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It's A 'Goblin' Versus A 'Cajun'. Ain't The Equinics 'Grand', Though?
Equinics 2YO Dirt Sprinters Fight For The Right To Speed

By- Cvbear

Equinics comes every two years.� But 2-year-old Equinics races come just every four years.�

There are few special times for any crop of 2-year-old colts.� The Bluegrass Derby is many moons away.� The Breeders Bowl Juvenile comes in October, with many winding paths and stories leading just to one glorious mile and a sixteenth moment.� But those races are goals, and there are many different ways to achieve them, none of which stand out on their own as a defining moment of specialness.

The Equinics, though, is such a special moment, a defining event in the evolution of the juvenile colt hoping to share in the rich history of the Sim.� And what's more, is that while the Equinics on the whole comes every two years, the juveniles only get a chance to shine every four years, during the Summer Olympics.� This makes establishing yourself in the pantheon of Equinics champions all the more precious and rare.� There's usually a good story buried beneath the races that only come every four years.

Baby Prospector, trained by kyliette2,�won the first Equinics race for 2-year-olds on dirt, coming in Vermont in September of 2000.� He pressed the pace every step of the six-furlong race, stalking behind a hot pace and holding on late at 13-1 for a speed figure of 95, a clocking of 1:10 3/5, and the bold type on the resum� of Equinics champion.� The horse is still technically active in the Sim, yet in spite of four other career stakes wins, this one is a computer horse, winless since June of 2001 and inactive on the track since October of 2005.� But in a field with six other graded stakes winners in it, he beat the best of his generation in that inaugural event.

The other Equinics juvenile in 2004 was won by Runway T (trained by refinement), in August of 2004, again at Vermont.� He completed his six panels in 1:10 1/5, good enough for a speed figure of 98.� This 14-1 shot wired them with minimal challenge, and won with something left.� Here, too, though, was a horse who peaked too soon, and he descended from being stakes-placed into the mid-level claimers before his retirement last year.� But he's still a Grade I winner, and if anything his race had tougher foes in it, including multiple Grade I-winning turf star Manifest Destiny, multiple graded winner Prince Murf, and Grade I Eddie Haskell winner Squal Me Halo.

In only the third edition of this race in the Equinics, the Sim has now evolved to the point where a bumper crop of new stars hopes to step up into the void of the other two previous runnings, and achieve a major victory in one of the benchmark events like the Juvenile or the Derby.� Is one of tomorrow's stars waiting to take flight into their destiny here?� (How poetic!)� A look at the field gives one hope for the next Triple Crown trail: three of the Top 10 juveniles at this early point are here, as are a total of nine of the Top 20 juvenile colts.� It's a contentious road to Equinics glory, made all the sweeter by the quadrennial nature of the two-year-old races, and someone is about to etch their name into history's book of champions.

This year, the $1,000,000, restricted-Grade I dirt sprint takes on the name of a charity to honor for their works for society at large.� The charity associated with this year's race is Feed The Children.� Instead of trying to summarize their works into my words, I will let this description speak for itself.

"Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster.� The heart of Feed The Children's U.S. program is distributing food to families in need. To do this, we work closely with caring corporate partners that donate surplus food and other supplies, as well as with individual donors who help defray the cost of transporting the product donations.� Since 1979, we have provided food, clothing, medical assistance, and educational opportunities to those in need in more than 118 nations around the world. Through schools, orphanages and church-related programs, Feed The Children touches the lives of millions of children. We also provide assistance to orphanages, schools, and other charitable groups in these regions."

And with that said, let's look at the field for this quadrennial running of the $1,000,000 Feed The Children Juvenile Dirt Equinics Stakes.

