Y14 July Week 4

[creativecause]

TURQUOISE SPRINT* - G5+
Win: Demonic Desires
Place: Mighty News

Demonic Desires outclassed Mighty News in this race.

[*Ripley*]

Azalea Cup Fillies
Win. Stiletto Allure (nose)
Place. Athena's Desires
Show. Call Me Crooked
Fourth. Fantasy Island [8-11]

It was an upset in the Azalea Cup Fillies today. I felt Stiletto Allure and Athena's Desires were really itching to get to the wire. Unfortunately, one could only get there first. Stiletto Allure battled ferociously at the rail to get her head down in front of Athena's Desires. The top three are very good horses and I'm eager to see how the Turf Sprinter Tiara shakes out next year.

Fantasy Island should be placed within her preferences.

[creativecause]

Missile Stakes - G5
Win: Lethal Dose
Place: Secret Success
Show: Barely A Sound

[Cavallo]

Ripley Cup
WIN Amarillo Sky
PLACE Immortal Flight

Amarillo Sky was simply gunning from the start for this win and that's exactly what he did. He was out for retribution and the newly graded Immortal Flight had to take on a seasoned G2. Immortal Flight will be much sharper in his next race after this encounter.

[S u N f r O s t ~]

Kindergarten Stakes
win My Kingdom Come
place Proteus Prince
show Criss Cross

[S u N f r O s t ~]

Leaf Cup
win Passion Heart
place Samhain
show In Front

Passion Heart - I am so impressed with this filly. Just like my feedback from last time, but she's gotten even better. I felt like placing second to Cross last time out really inspired this mare today to not take no for an answer. She was strong and sure. I think you should definitely enter her in more HOTY-selection races and the BC at the end of the season at the rate she's going at. Potential to pull off big upsets at the highest levels. Keep going!!

Samhain - This is the horse I'm probably saddest to see miss great prepping for the Turf Triple Crown. He is complete class over the turf. He would have won this if I hadn't felt so strongly for Passion Heart today. You are doing great things with him Cav. Wish you would enter him in the Breeders Stakes, but with Dye in that would kind of work against you to have Sammy in the race haha. Enter him big and I can't wait to see him go. Think about pairing him and Hourglass in the future? Haha

In Front - Great turf experience gained today, but he was just against such fierce rivals. I like In Front and I think he will win soon. He is classy, no doubt about that. I feel like he'll come alive again in the latter half of the season. Don't get frustrated with him Ripley. He is definitely one of the classiest grade fours out there haha. He does fine over the turf and that was not what let him down today. I just liked the other two a bit more for this race.

[*Ripley*]

Impressario Memorial Stakes
Win. Nightshade
Place. Wish Upon A Star
Show. Sweet Inferno
Fourth. Lusitania's Soldier

Holy cow... Frosty and Cavvy you two are killing me this week. I was really torn between Nightshade and Wish, like badly. Wish has a tremendous record this season, but Nightshade's biggest hours have come on this Green Horse Field's dirt track. In the end, that's what won this year. All I know is Frosty, you have two killers for the distaff division with Wish and Sweet Inferno. Can't wait to see what happens with the top three. Definitely, think the grade one horses are closely ranked.

[Deleted]

AZALEA CUP COLTS*

Win: Spotlight Pride

Place: Winged Pegasus

Show: Phantasm Frost

This race was really hard to judge and distinguish between these three horses.

Spotlight Pride: I love this colt! He got the upper edge on these two today, he was well rested and he deserved this race. Fantastic colt - love his personality. Well done, and good luck with Pride. I hope he brings you more wins like this in the near future.

Winged Pegasus: Love his lines, love his personality, I didn't mark him down for not having a completed workout so don't worry about it - he has great potential. I hope to see him next year in the sprinter races.

Phantasm Frost: Just realised that before the gender bender was applied, it was the twin filly to Stiletto Allure called Fantasia! Ah! Lovely colt, just couldn't quite match up to these two today I'm afraid - he was a bit tired after racing twice this month already though :-( Maybe rest him up for a month or so.

