'Serious' Test for Olympic Contenders

To the ancient Greeks, Hephaestus was a lame god, ruling fire and the forge. To the Equinics competitors, the Hephaestus is a horse race, quite possibly the most expensive ungraded stakes ever run. The Hephaestus Olympic Stakes, to be exact, a nine-furlong turf race for fillies and mares at least three years old. Twelve competitors from twelve different places will enter the starting gate on Saturday. All have survived the trial by fire that is top-flight racing. All have proven themselves iron horses, strong and swift and fearless. And in the Olympic Stakes, the last race on an all-star Equinics card, as they race for the $1,000,000 offered by the sponsoring Player Bios, they’ll treat the crowd to a race as great as any ever run.

It may be fitting that California comes first in our listing; I’ll run alphabetically through the tracks, but this team brings us the highest-ranked mare in her class, sipe stable’s magnificent Seriously Double. A five-year-old daughter of Gone West, out of a Nodouble mare, this powerful dark bay has won nineteen of her thirty-eight starts and over $3.5 million. She has proven herself in short races and long, on the grass and the main track. ‘Double enters the Hephaestus on a two-race winning streak, easy victories in a pair of graded stakes. She can run any which way, sitting several lengths off the lead and striking in the stretch or galloping right to the front and never looking back. Her last race, the Grade II Princess Di Cap two weeks ago, returned an impressive 115 speed rating, and should she avoid a bounce off that effort, this mare is very much one to be reckoned with.

From Delaware and the stables of novanora comes another five-year-old, a Dynaformer x Mt. Livermore chestnut by the name of Dynaform Theater. She may well enter the race as a longshot, having won only three races and $41,000, but a 104 speed rating earned in a smashing allowance victory showed that this mare has more than a little talent. She runs as a stalker, resting just far enough off the pace to stay clear of trouble and turning on a powerful closing kick in the stretch. Recent form may be a concern, as her speed ratings have been dropping alarmingly. ‘Theater will be cutting back in distance here from a pair of ten-furlong races and will seek to gain an edge over her competitors because of that extra bit of stamina.

Goingtowin’s Gin Under Slobs is a top-thirty mare by Summer Squall and out of a Bellypha daughter, a pedigree rich with stamina and grass. She seems to be having a bit of trouble breaking through lately – her last victory came over six months ago – but has only failed to hit the board twice in thirteen starts and consistently turns in 100+ speed ratings. What makes this record even more impressive? Gin Under Slobs very often races against the boys, and very talented boys at that. Like ‘Theater, this leggy chestnut galloped ten furlongs in her last start, losing some ground in the stretch, but the lesson should serve her well. Prior to that, she ran two solid races and produced a strong close both times. She is a deep closer with lots of consistency and enters the race relaxed and rested Owner-trainer goingtowin has an unusual method of improving his mare’s stamina; it seems he is riding her the whole way from Iowa to Vermont.

Our next contender came a long way to be here. She is A.P. Swamp, a bright bay four-year-old by A.P. Indy, with an I.M. Phil mare for her dam. She’s presented owner-trainer stickup with six victories and $55,000 in seventeen starts and incredibly enough, once ran for a $15,000 claiming tag. Recent good-but-not-great efforts may push this filly’s odds up, but the wise race fan will take note of the fact that those runs were all on the main track. In five grass starts, this girl has never finished worse than second. Her last race is a prime example; A.P. Swamp rated kindly just off the leader in a Utah stakes race, then took hold and rolled out to an easy two-length score. Along with ‘Slobs, ‘Swamp hasn’t started since week 760. She seemed entirely unconcerned by the flight over and figures to get an edge from her owner-trainer’s special feeding plans.

It seems that owner-trainer cool has gone all-out to get his Seattle From Ports prepped to go the distance – all five of her most recent races were over distances greater than the Hephaestus, including two twelve furlong events, one against open company. The down side? Her speed ratings in these efforts have been nothing close to what she’ll need to contend with this crowd. It’s very possible that her sharp workouts and the cutback in distance will give ‘Ports the extra zip to fit in here; she’s overdue for a big race. The one thing that’s certain is that, turning for home, this is one mare who will still have something left in the tank.

Whoever dropped sterlingra’s big bay Rahy daughter in a $13,500 claiming race must be kicking themselves now. Her name is June Crab and she arrives in Vermont to represent Nebraska. I don’t know how she ended up running for that tag, but I do know that snatching her up at the price was a brilliant move. The easy victor in two of her last three starts, this filly has earned over $76,000 in twenty-two starts, and though she’s hit the board in all sorts of races, has proven herself especially good over a route of ground on the green stuff. Encouraging with the slight chance of an off-track is the fact that she romped at ten furlongs on a turf course labeled “good.” Like Seattle From Ports, her speed ratings make her look overmatched in this field, but there’s no doubt that this is a nice filly.