Hispano Parlante
Piolin [Manduro-Medalla, by Medaglia D'Oro, trained by sonsierra for Rafa Stables] comes in with a promising pedigree, a lot of speed, and a gaudy 3-for-4 record.� There's a ton of upside to the pedigree, as Manduro was a quality middle-distance grass specialist, and he's paired through his dam with a son of El Prado(IRE), so both turf and routing options are available to him.� As for the HP representative's on-track record, he's 3-for-4, ranked thirteenth overall, and has managed to take the lead in each start.� He's been in front at all but points of call in four starts, and was second the other two times.� The speed figures, though, in spite of the excellent start to his career, still manage to pale by comparison to some of the others in here.� He's been knocking heads throughout Europe this year, is unbeaten (in the slop) at six furlongs, and has won a pair of stakes races in his last two starts.� He's been facing some decent competition as well.� But there's a ton of speed in the field to contend with early on, and he's not the fastest one on the front end among these.� The pedigree does suggest his future lies in other venues at longer distances (even if his dam was a multiple stakes-winning sprinter), but he's been off to a quality start to date.� He's going to require a speed figure up to ten points higher to get the win, and that may be currently beyond the learning curve for him.

Blazing Saddles
Pure Smoke [Pure Prize-Scabbers, by Pulpit, trained by galloplaz for Otistaylor Stables] is a closer who got off to an interesting start, winning his first two races with improvement by leaps and bounds in terms of his speed figures.� He debuted with a late-running win and a number of 63, but showed great improvement with another stretch-running victory in a stakes in South Korea last out.� That speed figure was a 74, and the future looked rather bright.� Last out, though, stepping up into a Grade III field in Montana, though he was a game closer, he still wound up fifth, but did manage to give his speed figure a boost upwards to an 83.� That improvement should continue here, as there's a lot of pace to chase in this spot, which should help someone with a good late turn of foot.� The "dam" here was stakes-placed at two, and a stakes winner going routes later in his career, so there's still potential in the bloodlines to consider, but the sire does seem to specialize in turning out sprinters.� One thing is certain, though: he'll need something much faster than a 1:12 to get in the game here, in his second race at six furlongs.� He faces some of the same contenders as he did in Montana, and since he faired well against them, there's no reason to expect he can't repeat that result at least.� He's got a fair shot for a medal if the same kind of late charge from last time out�can generate attention in the stretch.

DelPenn
Hidden Agendas [Ghostzapper-Tightrope Walk, by Seeking The Gold, trained by super29 for More Evil Than The Evil Empire!] is a horse who also takes advantage of good early speed by making a strong stretch run, and with his pedigree the big stretch run was preordained.� Five furlongs may have been too short for him two back in the Grade III Early Morning Special, where he couldn't really sink too far back in the pack for a good late run.� Still, he ran second, and improved that with a win last out in the Grade II Faber College.� That improved his speed figures up to an 85, and that sign of progress makes him a factor here.� Yes, there are some with even higher numbers, but you cannot underestimate the connections or this speedy pedigree that holds potential down the line; his dam broke her maiden at 2 at a mile on dirt before becoming a stakes winner on the grass later that year at the same distance, and she also would do best at longer routes, up through a mile and a half.� The pace up front here should be quick enough for a solid rear charge, and the pedigree does give him both speed as needed and precociousness.� He's been first or second in four starts, and that trend looks pretty good to continue here, though there are higher speed figures and more tactical speed to contend with than in previous outings.

