AMERICAN
GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
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SYCAMORE S. (G3), 7TH-KEE, $150,000, 3YO/UP, 1 1/2MT, 4:18 P.M. EDT, 10-18 |
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| 1 |
SILVERFOOT, 8, G, by With ApprovalNorthern Silver, by Silver Ghost O-Chrysalis Stables LLC; B-Stephanie S. Clark (Ky) |
| 2 |
TELLING, 4, c, by A.P. IndyWell Chosen, by Deputy Minister O-Joann & Alex Lieblong; B-Darley (Ky) |
| 3 |
GUADALCANAL, 3, c, by Graeme HallBessette, by Quest for Fame (GB) O-Frederick J Seitz; B-Eugene Melnyk (Fl) |
| 4 |
TRANSDUCTION GOLD, 5, G, by Formal GoldMoondust Mink, by Great Above O-Kim & John Glenney; B-Dr. & Mrs. John Glenney (Ky) |
| 5 |
GOOD REQUEST, 4, c, by DynaformerSkimble, by Lyphard O-Robert J Frankel; B-Juddmonte Farms, Inc. (Ky) |
| 6 |
MY HAPPINESS (ARG), 7, h, by Festin (Arg)Maria Patricia, by Forlitano (Arg) O-Fritz McTarnahan; B-Thomas Michael Tribolet (Arg) |
| 7 |
HAPAHEART, 4, G, by HapFlying Blind (Ire), by Silver Kite O-Ev Farm; B-Fernbrook Farm (Ky) |
| 8 |
PHIL THE POWER, 4, G, by Red BulletMiss Amy R, by Deputy Minister O-John R Perrotta; B-Philip Myerscough & John Perrotta (Ky) |
| 9 |
ELUSIVE FORT (SAF), 6, h, by Fort WoodEver Seeking, by Secret Prospector O-Vintage Thoroughbreds Inc; B-F M Ratner & L M Salzman (SAf) |
| 10 |
ALWAYS FIRST (GB), 7, G, by Barathea (Ire)Pink Cristal, by Dilum O-Merriefield Farm; B-D B Clark & A L & Mrs Penfold (GB) |
| 11 |
RUMOR HAS IT, 7, G, by Awesome AgainGarden Secrets, by Time for a Change O-William S Patterson & James F Glenn; B-W. Patterson, M. Patterson & J Glenn (Ky) |
Saturday’s $150,000 Sycamore S. (G3) over 1 1/2 miles of Keeneland’s turf
course appears ripe for the taking by TRANSDUCTION GOLD (Formal Gold), who won
the race last year and has displayed reasonably good form without winning in six
starts this year. However, pari-mutuel considerations lead us in another
direction in an attempt to make more bread, so we’ll side with the improving
TELLING (A.P. Indy).
A lightly-raced four-year-old with a solid 9-4-2-2 career mark, Telling
elevated his game a notch over the summer after switching to the turf. After an
easy 2 1/4-length allowance score over a soft Arlington course, he finished a
close third in a slowly-run Rossi Gold S., then rallied from 15 lengths down to
finish two lengths in back of SILVERFOOT (With Approval) in the Stars and
Stripes Turf H. (G3). Off for two months, Telling reappeared on Polytrack in the
the Turfway Park Fall Championship (G3), but faltered after a middle move.
Having shown a lack of fondness for Polytrack previously, that performance in
entirely forgivable. At 12-1 on the morning line, Telling looks like the value
in the Sycamore.
Transduction Gold should certainly be in the mix. He’s placed in four of six
starts this season, including the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship (G1) and Del
Mar H. (G2) in his last two. His BRIS Speed ratings have hit the triple-digit
threshold in his last three starts, and his fondness for the local sod is a
factor of great importance. If he stays anywhere near his 7-2 morning-line
price, he might be worth a win wager.
ALWAYS FIRST (GB) (Barathea [Ire]) should have got a lot out of his
eighth-place effort in the Kentucky Cup Turf (G3) on September 13 considering it
was his first race in more than a year. He was having a solid 2007 campaign,
which included a score in the Stars and Stripes Turf H., before hitting the
sidelines last fall, and one of his near misses was a neck second to Ascertain
(Ire) (Intikhab) in the Elkhorn S. (G3) over this course and distance.
South American MY HAPPINESS (Arg) (Festin [Arg]) has had three starts since
his importation and fared well in his two attempts on grass. The multiple Group
1-placed veteran missed by a half-length in a key allowance/optional claimer at
Arlington on August 9, then held third in the Kentucky Cup Turf over the
undulating Kentucky Downs course. He earned a decent BRIS Late Pace figure in the
former and might pick up some of the pieces late.
Silverfoot, the old man of the field at age eight, snapped a
long losing skid with his Stars and Stripes triumph, then ran surprisingly well
when 2 1/2-lengths fourth in the Arlington Million (G1). Are we seeing a
resurgent Silverfoot? Maybe, but at an expected low price I’m not willing to
bank on it. Remember, this is the same horse that has finished in the top three
only three times in his last 16 starts.
Two interesting up-and-comers proficient at or near this distance are GOOD
REQUEST (Dynaformer) and GUADALCANAL (Graeme Hall), who each captured an
entry-level allowance in their respective last starts. Good Request beat
Guadalcanal by four lengths in winning his at Saratoga almost three months ago,
so he his the more likeable of the two, and is an intriguing inclusion in
exotics plans. Guadalcanal, who outfinished both Icabad Crane (Jump Start) and
Big Brown in the Belmont S. (G1) while still a maiden, will need a strong pace
up front, which might be provided by RUMOR HAS IT (Awesome Again), the
improbable 59-1 winner of the Kentucky Cup Turf. We just don’t see a repeat of
that occurring, and we’ll insert the proverbial if you missed the wedding, don’t
attend the funeral at this juncture.
Two of PHIL THE POWER’s (Red Bullet) four career wins have been on the grass,
and his late kick on the turf can be powerful, though it didn’t quite help him
enough in stakes of lesser stature in 2007. ELUSIVE FORT (SAf) (Fort Wood), a
multiple Group 1 winner in South Africa, has been a disappointment since
arriving on these shores, though he does count a runner-up finish in the
Appleton H. (G3) as his best stateside performance. He’s an underlay at 4-1 on
the morning line. HAPAHEART (Hap), who won his first two attempts on turf at
River Downs, exceeded expectations when only five lengths behind Rumor Has It in
the Kentucky Cup Turf. It will be a tall order for him to improve on his
fifth-place performance here, though.