Richie the Bull should handle two turns in Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity

STICKNEY, Ill. – Trainer Larry Rivelli and owners V-Leaf Stables and Richard Ravin won the 2014 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity with Dom the Bomb, and those same connections have Dom the Bomb’s half-brother Richie the Bull as the horse to beat in Saturday’s renewal of the Edgar.

The similarities are striking, but there are differences between last year and this. The Futurity was worth about $100,000 in 2014 and now is down to just $50,000. Tim Thornton rode Dom the Bomb, while E.T. Baird has the call on Richie the Bull in Saturday’s race, contested at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. And Rivelli thinks he sees a difference between the two horses.

“This one will get two turns better than the last one,” said Rivelli. “This horse will run long. Jose Valdivia rode him twice and has told me all along this horse rates. He’s the type of horse that runs off the bit.”

If all that’s true, it’s a significant positive factor for Richie the Bull, a son of sprinter Benny the Bull out of the Five Star Day mare Richiesgirlgotgame. Richie the Bull sprinted in his three starts and is drawn in post 1, down inside the other primary pace players. But if Richie the Bull can rate and route, he’s easily the Futurity’s most likely winner.

Richie the Bull won his career debut at Arlington, won a Keeneland allowance race in which the talented Mo Tom finished third, and rallied for third of nine in the $100,000 Juvenile Dirt Sprint, also at Keeneland. Rivelli then sent him to Hawthorne to prepare for the Futurity, and Richie the Bull has worked twice over the track.

“He’s doing really good, and he worked great the other day,” said Rivelli. “He’s ready.”

Shogood was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite over the 5-2 Richie the Bull, but expect Richie the Bull to wind up a solid favorite. While Shogood impressed winning the Arlington-Washington Futurity over Polytrack, he finished up the track after contesting the pace in the Street Sense, a one-turn mile at Churchill that marked his dirt debut. And racing surface is not the only question looming over Shogood.

“Can he go a mile and a sixteenth? I’ve got my doubts,” said trainer Scott Becker. “It depends on how fast he has to go.”

Cashel Rock and Moonshiner will be higher prices than Shogood and might have a better chance at a top-two finish. Cashel Rock was a distant second racing over sloppy going last out at Hawthorne in an open first-level allowance around two turns. Moonshiner won only a $25,000 maiden claimer last out, but he clearly moved up going two turns for the first time.