surface.
Bronson’s dam Cambiocorsa’s is passing her turfy talent to her offspring.
The mare was one of the best turf runners on the Santa Anita downhill turf and captured seven straight
starts, including two G3 events. The
gray mare’s full brother was Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hero California Flag.
Precociously Bred
Zartera (Tapizar - Catera, by Gone
West) captured his 4 ½ furlong debut by an easy two lengths. Zartera
had an easy pre-race three-furlong breeze
in :38.4.
This guy is bred
to be a win-early sprinter/miler. First
crop sire Tapizar, a son of Tapit, has four winners from ten starters. Recently,
Tapizar’s daughter Tap
It All was fourth in the 2016
Landaluce Stakes.
Pedigree notes: Zartera’s ¾ sister Areolite (Tapit) was third in the Churchill Downs Debutante
last year. Their stakes-placed dam Catera is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes
sprinter and sire Cuvee, who captured
four graded stakes as a two-year-old. Catera’s
other half siblings include G2 sprinter Will
He Shine (Silver Deputy), and three
stakes placed runners.
Zartera’s sire and dam’s female families trace back
directly to Carol’s Christmas through
half siblings. So Zartera has 4 3 x
Rasmussen Factor (inbred to a rene-de-
course or “blue hen”) to Carol’s Christmas.
Carol’s Christmas’ descendants
include Champion three-year-old filly Untapable (Tapit), Louisiana Derby hero Pyro (Pulpit), and the graded stakes-winning sires Early Flyer (Gilded Time)
Olympio
(Naskra), Paddy O’Prado (El Prado) and, of course, Tapizar.
Random
Walk (Super Saver - Lunargal, by Yes It's
True) outclassed maidens at Belmont by 5
¾ lengths, traveling 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.66. Trainer Rick Violette, Jr.
tightened the colt up with a bullet
five-furlong move and a pre-race quick four furlongs in
:47.6.
Pedigree notes: None of Random Walk’s half siblings own
blacktype, but they are winners. The second generation of Random Walk’s female
family is filled with juvenile stakes
winners. His dam Lunargal and her full
sister Lunarlady won stakes as two-year-olds. Plus, Lunargal’s half-brothers,
Freshman sire Astrology (A.P. Indy),
and Lunarpal
(Successful Appeal) were G3 juvie stakes winners.
Flashy &
Classy
Bitumen (Mineshaft - Kobla Cat, by Tale of the Cat) galloped away from
over-matched maidens at Churchill Downs by 6
¾ lengths. The talented colt was timed
in 1:09.49 for six furlongs and flew his
final 1/8 in 11.75. He owns the highest late-pace speed figure in the field. Trainer Eddie Kenneally gave Bitumen
a pre-race light :48.4 four-furlong work
over the Saratoga surface.
Pedigree notes: Bitumen’s
half-sister Meshell (Elusive
Quality) is a stakes winning sprinter.
Their dam Kobla Cat is a half-sister to
multiple G1 winner and sire Quality Road (Elusive Quality).
Bipolar?
Bay
Numbers (Algorithms - Zawzooth, by Unbridled's Song)
was not ready for prime time in his debut last month. He didn’t want to go into the gate, then sulked his way around the track, finishing 13
lengths behind the winner. The Eddie
Plesa, Jr. trainee was more amendable in his second
start, happily splashing his way to a 6 ¼
length victory in the Monmouth mud. Bay
Numbers final time was a quick :58.30.
Pedigree notes: First Crop
Sire Algorithms is off to a good start at
stud. Ten of his babies have started,
five are winners and two, Recruiting Ready (Strong Hope) and Junket (Notebook) are stakes placed. Bay Number’s three
half siblings to race were indifferent runners. Only one visited the winner’s
circle. Their dam was a stakes winning
sprinter.
Selections
In
four of the last six years, the favorite hasn’t
won the Sanford Stakes. In four of the last five editions, the winner settled off
of the pace and made his move in the stretch. Last year, the long shot Magna
Light wired the field but was DQ’d to
second in favor of Pletcher’s Uncle
Vinny.
It’s anybody’s guess
which colt will sit off of the pace since
all except Bronson wired their respective fields. With only five horses in the contest, it
could be anyone’s race.
Random Walk has the only pre-race
bullet breeze and a nice work pattern leading up to the Sanford. He’s ready to go. I like Zartera a
lot, but that three-furlong breeze
was meant to sharpen the colt’s speed,
and he draws post one, so he’ll likely shoot out of the gate and go for the
lead. Bitumen is the only colt in the field with a six-furlong race under
his girth. He draws the outside and could sit off of the speed. If you’re a
numbers person, you’ll be happy to know that Bitumen owns the highest late-pace
figures in the field. If Bay Numbers is happy, he could also
make a race of it. The trainer/jock combo of Plesa & Parco win 38%
together. I don’t like Bronson in
here. Maybe he could win on raw talent, but I think he’ll wind up being a nice turf horse.
Handicapping
It is very difficult to make
selections for a baby race without seeing the horses in the paddock or warming
up on the track. Whenever possible, view the horses before placing your bets. The
favorite or your best pick can become a hot mess. An unconsidered longshot may
have the look of a winner.
Five horse fields aren’t
good betting propositions, unless there is a heavy favorite and the rest are
double digits. Then the favorite has to lose.
If you absolutely must spend ThoroFan’s hypothetical $100 on the bet
because it is burning a hole in your pocket, scatter it in $5 or $10 Win/Place
bets on horses with odds of 5-1 or higher. Or create a few exactas with the
favorite underneath. Or, skip the betting, spend the $100 on a good meal and enjoy
watching the race.
#2 RANDOM WALK (7-5)
#1 ZARTERA (9-2)
#5 BITUMEN (8-5)
No comments:
Post a Comment