Eight-year-old veteran gelding Awesome Gem added yet another prize to his already illustrious resume when he rallied strongly in the three-path to defeat a quality field in the $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) at Lone Star Park.
Ridden by Robby Albrado, Awesome Gem settled into third early on as Lydia's Last Step and heavily favored Game On Dude set a moderate pace of :24 2/5 and :47 2/5. Awesome Gem circled up on the outside on the far turn to challenge for the lead and took over entering the homestretch. He then opened up a sizeable advantage in deep stretch, coming home strongly to win by a length over a fast-closing Flat Out.
Game On Dude flattened out to finish third, while Lydia's Last Step finished fourth. Thiskyhasnolimit trailed the field in a disappointing performance as the second choice.
Congratulations to owner West Point Thoroughbreds, jockey Robby Albarado, trainer Craig Dollase, and the remarkable Awesome Gem!
-Keelerman
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Of Awesome Gem, Rapid Redux, and a horse named Helicopter
Memorial Day weekend is undoubtedly one of the best weekends of the year for horse racing, with a spectacular card on Monday at Lone Star Park and the Met Mile at Belmont Park. Numerous geldings are entered to race across the country, some of them members of our Veterans of the Turf Club, some of them not -- but those that aren't really should be.
But before we look at the upcoming racing action, let's take a look back at what some of our VOTTC members have done over the last few days:
Rapid Redux wins number 12!
Rapid Redux -- who is not yet a member of our VOTTC, but will be inducted as soon as he turns six -- brought his amazing winning streak to twelve consecutive victories on May 23rd, when he easily defeated a field of three others in a one-mile starter allowance race at Mountaineer.
Sent off as the 1-10 favorite, the five-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect broke well and went straight to the lead while running the opening quarter mile in a very slow :25.15. But he quickened up after that, running his second quarter in a blazing :23.42. This quarter mile put away Kaufman and Mandu Genius, who had been tracking him in second and third. Mr. Keeper then made a bold run at Rapid Redux, but the overwhelming favorite easily put him away and drew off entering the homestretch. He led by seven lengths passing the eighth pole, and ended up crossing the wire 4 1/4 lengths clear of Mr. Keeper while being eased at the finish. The final time was a 1:39.17.
The win was not only Rapid Redux's twelfth straight win, but his tenth of the year and eighteenth overall. The gelding has turned into a truly amazing horse. The longest modern-day American winning streak is 19 straight, held by Pepper's Pride and Zenyatta. If Rapid Redux stays in good form, I would not be surprised at all if he were to break it!
A good try from Garden Dancer
As mentioned in my last post, the eight-year-old gelding Garden Dancer was entered to race on May 26th at River Downs in a $4,000 claiming race. In the 5-1/2 furlong event, he was sent off as the 2.20-1 favorite in a field of six. Last early on behind a slow pace of :24.06 and :47.49, he made a run at the leaders while entering the homestretch, but failed to maintain it, tiring a bit to finish fourth behind Del Mar Storm. But it was not a bad performance by any means. He was trying to close into a slow pace, and the horses that ran 1-2 early on finished 1-2. It just didn't set up for Garden Dancer. He needs a bit more pace to run at, which he will hopefully get in his next start.
The eleven-year-old horse Quick American -- who I also mentioned on my last post -- finished third after a bit of a rough trip.
Mixed Results from Fabulous Strike
Fabulous Strike, a grade I winner and a member of our VOTTC, ran last night in the Changing Times Stakes at Penn National. He was sent off as the 1-2 favorite against seven opponents and figured to win easily.
Unfortunately, the front-running gelding broke poorly -- and ended up trying to close from off the pace. He actually ran admirably well, racing wide to get into contention before tiring late to finish fifth. The winner was Peppi Knows, who stopped the clock in the decent time of 1:10.10. Interestingly, Peppi Knows was decisively beaten by Fabulous Strike last month.
