By a Carrot

Entering the fresh weekend of races, the fantasy race has turned fantastic. Benden Weyr clings to a meager lead by a carrot over the spunky Apache_Rose_Peacock stable. There is some distance between second and the rest of the field, but in this game, such distances are easily covered.

League Rank	Score	Stable Name	Player
1	147	Benden Weyr	Thomas
2	146	Apache_Rose_Peacock	Andrew
3	118	SCHANUCI	John R
4	117	Clifton Pond Stable	Rebecca
5	112	Antilles Stable	Elizabeth
6	73	Hard Spun	John W
7	40	Lucky Farm	Amy

This weekend is absolutely loaded with races.

4/7	Bay Shore	III	Aqueduct	$150,000	7f	TVG
4/7	Wood Memorial	I	Aqueduct	$750,000	1 1/8m	ESPN
4/7	Illinois Derby	II	Hawthorne	$500,000	1 1/8m	HRTV
4/7	Lafayette		Keeneland	$100,000	7f	TVG
4/7	Santa Anita Derby	I	Santa Anita	$750,000	1 1/8m	NBC

If you click on the links, you will see the past performances for each of the entered horses. Lets take a look at each of the races, shall we?

The Bay Shore
Personally, I wish I got TVG so that I could watch Hobbitontherocks race. That's got to be a semi-finalist in the coolest name category. It's almost like some really funky smelling fermented beverage. Les Grands Trois may be the horse to beat.


The Wood Memorial
Thankfully, this race is on ESPN. I can't wait to hear Kenny Mayne talk about Invasor's great victory in Dubai last weekend, and I'm sure he will enjoy tracking the horse Reptilian Smarts in the Wood. I see four horses in this race. Nobiz Like Shobiz, the red hot Cowtown Cat, Summer Doldrums, and Any Given Saturday. The last horse on that list should win, but you never know. Beware of the sneaky Doldrums.

The Illinois Derby
Here's what I'm reading about this race. It gets more interesting by the moment. The following horses are rumored to be running in this race.

• Cobalt Blue

• Cowtown Cat

• Bold Start

• Catman Running

• Freesgood

• Family Talk

• Love Dubai

• Quite Acceptable

Looking at this race, I'm immediately noting that Pletcher's horse, Cowtown Cat is most likely going to skip the Wood and enter here. If that happens, I'd put him as the favorite. Merv's Cobalt (colored eyes) Blue is traveling from out west to Hawthorne. He should run a strong race. Also keep an eye out for Catman Running.

The Lafayette
I've never been to Keeneland to watch a race before, but I'm sure they sell food. If I was there, I'd be in line to get one of those Polish sausages during this race. Before I'd get in line I'd place a $2 bet on Out of Gwedda (named after either some exotic location or some kind of alien birthing) simply because jockey Garrett Gomez flew all the way back from Dubai to visit Keeneland. I suppose if I was there, I'd take a ride with Rene Douglas on Silver Express.

The Santa Anita Derby
Boutrous, Boutrous by golly, is entered in this race! In addition, there is a very strong field of western horses battling.Four stand out in my mind: Sam P, Bwana Bull, King of Roxy, and Liquidity. I'm thinking King of Roxy will win, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Bwana Bull or any of the four for that matter. Liquidity had a lot of hype early in the season, but has yet to 'splode. Time is running out for him. There's also a bit of mystery in the race with Medici Code, a Great Britain horse, entered in the race.

This Box Intentionally Left Blank

Enjoy