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EQUINICS OLD FRIENDS: 3YO FILLIES 8F TURF
3yo Fillies clash over a mile in China

By- Bjbandit


It is the time of year on the Sim calendar for all the residencies of the world to gather for the biennial Equinics. As is traditional the turf races will be run at the site of the Olympics, Beijing China. And just like the Olympics where the powerful, affluent nations of the world clash in the heat of battle alongside the minnows, so it is the case with the Equinics. Group One, Eclipse horses will vie for gold alongside maidens and claimers, competing for residency pride and respect. We will start our look at the Old Friends Mile with a look back at the horses that have already written their name in Equinics history in this division.

At the first Equinics the 3 year olds had to compete against older horses, but since the expansion of the Equinics in 2002 and in the last three Equinics the 3 year olds have raced against their own age. The race record for fillies is 1:34 1/5 held by Jaw Dropper , which she set in winning the Antwerp Diamond Mile in 2004. This was her second Grade One of the year and she would go on to register another victory in the Grade One QE2 Challenge over 9 furlongs. In fact the 3yo fillies turf mile has always seen the cream rise to the top. Capper and Kiss or Kill are the other two winners, both having career earnings in excess of $1000000 and 5 Grade Ones between them. Other top fillies to have competed but come up just short on the day include Tenacious V, Ascendancy, PGPG�s Filly, Lolland, Nurey Evermore and Spicegirl. But it isn�t all about the big names, horses such as Nogales and Ocdane were able to match it with the heavyweights on the day and come away with medals for their residency.

This year�s quality field has continued the outstanding legacy laid by previous Equinics runners. We will now turn our attention to the field and look a little closer at the competitors striving to be the next gold medal winner of the 3yo filly�s mile.

Vermont

SISSON�S AZAMOUR�� AZAMOUR (IRE) x SADLER'S WELLS x PLEASANT TAP. RANKED 58

Top ranked second crop offspring for Azamour that has been knocking on the door of group success for two years.�

As a 2yo this filly went within a half a length of registering a Grade One victory at her third start, straight from allowance company and in a World Cup Event no less.

She began her 3yo campaign promisingly, running the flying Otto Tribute to 2 � lengths in the 8fl Gr 3 Broadside Stakes. But since then she has struggled to finish off her races over a mile+, registering just the one win in The Apple House Memorial stakes over 8.5fl. Whilst her record may hint that she might be more effective over a sprint journey, it also doesn�t tell the whole story. This filly is a fighter and has only finished further back than 5th twice in her career. The Equinics is all about finding that little something more on the day and reaching levels you thought impossible. Sisson�s Azamour will be facing the wind coming around the home turn and if she can find that little more, she may find herself somewhere on the podium come Saturday afternoon.

Minnesota

Native Mambo����������������������� EL PRADO(IRE) x KINGMAMBO x EXCLUSIVE NATIVE. RANKED 4

Million dollar earner, undefeated at Smackdown and improving with every run this year.

As a 2yo Native Mambo took a couple of runs to find her feet but once she did she went on to win a Smackdown event at her 4th start, run second in the Gr 3 Mooney stakes over 7.5fl and finished the year with a nail biting 2nd in the Gr 1 Dancing Blade Handicap over 8fl, being run down in the shadows of the post by Crime Beat.

At 3 and after an early sharpen up on the dirt, she is yet to miss a place in 5 starts, all at graded level. Her bold front running style has been a highlight of the 3yo filly classics where she has led for most of the races only to be run down late in the 1000 Guineas and Cremation Stakes, finishing third and second respectively. But last time out at Smackdown there was no Alayaya to ruin the party and as we entered the straight and everyone was looking for Otto Tribute to make her move something strange happened, nothing. There was no late drive by the champ, she was held up in traffic and the Mambo had run them into the ground. She dominated the field leading from start to finish and posted an extremely impressive SP of 111.

She has the speed, she has the pedigree and she has the runs on the board. But does she have the fortitude of a champion? We know she will be leading turning for home, will she stare down the swoopers, refusing to give in and reach for gold? I have a feeling the bridesmaid may be ready for that gold medal.

The CR Racers

Deerstanding������������� STRONGHOPE x MEADOWLAKE x UNFUWAIN. RANKED 18

Yet to miss a place on the turf and comes into this race in outstanding form.

