Papa Clem |
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Prep Recap
| Date | Trk | Race | Chart | Distance | Time | BSF | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/7/09 | SA | Robert B Lewis (G2) | Chart | 1 1/16m | 1:41 | 94 |  |
| 3/14/09 | FG | Louisiana Derby (G2) | Chart | 1 1/16m | 1:43 | 91 | |
| 4/11/09 | OP | Arkansas Derby (G2) | Chart | 1 1/ 8m | 1:49 | 101 | |
| 5/2/09 | CD | Kenucky Derby(G1) | Chart | 1 1/4 m | 2:02 | 95 | |
Profile by Steve Grabowski
Strengths: He encountered trouble in the Kentucky Derby but was still right there until late at that 1 1/4-mile trip. The colt is quick enough to sit close to the pacesetters early, which is traditionally a good spot to be over the Pimlico main track. He's proven that he can handle any track condition. With just seven starts under his belt, he's still relatively lightly raced and has a right to move forward for a barn that has indicated it is eager to run him back this quickly.
Weaknesses: In the Kentucky Derby, he was beaten by three rivals who also will return in the Preakness Stakes. He's been away from his Southern California base for quite some time now and he's had these new surroundings to deal with this week. Though his trainer, Gary Stute, has been here before, it was more than two decades ago with his father's 1986 Preakness winner Snow Chief.
Strategy: He figures to be positioned just off the leaders early by his pilot Rafael Bejarano, and that should give him the opportunity to get first run on the late-comers. From there, he should have every shot to prove that he's good enough to win the Preakness Stakes.
Value: While he doesn't figure to approach the 12-1 price at which he was offered in the Kentucky Derby, there are quite a few ways to go in this race, so he should once again offer value.
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Owner: Bo Hirsch |
Pedigree Analysis by Dan Illman
Dosage Profile: 9-4-11-0-0
Dosage Index: 3.36
Center of Distribution: 0.92
Auction: Homebred
Sire: Smart Strike is a fantastic sire, but he was also a very underrated racehorse. He won six races in a row between April 28, 1995, and August 25 1996 at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. He twice earned Beyer Speed Figures of 115 or greater, and he won the Grade 1 Philip H. Iselin Handicap at Monmouth.
Smart Strike is a half-sister to the wonderful Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Dance Smartly, and hails from a powerhouse female family.
Dam: Miss Houdini was a fleet and precocious juvenile, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs. She earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure going three-quarters of a mile in her three-year-old debut, but she finished last at 6-5 odds in her only start around two turns in the Torrey Pines Stakes at one mile.
Papa Clem's second dam, Magical Maiden, was a multiple Grade 1 winner between one mile and 1 1/16 miles. She earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure when third to the great Paseana in the Grade 2 Chula Vista Handicap at 11/16 miles.
The female family has produced Avies Copy, the third-place finisher in the 1987 Kentucky Derby
Outlook: There is speed in the female family, but Papa Clem's best race came in the nine-furlong Arkansas Derby. The slight turnback in distance from the 1 1/4 miles of the Derby may work to his advantage, and he should have enough stamina to last the trip.