CLASH OF THE TITANS!!!

The headline describes this race perfectly as some of the best horses in the sim have come to show their stuff. The field in this race is very deep. There are front runners,mid packers, and even deep closers. Even the best handicappers will have trouble picking a winner in this one. I know I will. Lets get down to it.

This is The Hades Handicap Grade 1, 3 year olds and upward going 1 1/4 miles with a purse of $1,250,000. Here is the field in order of post position:

Pan Jay (Delaware) 7/2-Trained by sabalou.
Pan Jay is a fabulous 5 yr old son of L'enjoleur who is very close to the million mark in lifetime earnings and will more than likely reach it. He has been in the money in over 50% of his starts. His last win came way back in week 669,but he has run tough in most of his starts since then. The best being in The Gotta Fix The Sprinklers Classic G1 where he was just beat by a length and posting a 112. I look for him to be coming from mid pack and being a threat late.

Run Buda (Vikings from Sweden) 26/1-sabbath trains.
Run Buda run! Run Buda just ran one of the best races of his career with a sp figure of 110. If he can repeat that and doesn't bounce,he should be tough. At that price his backers could make some good sim money. He will be just off the leaders early, but I see him fading halfway through as that last race had to have taken its toll.

Manilla Mint (Minnesota) 7/1-Trainer trifecta
Trifecta brings Manilla Mint off a nice second in The Ri Diamond Handicap. He won The Wonderful Surprise(Ire) Cap previous to that. This is a nice horse who should be 3 or 4 lengths behind the leaders early. I think his best race would be between 1 mile to 1 1/8 miles. Distance will be the question here.

One The Naked (Vermont) 5/2-Coming from the barn of john4, which is also me john.
One The Naked is your post time favorite. I'm trying to not be biased here. One The Naked has had a brilliant career so far and is a superstar on the rise. He has won half his starts and has been in the money 12 of 14 races. Distance is no question here,as he has all the stamina in the world. He is sharp this week so I see him being a major threat coming from way back at the end.

Down The Jazz (Ireland) 12/1-fleurdelis,who is better known as wahoo,trains.
This one is a sentimental favorite among sim trainers. He was almost the first triple crown winner. Down The Jazz has earned over $2 million in his short but outstanding career. His most recent effort was a little disappointing,but it was understandable as the race before that was a solid effort against older horses earning him a second with a speed figure of 112 in The Michael Strikes Stakes G1. The task for him this week is running with the older horses again. I think he will improve off that last race and could be a player in this one. He should be 6 or 7 lengths back and make his bid at the halfway mark.

Skier That Dudes (Nebraska) 7/1-waffleboy sends this one out.
Sired by Shaadi,Skier That Dudes has brought home over $600,000 in career earnings. He hasn't looked the same ever since the nice closes in The English Darby G1 and California Handicap G1. If he can run back to those efforts he could be tough coming down the stretch. That's the question mark here.

Lt. Vast(SAF) (California) 7/1-root trains this champion 3 yr old.
This colt has been in the money 11 of 12 starts, winning 8 of them and earning over $800,000. This is one colt that will have no problem handling the distance. His races have been spectacular. I don't think racing with older horses will bother him either. He looks to be ready to step up to the plate. Lt. Vast might not have gotten as much publicity as Down The Jazz, but he is a superstar. Everything I see about him looks great. He will be on or near the lead and look to hold off the rest.

Orphan A.P. (North Carolina) 10/1-upstate is the trainer.
Orphan A.P. is a very nicely bred 5 yr old out of A.P. Indy. He has earned over $700,000. His last couple outings haven't been that good,but if he can run like he did in The Maryland Special Handicap G1,he will have a shot.The orphan will be looking for the lead early.Will he be able to get it over Lt. Vast?

Their Kingdom (Iowa) 22/1-kjt or kate trains.
I know Kate didn't want this one in here, but he is. He is a good looking horse out of Kingmambo. His last race was his best but he has to step up in class and go farther here. He might be able to do it.

Phil's Wrists (Nevada) 24/1-trained by tycodog.
This is a lightly raced 3 yr old out of Summer Squall. Phil's Wrists has been in the money 10 out of 13 races winning 6 of them. He can run on the lead or from mid pack. Three races back he proved he could run with the older ones winning by 6 1/2 while posting a 119. I think he could very well repeat a performance like that in here and shock the betting public. At those odds I'm putting some money on him.

Colonel Prospector (New York) 9/1-rkeogh sends this classy horse out.
Colonel Prospector has been one of the elite in the sim. He is close to reaching the $5 million mark in career earnings. Definitely the veteran in here. He just won a prep allowance race and is looking to make an impact in here. He will battling the pace up front,which should be a contested one. The colonel will need a big effort in this one.

Lord's Bird (Turfstar at Longchamp) 20/1-noia trains the bird.
This nice 3 yr old has made over $200,000 in his career. His recent best was 4 races back in The Another Act Challenge Stakes,where he won by 5 3/4 posting a 111. This one tends to be inconsistent. The bird doesn't have the class that some in here do,but on his good days he does show talent. He will be trying to come from the back to close on them.

Well there you have the field for this race. It's tough to pick a winner so I will just give my contenders. I think at the top of the turn five horses will emerge from the rest with a chance to win it all. They are Pan Jay, One The Naked, Down The Jazz, Lt. Vast, and Phil's Wrists. Which one will bring home the gold? We will see this Saturday!