Great Plains
Our Legacy Of Ruin [Distorted Humor-Button(AUS), by Testa Rossa(AUS), trained by�kaif014 for Kaif Stables] is off to his own precocious start.� He debuted with a 74 speed figure while second in a MSW, but recovered quickly while rising in class as a maiden, earning a stakes win last out in North Dakota and an 86 speed figure.� That win was at six and a half furlongs, but the question is whether a slight turnback in distance to just six might do some harm in a swift field.� He's certainly fresh; being off since the first week in June will do that.� His connections know precisely what they're doing in bringing him along with deliberate though, and that should be to his benefit, as many 2-year-olds who appear this good this soon are worked hard to maintain their maximum potential.� Turning back a sixteenth is a question mark, because sometimes the steady improvement relies on a gradual stretch-out instead of a return to previously explored ground.� His dam loved a mile and a sixteenth, and when you read "loved" in this article, you have imagine saying it like Barry White, because that's how intensely she appreciated the distance; Button won four graded races at the distance, including a graded affair against the boys.� Stretching this one out is almost certainly going to be the plan, which suggests we've not seen what this colt can do just yet.� In this slot, though, even at just two starts, I'm not sure what�might be gleaned by shortening up in distance.� His best speed figure of 86 sits quite well among this still-developing bunch of solid juveniles, and some improvement is expected before long if the bloodlines have their say.� One might be of the opinion, though, that though he's certainly qualified at the distance to perform well, that this might not be the place to get the job done, at least this time.

Kentucky Horsemen
Friend Of A Friend [Friends Lake x Be My Guest, trained by buzzsaw for Hoosier Empire] is a Kentucky native: two races in Kentucky, one victory, a maiden win last out.� The pedigree is somewhat less expensive than some of his counterparts here, but certainly decent enough to develop into a colt with a future.� This marks his first trip away from the bluegrass of Kentucky, where he hasn't exactly stared into the face of Secretariat's ghost, and his first try as a last-out maiden winner against veterans more experienced at winning.� He seems to appreciate sitting at or near the front of the lead pack, though it only served him well when he wired a MSW field�a month ago.� And the speed figures are a notch below what others in here have already produced.� the debut earned him a 63, but a jockey switch and more gate speed increased the number to a 76 last time.� This is a big step up in class for a recent maiden winner, and there's already a lot of horses who prefer to have the lead from the gate,�or something close to it.� There's room for improvement here, but not much room for error.

EWC
Got No Socks [Dixieland Band x Conquistador Cielo, trained by popsntips for Sjmeola Racing] has a pedigree that may have been more fashionable for 1993, not 2008.� But�he certainly makes it work for himself in practice.� He's 3-for-4 lifetime, won his lone start at the distance, won a North Florida stakes last out and was a closing fourth in the Grade III Early Morning.� He prefers a more laid-back approach to the pace scenario, and should stay no closer than mid-pack early on.� He won his only six-furlong outing going away, by a length and a half, with a speed figure of 82.� He's been off since June 14, which means he may be poised for a sizable bump up in his abilities, and his last-out speed figure of 81 going five and a half furlongs also may be a sign that there's a growth spurt in the offing here.� The pedigree is a good one for long sprinters, and indicates he's�capable in this slot at this stage.� One gets the sense this horse is sitting on a big effort at a key time.� A speed figure in the low-90s figures to win this, and to that end he's going to need a solid pace to chase, and a good late kick�for his best effort, but he's a viable contender for an upset at a price.

Ohio
Dual Light [Speightstown-Ammo Girl, by Dayjur, trained by hydrogen for Bigkev and Bjbandit Farms] has only one start under his belt, but that maiden win was quality, and so is his pedigree.� He stalked the leaders in his debut, drew off late, and picked up an 82 speed figure on June 21.� That's an excellent debut race for a juvenile this early in the season, and what's more, the pedigree suggests that this is just the beginning for this colt.� His half-brother Fire Brand (by Elusive Quality) was a stakes winner at 2 last year, while eldest half-brother Refulgent (by Storm Cat) was a stakes winner at 3.� Both have turned out to be excellent sprinters, and this colt figures to be no different.� Ammo Girl was a precocious filly at 2, and this one appears to be another well-bred son with a strong future.� The question for him, based on one really strong race, is whether he has any versatility inside of him.� There's a lot of speed here, lots of challengers who have done their best efforts by going to the front and hoping to stay.� Both half-siblings have experience in stalking roles, which might be his best way to roll as well, but there's a lot of questions, in spite of the sparkling debut, that are difficult to answer without that second race on his dossier just yet.� But the upside on this horse is plentiful.

