You Gotta Draw A Line Through It

There is no question that Bourbonology’s last race was a clunker.  It may have been more than a clunker.  It may have just been god awful!  She tracked nicely for the first half and when jockey Nik Goodwin had to check her out of trouble, she was done.  She just quit.  She ended up last…dead last.  Beaten 23 lengths.

It was my worst nightmare come true.

I never, ever want to place a horse where it has no chance to win.  I don’t want to run in a race for the sake of running in one.  If we enter a stake, I want it to be because we actually have a chance to win the race.  In this one, it looked very clearly that Bobo didn’t belong and it was embarrassing.

I don’t blame Nik, he didn’t know that she would quit on him.  None of us did.  Since she turned 3, she’d never been worse than 4^th or beaten more than 6 ¼.  July 6 was a different story.  Maybe she was off?  These animals are not machines and are subject to bad days just like any other living being.  It could have been the heat.  It could have been something unsettling on the way over to the paddock from the barn.  Who knows?

Fortunately she came back sound and healthy and she bounced back very nicely.  All we can really do is draw a line through that last race, give her a little class relief and go at ‘em again.

Tomorrow she goes about 7 ½ furlongs over the grass course – but no chute this time.  She also draws in much closer to the rail coming out of post position four.  She also retains the services of Dean Butler again, the jock that rode her to her first win and in her morning works.  Again, it’s not that Nik did anything wrong, but Dean knows the horse and has won with her before.  That’s a nice feeling to have. 

It’s also a claiming race rather than a first level allowance.  She’ll be running for a tag of $20,000 with other fillies and mares that have never won 2 races.

Here is the field:

Toluca (Silva/Vergara): Two solid tries at $12,500 at Golden Gate before shipping east for Miguel Silva.  She jumps up a bit in this one and the discrepancy that existed in past years has closed considerably among open horses this year, so the jump is a bit more formidable than it would have been last year.

Heavenly Alibi (Von Hemel/Eikleberry): Prairie Meadows invader tries the turf for the 1^st time since a maiden effort at the Fairgrounds in late 2012.

Diamond City (Canchari/P Canchari): considerably distanced since her maiden breaking win the summer of 2011.

BOURBONOLOGY (RHONE/BUTLER)

Correspondence (Riecken/C Goodwin):  Jumping way up from a $6250 claiming race last out, did break her maiden over the Remington Park turf last summer coming from way off the pace.

Margo’s Delight (Brinson/Rivera): A game, but wide, 3^rd last out at this level the second weekend of the meet.  If healthy, may be the one to beat.

My Dixie Doodle (Scherer/Velazquez):  Dropping in from some very competitive allowance events here, in Chicago and New Orleans.  Hasn’t sniffed the winners’ circle since the maiden breaker last May, but should appreciate the class relief.

Wonder Country (Berndt/A Canchari):  A 4^th and 6^th at this level in her first two tries at Canterbury – one on and one off the turf.

Chena Miss (Bravo/Keith): Broke her maiden last out easily, though only at the $6250 level.  Butler chooses Bobo.

Miss Amelia (Suter/Hernandez): Eighth in the allowance where Bobo was so awful.  Best finish recently was a third in a Fonner allowance.

Of Royalty (McFarlane/Ochoa): 2^nd as the beaten favorite at this level last out in an off the turf event.  Broke maiden the race before over the Arizona turf with ease.

Flying Lelin (Rarick/Stevens): First turf effort after a tough effort in a $6250 non-winners of two.

There is only one way to look at this race with any degree of confidence/hope – draw a line through that last race and pretend it never happened.

Bobo will want to sit a bit…stalk if she can.  If she can is the key this afternoon.  There is not a ton of speed in the race and the speed that there is here is mired along the outside with Of Royalty and maybe Chena Miss.  My Dixie Doodle showed speed in her wire to wire maiden breaker but has had a tough time getting her own way on the front end in her allowance tries.  It could be that the class relief could afford her the opportunity to finally get to the front again.

Having several out front is what we’d like to see and be able to take up a nice stalking position and then have some room when the running begins.  Margo’s Delight will close well and has proved herself against this type and there are several others that will want their opportunity in the stretch as well.

She’ll need to stay out of trouble, or at least not quit because of it like she did in her last.  She traveled very bravely in her win, let’s hope she has that confidence in her this trip.