I believe that Fabulous Strike will rebound sharply off of this race, and I hope to see him at Saratoga later this summer. If all goes well, he might just try to win the Vosburgh Stakes, a race which he won in 2007 and finished second in 2008 and 2009.
Now for the entries. . .
As you might have guessed by the title of this post, Awesome Gem is entered to race this weekend -- on Monday, in the Lone Star Park Handicap to be precise. Although he will be facing just four rivals, they are good rivals, and Awesome Gem will have to be at his best in order to win.
Here are the entries for the grade III, mile and a sixteenth event:
One of the reasons why Awesome Gem will have to be at his best is because Game On Dude is in the race. One of the leading older males in the country, the four-year-old colt won the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) back in March and finished a strong second in the Charles Town Classic (gr. I). Game On Dude is also proven over the track, having won the Lone Star Derby here last year.
Thiskyhasnolimit is another one of the top contenders, based off of his fine victory in the grade III Texas Mile Stakes here last month. He was a fine colt at two and three, and may be prepared for his best year ever.
Flat Out's career has been plagued by long layoffs. After winning the Smarty Jones Stakes in 2009, he finished out of the top three in the Southwest Stakes and Arkansas Derby. He then didn't race again until December 2010, when he won an allowance optional claiming race at Fair Grounds. This will be his first start since then.
Lydia's Last Step is a Texas-bred trying to win one of Texas' biggest races, but the gelding has lost a pair of restricted stakes races this year and I doubt that he can win at this level of competition.
As for Awesome Gem, he didn't show too much in his first two starts of 2011 -- finishing third in an allowance race and off the board in the Charles Town Classic -- but he ran huge to finish fourth in the Alysheba Stakes last time out, being beaten only a half-length after a very traffic-filled trip. In that race, he finished ahead of Giant Oak, Caracortado, Mission Impazible, Wise Dan, and Demarcation. This performance signals that he may be ready to run a winning race on Monday.
A horse named Helicopter
I would like to tell you about a horse named Helicopter.
A five-year-old gelding, he won't be eligible to become a member of our VOTTC until next year. But because he is one of my favorite horses, I think that I should mention him here anyway.
During his long, 45-start career, Helicopter has been known to put together some good winning streaks. Five wins straight, three wins straight -- his victories typically come in groups. All together, he has visited the winners circle on seventeen occasions. He has risen from the claiming ranks to become a solid, stakes-placed allowance runner. Last time out, making his 2011 debut, he won a starter allowance race going nine furlongs at Arlington Park. Today, he is entered in the seventh race at Arlington Park.
The event is a nine furlong turf allowance optional claiming race, in which -- after scratches -- Helicopter is the co-favorite at 3-1. Eight rivals are scheduled to face him, but I believe that Helicopter can beat them all. He should be even sharper today than he was last time out, and with anything even resembling a fast pace, he should come flying in the final furlongs. Interestingly though, he has been entered for a tag and can be claimed for $40,000, should anyone choose to do so.
That's it for the moment! Enjoy the races everyone!
-Keelerman
But before we look at the upcoming racing action, let's take a look back at what some of our VOTTC members have done over the last few days:
Rapid Redux wins number 12!
Rapid Redux -- who is not yet a member of our VOTTC, but will be inducted as soon as he turns six -- brought his amazing winning streak to twelve consecutive victories on May 23rd, when he easily defeated a field of three others in a one-mile starter allowance race at Mountaineer.
Sent off as the 1-10 favorite, the five-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect broke well and went straight to the lead while running the opening quarter mile in a very slow :25.15. But he quickened up after that, running his second quarter in a blazing :23.42. This quarter mile put away Kaufman and Mandu Genius, who had been tracking him in second and third. Mr. Keeper then made a bold run at Rapid Redux, but the overwhelming favorite easily put him away and drew off entering the homestretch. He led by seven lengths passing the eighth pole, and ended up crossing the wire 4 1/4 lengths clear of Mr. Keeper while being eased at the finish. The final time was a 1:39.17.