Vermont
Brave Ulysses [Seeking The Best(IRE) x Affirmed, trained by clapton for Socalslew Stables] has won three of four starts, and even though the first two outings were residency-restricted events, he has managed to hold his own recently in open company.� After winning his first two races with speed figures of 71 and 78, respectively, he ran a credibly game third in the Grade III High Roller Juvenile behind Boags St. George and The Big Picture, neither of whom are here.� He sat second most of the way, then grudgingly gave way back�to third.� The 84 speed figure there was validated next out when he captures a stakes in Minnesota with an 83.� He's 2-for-3 at the distance, and is unbeaten over the Vermont dirt, which isn't a stat to take lightly, particularly considering his residential home base.� With a lot of horses here opting to hang close to the lead in this slot, he may need to show some late-running skills as a slight tactical adjustment, plus he'll need to improve his numbers a few points for a strong effort.� But the good news is that the pedigree looks great for future development going longer, and with as much ability near the front as he possesses, he may look good going longer as a major pace influence.� If he can continue his development in open company, he may be a factor.

Minnesota
Music City Prayer [Awesome Again x A.P. Indy, trained by zoz for PazJazz Music City Stables] has a pedigree for distance that also has a degree of early success, and it shows in the results: 2-for-3 lifetime, both wins at six furlongs, with speed figures in the low-to-mid-80s.� He came up short when turning back to five and a half furlongs in a North Florida stakes (where he was second to Got No Socks), and the speed figure dipped.� Expect a result closer to normal here, stretching back out.� He's shown versatility, winning his MSW debut on the lead, then winning from a stalking position, and though he was second, beaten a length, last time out, he did so from a little further from the lead.� If push came to shove, he could probably close from a distance behind the early leaders, as his pedigree is solid for closing from a distance while traveling a distance.� He's got a fair shot for it based on pedigree and decent form, though class remains a question mark, as this will be his graded debut.� It's a tough field, but he is another one who seems poised to pounce on a strong effort to impress the Equinics faithful.

The CR Racers
To The Otherside [Afleet-Midnight Seduction(IRE), by Refuse To Bend(IRE), trained by flurgen3 for Flurgen Stables] has three wins from five starts (the most starts by a participant in the field this time around).� He's shown improvement just about every time out, from a third-place MSW debut (a 68 speed figure), through three straight wins (a MSW win, followed by an allowance victory and a win in a Missouri stakes, rising the speed figures into the mid-to-upper-70s) and finally a third in the Grade III Faber College last time out.� That Faber effort brushed up against a breakthrough at this higher competition level, as he lead into the stretch narrowly, but couldn't sustain a rally.� The 84 showed solid gains considering where he started, but the question is whether his mid-pack preference can stand up to a lot of early speed and some talented closers.� His experience gives him a boost, as does his game effort in the Faber, and he likes the sprinting distance of this race even with a pedigree that subtly suggests there's more to him than just sprinting on dirt.� He's certainly a factor here, with the capacity to build on the potential shown in Kentucky last month.

Queensland
Grand Land [Indian Charlie-Land Slam, by Grand Slam, trained by�graywolf3 for Wolf's Den] is another 3-for-4 candidate whose one lone defeat came in a very respectable effort against graded foes.� All of his races have come at six furlongs, and all of them have featured a deep closing dash to make him a contender in the stretch.� He's done well for himself, winning his first two starts before just missing in the Grade II Vermont BB Juvenile two back over this surface.� His half-brother is Wolf's Slam, a recent graded winner who has gone from a *75 point-allowance last fall at 2�to a Grade II victory in June, and though he had to work hard to get his first win, he still managed to not only get it at 2, but remained competitive while doing so.� So the early-win action is there for this colt, and it all comes from his dam Land Slam, the 2002 Breeders Bowl Juvenile Filly winner.� He gets the best of a routing pedigree here, and if he can follow his mother's path to glory, which included beating the boys in 2003's Grade II Bluegrass Cup Sprint, he may be formidable over the next year and a half.� As for this spot, his running style fits here favorably, his best speed figure of 82 is reasonable if not stellar, and he seems to have gleaned enough mojo from his Grade II placing two starts back that he should gain some extra bounce going forward.� One would have liked already to have seen more progress to this point, but as mentioned earlier, he seems to have his dam's instincts for getting enough career momentum at the right time; he's a viable threat here, too.

