CC Emerald
12/3/11 Fair Grounds
Ages Three and Upward
1 1/16th Over Turf
Purse: $100.000
Required: Horses must have started for claiming
price of $25.000 or less since 12/3/10.
On Saturday, the 8th running of the CC Emerald will take place in The
Big Easy, at the Fair Grounds. The 1 1/16th race over the turf will have
a purse of $100.000, and is for horses three years and up, and they
must have started in a claiming race for $25.000 or less in the past
twelve months.
With the early scratch of the 1 horse, Declan Macmanus trained by
Chili King Stables, that leaves a field of seven who will head postward
Saturday afternoon. Despite the scratch of the 1, Chili King Stables
sends out three entries in the 1 1/16th race; not bad odds in a race
of seven!
The field appears to be wide open, as is often the case in restricted
stakes for claimers, and the 2011 CC Emerald could go to anyone.
Three-year-old Arsenal Gunners sent out by Big Jd Racing looks to
have a good shot here, as he makes his stakes debut. Also looking
to have a legitimate chance at the win is the 6 horse, Player, who is
trained by Angelos Stable. This will be the second stakes start for the
four-year-old, and his first stakes race over the turf. Also in this mix,
looking like he could emerge a winner is Unreal Racing's five-year-old
gelding Arbitrary, who makes his 23rd career start here, and his very
first start in stakes company at the Fair Grounds Saturday.
For all of you handicappers out there, get ready for a wild ride! In a
race where anything can happen, be sure to put down some money
on all seven of these horses. We may have a longshot steal the show
and see some big payouts at the windows after the 2011 CC Emerald
on Saturday!
The Field:
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HORSE NAME
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OWNER NAME
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JOCKEY NAME
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Declan Macmanus
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Chili King Stables
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- Scratch -
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Elated Aura
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Whitewater Stables
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Saez G
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Arbitrary
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Unreal Racing
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Lanerie C J
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To Play
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Chili King Stables
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St Julien M
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Arsenal Gunners
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Big Jd Racing
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Bridgmohan S X
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Player
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Angelos Stable
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Bridgmohan J V
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Absolutely Perfect
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Chili King Stables
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Jacinto J
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Anchored
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Chili King Stables
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Albarado R J
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1 Declan Macmanus: Chili King Stables- SCRATCH
2 Elated Aura: Trained by Whitewater Stables, this three-year-old
gelding by Gourmande will be making his second stakes start,
and looks for his first stakes win in his first ever race over turf.
Coming off of a 2nd place finish at Golden Gate on 9/18/11, in a
one mile dirt $26.000 Allowance race. Prior to that, ran in his only
stakes start, the $65.000 EMD Derby, where he finished 2nd, just
missing the win by a nose in the 1 1/8 race on the Emerald Downs
dirt, and posting a career high speed figure of 94. Last win came
2/13/11, at Golden Gate in a $9.000 Claiming race, run at 6F over
dirt for CA State Bred horses.
-Might be a tough spot for Elated Aura, since this will be his first
ever start on the turf. Been a while since he has found his way to
the winner's circle, but in his only previous stakes attempt, he was
very close, just missing the win by a nose.
3 Arbitrary: Trained by Unreal Racing, this five-year-old gelding by
Utica Moon makes his stakes debut Saturday in the CC Emerald.
Last race was on 11/8/11 at PHA, where he finished 5th, one length
back in a 1 1/8 turf $14.000 Claiming race, where he earned a career
high speed figure of 94. The last win for Arbitrary came on 5/24/11
in a one mile $10.500 Claiming race run over the turf at PHA. Only
recent works have been at 4F on dirt, and he breezed 4F at PHA
on 11/18/11 in :48.24.
-Has never won going longer than one mile, so the extra 1/16th of
a mile may be a bit long, or may be no problem at all for Arbitrary.
Last sixteen races have been claiming races, and the majority for
under $10.000, but he always gives it his all, and may run big here.
4 To Play: First of three entries for Chili King Stables, this gelding
is a five-year-old by Royal Toto, and will be making his first start
for Chili King Stables who purchased him on 11/21/11 for $10.000.
This will be his 4th stakes race, and he looks for his first stakes
win here.