Whilst Deerstanding showed some ability on the dirt it was pretty evident early on that the turf is where she felt most comfortable. Her late closing style also came to surface late in her 2yo season when she just failed to get the money on a wet track at Arkansas before closing out the year with a commanding victory in an allowance at Virginia.

She was brought along patiently at 3 by her trainer Scoobi, registering 4 wins in a row, the last being an overnight stakes at North Dakota over 8.5fl on the turf. The logical step was graded company, but it was to some surprise to fellow trainers that Scoobi chose the classic Grade One � The Cremation over 8fl on the turf to really test his charge out. But proving that he knows his horse and her potential Deerstanding put up an outstanding performance, charging from the back of the field to run Alayaya and Native Mambo to a couple of lengths and finish 3rd. She then went one better in the Irish 1000 Guineas finishing an ever diminishing head behind winner Algodon De Azucar.

With horses like Native Mambo and Sisson�s Azamour fighting for the lead there is sure to be plenty of pace on this weekend, but can Deerstanding weave a path through 19 fillies to hit the lead in time? She is the fresh horse on the scene and is one of the few fillies to have avoided the countless drubbings by Otto Tribute. If she secures a good run from the gate it is hard to see her being too far away when the whips are cracking.

Benelux

Moi Lolita ����������������� AWESOME AGAIN x A.P. INDY x KINGMAMBO. RANKED 80

Grade 3 winner at the distance trying to bounce back from a couple of setbacks.

Moi Lolita was bred to run on the dirt and at 2 she showed enough to register a stakes victory over 7.5fl and place in 2 others. But Ceclaim, acting on a hunch, switched her to the grass at 3 and unlocked the key to Moi Lolita.

She must have been showing something on the training track because there was no easy warm up for her first turf assignment, straight into stakes company. And although she had her colours lowered by the well performed La Gran Verduga it was obvious to everyone that saw her race, here was a filly with ability. She rewarded this belief in her next two starts by scrambling home in an overnight stakes at Longchamp and stunning some of the division�s good fillies in winning the time honoured Grade Three Nell Gwynn Stakes at Epsom.

But just as she seemed destined to make a run at the division disaster struck. Maybe it was the travel or the different feed but after flying half way around the world to Michigan Moi Lolita could only muster a disappointing 4th in the Grade Two Michigan Sophomore Turf Invitational. Ceclaim decided to bring her back to Europe but ran into further problems with wet tracks and in the Ivan Ivankov stakes she failed to pick up Monsun Jr Cb and Someoldminer in the wet, although she did show glimpses of her best.

Will the trip to Beijing prove too far for Moi Lolita? Personally I don�t think it will be a problem, she has an experienced trainer and proved as a 2yo that she could cope with travel. Maybe it was just the Michigan feed. She should be sitting just behind the pace setters on Saturday and with a little luck in running she may just poke her head through for a dash at a podium finish.

Rash

Coy Princess�������������� OCTAGONAL(NZ) x COMPLIANCE x MOUNTAIN CAT. RANKED 266

Fast filly building a nice record in allowances and taking a big step up at the Equinics.

Coy Princess broke through for her maiden victory at 3 in the first week of January and has campaigned heavily since then, starting 9 more times this year. Like her sire, who was the first and only horse to win the Australian Triple Crown at 3, she obviously has a very strong constitution because the heavy race schedule has not hampered her form and she has reeled of 4 victories and placed in every race bar one this year.

Her last 3 races heading into the Equinics were all over sprint journeys, including her maiden stakes victory in the Delium Special over 7.5fl at California. The big question this week is �does she have the miles in the legs to get a tough mile against the best fillies in the land?� She is a real flyer so look for her to ping the gates and take up a forward position alongside Native Mambo but she will have to find another gear that she hasn�t shown yet when the pressure comes on at the 600 metre mark.

GR Simsters

Otto Tribute�������������� MARIA'S MON x FUSAICHI PEGASUS x NORTHERN DANCER. RANKED 2

Broke her 9 race winning streak at Smackdown and is back to prove that it was just an aberration.

Maria�s Mon has always been an underperformer in the Sim despite his success in the real world. He only produced 3 graded winners from 2003 to 2007, yet here we have the dominant filly of her time out of 2 Kentucky Derby winners as the undisputed Queen of the Turf. Hopefully one day someone will explain this breeding caper to me.