Rash
War Motivator [Seeking The Best(IRE)-Motivator, by War Emblem, trained by diam for B4rca Stables] seems to have picked up the game very quickly following a rather inauspicious debut.� In April he was no more than a respectable third, earning a speed figure of 64 at 27-1.� But last month, he was a much improved, gritty winner of a MSW, in which he earned a speed figure of 83, a 19-point improvement over just two outings.� Such a gain may be authentic, or just an inflated bounce, as most Sim trainers of 2-year-old maidens who show such rapid and unexpected improvement know.� But usually, if it were a bounce, it would be a gain from mediocrity (in the 40s or 50s, say) to superiority (into the 70s or higher) and back again afterwards.� In other words, this doesn't fit the part.� His dam was stakes-placed at 2, so there's some pattern for success out of the blocks here.� And the pedigree suggests that there's more aptitude here going a bit longer.� But this is a tough spot to try and validate a strong speed-figure increase, against not just a field of capable winners but some graded-caliber opposition.� He prefers a slight�off-the-pace tactic to try and make his best move late, and it's worked so far, but stalking seems to be a common theme in this field, and I'm not sure if this isn't just a moment or two too soon for a top-flight blacktype win; watch this one later in the year, however.

Northwest Racing Circuit
Walls Of Heaven [Not For Love-Cloud Watching, by Wild Again, trained by runninlast for Lilbitfarm Stables] represents the residency that I also represent (twice, yay me!) in the Equinics, but in spite of a degree of overall partisanship, I'm a fair and reasonable writer.� He's won twice in four starts and is also a half-brother to Wild To The Touch, who last year won the Grade III Little Tree Stakes at 2.� Again, winning early seems to run through a successful horse's pedigree, and this is no exception to that notion.� This one has a maiden and allowance win over his four outings, with a top speed figure of 82, and makes a stakes debut here.� He was second in his second start to To The Otherside, but otherwise hasn't raised his game versus more lofty foes just yet.� This marks his stakes debut, and he does have some speed to burn in the right slot.� What makes him an intriguing candidate here is his last race, an allowance race in which he never fired his best shot going seven and a half furlongs.� He turns back here to what by virtue of his pedigree may be a more suitable distance.� Recent speed figures have regressed from his last win in allowance company (the 82), but returning to an ideal distance at an early point in his career seems like a solid career move.� If there's room for an upwards bounce based on shortening up in distance, this would be an ideal slot for it to occur.� He should be closer to the pace again, maybe even very close to the lead, and may have some legs closer to the finish.� It's an intriguing thought, to consider one of the residency brethren a valid contender in an Equinics race without partisanship interfering.

