The Equinics is always a brilliant display of residency unity and talent and one of my favorite seasons of the sim calendar. In 2008 the mile dirt race was called The Make A Wish Foundation and it was Hoosier Miner (by Mineshaft) who won the day by a mere head when he out finished Zygote (by AP Indy).� The top 3 horses all posted 111 speed figures that day and it will take something at least that fast (likely 5 pts higher) to win today�s affair. Let�s take a look at the top flight talent assembled for today�s race.
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1. Getaloadoff � Great Plains residency starts us off and it�s a very live entry, a talented Hard Spun colt who ran a 111 speed figure at 9.5 furlongs last out in a Grade 1 race. He has done most of his best running at longer then a mile which makes sense given his stamina laced backend but there is a glimmer of hope! His only try at today�s mile distance was a smashing win by 5 � length win when he first broke his maiden. At 20-1 odds its worth a look.
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2. George Jetson � Benelux is hoping you get to meet Mr. George Jetson in the winner�s circle on Saturday. This son of Golden Missile has finished in the money in 12 of 15 lifetime races and he has been running some monster figures lately especially on the off track which would have greatly improved his chances.
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3. Kool Kucumber � Coming from the Land of Pye (EWC) this 5 yr old Smoke Glacken is coming off a monster prep race in an open stakes where he ran a 116 speed figure and won by 2. He has the look of a need to lead type and I�d imagine jockey V Jennings will gun him to the front and hope to never look back. Oddsmakers respect his big speed figures at today�s distance and you should too.
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4. Wooden Minister � Everyone can use a little Hennessy once in awhile and EAAA resident pogs1 has imbibed to the tune of 1.8 million in lifetime earnings. Wooden Minister hopes to improve his showing in this event, he ran in this race 2 yrs ago where he finished 9th beaten by 5 lengths. He has won big races since that day including the Grade 1 Diplomat Way and a near miss in Smackdown 5. His last two races have been impressive wins in allowance preps and he could be sitting on a big race today.
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5. Pure Smoke � Every time the Blazing Saddles Residency has issued a challenge this 4 yr old son of Pure Prize has been there to answer the call. He won the BS Juvy Dirt as a 2 yr old, represented the residency in the 2008 Equinics finishing a respectable 5th and this year rolled in the 2009 BS Dirt Mile where he posted a 116 speed figure. He has been expertly prepped with a soft allowance and should run lights out. Oddsmakers have overlooked him at 20-1 but he could lighten up some trifectas as he is usually running well late.
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6. Snarky Remark � 5 yr old super star by Invincible Spirit represents GRS and has been doing it at this level for a long time. Won the Wooden Indian and BB Mile as a 3 yr old and has stayed strong most recently finishing 2nd in the BB Mile and 4th at DPCD. Has had a lot of success prepping for a big race in turf allowances and that madmanlopo hopes to replicate that success one more time today. A win here would further cement his legacy and place him in some elite company.
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7. Devilish Scheme � Trotter�s Hong Kong racing division has made a deal with the devil and has received a nice horse in the process. The five year old had always been more of an open stakes type but he took a big step forward last race when he won the Grade 3 Pal�s Hope at Florida posting a 113 in the process. He has been consistently running high numbers, thrives at today�s distance and if jockey Q Simien can keep him close enough to make a big run he may break through for Hong Kong in a big way.
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8. Alypoint � Lightly raced 6 yr old by Point Given represents the recently renamed Midas residency and he is live money. Two back he won the Grade 1 Sterile Mile in NY when he posted a lifetime best 116 speed figure. He finished a non threatening 6th in the Pal�s Hope but if he can regain form today he is a major contender. He has skilled jockey K Proehl in the reigns and oddsmakers love his chances instilling him as the 8-1 co-favorite.
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9. Very Merry � Chat stalwart silverny99�s Comedy Central division has a hidden gem in the form of this lightly raced 5 yr old son of Awesome Again. With just 11 lifetime races this colt could well run into his 10 yr old season and I expect him to win some big races before he is finished. He ran a 108 in just his 4th lifetime race which is often a sign of impending greatness and he has been knocking on the door with 2nd place finishes in both the G3 Save A Buck and Comedy Central�s Classic. Look for Very Merry to make a dash for the lead and hope to sail to the biggest win of his career.
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10. Spider Pig � Queensland residency has a nice Harlan�s Holiday and they are hoping the colt can make good at Vermont which is the site of his biggest lifetime win. As a 3 yr old in August Spider Pig won the Grade 1 Harold Wrightington Trust race with a still lifetime best 113 speed figure. His form has been a real mystery bouncing from good to average but he�s been prepped on turf for today�s race and that often yields big dividends in the form of a big improvement. Stay tuned.