The win was not only Rapid Redux's twelfth straight win, but his tenth of the year and eighteenth overall. The gelding has turned into a truly amazing horse. The longest modern-day American winning streak is 19 straight, held by Pepper's Pride and Zenyatta. If Rapid Redux stays in good form, I would not be surprised at all if he were to break it!
A good try from Garden Dancer
As mentioned in my last post, the eight-year-old gelding Garden Dancer was entered to race on May 26th at River Downs in a $4,000 claiming race. In the 5-1/2 furlong event, he was sent off as the 2.20-1 favorite in a field of six. Last early on behind a slow pace of :24.06 and :47.49, he made a run at the leaders while entering the homestretch, but failed to maintain it, tiring a bit to finish fourth behind Del Mar Storm. But it was not a bad performance by any means. He was trying to close into a slow pace, and the horses that ran 1-2 early on finished 1-2. It just didn't set up for Garden Dancer. He needs a bit more pace to run at, which he will hopefully get in his next start.
The eleven-year-old horse Quick American -- who I also mentioned on my last post -- finished third after a bit of a rough trip.
Mixed Results from Fabulous Strike
Fabulous Strike, a grade I winner and a member of our VOTTC, ran last night in the Changing Times Stakes at Penn National. He was sent off as the 1-2 favorite against seven opponents and figured to win easily.
Unfortunately, the front-running gelding broke poorly -- and ended up trying to close from off the pace. He actually ran admirably well, racing wide to get into contention before tiring late to finish fifth. The winner was Peppi Knows, who stopped the clock in the decent time of 1:10.10. Interestingly, Peppi Knows was decisively beaten by Fabulous Strike last month.
I believe that Fabulous Strike will rebound sharply off of this race, and I hope to see him at Saratoga later this summer. If all goes well, he might just try to win the Vosburgh Stakes, a race which he won in 2007 and finished second in 2008 and 2009.
Now for the entries. . .
As you might have guessed by the title of this post, Awesome Gem is entered to race this weekend -- on Monday, in the Lone Star Park Handicap to be precise. Although he will be facing just four rivals, they are good rivals, and Awesome Gem will have to be at his best in order to win.
Here are the entries for the grade III, mile and a sixteenth event:
| Post Position | Horse | Morning Line Odds |
| 1 | Flat Out | 15-1 |
| 2 | Thiskyhasnolimit | 2-1 |
| 3 | Awesome Gem | 5-2 |
| 4 | Game On Dude | 6-5 |
| 5 | Lydia's Last Step | 20-1 |
One of the reasons why Awesome Gem will have to be at his best is because Game On Dude is in the race. One of the leading older males in the country, the four-year-old colt won the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) back in March and finished a strong second in the Charles Town Classic (gr. I). Game On Dude is also proven over the track, having won the Lone Star Derby here last year.
Thiskyhasnolimit is another one of the top contenders, based off of his fine victory in the grade III Texas Mile Stakes here last month. He was a fine colt at two and three, and may be prepared for his best year ever.
Flat Out's career has been plagued by long layoffs. After winning the Smarty Jones Stakes in 2009, he finished out of the top three in the Southwest Stakes and Arkansas Derby. He then didn't race again until December 2010, when he won an allowance optional claiming race at Fair Grounds. This will be his first start since then.
Lydia's Last Step is a Texas-bred trying to win one of Texas' biggest races, but the gelding has lost a pair of restricted stakes races this year and I doubt that he can win at this level of competition.
As for Awesome Gem, he didn't show too much in his first two starts of 2011 -- finishing third in an allowance race and off the board in the Charles Town Classic -- but he ran huge to finish fourth in the Alysheba Stakes last time out, being beaten only a half-length after a very traffic-filled trip. In that race, he finished ahead of Giant Oak, Caracortado, Mission Impazible, Wise Dan, and Demarcation. This performance signals that he may be ready to run a winning race on Monday.
