This week we travel over to New York for the running of the Man Of War Stakes (G1), the highlight race for Saturday. The mile and three eighth race will be run on the inner turf track as the fourteenth race on the Saturday racing card. The prestigious race, sure to attract some top horses, is open to three-year-olds and up. Last year’s winner of the great eleven furlong race was Christchurch, owned and trained by kevoman3. A brand new group of horses will be out to face the challenge’s of this year’s race however. The week will be partly cloudy nearly from Monday to Sunday, however there will be some scattered thunderstorms that come into the area of the track, though fortunately those will not arrive until well after the horses have done their course over the track. Despite this, it looks like we’ll have a pretty light field this weekend for the Man Of War Stakes with only six horses going to the gate. Let’s take a look at this years’ contenders.

1. Monte Youn (IRE) - (Doyoun (IRE) x Selkirk x Sword Dance (IRE)) - monte1 of Ace Ace Two Three Double Suited Stables - N. Painter - 2/1

The oldest horse in this weekends race, despite his ten years of age he is still running well over the turf. He is shipping into New York all the way from Surrey, England, so he will have to contend with that in his run on Saturday. The light gray horse has won about half of his career starts and ten victories so far. He has earned a total of $2,675,420. The most recent start for the horse was in the twelve furlong Coronation Pilsner (G1) a few months ago. The horse took off right for the lead out of the gate in this races, but faded as he made his way into the stretch. He would finish in third, holding on to his position on the board with a speed figure of one hundred six. His most recent win, coming in just his prior start, was in The 5-Series (G1) over a good turf track at twelve furlongs in Victoria, Australia. The horse went wire to wire in this race, winning impressively by five and a half lengths. The horse is a speedy individual who will almost certainly go straight to the lead this weekend.

2. Dance Routine - (Fusaichi Pegasus x Nureyev x Alydar) - twoofus2 of Twoofus Stables - Er Anderson - 5/1

Out of the Grade I winning broodmare Coppelia, the four-year-old chestnut colt has won three out of twenty-one lifetime starts. The Kentucky-bred has brought home a total of just $320,422 in lifetime earnings. The most recent start for the colt came quite a few months ago in The Grand Prix (G2), a twelve furlong race in France. The chestnut colt took off out of the gate just behind a few front runners. Unfortunately, the colt never fired in the race and finished where he began in fourth, six and a quarter lengths off the pace. He set a speed figure of one hundred six. Though consistently running in the money over the course of his career, we have to go back to the middle of the last year to find his most recent win. This came in middle part of July during the Upper California Derby (G2) at nine and a half furlongs. Again, the colt was just off the pace of a few front runners in this race, but managed to fire as they reached the turn before the stretch. The colt went on to win impressively by three lengths. The chestnut colt will likely be running with this same style again, rating just behind three or four front-runners out of the gate.

3. Zoo Brew - (Distorted Humor x El Prado (IRE) x Storm Cat) - jake of Jake Stables - P. Davis - 7/2

Out of the stakes winning broodmare Blastfire (IRE), the light gray four-year-old colt is lightly raced with just fifteen lifetime starts. The Kentucky-bred has crossed the wire first eight times in his career. The most recent start for the horse was in The Steel Joe Special, a listed stakes race over ten and a half furlongs. The colt was held just off the pace in this race, just behind a few front-runners. At the final turn the colt surged forward, going on to win by a half length, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred sixteen. This victory was the last in a four race winning streak for the colt, including another stakes race, The Spoken For Special, over a sloppy course. The colt shouldn’t have a problem getting the distance this weekend, but he will have to contend with a step up in class, making his first graded start this weekend. He will probably settle back behind a few front runners out of the gate, but could go out to the lead if there isn’t much speed on Saturday.

4. Gambling Fever (JPN) - (Deep Impact x Nijinsky II x Sir Ivor) - lochindorb of Lochindorb Stables - B. Child - 11/1

A late entry into the Man Of War Stakes (G1) field this weekend, the Japanese-bred colt has made twenty-one lifetime starts. The brown four-year-old has won seven times in his career. The most recent start for the colt was last month in The Captain Dibble (GB) Stakes, a listed stakes race over eleven and a half furlongs. The colt went right out to the lead in the race, but faded as the field came into the stretch. He would manage to hang on to second place at the wire, off the pace by three and a half lengths, but setting a speed figure of one hundred two. He won his previous start in an eleven furlong allowance race by an impressive span of four lengths. This colt will be making his first graded start since 2009 when he started in the South African Derby (G2) and came home to finish eighth at the wire. The colt will almost definitely be forwardly placed this weekend, on the lead or just behind a few front runners at the break this weekend.

5. I Don’t Stutter - (Kingmambo x Sadler’s Wells x Shirley Heights (GB)) - hoofhearts of Timmn Stables - B. Dirks - 5/2

With an impressive total of career earnings of $4,662,828 along with eight career wins, the six-year-old brown horse is a force to be contended with this weekend in the Man Of War Stakes (G1). The son of top sire Kingmambo has made nearly all his starts over the turf, though one of his victories has also come over the main dirt track. The most recent start for the Kentucky-bred horse came in the twelve furlong Meguro Handicap, a listed stakes race held overseas in Japan a few months ago. The track was yielding for this race and the horse was held back towards the middle of the pack for this race. As the field entered the final turn he had begun to make up some ground which would eventually lend him to finishing in second with a speed figure of one hundred four, just three and three-quarter lengths off the pace. The most recent victory for the horse came last December in Japan during The Winter Cup (G1) at thirteen furlongs. Held much further off the pace in this race, the horse sprinted on to win by three and a half lengths with an impressive speed of one hundred seventeen. He will probably run as a closer on Saturday, probably deep back at the very rear of the field, not making any big moves until he’s urged forward in the final turn. Having to contend with shipping into a new country this weekend, the horse’s only start at eleven furlongs wasn’t a good one, but he should have no problem getting this distance.

6. Push Of A Button (AUS) - (Elvstroem (AUS) x Trempolino x Grey Dawn II) - mav1763 of Deadinthelane Stables - N. Lawton - 4/1

Making his thirtieth career start this weekend, the five-year-old horse is looking to add to his sum of $3,002,508 in lifetime career earnings. The chestnut horse has won eight lifetime starts. The Australian-bred will be shipping in from England, as are a few of our other runners in the race this weekend. The most recent start for the horse was last month in The Prince Of Whales (G1) over ten furlongs. The horse broke out of the gate in his race just off the pace of a few front runners. However, the horse never collected himself and finished fourth, seven lengths back, and setting a speed figure of one hundred five. Prior to this run the the colt saw a win in the Manha Manha Challenge (G1), also over ten furlongs. Again the colt sat back off a few front runners, but instead challenged them just before the stretch. He would come away with the win by three-quarters of a length. Though most of the horses starts have been over nine and ten furlongs, the horse should have no problem reaching this distance, even though he has never run over a mile and three eighths, as he has finished on the board once during a twelve furlong allowance race as a three-year-old. He will likely be sitting behind a few front runners, waiting for the cue to challenge.

Flrancho’s Picks
Win: Monte Youn (IRE)
Place: I Don’t Stutter
Show: Dance Routine