Otto Tribute�s ability on the lawn seemed to surprise her trainer Given as well because in June last year she made her much anticipated debut on the dirt. She was very professional on debut, as you would expect from a horse out of a top stable, and she got the job done scrambling home by � of a length.� Six weeks later she was back and straight up in distance to a mile, however, here was the first sign that maybe dirt wasn�t for her. She failed to let down in the stretch and was a well beaten third. Little did we know that the winner, Nehi Orange, would go on to be one of the top dirt filly milers in the country for Libitfarm.

Still scratching his head Given took the advice of top Nevada jockey V Jef who recommended she be switched to grass and the rest as they say is history. She strolled to a comfortable allowance victory by 3 � lengths with Jef aboard and plans were immediately hatched to chase the coveted 1000 Guineas. Along the way she would also claim the Grade Three Broadside Stakes, Grade One Snowbound Special and 4 overnight stakes in 3 different countries. She was sent out the popular elect for the 1000 Guineas and she gave favourite backers no reason for concern, running a beautifully controlled race just off the lead before quickening in the stretch and running home a comfortable winner.

Another stakes win followed back in New York, proving she was just as adept in the wet as on top of the ground. And then Smackdown. Lining up for her 10th straight win seemed certain, sure the field was deep and Smackdown wins don�t come easily but this was Otto Tribute, Queen of the Turf. Well Native Mambo and 10 other hard and fit fillies hadn�t read the script. She was bashed from pillar to post as jockeys battled for position and up front the ever improving Native Mambo ground them into submission high balling along, running incredible sectionals. She never fired a shot and trailed home a well beaten 9th.

Perhaps now with the monkey off her back Otto Tribute is ready to once again take her place a top the division. Or has a changing of the guard, which often happens to Guineas winners, begun to occur? It is certainly too early to write off a champion on one run, but the eyes of the Sim world will be bearing down on Otto Tribute this weekend as they turn for home, looking for any sign that she is off the bit and has lost the desire to push forward and chase after those tear away leaders.

DelPenn

Happens In Vegas������������������ CACIQUE (IRE) x DEPUTY MINISTER x UNBRIDLED. RANKED 515

Perennial bridesmaid out to show the huge run at Smackdown is a sign of things to come.

Happens in Vegas is yet to miss a place in 11 races and more than 12 months of racing, but she has only won 3 races, all at 2. Those 3 victories all came in her first 4 starts including her maiden on debut at New South Wales and 2 allowance victories at Ostend. Her promising form led top trainer Texasace to step her up to stakes company where she proved competitive running 3rd in the Chicago Kingdom Special and DPCD Juvy Filly Turf Sprint behind the well performed Cote Bonneville.

Texasace must have had high hopes for his filly as 2008 ticked over and although she has not let him down she has proved equally frustrating. She opened up 2008 with a couple of second place finishes in allowances running good time in both but unable to get past the winner. Her next assignment was the Delpenn 1000 Guineas where she was sent out as 3rd elect. The Guineas looked like it was going to be her race, she fought off the early pace setters to hit the lead 600 metres from home only to be run over late by Retribution Angel and finish second again. Dropping back to 7fl in the Lady Frankenstein Special yielded the same result, although it is certainly no disgrace to run second to the Grade One winning Starrahy Eyed over the shorter trips.

So it was off to Smackdown with the hopes of Delpenn riding firmly on her back and the filly with the big heart did not let the team down, and you can guess where she finished���..that�s right another gutsy second. But, running 109 and finishing second to Native Mambo is far from a poor performance and it may just be the run that proves Happens In Vegas deserves her spot in this company. Her last two placings have been behind very smart, Grade One calibre fillies and a silver medal on Saturday would certainly be a fitting result for this tough little filly from Delpenn.

Ireland

Monsun Jr Cb������������ MONSUN(GER) x FASLIYEV (IRE) x DIXIE BRASS. RANKED 59

Proven Miler looking for her 6th win on the trot.

Monsun Jr Cb made her debut late in the 2yo season running second at her first outing in November last year. She was able to break her maiden status just before turning 3 when she ran at Ascot�s second last meeting for the year, winning handsomely over 6fl.

With the first win out of the way her trainer, themole, set forth to establish her running style and distance. After winning a weak allowance over 8 she was stepped up to 9.5 and 10 furlongs and although she was still competitive the extra distance seemed to leave her out of gas in the stretch. So it was back to the mile in May and since then she hasn�t looked back.