A horse named Helicopter
I would like to tell you about a horse named Helicopter.
A five-year-old gelding, he won't be eligible to become a member of our VOTTC until next year. But because he is one of my favorite horses, I think that I should mention him here anyway.
During his long, 45-start career, Helicopter has been known to put together some good winning streaks. Five wins straight, three wins straight -- his victories typically come in groups. All together, he has visited the winners circle on seventeen occasions. He has risen from the claiming ranks to become a solid, stakes-placed allowance runner. Last time out, making his 2011 debut, he won a starter allowance race going nine furlongs at Arlington Park. Today, he is entered in the seventh race at Arlington Park.
The event is a nine furlong turf allowance optional claiming race, in which -- after scratches -- Helicopter is the co-favorite at 3-1. Eight rivals are scheduled to face him, but I believe that Helicopter can beat them all. He should be even sharper today than he was last time out, and with anything even resembling a fast pace, he should come flying in the final furlongs. Interestingly though, he has been entered for a tag and can be claimed for $40,000, should anyone choose to do so.
That's it for the moment! Enjoy the races everyone!
-Keelerman
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Of Rapid Redux, Garden Dancer, & a Workout
Before I begin, please forgive my lack of posting here in recent weeks. I have been busy keeping up with the Triple Crown news on my other blog, and simply haven’t dedicated enough time to this one. So here’s a post
Rapid Redux is entered to race!
Rapid Redux, the remarkable five-year-old gelding who has won eleven straight races, goes for win number twelve tonight at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort!
The race – which is the ninth on the card -- is a one-mile starter allowance race, and Rapid Redux is the 2-5 morning line favorite. Here are the entries:
The only horse considered to have even a mild chance at upsetting Rapid Redux is Senor Rutledge, a four-year-old gelding who has won four of his six starts this year. But last time out, he could only manage a fourth-place finish in a claiming race. And two starts back, he was beaten seven lengths by Rapid Redux.
Garden Dancer is entered too!
Also entered to race this week is Garden Dancer, a nine-year-old gelding who has had a successful year thus far. A veteran of 58 starts, he has made eight alone this year, winning three and finishing second once. On May 26th, he is scheduled to head to post as the 7-2 third choice in a field of six claimers racing 5-1/2 furlongs at River Downs.
Here are the entries:
The morning line favorite is Quick American, an eleven-year-old gelding who has made an incredible 101 starts. This year, he has made seven starts, winning one and placing in two others. Truly remarkable.
And finally, a notable workout!
Presious Passion, the amazing front-running turf marathoner who ran one of the gamest races in Breeders’ Cup history when second in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf, recently returned to the work tab after a lengthy hiatus. He had not breezed since finishing fifth in the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes on January 29th, and I was beginning to wonder if anything was seriously wrong with him. But happily, he breezed five furlongs in 1:03 2/5 at Monmouth Park on May 14th and one-mile in 1:48 flat on May 22nd. One has to wonder if he is perhaps gearing up for another run at the United Nations Handicap in July, a race he has won twice before.
-Keelerman
Rapid Redux is entered to race!
Rapid Redux, the remarkable five-year-old gelding who has won eleven straight races, goes for win number twelve tonight at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort!
The race – which is the ninth on the card -- is a one-mile starter allowance race, and Rapid Redux is the 2-5 morning line favorite. Here are the entries:
| Post Position | Horse | Morning Line Odds |
| 1 | Gift of Valor | 30-1 |
| 2 | Senor Rutledge | 3-1 |
| 3 | Kaufman | 20-1 |
| 4 | Rapid Redux | 2-5 |
| 5 | Access to the City | 30-1 |
| 6 | Mr. Keeper | 12-1 |
| 7 | Mandu Genius | 10-1 |
The only horse considered to have even a mild chance at upsetting Rapid Redux is Senor Rutledge, a four-year-old gelding who has won four of his six starts this year. But last time out, he could only manage a fourth-place finish in a claiming race. And two starts back, he was beaten seven lengths by Rapid Redux.