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11. K�s Giant Dossier � Hispano Parlante�s entrant is a strapping Giant�s Causeway who will be making his 17th career start in this Equinics race. He was in fine form from Oct-Dec of 2009 where he was 4 for 4 with no race won by less then 2 � lengths. His first race of 2010 was one to forget where he regressed and finished 12th of 13 in the G2 Scrub in California. Obviously that was not the best prep but this consistent colt deserves the benefit of the doubt before speculating that his form cycle is off.
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12. Ripperbeast � Qwikvette (representing URC) has a colt with a fun name who happens to be the longest shot on today�s board at 38-1. I believe most of that disrespect is due to a likely injury last out where he was eased up in the G3 Khartourm Challenge. It will be interesting to see how this son of Point Given recovers from those troubles and if he can return to the form he showed during the URC Day at the Races events.
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13. Machzapper � When you name a horse Machzapper your expecting a fast horse and drbydude of Ohio Thoroughbred Racing has not been disappointed. This 5 yr old Ghostzapper colt has finished in the money in 12 of 17 lifetime races and has been a real consistent earner. He finished a respectable 3rd in Pal�s� Hope which gives his connections hope that graded aspirations are not out of reach.
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14. Emerald Empire � Holy Roman Emperor X Caerleon does not sound like the recipe for a dirt miler but that�s what dancards from Ireland residency cooked up. Emerald Empire is a hard knocking open stakes veteran and has been a real consistent earner for his connections but its going to take a lot of that old Irish luck to break through against the likes of these.
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15. Fu Ming � The good ole folks of Minnesota Downs bring us this fun loving 5 yr old son of Fusaichi Pegasus (as if the name didn�t give it away). He has booked over half a million in lifetime earnings and his biggest score was his G3 win at Vermont in the Barbara Walters Special. His connections have manly kept him winning in allowance company for the last year and they�ve picked a doozy of a spot to make his return to graded company.
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16. Bad�s Rocket � The Cliff�s Edge has been getting some nice runners in real life lately and this 5 yr old from Pastures of Green got a lot of support when he was sent a backend of Seattle Slew X Mr. Prospector. He took a long time to break his maiden but has got going since then most notably two back when he one an 8f open stakes by 1 � lengths. His better then it looked third place finish last out in graded company shows he�s becoming the type of runner his connections were hoping for.
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17. Shamalangadingdong � Foxon has given this regal son of Forestry one of the best names in the sim universe, its fun to say and can run too! Alpine Turf Club is the home residency for this colt who has won several graded events most notably the Grade 2 Lil Leprechaun Mile in July of 2009. He has been getting along in California in his last 3 races and doing quite well on the track there including a nice win at 9f in The Naked Diver G3. He�ll be running from off the pace and offers nice odds at 11-1 considering his proven graded ability.
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18. On The Road � When your nearly named for a Willie Nelson song you know your meant to do great things and this now 4 yr old Dynaformer colt has been a star from the very beginning. His recent form of two successive 117 speed figures must have Delpenn thrilled that he is their representative and if he can make it 3 in a row your looking at your winner here today. I forgot to mention how big those last two wins were but when you consider they were the DPCD event and the G3 Khartoum Challenge those 117�s become even more disgusting! The anticipated showdown between OTR and Snarky will be a major one to watch and based on history alone that is going to be my exacta pick for this race. If the Equinics residency points race shapes up like it did in 2008 this race very well could determine the winner of Equinics.
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19. Righteous Beef � Trainer stevemunoz of Northwest Racing Circuit evidently is no vegetarian since he named this Bluegrass Cat colt after a slab of red meat. Better red meat then dead meat and this colt is definitely no Clubber Lang quote as he has won one graded contest and has been knocking on the door of several others. He reached a lifetime best speed of 117 last out and the oddsmakers noticed making him the 8-1 co-favorite in today�s race. Those odds are a little short for me given his resume vs. some of the other stars in here but that�s how good this colt might be at 5.
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Trifecta Wager:
I know I am fooling myself believing that I can pick a trifecta in such a loaded race but I am going to give it a go anyway. I already committed to playing an On The Road � Snarky Remark exacta and I am going to throw Pure Smoke in to round it out as I think he offers intriguing value at 20-1.
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Best of luck to all the runners and the residencies taken part in the 2010 Equinics and special thanks to our hosts who always put on a tremendous event.