Coming off of a four month layoff, and last race was 8/1/11, in a
$25.000 Claiming race, run at 1 1/8 over a muddy Saratoga track,
where To Play finished 4th. Last win came almost two years ago
on 4/30/11 at River downs in a $8.900 Allowance race run at this
distance on turf, where he posted a career high speed figure of
101. Since that win, has two starts on turf, and his speed figures
had dropped to 89 and 95.
-Not sure that To Play is ready for stakes level races right now.
Coming off of a four month layoff, and only has four starts in 2011,
this may be a tough spot for his return after such a long break, and
has not been able to win since early in his four-year-old campaign.
5 Arsenal Gunners: Trained by Big Jd Racing, this three-year-old
gelding by HRP-Mellay will be making his stakes debut Saturday
in the CC Emerald.
Coming off of a win in his last race on 11/5/11 at Churchill Downs
in a $28.000 Allowance race run at one mile over the turf, which
he won by one length, and earned a career high 99 speed figure.
Has one win at this 1 1/16 distance on turf, which came 8/7/11
at Saratoga in a $25.000 Claiming race over yielding turf.
-Arsenal Gunner is coming in with the momentum of a win in his
last start, and has a previous win at this distance on turf. Speed
figures look good, as well as works, so think he could run well in
the CC Emerald on Saturday.
6 Player: Trained by Angelos Stable, this four-year-old gelding by
HRP-Tiznow is making his 2nd career stakes start, and looking
for his first stakes win. This will be his first stakes race over turf.
Finished 3rd in his last race, which was at Golden Gate 11/13/11
in a one mile $28.000 Allowance race over the dirt. Prior to that,
on 10/22/11, made his first stakes start at Golden Gate in the 6F
dirt $50.000 Oakland Stakes, which he finished 3rd in, equaling
his career best speed figure of 98. Has one win at 1 1/16 on turf,
which came in November of last year as a three-year-old in a
$50.000 Allowance race at Churchill Downs.
-Has a win at this distance on turf, but in a one mile turf race in
February of this year, distance was too long, so Player may have
trouble with the 1 1/16 Saturday. Four of his last five races have
come in dirt sprints, so will have to see how he does switching
surfaces, and stretching out here.
7 Absolutely Perfect: The second of three entries for Chili King
Stables, this three-year-old gelding by HRP-Belloto makes his
second stakes start here, and is looking for his first stakes win.
Last ran on 11/18/11, just 14 days ago, where he won a 5F turf
$10.000 Claiming race at Golden Gate. Absolutely Perfect made
his stakes debut on 7/2/11 at EVD in the 7 1/2F turf $50.000 LA
Showcase Starter Stakes, where he finished 4th eleven lengths
back in the field of four for LA Breds. Has one start at this 1 1/16
distance on turf, on 9/27/11 at PHA in a $48.000 Allowance, where
he finished 7th over the good turf course.
-Absolutely Perfect has never won going longer than 7 1/2F on dirt
or turf, and his conformation and previous start at this distance
looks like the 1 1/16 may be a bit too long for him. Has struggled
lately, only finishing in the money once in his last six starts, and
that was in his last race which he won, but was just a $10.000
Claiming race. Think he may be in over his head here Saturday,
and worried with just 14 days since his last start, he may not be
in peak condition.
8 Anchored: The third entry for Chili King Stables, this gelding is
a three-year-old by Megalomaniac, who will be making his third
stakes start here, and looks for his first stakes win. This will be
just his second career start on turf.
Coming into the race off of a 5th place finish in a one mile seventy
yard $25.000 Claiming race run 11/12/11 over the PHA dirt. Last
win for Anchored came on 7/19/11 in a $44.000 PA State Bred
Allowance race run at one mile and seventy yards at PHA. That
win was the only time he has hit the board in his last six starts.
Has one race over the turf, which was in a 5F $47.000 Allowance
also at PHA, where he finished 6th, four lengths back on 9/12/11.
-This looks like it may be a tough place for Anchored to attempt
to get his first stakes win, with only on prior start on turf, and
facing older horses here. Has only one in the money finish in
last six races, and speed figures are lower than most in this
field. Will need to run a huge race to pull off the win here. He
is young and lightly raced, and looks like he may need some
more experience before he is ready for stakes races.
Cyn's Picks: 5 - 6 - 3
