GI – Forego (BC)
$600.000 Graded Stake 7 Furlongs on Dirt for Three & Up
2016 Champ: Moon Landing
The win and your in GI Forego will be run Saturday afternoon at SAR. The winner will win a spot in the BC Dirt mile race at DMR the first weekend of November. The defending champion, Moon Landing will look to make it two in a row. But will have to take on a talented field of eight other horses including a few fast looking three year olds that could create some problems for the older horses like the have been as of late.
1- Oversell It (Trained by Team 7 Illusions, Ridden by Ortiz J L)
An astute claim last time out by his new connections, Team 7 Illusions as he is currently sitting eleventh in BC sprint points, a solid finish here would all but assure him a spot. Back on Derby weekend he was able to steal the GII CD at 11-1 in the slop. His few races after that were disappointing but his most recent race where he was claimed showed some improvement and if he can get a little closer to the pace he may have a shot. The seven furlong distance seems to suit him better then six.
2- Insect (Trained by Mb Stables, Ridden by Pennington F)
The first of three entries from the stable of Mb and first of the three year olds in the field. He has only been in the barn for one start which was an impressive one, a starter allowance win at SAR. Despite the level of race the time was a good one and is very comparable to the times many of these others have been running at seven furlongs. In fact it was the third fastest run race at seven furlongs all year long. This NY bred will be looking for a good early pace to run at and will want to make his move turning for home.
3- Jolly Be Native (Trained by John Henry, Ridden by Velazquez J R)
Staying with the recently purchased theme is Jolly Be Native. He was purchased by the stable of John Henry back in late June and has run once with the new silks, a fourth place finish in the mile long GIII Dwyer. He was purchased coming off the triple crown trail and a cut back in distance could be just what this horse needs. His breeding, works and way he runs his races all indicate this seven furlong distance could but just what he needs to get back in the win column. Could be a nice price come race day and one you shouldn’t ignore.
4- Snowmizer (Trained by D J C Racing Stables, Ridden by Moran D)
Just like Jolly Be Native is trying to do Snowmizer did last race, cutting back to the sprint distance after going a route for a long time worked out just fine for him as he was able to take home the GII BEL Sprint Championship. This four year old colt hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, works are still as good as they were this time last year. His last few races have shown some versatility being able to win from off the lead and on it.
5- Spring Lover (Trained by Mb Stables, Ridden by Ortiz I Jr)
Since joining the sprinting game back in April he has brought home two wins and a second place finish in three races. Those results put Spring Lover at the top of the BC Sprint points list with twenty. He wont need any more points to qualify but the $600.000 purse is more then enough incentive to run well.
6- Moon Landing (Trained by Mb Stables, Ridden by Albarado R J)
The defending champ of this race is back again in hopes of repeating. He has struggled a bit this year getting into the winners circle in the big races but has finished in the top three in all of his last three starts and as a result is still in good shape headed towards the BC with twelve points and in fourth place. He has had a great career in these six to seven furlong races and even as a five year old this gelding is always a threat to win.
7- Pip Pip Hooray (Trained by Gdp Inc, Ridden by Smith M E)
In his most recent start Pip Pip Hooray showed a liking for an off track as he was able to take home the GIII Vigil at WO. That win was his first win in a graded stake. On a fast surface he hasn’t been able to put up the kind of race times you would be hoping for at this point though. Will need to continue improving those race times to be a contender.
8- Scandelous Cat (Trained by Smokey Stover, Ridden by Bejarano R)
Three straight wins coming into a race is never a bad thing. Those three six and a half furlong wins have shown some steady growth from one race to the next. He should have no problem with the little bit of extra distance. This is a big step up in competition compared to what he has been running against as of late. His biggest asset in the race is he has a hot trainer/jockey combination. Both have been hot all year and can make some pretty ordinary horses look like stars.
9- Moriches Bay (Trained by TwinTowersRacing, Ridden by Castellano J J)
An impressive win and then a disappointing last place finish are how Moriches Bay‘s last two races have gone. His whole career has been plagued by inconstancy, sometimes nearing brilliance and other times looking like hes headed to the nearest farm and never seeing a race track again. He is a bit too inconsistent and the outside post wont help him either. He doesn’t look to be much of a factor in the race.
My Selections: 4/3/6
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
