It will be another jam-packed day of stakes racing this coming Saturday with a total of six graded stakes races taking up some room on this weekend’s racing card. The last of the stakes races to go off that day, will be the highlight race of the weekend, the Grade 1 Glenn Handicap. The reputable race will be offering up its purse of $500,000 to four year olds and up. The race, run over the main dirt track, will be run over a distance of a mile and one eighth. The prestigious race has a long history of attracting top notch horses from across the country. Last year’s winner of the Glenn Handicap (G1) was ascot’s colt Flying Bryan, known for his victory in the Fedirico Stakes (G2) and his placement in the Swamps Stakes (G1), prior to his win in the Glenn  Handicap (G1). It should be a little cloudy all week, but we’ll be rain-free on Saturday, so we can look for near perfect weather for the running of the race this weekend. With the stage set, a total of ten have drawn into the big race this weekend. Let’s take a look at the competitors.

1. Demeco - (Awesome Again x Broad Brush x Secretariat) - fatattack of Delpenn National - V. Garnder - 4/1

Winning nearly half the races he’s started in, the homebred five-year-old made his most recent start in the ten furlong Lone Star Classic (G1), last month. The chestnut horse, broke towards the rear of the field, and was urged forward as the field started to make is way down the stretch. The Kentucky-bred came up just short in the race, crossing the wire in second, back by three-fourths of a lengths, with a speed figure of one hundred seven. He hasn’t seen a win since this past June during the Movieland Shiny Cup (G1), where again he came from near the rear of the field, but this time started picking off other horses earlier on in the race, and went on to win by two and a half lengths over the good dirt track. The horse is usually held back towards the rear of the field in a closing position at the beginning of most of his races, however, on a few occasions, the chestnut horse has been placed further up around the fourth position out of the gate with some success.

2. The Joke’s On You - (Ghostzapper x A.P. Indy x Summer Squall) - e2912 of Magoo Lodge - C. Romine - 7/1

The first horse entered into the race this weekend, the Kentucky-bred has career earnings approaching half a million dollars. The five-year-old chestnut has made two starts in graded stakes races, the most recent of which was the DPCD VIII The Delaware Mile (G1). The chestnut horse broke just off the pace, being held back in fifth position. After gaining some ground before the stretch, the horse faded and finished ninth in the race with a speed figure of one hundred six. The only other graded start the horse has had was in his prior race, the Tokyo Sports Stakes (G3) over eight furlongs. The horse, breaking up closer to the pace in this race, took the lead before the field went into the stretch and eventually won by one and three-fourth lengths. The hose will likely either go straight out to the lead in the race this weekend, or, more likely, he will be held back behind a few pacesetters in third or so.

3. Silvergore - (Silver Deputy x Nureyev x Carson City) - bigarnie of Jrogue Stables - L. Buchta - 4/1

One of the most well-known horses in the field this weekend for his starts in the Breeders’ Bowl Classic (G1) and Jockey Guild Gold Cup (G1) , the Kentucky-bred has won eight times in his career. Th five-year-old horse is out of the graded winning broodmare C My Tail. Making his last start earlier this month in the Buckeye Stayer (G2), the horse finished third in the race after tiring in the stretch. The brown horse had previously gone straight out to the lead, but failed to keep up the pace. He settled a speed figure of one hundred four. His most recent win was in the latter part of last year during the Smackdown 5 (G1), which the horse won by two and three-fourth lengths, this time after settling back in second behind the leading pace.

4. Spanish Sword - (El Prado (IRE) x A.P. Indy x Summer Squall) - super23 of More Evil Than The Evil Empire! - A. Darling - 8/1

Out of the broodmare Fly Like The Wind, the four-year-old Kentucky-bred is lightly raced with a total of twenty lifetime starts and nearly half a million dollars in career earnings. The light gray colt had a hard time in his last start, The Mr. Hooper Handicap (G3), run last year over a good dirt track. The colt broke towards the rear of the pack last December, but continued to drop back throughout the race, ultimately finishing twelvth at the wire with a speed figure of ninety-seven, well down from his last recorded speed figure on the fast dirt of one hundred eleven. The most recent win for the colt was in an eight and a half furlong allowance race toward the end of the year. He won by half a length after breaking behind a few pacesetting horses out of the gate. The light gray colt has won in graded stakes races before, the most recent of which was early last year in The El Camino Derby (G3). The colt has been fairly versatile in running, but usually breaks out of the gate behind a few pacesetters, biding his time until the front-runners tired in the stretch, however, the colt has been placed in mid-pack a few times in his starts with moderate success.

5. Euro Revolt (JPN) - (War Emblem x Polish Numbers x Graustark) zooomr2 of Zooomr Stables - C. Stubbs - 7/1

Making his first start in a graded stakes caliber race this weekend, the five-year-old Japanese-bred horse is coming off two consecutive wins. The most recent start for the winner of four lifetime races came in The Her Times Challenge, an eight and a half furlong listed stakes race. The horse broke out of the starting gate and was held back mid-pace but began to pick off the other horses quickly. He would win by one and three-fourth lengths with a speed figure of one hundred eight. His first of the two consecutive race victories came in an allowance race over nine furlongs. The brown horse will likely be held back slightly at the start of the race towards the middle of the pack once again, and if he’s running as usual, he should start picking off other runners fairly quickly. However, the horse will have to contend with the step up in class he’ll be going into this weekend.

