Take the Points |
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Prep Recap
| Date | Trk | Race | Chart | Distance | Time | BSF | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/28/09 | SA | Sham (G3) | Chart | 1 1/8m | 1:47 | 93 |  |
| 4/4/09 | SA | Santa Anita Derby (G1) | Chart | 1 1/8m | 1:49 | 91 | |
Profile by Michael Hammersly
Strengths: While he's never beaten this caliber, he's shown a touch of class and the versatility to handle various surfaces. He was second to runaway winner The Pamplemousse in the Grade 3 Sham at Santa Anita on Feb. 28, then fourth (beaten just 2 3/4 lengths) to Pioneerof the Nile in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Those efforts show he's not totally out of his element in this type of company. They also show he handles synthetic, and with previous wins on dirt and in the mud, apparently footing is no worry for him. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, is a multiple Eclipse Award winner. His lone Triple Crown victory came when he saddled the filly Rags to Riches to beat Curlin in the 2007 Belmont Stakes.
Weaknesses: The most glaring weakness, as mentioned above, is that he has yet to beat this caliber of runner. Then again, the same could have been said about eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird prior to his big upset. There may also be a distance question. His two wins came at a mile, and in both 1 1/8-mile efforts he wasn't much of a factor in the final furlong.
Strategy: He has tactical speed, which likely can place him not far off the pace of Big Drama and Rachel Alexandra.
Value: With some high-profile names in here and no real buzz about this horse, he's surely going to be forgotten at the windows. Odds of 20-1 or higher seem almost certain, which you could say might be tempting for a horse who's never been double-digit odds in his career.
Owners: Starlight Partners |
Pedigree Analysis by Dan Illman
Dosage Profile: 4-4-7-4-1
Dosage Index: 1.35
Center of Distribution: 0.30
Auction: $160,000 yearling
Sire: Even the Score, a grandson of Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled, was a multiple Grade 2 winner around two turns. His biggest career tally came in the Californian Stakes at nine furlongs, a race in which he earned a 109 Beyer Speed Figure.
Dam: Ginger Ginger, a $16,000 weanling purchase that resold for $5,500 as a yearling, only raced once. She finished tenth in a $5,000 maiden claimer going six furlongs at River Downs. Ginger Ginger has already produced Tin Man Commin, a stakes-winner at 1 1/16 miles with a 96 Beyer.
Ginger Ginger is a half-sister to three blacktype performers including Through Time, a stakes-winner at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Outlook: Although there is enough stamina in this pedigree to indicat that the Preakness distance shouldn't be an issue, Take the Points has acted more like a miler in his short career. Tackling top-level competition at 1 3/16 miles may be too tall an order.