Speedy Dom the Bomb will test distance capability in Jim Edgar Futurity

STICKNEY, Ill. – The $100,000 Jim Edgar Futurity is a contrast in styles, with the race’s two leading contenders coming from opposite corners.

Dom the Bomb has brilliant speed, a precocious horse bred to run short. Oak Brook, by Giant’s Causeway, is a full brother to Giant Oak, whose shiniest moment came in winning the Grade 1 Donn Handicap over 1 1/8 miles. Dom the Bomb will outrun Oak Brook early, and it will be interesting to see if Oak Brook can catch his rival late on Saturday at Hawthorne in the Futurity, a 1 1/16-mile race for Illinois-breds.

The Futurity, race 8 with a scheduled post time of 4:25 Central, has more substance than in most years, to say nothing of more horses. Thirteen 2-year-olds were entered, and though Dom the Bomb and Oak Brook figure to receive the bulk of the wagering attention, there are plausible upsetters, too.

Chris Block, who trains Oak Brook, has two other horses in the race, In the Chamber and Crafty Navigator, both of whom are bred to get the two-turn distance. Giantstepsbdancing and Market Rad also have a chance, but the race still figures to come down to the flashy Dom the Bomb and the potentially more substantive Oak Brook.

JIM EDGAR FUTURITY (RACE 8)

KEY CONTENDERS

Dom the Bomb (Last 3 Beyers: 92-72-70)

◗ Trainer Larry Rivelli won the Futurity a year ago with a horse who looked much like Dom the Bomb. Rambling Richie won the Sun Power Stakes, a six-furlong Illinois-bred stakes, by 2 1/2 lengths, then returned to go wire to wire in the Futurity. Dom the Bomb looks better than Rambling Richie: He won the Sun Power by 11 3/4 lengths, earning a serious 92 Beyer Speed Figure while geared down late.

◗ Dom the Bomb is fast but races relaxed, and Rivelli said he settled and finished well in his major work for this race, a six-furlong drill Dec. 3.

Oak Brook (Last 3 Beyers: 75-69-63)

◗ He never has run close to as fast as Dom the Bomb, but he has made all four of his starts around two turns and appears to be improving.

◗ Oak Brook has made his last two starts with blinkers on, showing vastly improved speed in both of them.

Short field in Debutante

The $100,000 Pat Whitworth Debutante, the female counterpart to the Futurity, drew only five entrants. Timeaday, the winner of the Showtime Deb, the recent six-furlong race for Illinois-bred 2-year-old fillies, won an open sprint allowance race here Thursday rather than try two turns in the Debutante.

PAT WHITWORTH DEBUTANTE (RACE 3)

KEY CONTENDERS

Tizgorgeous (Last 3 Beyers: 59-5-57)

◗ Second in the Showtime Deb, she has raced two turns twice but ran both times on turf. Her pedigree is middle-distance-oriented, and she ran decently in her first turf route, but she’s no sure thing to get the distance Saturday.

Razamajazil (Beyers: 45-58)

◗ Fourth in the Showtime Deb, her second start, she won her debut over six furlongs but is by Belmont Stakes winner Jazil and should stretch out adequately – if she can make the lead from the rail Saturday.

Rock My Dreams (Last 3 Beyers: 56-49-52)

◗ She is the field’s most experienced horse, with eight starts, which means she is well exposed at this point.

◗ She never has raced two turns and has a sprint-slanting pedigree. She is not likely to improve in her first route.