Race 6: TOROSAY (#11, 5-1)
Since returning from a seventy-nine day layoff, this son of Goldencents has managed to finish third in a pair of 5-½ furlong turf events at Santa Anita. A closer inspection of each of those reveals that this Doug O’Neil trainee ran well in each of those races after running into a suicidal speed duel on May 25 and last time chased a impressive gate to wire winner Big Runnuer who missed the track record by 0.05 seconds. In his first start since a fourteenth-place finish Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint behind his stablemate Wildman Jack, Torosay won the pace battle only to lose the war in his comeback race on May 25. He dueled between Smiling Angelo and Reedley through quick fractions, dueled both rivals into defeat to take the lead into the stretch (tired to finish 12th beaten 19-¾ lengths and 7th beaten 5-¾ lengths) and was run down by the mid-pack stalkers in a race that saw the 1-2-4-5 finishers rally from 6-7-8-12. He was the only horse to survive that speed duel and he was a interesting longshot contender when he moved up in class in Siren Lure Stakes on June 21 where he flashed speed to press the pace inside of the eventual winner Big Runnuer on the backstretch, outrun into and around the far turn by that rival chasing that rival, angled outside of that rival into the stretch, and was no match losing second to the opportunistic stalker Mesut who rallied from sixth. Torosay lost nothing in defeat as he did all the dirty work chasing or pressing that gate to wire winner earning the field’s top last race 90 and 114 Beyer and TimeformUS Speed Figure respectively. The bark bay or brown gelding has come back with two works including B move from National Turf’s Andy Harrington on July 1 that he commented “Under wraps going in total breeze mode outside Too Late waiting all the way in 24.3, 49.1. Still looks happy and healthy.” He finds no entrants with the quality of Big Runnuer in this field, returns to his realistic class level, and should be set for gate to wire or pace pressing victory in his third race into his form cycle at a hint of a price.
Wagering Strategies:
WIN bet on (11) TOROSAY at 7-2 or better.
Main Exacta Box key: #11 with #4 and #8.
Race 8: VOODOO SONG (#4, 4-1)
The TimeformUS pace projector is red coded that indicates this race will be run at a fast pace. Despite this designation, the speed of this field belongs to this six-year old English Channel horse who has not seen the winner’s circle in almost two years when he captured the Grade 1 Fourstar Dave at Saratoga on August 11, 2018. He made his first start off a 133-day layoff and for trainer Richard Mandella in the Grade 3 San Simeon on March 21 at Santa Anita where he defeated only one entrant to the wire finishing sixth in a seven-horse field. One can dismiss this race as a prep because that trip was the shortest distance he has run in his career and he displayed an even running style through the stretch that would indicate a stretch out to a one-mile would be preferred. He stretched out to his preferred one-mile trip in a ambitious spot, Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on May 25 where he finished ninth in a ten-horse field where he got into trouble at the start and was involved in a suicidal very fast speed duel that collapsed for the off the pace runners with the first three finishers rallied from 8th, 10th, and 6th after the first half-mile. He was part of a domino effect when rival War of Will hung a left at the start and bothered Voodoo Song who also bothered Next Shares leaving the gate. Despite this awkward start, he recovered to show speed and duel with Blitzkrieg and Neptune’s Storm through 22.16 second opening quarter of a mile. The former took back that speed duel as it was Voodoo Song and Neptune’s Storm ripped through fractions of 44.75 and six furlongs in 1:08.56 seconds. The duel took its toll on Voodoo Song as he was outrun by his pace rival approaching the quarter pole and weakened to ninth. The half-mile and six furlong splits were fast enough to earn TimeformUS red coding to indicate it was a very fast pace. The one note I made out of this race was to monitor the horses that were involved in that fast pace and this had the potential to be a “key” race and subsequent performances prove that was correct. The seventh-and-eighth place finishers, Neptune’s Storm and Blitzkrieg, returned to win Grade 3 San Francisco Mile and Grade 3 American earning Beyer Speed Figures of 97 and 99 respectively and the horse that cost the trouble at the start and chased that fast pace in fourth, War of Will, returned on July 10 to win the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland. Voodoo Song drops in class as the Wickker Stakes is restricted to non-winners of a stakes at one more or mile and field’s leader in TimeformUS early pace rating figures to control the early pace from the start. He has held his speed with three works including two of them a bullet move including half mile spin in 47.1 on June 24 that National Turf’s Andy Harrington gave a B commenting “was up at the wire earning the bullet without ask (mate went on) finishing up reaching up nicely. Coming around well.” Drayden Van Dyke takes over in the irons as Mike Smith is at Keeneland to ride the filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 2 Bluegrass Stakes.
Wagering Strategies:
WIN bet on (4) VOODOO SONG at 4-1 or better.
Main Exacta Box key: #4 with #3 and #9.
Race 10: SWEET DEVIL (#12, 8-1)
The pretty chestnut filly by Daredevil exits a fifth-place finish on the main track on May 17 where the first two finishers ran 1st and 2nd around the racetrack. I am going to dismiss this race because she is really bred for the turf as her dam, World Cup, won 4-of-13 starts routing on the turf and her two previous starts on that surface were better than appears on the past performances. She was dismissed at 37-1 in her career debut on January 11 where she ran a respectable race to defeat more than half the field to wire despite racing greenly through the stretch rallying in traffic to lose by only four-lengths and galloped out very well after the wire to indicate additional ground should pose no problem. She stretched out to 1-⅛ miles in her next start and she ran well to finish third beaten only a half-length in a race where she lost ground around both turns and was close to early pace that saw the two leaders weaken to finish fifth and seventh. She was a little head strong early crossing the wire for the first time and was parked three wide on the first turn and into the backstretch chasing the two leaders Nu Pi Lambda and Undisturbed. She made three wide move on the far turn to take over the lead into the stretch and refused to quit easily staying on gamely through deep stretch as the two rivals that outfinished Sweet Devil rallied from seventh and sixth after the first half-mile. One can dismiss her dirt debacle off a ninety-eight day layoff on May 17 because of the surface as that event produced two next out winners with the third-place finisher Crystal Ball broke her maiden gate to wire earning improved 83 Beyer Speed Figure (13 point improvement) and eighth place finisher Full Eclipse duplicated her 54 Beyer Speed Figure dropping into a $20,000 maiden claiming race on June 12. She has come back with four workouts including a five-furlong move in 1:00.4 at Del Mar that National Turf’s Andy Harrington gave a B stating “Easy solo move in 37.1, 100.4 (23.3 LQ) out in 113.3. Clearly better than last.” Former Northern California rider, Juan Hernandez, takes over in the irons and this a live mount for the journeyman as Sweet Devil returns to her preferred surface and will be dismissed because of a poor last race running line.
Wagering Strategies:
WIN bet on (12) SWEET DEVIL at 4-1 or better.
Main Exacta Box key: #12 with #7 and #11.
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