For those who like the up-and-coming sorts, Five Star Bungee presents a very attractive option. Interesting, she is by Machiavellian out of a Nodouble mare, breeding very similar to her opponent Seriously Double. This pretty dark bay is ranked forty-seventh in her class and has won over $218,000 while capturing five of her eleven starts. It seems to me that owner-trainer tycodog has gone very gently with this little girl; she’s raced but five times in the eighteen months, with her last start being a strong, closing second in Longchamp where she recorded an honest 104 speed rating. That was six weeks back and the major concern with this filly is whether or not she’s going to be ready to throw the effort of her life immediately after a lay-off. ‘Star is a hard-hitting, hard-working filly with a bright future, and she seems to have become my sentimental favorite. Will she win? Beats me, but I think she’ll do as well as she can in the effort.

Fleet Discover(Ire) hails from New York and offers a true veteran’s experience and a stayer’s pedigree. This glossy black daughter of Theatrical(Ire) out of a Grey Dawn II mare boasts thirty-four starts and over $430,000 in the bank. She’s a reliable creature, running evenly if giving half a chance, and has made a habit of picking up some sort of check. Unfortunately, she seems off her game lately and that reliable speed rating and effort falls twenty points or so shy of what it will likely take to win this race.

The horse from North Carolina seems to be having similar problem of form. Jawing For Groom is a class act with the pedigree to match, a rich bay daughter of Nureyev with a Blushing Groom mare heading her female family. She’s banked over half a million dollars while hitting the board in over half of her thirty-eight races. She’s faster than ‘Discover, recording speed ratings as high as 103, but hasn’t managed to score in over six months and couldn’t touch Seriously Double when they met in the Princess Di. A top race gives her a chance if owner-trainer win can interest her in putting together a big effort.

The Turfstar team from Longchamp brings us hot horse Virgin Kelly, a sleek dark Nureyev mare owned and trained by roelke stables. ‘Kelly is ranked twenty-second among older mares and boasts five wins from eighteen starts and over $570,000 in earnings. She never fails to give a good account of herself; her last five starts resulted in two wins, another pair of place efforts, and a show, two of those against males. Her top recent speed figure is a good 105 earned in the Grade I Cedora D. She’s proven her ability to go a route of ground, twice winning at ten furlongs and displaying a courageous finishing kick at eleven and twelve. Her four weeks of rest seems like enough to let her relax and recover a bit, but not enough to let her fall out of condition. While somewhat inconsistent, ‘Kelly should love the distance and put forth a strong run here.

The home team brings as strong a mare as any in the field, fairhill’s courageous Huge Slide(Ire). By Theatrical(Ire), out of a Young Generation(Ire) mare, ‘Slide boats a flashy 110 speed rating earned in the Grade II Empire State Cap. This smooth-moving dark bay has won eight of her nineteen starts and over $822,000, ranking her eleventh in her class. Her Princess Di bounce let her absorb the strong win effort two back and she should be primed to take on the world come Saturday.

February Bone is our final entry, racing for the Vikings of Sweden. She’s an uncertain mare, very good on her day but not so hot at other times. Another dark bay, ‘Bone is by Play On, a Stop the Music son, and out of a Caerleon mare. She’s already outrun her pedigree and $25,000 starter tag, displaying some real talent, but is only a maiden-breaker and looks in over her head here.

Buck’s Bets:

I usually refrain from trying to pick a winner in the stakes I cover – my money is safer if I’m admiring horses than gambling on them. But in the spirit of the event – and because as of last week, I can finally place my own bets – I’ll pick a few for this one. No guarantees as to accuracy, especially because of the quality of this field. This journalist loves racing because of the horses, not because of the money, and fast, beautiful animals make me a bit silly. It’s the reason I had three straight winners at Monmouth Park before losing my heart to a fairy tale chestnut called Thistyranthasclass and a beautiful bay answering to Milwaukee Brew. It’s why I favored Buck’s Boy in spite of that big grey monster, adore Mecke simply because I made one lucky guess. So please don’t laugh when I say that I have Five Star Bungee here as a longshot pick. She may not be the likeliest horse in the field, but I would love to see her do well.

More realistically? Seriously Double is the plain top choice, a monster of a mare with a knack for turning it on when the most is on the line. She looks primed and ready to run, and anyone looking to beat her here will have a job of it. If that mare is destined to fall, it’s likely at the hands of my home state’s Huge Slide(Ire), as gifted and brave a runner as they come who seems to turn in subpar races only as she preps for something bigger and better. ‘Slide will be coming on very gamely in the stretch, and anyone in front of her will need to find a new gear or get out of the way. In my imaginary race, third money goes to the Turfstar entry Virgin Kelly, a long-distance specialist who can not only run with the big boys but regularly beats them. ‘Kelly may find herself close to the pace or resting well back from it; either way, she promises to make the job of winning just a little bit harder. So there’s my picks, perhaps a bit boring, but the way I’ll call it. Seriously Double, Huge Slide(Ire), and Virgin Kelly, with Five Star Bungee getting the outside chance, my sentimental favorite.

Let the games begin!