She ran through her allowance classes, winning 3 on the trot from April to June. But it was the ease of her victories and the times she was starting to run which started themole thinking that he may have an above average filly on his hands. It was time to step up to stakes company and Monsun Jr Cb showed immediately that she was comfortable at that level with another classy win in the King�s Pye Stakes, claiming the scalps of Deep Dreams and Kirby�s Young Dog in the process. Next up was the Ivan Ivankov Stakes and a real test against fillies such as Sisson�s Azamour and Moi Lolita. Monsun Jr Cb again rose to the challenge and kept her winning streak in tack, getting home in a photo from Someoldminer.

You can�t knock winning form and Monsun Jr Cb is on a real hot streak. Her record at or around a mile is outstanding: 7 starts for 6 wins and a second. This is her stiffest test to date but each time she has stepped up a grade this year she has been up to the task. Although her last 3 wins have been in the wet she has proven herself just as handy in the dry and I think she will play a part in the finish as they drive for the line.

Queensland

Rockbar��������������������� ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE) x ALJABR x IRISH RIVER(FR).RANKED 104

Speedy filly stepping back up to the mile.

Rock Bar enjoyed a very successful 2yo campaign, scoring 3 wins and a second from 5 starts. Her only failure was in the World Cup where she was thrown in to help the Aussie/New Zealand team out at only her second start. The hard run against experienced, quality fillies didn�t seem to affect� her and she went on to claim 2 allowance victories and run second in the Minnesota Lassie Stakes to the smart filly High Motions.

Dowelly must have been licking his lips in anticipation of Rockbar�s 3yo campaign and while the filly has been a model of consistency she has just failed to breakthrough for a black type win. After a failed test of her endurance over 9.5fl she was disappointing in running a well beaten third in the 8fl Seriously Double Memorial. Dropped back to allowance level to find her feet Rockbar got her groove back and reeled off 2 impressive allowance victories, never being headed in either.

With her confidence back it was time to test the stakes waters again but in her next 3 runs she seemed to bump into one or two better fillies each time. These were no slouches either, Prospector�s Tune was in the middle of a 6 start winning streak and Sisson�s Azamour is a hard filly to get past at any time, however, what was disturbing form analysts was her tendency to weaken down the stretch against the better fillies. When the sword was put to her she seemed to wilt under the pressure.

Looking to sharpen her up Dowelly dropped her back to the long sprints for her final 2 runs in the Grade Two Niedermeyer Cup and the Grade Three Barrier Reef Stakes. She performed well in both but still found the stretch a shade tough against quality fillies like Cote Bonneville, Kepler Rsm and Silver Splendor.

There is no doubting Rockbar�s ability and she has been mixing it with some of the best fillies all year. But it doesn�t get any easier this week, these are the Equinics and the vision of Higher, Faster, Further certainly holds true for Rockbar if she is going to take home a medal.

Ohio

Lucky�s Hotty������������� PIVOTAL(GB) x MONSUN(GER) x CARSON CITY. RANKED 182

Tough, experienced filly looking to step up in class.

Lucky�s Hotty raced an amazing 11 times as a 2yo, but the punishing schedule seemed to agree with the filly from Ohio as she took home 2 stakes victories, placed in 2 more and dabbled in graded company. She jumped straight from a maiden victory into black type with a win in the Easy Seattle Special at North Dakota in her 5th start and backed this up with a second stakes victory in the Hollywood State Special at Montana. Whilst she wasn�t able to win again at 2 she remained competitive in her next 5 starts and her times improved as the year rolled on.

Lucky�s Hotty�s grueling schedule has continued at 3 with Mrlucky operating under the principle that they don�t earn any money sitting in their stable. She has raced 9 times this year for 2 allowance wins and a couple of stakes placings, all at a mile. The worrying sign is that her speeds haven�t increased as the year has progressed and the speed she was able to compete with earlier in the year isn�t getting the job done now.

While she may not be fancied in the early markets if it comes down to a test of fitness, experience and courage this filly will have plenty to draw on.

EWC

Shooting Water��������������������� A. P. WARRIOR x GIANT'S CAUSEWAY (IRE) x SADLER'S WELLS. RANKED 715.

Shooting for a change of luck at the Equinics.