Garden Dancer is entered too!
Also entered to race this week is Garden Dancer, a nine-year-old gelding who has had a successful year thus far. A veteran of 58 starts, he has made eight alone this year, winning three and finishing second once. On May 26th, he is scheduled to head to post as the 7-2 third choice in a field of six claimers racing 5-1/2 furlongs at River Downs.
Here are the entries:
| Post Position | Horse | Morning Line Odds |
| 1 | Cucina Nick | 5-2 |
| 2 | Garden Dancer | 7-2 |
| 3 | Quick American | 2-1 |
| 4 | Gold Album | 5-1 |
| 5 | Rhode to Silence | 20-1 |
| 6 | Del Mar Storm | 9-2 |
The morning line favorite is Quick American, an eleven-year-old gelding who has made an incredible 101 starts. This year, he has made seven starts, winning one and placing in two others. Truly remarkable.
And finally, a notable workout!
Presious Passion, the amazing front-running turf marathoner who ran one of the gamest races in Breeders’ Cup history when second in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf, recently returned to the work tab after a lengthy hiatus. He had not breezed since finishing fifth in the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes on January 29th, and I was beginning to wonder if anything was seriously wrong with him. But happily, he breezed five furlongs in 1:03 2/5 at Monmouth Park on May 14th and one-mile in 1:48 flat on May 22nd. One has to wonder if he is perhaps gearing up for another run at the United Nations Handicap in July, a race he has won twice before.
-Keelerman
Friday, May 6, 2011
A Magnificent Two Days of Racing!
A magnificent two days of racing are scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. The two big races that everyone will be paying attention to are, obviously, the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks, but several of our veteran geldings are scheduled to race over the next two days as well. They are:
Cost of Freedom – The eight-year-old gelding will be making his first start since finishing third in the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes in Saturday’s Cool Frenchy Stakes at Hollywood Park. He is the 4-5 morning line favorite in a field of six. Up against him will be 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Dancing in Silks and 2009 Malibu Stakes winner M One Rifle. You can watch the race at www.calracing.com!
Garden Dancer – Even at nine years of age, Garden Dancer is still capable of winning claiming races at Beulah Park. On Saturday, he will compete in a $2,500 starter allowance race at Beulah. He, along with his stable mate, The Right Face, are the coupled morning line favorites at 5-2. Made the Steal, a winner of three of his six starts this year, could prove to be Garden Dancer’s stiffest competition.
Chamberlain Bridge – Winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. II) at Churchill Downs last year, Chamberlain Bridge returns to the site of that victory in Saturday’s Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes (gr. III). He is in pretty good form this year, having won the Rail Splitter Stakes at Sam Houston in February and finishing fourth in the Shakertown (gr. III) at Keeneland despite racing on the lead – something this deep closer doesn’t usually attempt. Bridgetown, winner of the Turf Dash Stakes and a stakes-caliber allowance race so far this year, will be tough to beat – but Chamberlain Bridge should be up to the challenge.
Awesome Gem – He may be old, but Awesome Gem just keeps on running. Winner of the 2010 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) and third in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), the eight-year-old gelding is entered in the Alysheba Stakes this afternoon at Churchill Downs. His performances this year have been less than stellar, but don’t count him out. After running third in his 2011 debut – an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields – and sixth in the Charles Town Classic (gr. III), he could be sharp enough to hit the board this afternoon. Go Awesome Gem!
And finally, Rapid Redux is entered to race in a starter allowance race at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort. The even-money favorite on the morning line, he is riding a ten-race winning streak and fully intends to extend that streak to eleven later tonight. Seven other horses are lined up to face him, but I believe that Rapid Redux will win the one-mile event with ease.
Enjoy the races everyone!
-Keelerman
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