GR Simsters
Sunset Cajun [Dehere-Bayou Cajun, by Fusaichi Pegasus, trained by�twoofus2 for Twoofus Stables] is the second highly successful sprig of a rather humble tree.� Bayou Cajun was a winner at 2, and a three-time winner overall, but that was about it.� In the breeding shed, though, she already has turned out a�millionaire in�2008 Florida Derby winner and Bluegrass Derby runner-up�Sunset Mesa, who was a capable stakes runner at 2 before blooming at 3.� Now, this colt has started to try and replicate the memory of his half-brother's success by doing what big brother couldn't do: win a graded race at 2.� He won his first three starts, capping�the streak�with a victory from just off the front end in the Grade III Early Morning Special.� The speed figure earned was a strong 81, which was then blown out of the water when third in the Grade III Montana Juvenile.� He earned an 89 for his work, facing heavy pressure every step of the way on the lead and losing late by a long neck.� He's fast, and what's interesting is that this is the longest distance he will have run to date.� He's stretching out for the first time, but the 89 is an imposing speed figure in a field which has seen so many contenders earn career-best numbers that are about 4 or 5 points lower.� The horse that just nipped him in Montana, Goblin King, does own the highest speed figure in the large field, but this colt is quite evenly matched in ability and tactical options with that one.� Both are versatile runners, at home either stalking or taking command, but one imagines the Cajun�may concede the pace to the Goblin.� On paper, between these two, it is very much a coin flip as to who might reign supreme.� In a field that�a lot of horses who would prefer to be leader rather than follower, this one might be better suited in a stalking position.� But one thing's for sure: in spite of a morning-line�that placed Music City Prayer as a solid favorite over one of two horses with the highest speed figures in the field, this one is poised to try and avenge a narrow defeat in a quest to win two graded juvenile races on the year.� It's doubtful there is one much hungrier for that kind of retribution.

Alpine Turf Club
Alpine Frost [Forestry-Vegas, by More Than Ready, trained by imatiger for Delta Tiger] has one distinction this time around that no one can take away from her: she is the only filly in the field for this race, and in three Equinics, she is the first filly opting to take on the boys.� Granted, in the Equinics, where each participating residency is restricted to one runner in each race, and where not all residencies may have enough applicants under consideration in each field to take a shot, fillies battling colts isn't terribly unusual.� But it still is an achievement for the record books worth recognizing.� That, though, sad as I am to say, may very well be the only achievement that keeps her in the spotlight.� Give her credit, too, for being a well-bred maiden out of a mare who was a four-time graded winner in 2004 and 2005, and who was fourth in one of two Equinics tries herself.� Vegas was great at the mile, and there's plenty of time for this filly to grow into her mother's shoes, as Vegas didn't take her first stakes until the age of 4.� The past performances, though, can't live up to Mom; she has been close twice, finishing second to stakes-placed Nini's Girl last out, and third in her debut, but her speed figures have so far peaked with a 69.� She can do better, and undoubtedly will going forward back against maidens of her own gender, but despite the classy bloodlines, it's a really rough sell to expect her to run the 15 speed-figure points higher than her best to even get her into contention.� She's a stalking type, which could see her involved in mid-pack for�a while, but she might have to settle for the moral victory of being a competitor in the Olympic spirit tradition.

Benelux
Goblin King [Corinthian-Heir Dehere, by Dehere, trained by�wumpscut for Royal Belgian Kempen Farm]�is the sole representative in the field who is unbeaten through more than one start.� There are a pair who are 1-for-1, but this one is 3-for-3, and has done so by improving in leaps and bounds each time.� He wired a MSW field in his debut, matched that speed figure of 81 when winning his subsequent stakes debut from more of a stalking position, and then was up close and personal every step of the way when narrowly capturing the Grade III Montana Juvenile over Sunset Cajun by a modestly long neck.� He broke the 90 speed-figure barrier with that win, but the question beckons: now what?� This field is much tougher, with a lot more speed-leaning types willing to gamble on the pace.� He's got skills against graded company, but like his Cajun nemesis he is also debuting at six furlongs.� Others have been here already, but they're not necessarily up to his point on the learning curve just yet, so it's a question of what he does, when he does it, and how much company will he have doing it.� His dam was a stakes winner at two, and also managed to win her first three races before faltering in her stakes debut.� I suspect he may�try to control the pace from the outset, at least against Sunset Cajun, but with so many horses angling to be a speed-controlling force here in an unpredictable juvenile race, where he sits among a large field is subject to debate.� But�make no mistake: he's good.� The best last-out figure belongs to him, as does the career-high figure in this field.� The advantage he holds over a lot of these horses is how well he's done to date; he's ahead of the curve with some room to spare, so it may just be a possible bounce that stops him from being 4-for-4 when all is said and done.