Shooting Water epitomises the Equinics spirit, the classic battle of minnow versus champion. After 3 early runs on the dirt at 2 Ladyeve had an inkling that her A.P Warrior filly may enjoy the give in the turf and her last run at 2 was a promising 2nd in a MSW at Tennessee over 6.5 furlongs on the lawn.

Her 3yo campaign began promisingly by breaking her maiden stylishly in her first run for the year at Tennessee. She then shipped to North Florida and made it 2 on the trot with an allowance win over 9 furlongs and a strong drive in the stretch. After a couple races around 10 panels it was back to the mile for her lead up run into the Equinics in the Shelley�s Dance Bonanza Stakes. It was also her first attempt against the older horses and she found the mares a bit tough on the day, but her increase in speed would have proven pleasing for her trainer.

Obviously Shooting Water is going to be up against it but that is what the Equinics are all about, bringing residencies and horses of all abilities together.

Hispano Parlante

Algodon De Azucar���������������� TAPIT x WOODMAN x LYPHARD. RANKED 5

Irish 1000 Guineas winner with an exceptional record.

Not many fillies can match their record up with Otto Tribute but Algodon De Azucar�s record sits comfortably against any filly. Granted she only has the one graded victory but her trainer, Otto, has been very patient with his charge and brought her through the grades, gaining experience along the way.

Her record on the grass stands at 10-8-2-0 with excuses for both loses. One was an experiment at 10 furlongs, which she didn�t enjoy but to her credit she never shirked the task and kept plugging to the line. Her other loss was to Libitfarm�s exceptional Rock of Gibraltar filly Hamster, who has since gone on to record an sp of 112 in beating older fillies over 10 furlongs and has won 7 from 10 herself.

Those losses aside Algodon De Azucar has proven almost unstoppable over a mile this year in winning 3 overnight stakes and the Irish 1000 Guineas. Although her stakes wins were impressive, including one victory over High Motions, it was her Irish 1000 Guineas victory that really made the trainers in this division stand up and take notice. Just about unwanted in betting the flying filly from Hispano Parlante left the Cremation stakes winner Alayaya in her wake and proved strong enough to hold out Scoobi�s Deerstanding in the drive to the lin.

Algodon De Azucar is the X Factor, the unknown quantity, in Saturday�s race. Whilst the Irish Guineas win was exceptional it was her first graded victory and it is very hard to win back to back Grade Ones. She is also meeting horses such as Otto Tribute and Native Mambo for the first time. These fillies are battle hardened, top class fillies that will prove more formidable foes than many she has met. But she is a winner and winners have a habit of rising for the big occasion.

Kentucky Horsemen

Alluring Legend��������������������� SAVABEEL (AUS) x GOLD LEGEND x LURE. RANKED 540

Raw filly stepping up to represent the Horsemen.

It is not surprising to see Alluring Legend show ability as a 3yo, after all her sire won Australasia�s premiere weight for age event, The W.S Cox Plate at 3.

Alluring Legend wasn�t the most precocious 2yo and did not make her debut until October, but it was worth the wait for owner/trainer Hawkz who saw his filly win on debut against a full field at Ostend. She then made it 2 in a row by cleaning up the Premio Mihirir restricted allowance in Italy over 8 furlongs and things were looking rosy for the daughter of Savabeel. It was then somewhat of a surprise to see her regress in her final start at 2 and her first at 3, the young filly didn�t seem to find the pace she had shown in her first 2 starts and it was time to head back to the drawing board and get a full blood count to see what was holding her back.

Alluring Legend returned to the track in March and it was obvious from the condition of her coat that she was feeling better within herself and it showed on the track when she claimed the allowance win at Newmarket over the sprint journey of 1300 metres. She was then shipped over to Germany for a couple of allowances that Hawkz had marked our for her and while she didn�t fire first up she was able to take victory over 7 furlongs at Germany�s premier track at her second attempt before shipping back to Ostend. In her final hit out before the Equinics she never settled against the older mares and knocked up to run a disappointing 10th.

Alluring Legend hasn�t run at a mile since she was 2 so it will be interesting to see if she can muster the same pace her sire was famous for over the longer journeys. It is a big class rise for her but she should enjoy dropping back to her own age group.

Great Plains

Broadenthewire�������������������� ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE) x BROAD BRUSH x MACHIAVELLIAN. RANKED 815

Daughter of champion Miler, still learning.

