An eclectic group of eight sprinters line up for the Grade One New Market Handicap this week in Victoria. Run for an $800,000 purse at six furlongs on the firm turf, the race is in its fourth year on the sim calendar. Last year’s winner Lattitude went on to be an Eclipse finalist in the division. Half of the field are already grade one winners but only one, Cabsarehere, scored at this level recently. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Rozelle Lightning won the Grade Three Umbria at six furlongs on a good turf course last November. It was the highest grade race he has won so far. He earned a 111sp that day, also a career best. In three subsequent starts he has failed to hit the board. Rozelle Lightning is a five year old son of Dansili out of the f-grade Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector mare Lightning Ridge. He is the only stakes winner from seven foals to race.
#2 Preposterageous enters this race on a two race win streak. The earner of nearly $4,000,000 was a dual grade one winner as a two year old, including taking the Golden Shoe over this course and distance. He has not won a graded race since his freshman season but has run well in several starts including a second in the Grade Two Cheyenne and a third in the Grade Two Sydney Sprint last season. His career best sp is a 111 and he has been running close to that number in recent starts. Preposterageous is a five year old scratch-bred son of Medicean x Danehill Dancer x Roberto.
#3 Pioneer Park was also a grade one winner as a two year old and while he did not repeat that achievement as a three year old he does enter this race with two Grade Two victories in his last four starts. He earned a career best sp of 110 in the first of those and came close to that, running a 109 last out. His last seven starts have all come at six furlongs and his average sp is 107. Pioneer Park is a four year old son of Street Cry out of the d-grade Danzig x Storm Cat mare Ash Highway. The first four of Ash Highway’s five foals are all graded winners with Pioneer Park being the highest earner among them.
#4 Sadler’s Approval is looking for only the second sprint victory of his career in this spot. He does have a stakes placing at six and one half furlongs back in May of 2010, but he has not run shorter than one mile in over a year. He is in the best form of his career having earned a career best 112sp two starts back but this is a tough spot to earn your first stakes win. Sadler’s Approval is a six year old son of With Approval out of the f-grade Diesis x Sadler’s Wells mare Sadler’s Druj. His four year old half-sister, Roman Druj (Holy Roman Emperor) is the only stakes winner from four foals for the mare.
#5 Cabsarehere is the hot horse in this field. Two starts back he won his first grade one, taking the Teleprompter Cap with a career best 119sp. He bounced after that big effort, returning to finish fifth in the Grade One Sabalou Special. The Teleprompter Cap capped a five race win streak for Cabsarehere, all in stakes races. Cabsarehere is a four year old son of Pivotal out of the b-grade El Prado x Kingmambo mare Native Mambo. This is her first foal.
#6 Onward to Victory had a banner year in 2011, earning most of his million dollar bankroll in just two starts. In September he took the Grade Three Hundred Tower Stakes at six furlongs and in November he took a rich owner restricted stakes at five. He won his most recent start, the Deputy’s Hippos Turf Sprint at five and one half furlongs with a 109sp, tying his career best. Onward to Victory is a five year old scratch-bred son of Raven’s Pass x Danehill x Lyphard.
#7 Ooey Gooey Barb has had an interesting race history. After winning two of three starts as a two year old he was given over two years off, returning to the races last February. After three disappointing starts he was dropped into a claiming race and picked up by new owner psyduck131 for only $7,500. The barn change was good for Ooey Gooey Barb who won a stakes three races later and he’s added two more stakes tallies to his record since. Ooey Gooey Barb is a scratch-bred son of Strategic Prince x Red Ransom x Seeking the Gold.
#8 Beezal scored the biggest victory of his career over this course. He won the 2009 Grade One Vicky Derby at a mile and five eighths back in 2009. He run primarily at distances over one mile since, but has yet to tally another stakes win. Three starts back he won an allowance at seven and one half furlongs with a 103sp. Beezal is a six year old son of Zabeel out of the c-grade Sadler’s Wells x Explosive Bid mare Club Wondering. He is one of three stakes winners from eight foals to race for the mare.
Good luck to all!