6. Sisson’s De Crafty (AUS) - (Encosta De Lago (AUS) x Crafty Prospector x Lee David) - patriots of Binzaman Stables - W. Baumann - 7/1

Out of the stakes placed broodmare Rigid On The Soft, the Australian-bred chestnut colt will be making the third graded start of his career this weekend in the Glenn Handicap (G1). The four-year-old has made twenty lifetime starts, the most recent of which was in the eight and a half furlong San Valenzuala Breeders’ Bowl Stakes (G2) in California earlier this month. The colt broke out of the gate and went straight to the lead, however he faded as the field went into the stretch and came up fifth in the race with a speed figure of one hundred three. Prior to this start the colt had won three consecutive races, including two listed stakes races, The Son Paint Memorial and The Again Find Memorial, both at eight and a half furlongs. The colt has run only once over this distance before, this in the Shiny Gem Stakes (G2), in which he finished eighth. The colt will likely go straight for the lead out of the gate this weekend.

7. Playoffs - (A.P. Indy x Seeking The Gold x In Reality) - 2totango of Twoofus Stables - R. Maire - 11/1

Returning to graded stakes racing this weekend after a detour to the lower ranks of racing, this chestnut five-year-old is out of the stakes winning broodmare Hide And Chic. The Kentucky-bred horse made his most recent start in the Northern Wing (GB) Stakes, a nine and a half furlong listed stakes race. After breaking out of the gate, the horse was held just off the pace in second, eventually going on to take control of the race and win by a quarter of a length with a speed figure of one hundred eight. The last graded race for the colt was the Allison Stakes (G3) over the turf, but his most recent graded start over the dirt was in The West Virginia 10F (G3), where he finished fifth, four and a half lengths off the pace. The horse has been versatile in the past, running anywhere from on the pace at the front of the pack, to running in a middle-pack position.

8. Seven O’Clock - (Cryptoclearance x Storm Cat x Little Current) - minnslew of Timmn Stables - O. Barrett - 8/1

Bred in Kentucky, this six-year-old is one of the more experienced horses in the Glenn Handicap (G1) field this weekend, though he is lightly raced with just thirty-one lifetime starts. The brown horse is out of the broodmare Storm Current. The most recent race for the six-year-old came in The Big Apple (G10 last month. The horse broke mid-pack in the race and never made much progress throughout the fourteen furlong race. He eventually finished sixth, twelve and three-fourth lengths off the pace, setting a speed figure of ninety-five. The most recent victory for the horse actually came over the lawn early last year. He won, by one and three-fourth lengths, the eight furlong listed Tally Ho Mile, over a yielding turf course. The horse has won listed stakes races and allowance races over the dirt, however, but hasn’t been able to crack that barrier in graded stakes races. The brown horse will likely either be placed far off the pace in a closing position at the rear of the field this weekend, or may possibly be placed further up on the pace towards the middle of the pack.

9. Robust (IRE) - (High Chaparral (IRE) x Peintre Celebre (IRE) x Hoist The Flag) - pilgrim5 of Pilgrim Stables - R. Todd - 11/1

Bred in Ireland, the five-year-old chestnut horse is lightly raced with just a total of twenty-four lifetime starts. The horse made his most recent start earlier this month across the continent in California during The Jasmine Pasqual (G2). The horse broke towards the middle of the field at the gates during the eight and a half furlong race, but was urged forward in the stretch and bypassed other horses like they were standing still. He eventually won by a narrow margin of three-fourths of a length, setting a speed figure of one hundred nine. The horse will likely be set just off the pace at the beginning of the race this weekend, likely tucked somewhere around the fifth spot at the start.

10. Shoot For The Gold (ENG) - (Cacique (IRE) x Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector) - super5 of More Evil Than The Evil Empire! - W. Case - 8/1

The second entry for the stable group of More Evil Than The Evil Empire!, the five-year-old English-bred has won six races throughout his lifetime. The brown horse made his most recent start in the ten furlong DPCD VIII DelPenn Christmas Classic. The brown horse broke out of the gate in the route race toward the back of the field. He was urged to make a move as the field entered the stretch, but the brown horse moved too late and ended up finishing sixth in the race, posting a speed figure of one hundred four. The connections of the colt are hoping he’ll do better this weekend in the Glenn Handicap (G1). The most recent victory for the horse was in The New Slew Memorial, a listed stakes race over nine furlongs. The horse won by two and a half lengths with an impressive speed figure, however, the horse has not been able to crack the barrier in graded caliber races. The best finish in a graded stakes race by the horse was The Hoffa Cup (G2), where the horse missed out on a victory by just three-fourths of a length. The horse will likely break far off the pace on Saturday, or possibly closer to the pace in a mid-pack position.

Flrancho’s Picks
Win: The Jokes On You
Place: Silvergore
Show: Demeco