Karie has shipped her lovely daughter of Rock of Gibraltar in from Japan to compete for the Great Plains residency. She is having only her 8th race start this week which makes her one of the most inexperienced fillies in the field and it will be her first attempt at black type.

Broadenthewire has taken time to mature, as most of the Rock of Gibraltar�s seem to do, and she was unable to break her maiden in 4 attempts at 2. However, she was competitive from day one, placing in 3 of 4 races at 2 and it seemed only a lack of maturity was holding her back from breaking through.

After a nice spell at the end of her 2yo season it was obvious that Broadenthewire was starting to grow into her frame and she was able to win first up at 3 in February at Epsom on a heavy track. Next up at Ireland she showed pace again and while she finished out of the placings she was only one length from the winner. Her last race was in Japan, perhaps to break up the trip to China, and it was here that Broadenthewire started to show that she may have the makings of a nice filly. It was only a NW2L allowance but she was stepping up against the open mares and she won it handsomely by 2 � lengths in the finish.�

It will be massive step up in class this weekend but Broadenthewire will only improve for the experience. As the only filly in the field to have beaten older mares it may be worth putting her in any multiples you are taking for the race.

EAAA Racing

Electrification����������������������� RED RANSOM x DANEHILL x RAISE A NATIVE. RANKED 508

Could a filly having her 3rd race start have a legitimate shot at a medal? You better believe it.

Potential with a capital P. Pedro�s Racing Empire raised plenty of eye brows when he stepped his classically bred filly straight out of her maiden into graded company. Sure she had absolutely dominated her maiden, streeting the full field of 14 by 4 � lengths on debut at Portugal over 6.5 furlongs. But the Grade 2 Cooked Cabbage Cup over 7 � furlongs in Germany is a different kettle of fish. But Pedro knows his filly and has had huge wraps on her since joining the stable and she lived up to those expectations by finishing a strong 2nd to tear away leader Diamond Heights, herself a top class 3yo filly.

Electrification is bred to run at least a mile and probably further but until they do it under the pressure of race conditions you never know. It would be a massive achievement for a 2yo to debut in June and finish on the podium of the Equinics in August let alone a 3yo filly against the best in the world. But Electrification has the breeding, ability and aptitude to do it.

Alpine Turf Club

Marc�s Gold���������������� SEEKING THE GOLD x THUNDER GULCH x NIJINSKY II. RANKED 48

Backmarker that possess a paralysing finish which might give the likes of Native Mambo something to worry about.

Marc�s Gold is another of those Sim oddities, bred to be a mighty dirter it is on the turf that she has felt most comfortable. Delta Tiger obviously had similar thoughts because it wasn�t until February this year that Marc�s Gold first faced other horses on the lawn. Previously she had raced 4 times on the dirt at 2 and 3, and while she was still good enough to break her maiden it was obvious to Delta that her filly was not totally comfortable having the dirt fly in her face.

So it was off to the turf track at Virginia in February to see if Marc�s Gold would welcome the cleaner running on the turf. Running over the mile she again took time to find her feet and settled at the tail of the field but she took off from the 800 metre mark, circled the field on the turn and careered away down the stretch to win by 2 � lengths. You couldn�t wipe the smile off Delta�s face.

She was shipped to Delaware in March for another allowance race and the result was the same. Marc�s Gold settled last, took off at the 600 metre mark and flew home to win by 3 � lengths. It was time to step up to black type and in April Marc�s Gold was set for the Best Alice Handicap over the mile at South Dakota. It was only a small field which included the smart filly Junior Achiever but Marc�s Gold accounted for them comfortably, coming from 11 lengths back to win by more than 2.

Looking for her 4th straight win on the grass Delta Tiger took her flying filly international, shipping to New South Wales Australia for the Grade Three Filly Turf Bonanza. In the field were future Cremation Stakes winner Alayaya, Circus Plume and Arwen�s Pretzel. But they were no match for the finishing burst of Marc�s Gold who again charged from last to grab Alayaya in the shadows of the post.

Just as it appeared Marc�s Gold might run through the European classics her form dropped off. In her last two runs, the Grade One Creation Stakes and Grade Two Bluto Cup she seemed to have lost some of her zip. While she still closed from the rear she was never really able to threaten the leaders. Perhaps the travel had started to catch up with her after shipping to New South Wales, Ostend and Indiana in consecutive runs.
There is bound to be plenty of pace provided by the likes of Native Mambo and Sisson�s Azamour so if Delta Tiger can freshen her filly up don�t be surprised to see a blur of pink and purple flash down the outside as Marc�s Gold drives to the finish in search of a medal.

