AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
| CANADIAN TURF S.
(G3), 8TH-GP, $150,000, 4YO/UP, 1MT, 4:43 P.M. EST, 2-28 |
|
| 1 |
ROGUE VICTORY, 4, c, by Victory GallopRomp and Stomp, by Olympio O-Maybry Farm; B-Runnymede Farm, Inc. & Catesby W Clay Investment LLC (Ky) |
| 2 |
SPORTING ART, 4, c, by Doneraile CourtPlayful Run, by Run Softly O-Jon & Sarah Kelly; B-Frank Penn & John R. Penn (Ky) |
| 3 |
HEY BYRN, 4, c, by Put It BackRestraining Order, by Skip Trial O-Beatrice Oxenberg; B-Arther I Appleton (Fl) |
| 4 |
BUFFALO MAN, 5, h, by El Prado (Ire)Perfect Six, by Saratoga Six O-Ol Memorial Stable & C E Glasscock; B-Adena Springs (On) |
| 5 |
DELIGHTFUL KISS, 5, G, by Kissin KrisDeputy’s Delight, by French Deputy O-Hobeau Farm; B-Hobeau Farm, Ltd. (Fl) |
| 6 |
PASSAGER (FR), 6, h, by AnabaaPassionnee, by Woodman O-Johnanna Louise Glen-Teven; B-M Alec Head & Wertheimer et Frere (Fr) |
| 7 |
VANQUISHER, 5, G, by GulchThe Relentless Cat, by Storm Cat O-Kinsman Stable; B-Kinsman Farm (Fl) |
| 8 |
JUST AS WELL, 6, h, by A.P. IndyNo Matter What, by Nureyev O-Jonathan E Sheppard; B-Augustin Stable (Ky) |
| 9 |
TWILIGHT METEOR, 5, h, by Smart StrikeOne Over Prime, by With Approval O-Peachtree Stable; B-Kinghaven Farms Limited (On) |
| 10 |
BUJAGALI, 5, h, by JohannesburgRiver Melody, by Riverman O-Jeff Singer; B-Golden Gate Stud & Henri Mastey (Ky) |
| 11 |
BUDDY’S HUMOR, 5, h, by Distorted HumorHello Barbara Sue, by Dehere O-Kingfield Racing Stable Ltd; B-Oxley John C. (Ky) |
Eleven will travel one mile over the Gulfstream Park turf course in the
Canadian Turf S. (G3) on Saturday.
TWILIGHT METEOR (Smart Strike) rates our top choice in this one for
conditioner Todd Pletcher. The dual stakes victor, who has placed in four graded
tilts, had a real nice tightener over this strip in advance of this and is well
drawn in post 9 under John Velazquez. The chestnut is a stakes hero over
this course and appears to be poised to break through with a graded victory.
Dual Grade 3 winner SPORTING ART (Doneraile Court) will make his
four-year-old debut in here for Christophe Clement, and if the colt is right
he’ll be a huge threat from post 2. The bay captured the Palm Beach S. (G3) over
this strip last campaign and followed with a smart score in the Calder Derby
(G3). While he was unplaced in his lone trip at this distance, Sporting Art
always looked like a miler and he looks quite logical under Kent Desormeaux.
BUDDY’S HUMOR (Distorted Humor) endured a nightmarish trip in the Ft.
Lauderdale S. last out but will be a big threat with a sensible ride in this
test for trainer Bruce Levine. The bay five-year-old, who has bagged the Jersey
Derby, Elkwood S. and Four Bases S., will surely have benefited from the recent
outing and has a big chance if he breaks sharply beneath Jose Lezcano.
The class of the race is DELIGHTFUL KISS (Kissin Kris), the Grade 2-winning
gray who was a fine winner of the Hal’s Hope S. (G3) two back. The Pete Anderson
pupil has not raced on the weeds since May of 2007, but he broke his maiden on
the lawn and held up well in a couple of other grass events. The one-run closer
will need a lot of help over this speed-favoring course, but he could win on
class alone even with a slow tempo. Calvin Borel retains the mount.
JUST AS WELL (A.P. Indy) outran his odds in registering a second-place effort
in the loaded Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1) in his last. The Jonathan Sheppard
trainee faced infinitely better in his most recent effort and would be
untouchable with a repeat of that showing. He cuts back in trip here, however,
so we’ll try to top the deserving favorite.
ROGUE VICTORY (Victory Gallop) looked sharp in an allowance victory two prior and put in a useful late run in a subsequent allowance tilt for
George Weaver, both coming over this course and distance. The chestnut colt has never faced stakes foes, and while this is
not the deepest field ever assembled for a Grade 3 run, his best still might be
a cut below.
Multiple Grade 3 hero BUFFALO MAN (El Prado [Ire]) won last year’s Appleton
H. (G3) over Gulfstream’s grassy mile, so it would be unwise to dismiss the
Cam Gambolati charge in this field. The five-year-old bay has useful tactical
speed, and while he didn’t have the ideal prep for this, he will likely be a big
price and worth including in the gimmicks with Eibar Coa.
It might be fitting for Canadian conditioner Roger Attfield to win this race,
but we don’t know enough about his charge, PASSAGER (Fr) (Anabaa), to give him
the nod. The dark bay gelding has won or placed in 16 of his 22 lifetime starts
and he will receive Lasix for his U.S. debut, so we can’t toss the wildcard.
The presence of Edgar Prado makes this one very playable in a questionable
field.
VANQUISHER (Gulch) has won three in succession and exits a game win in the
Tallahassee S. over this oval for Gregory Griffith. The gelded bay earned a
whopping 110 BRIS Late Pace rating for his latest win and looks like a logical threat
right back under Alan Garcia.
BUJAGALI (Johannesburg) should not be overlooked in this spot, as he can be a
strong factor on the lead for Marty Wolfson. The lightly raced bay should be
fully fit after putting in two tries over this oval leading up to this, and he
could surprise with a placing if allowed a clear early lead under Elvis
Trujillo.
HEY BYRN (Put It Back) has never raced on the green and is not in the best
form, so we’ll leave him off our tickets under Cornelio Velasquez.