EAAA Racing
The Flying Doormat [Strike The Gold-Rapid Refund, by Bates Motel, trained by sein2912 for Sein2912 Stables] has an intriguing pedigree on his side.� The potential going longer, and possibly going longer on grass, is there.� His dam was a stakes winner late in her career, winning at age 8, and was also a consistent runner at age 2, finishing in the money in each of seven starts back in 2001.� There's upside here, particularly in becoming a late bloomer.� But so far, the results have matched his dam's in consistency, if not in quality.� He was third in his debut, game but not really closing much from mid-pack, and while he improved his speed figure by 8 points next time out, and while he closed well from the back of the pack, he still was a well-beaten second.� There are not a lot of proven closers in this field, which considering the amount of those more disposed towards being a pace influence stands out nicely.� So, there's that in his favor.� But he hasn't quite put it all together just yet, and may just prefer more ground than the six furlongs here can give him.� He should make some inroads here, but his speed figures still lag behind others in here who also have managed to break their maidens.� Improvement may be a reasonable expectation, but anything beyond that is a bit more tenuous.

Ireland
Talkin' Baseball�[Grand Slam x Clever Trick, trained by esagin for Out in Front Inc.] grabs the far outside post in a field of eighteen juveniles with varying degrees of potential.� There's some good and bad news in that.� The bad news first: here's a horse who won his debut race in stakes company while going out winging on the lead.� His speed was impressive, and he was never headed, and drawing the outside post, if you believe that post position can play a role in a horse's performance in a Sim race, makes duplicating such speedy tactics a more arduous task.� That's not to say it can't be done, but if one buys into the theory that the Sim does use the same kind of post-position biases as in racing in the three-dimensional plain, it's a more difficult task to go off like a rocket from the eighteenth post in an eighteen-post field and expect to sustain.� The good news is that his debut win in stakes company---in a supremely confident move, I might add---was very impressive.� He hit the ground running, was never headed, faced only token challenges until the final eighth, and hung on nicely.� The debuting speed figure of 80 shows tons of upside to his potential here, and there's plenty of room for improvement to be had.� It's tough to measure exactly what his chances are here; though he's been good in stakes company even after just one race, he steps up ambitiously in this restricted Grade I.� There's going to be, as I know I've repeated ad nauseum here fifty different ways, a lot of jockeying for position on the front end early on, and rating a bit might be a reasonable thing to expect for this colt to show some color in his tactics.� But one has to admire his connection's moxie in picking a tough California stakes race to make a career debut, and with some natural progression between start #1 and start #2, he may have a role to play in the outcome, one way or another.

It's about one of the more evenly matched races I've ever had to cover, with easily ten or more horses with the requisite talent to either pull a surprise or continue the growth curve on which they've started excelling.� That's why this article seems like a "I love everything and everyone" hippy-dippy lovefest.� But in the Equinics, there usually is a certain rhyme and reason to the end result, and it's just a matter of figuring it out.� And if you can, maybe you deserve 5,000 credits, because after a few days of writing, I still find it difficult to know just what pattern will connect with a win for one of these entrants.

My selections:

GOLD: Goblin King
SILVER: Sunset Cajun
BRONZE:
Grand Land
4th: Our Legacy Of Ruin
5th: Hidden Agendas

If you are into longshot plays, consider one of the following to spring a juvenile surprise: Talkin' Baseball, Pure Smoke, Dual Light.

Good luck to all in the Equinics.� Remember the glory comes in the honest attempt, and in the sportsmanship to follow.� But winning still�kicks ass, anyway.� Happy Equinics, and see you in Canada in 2010.





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