Northwest Racing Circuit

River of Souls������������� PERFECT SOUL (IRE) x RIVERMAN x LYPHARD. RANKED 55

Quality filly trying to bounce back from a couple of heavy defeats.

River of Souls was bred to run long on the turf and she has not let Phantom Farms down. She took time to mature and did not race as a 2yo, making her debut in February this year over 7 panels on the grass at Tennessee. The wags at the mounting yard joked that she looked like she needed the run and it proved so, with River of Souls outpaced over the sprint journey to finish a well beaten 11th. However, the run did her the world of good and 3 weeks later at Mississippi over a distance more to her liking River of Souls was able to round the field up and run away a convincing winner by more than 3 lengths. She obviously enjoyed the extra distance and Phantom stepped her up to 9.5fl for her next start at Oklahoma, where she again proved too strong, winning with her head on her chest by 2 lengths. In April she was shipped to Jamaica for an allowance over 2200 metres which she was anticipated to win comfortably. And she did not let her backers down, dictating terms out in front and eased down on the line to win by 3 lengths.

After 3 wins on the trot it was time to try black type and River of Souls was set for the Prophetic Blade Special in Virginia over 9 � furlongs. After settling on the leaders heels she upped the tempo at the 600 metre mark and ran away from the field, having more than 3 lengths to spare on the line.

Just as it seemed River of Souls would target some of the long classic filly races Phantom decided to freshen her up and bring her back to the mile for the Grade Two Celine stakes at Oklahoma. River of Souls over raced a touch and gave jockey G Wendorff a torrid time but was still fit enough to fight out the finish with Briseida, going down in a photo.� Buoyed by her strong performance over the shorter journey Phantom sent River of Souls across the Atlantic to Ostend for the time honoured Grade One Cremation Stakes. As soon as they jumped it was obvious something was not right with the filly as she immediately drifted back in the field and trailed home a distant last. Hoping that the Cremation performance was just a blip on the radar Phantom sent River of Souls back to the States for the Grade Two Bluto Cup over 9 furlongs. And while she raced more handily she found little from the 600 metre pole and fell back through the field to finish 10th.

River of Souls� startling first half of the year has just been tarnished a little with her last two runs. She looks like a filly that might enjoy 10 furlongs or more and against some of the speedsters here she may prove a little too dour down the stretch. But if Phantom can work his magic and manage to freshen her up like he did for the Celine stakes then she will prove hard to get past once in front.

Blazing Saddles

Guineas Toast������������ KINGMAMBO x NIJINSKY II x NUREYEV. RANKED 100

Raw filly with a world of potential.

The second most inexperienced filly in the field with just 3 career starts, but she has made some impression in her brief career to date.� After some early setbacks at 2 Shamrock Stables finally got Guineas Toast to the track in May this year, and boy was the wait worth it. The stable had a big opinion of her and backed her accordingly. Starting as pre post favourite she completely controlled the race, running away hard held to win by more than 4 lengths. She was kept in Queensland for her second start and repeated the dose against allowance fillies, again winning under her own steam by nearly 4 lengths.

Although Shamrock wanted to bring the flying filly through the grades time was against him. The Irish 1000 Guineas loomed large on the horizon and you only get one shot at the 3yo classics. So Guineas Toast was sent across to Ireland in July to contest the Guineas against some of the best fillies in the land. Inexperience probably told in the finish and the top fillies Algodon De Azucar and Deerstanding proved too tough down the stretch but she performed admirably to place third, ahead of the Cremation Stakes winner Alayaya.

Guineas Toast is bred to be a superstar and she obviously has plenty of ability. She would have gained a lot of experience from the Guineas and she is only going to get better as the year unfolds. Whether the Equinics is too early for her is the big question. It is a massive ask to compete at one of the Sim�s great events at only your 4th start, but what better arena to create history in.

Well that is the field for the 2008 Old Friends. I am going to refrain from picking a winner because the Equinics is all about competing, not winning. I hope you all have a great day and enjoy the spectacle that is the Equinics.

Brendan (aka bjbandit)






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