[Brave]

DARE TO DREAM MEMORIAL STAKES*
win Infinite Warcry
place Bella Luna
show In The Spotlight
4th Dare To Impress
5th Call Of The Wild

“…And we have just the worst track conditions I’ve seen in years, folks, the track’s more liquid than solid and the turf is just drowning, and in my opinion is rather unsafe but the stewards have given the go ahead and the race will be run-well, swum, really- and here we see the obvious stature of Call Of The Wild, you know he’s actually not abnormally tall at all, but every time I see this colt I feel like the David to his Goliath. And he really doesn’t seem to be liking the conditions of the track either, he is picking his way across the slop very carefully as he carves a path up the post parade. He’s coming off nearly a month lay, his last race being a strong third in the Seashell Cup back in June, it will be interesting to see how he does with it. Now here comes In The Spotlight, the second SOPS entry, quite a beautifully bred chestnut, she looks like fire out there against the brown of the track. And she doesn’t seem to be bothered by the track at all, she’s walking boldly and her jockey gives her a pat. She’ll be second on the rail, a bit firmer ground I’m predicting than what Call Of The Wild will have to fight through. And now, the failed Turf Triple Crown prospect Dare To Impress jogs her way onto the track, already getting muddied, she’s quite excited today, it seems, and Andrew Martins is having trouble keeping her straight. No doubt Grayson Meadows’ hoping for a better performance than her Belmont Turf Classic, especially seeing as she is the offspring of Dare To Dream. And now, breaking from gate four is Bella Luna, the actual Turf Triple Crown Winner, waltzing her way out, easily recognizable in her grey color. Now that is quite the horse, she is, built for success and lots of it, though onboard we do see a rather hesitant Reese Balling Jones, no doubt due to sludge her filly’s walking on. And finally, reigning champion over the past few years of the Dare To Dream Memorial Stakes we have Infinite Warcry, winner of both Y12 and Y13. No doubt Nick Landing wants a similar performance, though how unfortunate it will have to be on a puddle instead of a racetrack. He’s a very impressive stallion, Infinite Warcry, he’s got quite the distinctive color of black and he actually is a monster, standing over 17hh, how Estella Marino even climbs onto him I cannot fathom. They are both looking very happy though, Infinite Warcry is relaxed, his ears forward, and there moving along at an amiable pace. And now they’re all in the gate, Dare To Impress has calmed down but now In The Spotlight throws up her head AND THEY’RE OFF! It’s a fantastically slow start, the horses are barely moving but mud is flying everywhere, they’ve all very quickly developed a brown appearance. Dare To Impress stumbled hard into Call Of The Wild and they’re both a little disoriented as they lope up the stretch. In The Spotlight has taken the lead on the surest of the ground, and is fighting as hard as she can to sling her way through the mud. Bella Luna is riding in In The Spotlight’s wake, stalking expertly, and behind the gray filly we have Infinite Warcry slightly to her left, plowing like a powerhouse along the rail, and the mud is definitely not bothering him. And, oh my this race is slow, I’d sit back folks, we’re in for eleven furlongs of struggle. Quite an amazing match up, however, we have some of the greatest three year olds in the country, if not the best, and possibly some of the most pronounced older turf horses that can be found, and it will be interesting to see who will come out on top. Now, In The Spotlight has opened up a fantastic five length lead on Bella Luna, and Infinite Warcry has dropped back behind Dare To Impress, with Call Of The Wild challenging Bella Luna, and the gray filly does not like that and she ups her gear a bit, a reminder for Call Of The Wild to respect his elders… And now we are finally turning the bout for home after a strict, consistent race. In The Spotlight is cruising at six lengths, but Bella Luna is opening and flying up to join her, and Dare To Impress and Call Of The Wild have moved with her, leaving Infinite Warcry now four lengths back by himself along the rail, and I can’t tell if he’s struggling or has just given up… Now Bella Luna has claimed the lead, and is opening by a length, and the other’s just can’t catch her, Dare To Impress is falling back, In The Spotlight holding strong and Call Of The Wild trying to shoulder his stablemate out of the way, but it’s just not working and the big bay is only tiring himself out. Bella Luna is practically gliding along, and all five horses are soaked in the mud of this simply ruined turf track, and it looks like Bella Luna is going to be the winner, no one is moving up to challenge her BUT HERE COMES INFINITE WARCRY! The black giant has lunged up and he has pushed by Dare To Impress, he has swung between Call Of The Wild and In The Spotlight and now he and Bella Luna are less than 100 meters from the wire but Infinite Warcry is hurtling along like a rocket, he simply can’t be stopped, he has the momentum and Bella Luna wasn’t prepared for his arrival, and she’s trying to gain footing in the mud but she just can’t and it is going to be Infinite Warcry, and he has crossed the wire and won the Dare To Dream Memorial Stakes for the third year in a row!”

It was simply Infi’s race, he wanted it a bit more than Bella Luna. She’s still a fantastic horse with countless wins ahead of her. In The Spotlight was the next horse that appealed to me most, and the other two where a bit out classed, though both are great horses. Infi will definitely need a new workout for his next race, as his past one was almost two game months ago. It killed me to put Call last, but I just felt that Dare To Impress was more experienced in these areas.