SHAKOPEE, MN – [EDITORS NOTE: Each day for the rest of the week we will preview a pair of races for Festival Day. Today: Crocrock and Bella Notte Sprints.]
Races nine and ten on the Festival Day card are the Crocrock and Bella Notte Sprints. Both are contested at six furlongs over the main track.
On the face of it, the Crocrock looks like it is loaded with speed and features a couple of superstars: Pete Mattson homebred (with trainer Tim Padilla), Thealligatorhunter, and another Mattson bred, but Lothenbach Stables’ owned, Love the Nest.
Love the Nest is a 3-year-old son of Blame that will be taking on older foes for the first time. With six career starts, the colt is already a multiple stakes winner with last year’s Northern Lights and this year’s Minnesota Derby under his belt. He’s been able to win both gate to wire and just sitting off the pace. He also fought hard to hold off the hard charging Cousinvinnysacanuck in the mile and seventy Derby, so he’s a seasoned competitor.
Love the Nest was unable to beat Doctor Oscar in the six-furlong Vic Myers however and may be vulnerable here.
Thealligatorhunter has been nothing if not entertaining in his starts this year. He and Dame Plata dead-heated to kick off the local season in the 10,000 Lakes. He crossed the finish line first in the 7 ½ furlong Ralph Starngis, but was DQ’d for interference in the lane. He won the mile and a sixteenth Wally’s Choice but one right-handed pop of the stick nearly sent him through the inner rail. He has speed, but will have to contend with plenty of it in here.
Stablemate Doctor Oscar is intriguing in this race because while they have different trainers, they share ownership. Both look like they’re going to want the lead and that could end up being problematic for both.
Hap Hot is another that looks like he wants the lead and Magic Castle hasn’t shown any inclination to rate as well.
Bayou Benny MAY be able to pick up the pieces if things breakdown late and you can’t ignore Francisco Bravo in Festival Day with Dame Plata. Dame Plata will need to revert to form not seen in a few months however, though not impossible.
While at first glance the Crocrock looks easy, it could be far from it.
The tenth is the Bella Notte Distaff Sprint and while a couple of Canterbury stalwarts, Ready to Runaway and Clickbait, look to be the featured mares, filly Charlies Penny adds an unknown dimension to the Sprint.
Charlies Penny was on the Kentucky Oaks trail after impressively scoring in the Silverbulletday at Fairgrounds early last year before an injury sidelined her for over a year. She came back to finish second in consecutive starts in the Crestwood at Hawthorne and a $75,000 optional at Colonial on the turf. She’s third off the layoff, looks to be improving and could be a good score at a fair price for trainer Joel Berndt and owner Lothenbach Stables.
Ready to Runaway may be better long, but Clickbait is going to be formidable going six furlongs and is the morning line favorite for a reason. She’ll be the one that Charlies Penny will need to run down late in order to win the Sprint.
TOMORROW: The Princess Elaine and Blairs’ Cove Turf Routes
