TimeformUS Speed Figure Report for week ending May 7, 2017
Each week, TimeformUS Chief Figure Maker Craig Milkowski takes a look back at the weekend’s graded stakes and releases the TimeformUS Speed Figures for these races.
Churchill
Grade 1 Kentucky Derby
1/2 152
3/4 141
Fin 121
Top 3: Always Dreaming 123, Lookin At Lee 118, Battle of Midway 115
Note: All fractions in red from TimeformUS denoting very fast pace; top three finishers all ran career-best TimeformUS Speed Figures, the only horses in the field to do so; race was run over a track labeled wet-fast, but it was on the slow side for Churchill
Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks
1/2 154
3/4 135
Fin 113
Top 3: Abel Tasman 113, Daddys Lil Darling 111, Lockdown 113
Note: All fractions in red from TimeformUS denoting very fast pace; Abel Tasman had top TimeformUS Late Pace Rating in a race predicted by Pace Projector to have a fast pace; top three betting choices were 1-2-3 early - none finished better than eighth
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Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic
1/2 122
3/4 123
Fin 125
Top 3: Divisidero 127, Beach Patrol 125, Oscar Nominated 122
Note: First win in last five tries for Divisidero, last win was in same race last year with 128 TimeformUS Speed Figure; game effort for Beach Patrol resulted in career-best figure; Oscar Nominated was very wide, but that may have been best part of course
Grade 1 Humana Distaff
1/4 102
1/2 99
Fin 114
Top 3: Paulassilverlining 108, Finest City 107, Carina Mia 107
Note: All fractions in blue from TimeformUS denoting slow pace; second Grade 1 score for winner since training taken over by Chad Brown
Grade 1 La Troienne
1/2 103
3/4 100
Fin 112
Top 3: Big World 108, Romantic Vision 108, Streamline 106
Note: 7-1 winner ran best last-out TimeformUS Speed Figure - this was first Grade 1 try; she has won seven of her last nine starts
Grade 2 Churchill Downs
1/4 142
1/2 143
Fin 117
Top 3: Limousine Liberal 127, Awesome Slew 115, Tom’s Ready 115
Note: All fractions in red from TimeformUS denoting very fast pace; first stakes win in 11 tries and lifetime best TimeformUS Speed Figure for Limousine Liberal
Grade 2 Alysheba
1/2 133
3/4 133
Fin 118
Top 3: Bird Song 123, Honorable Duty 119, International Star 115
Note: Winner chased fast fractions when wide last out at Keeneland, better trip today; favorite American Freedom (wide, fast pace) and second choice Breaking Lucky (bumped start, steadied) both had an excuse, should improve next time
Grade 2 American Turf
1/2 145
3/4 122
Fin 115
Top 3: Arklow 115, Good Samaritan 113, Big Score 114
Note: Arklow 2 for 2 on turf after beginning career on dirt 0 for 5; BC Juvenile Turf winner Oscar Performance has failed to hit the board in either 2017 start, both as the favorite
Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile
1/2 124
3/4 132
Fin 125
Top 3: Roca Rojo 127, Believe in Bertie 127, Linda 120
Note: First stakes win since shipping to US by Roca Rojo; missed by a nose with 128 TimeformUS Speed Figure last out in Grade 1 Matriarch
Grade 2 Eight Belles
1/4 126
1/2 122
Fin 111
Top 3: Benner Island 116, Union Strike 109, Laney 108
Note: Pace hot – half-mile coded red in TimeformUS PPs; winner 3 for 3 in one-turn dirt races, 0 for 5 in others
Grade 3 Pat Day Mile
1/2 129
3/4 125
Fin 120
Top 3: Wild Shot 121, No Dozing 113, Uncontested 116
Note: Winner was pacesetter in Grade 2 Blue Grass last start; decent run for favored No Dozing but continued streak of no runner from the 2016 Remsen at Aqueduct winning a subsequent stakes race
Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint
1/4 134
1/2 122
Fin 122
Top 3: Green Mask 122, Latent Revenge 118, Why Two 113
Note: First graded stakes win in eighth try for Green Mask; career-top TimeformUS Speed Figure in 24th start for 6-year-old gelding
Grade 3 Edgewood
1/2 136
3/4 123
Fin 110
Top 3: La Coronel 111, Dream Dancing 110, Sweeping Paddy 110
Note: Pace swift despite seemingly slow fractions - turf labeled good, might have been softer than that; 1-2 finishers were coupled
Belmont
Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay
1/2 na
1m na
Fin 126
Top 3: Sea Calisi 126, Suffused 123, Apple Betty 110
Note: No TimeformUS Pace Figures, distance never previously run over this course with rail at 18 feet; winner took this race last year off similarly long layoff
Grade 3 Westchester
1/2 136
3/4 128
Fin 131
Top 3: Connect 130, Virtual Machine 125, Frammento 110
Note: First start since winning the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in November for Connect, has now matched or exceeded previous TimeformUS Speed Figure in all eight career starts
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Grade 3 Fort Marcy
1/2 125
3/4 119
Fin 124
Top 3: Smooth Daddy 125, Time Test 128, Messi 124
Note: Heavy favorite Time Test dropped back to last in first U.S. start for some reason, made big move but hung big late
Grade 3 Vagrancy
1/4 118
1/2 129
Fin 124
Top 3: By the Moon 125, Pretty N Cool 125, Quezon 112
Note: Track coded red by TimeformUS - speed did much better than expected; winner has three wins and a second in four Belmont dirt starts
Santa Anita
Grade 3 Adoration
1/2 118
3/4 121
Fin 121
Top 3: Vale Dori 120, Skye Diamonds 119, Sensitively 112
Note: Six consecutive wins for Vale Dori ranging from 116 to 122 TimeformUS Speed Figures, five coming in graded stakes
Grade 3 Senorita
1/2 91
3/4 94
Fin 104
Top 3: Sircat Sally 106, Beau Recall 109, Pacific Wind 104
Note: All fractions in blue from TimeformUS denoting very slow pace; Sircat Sally remained undefeated after six races
Lone Star
Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile
1/2 126
3/4 127
Fin 131
Top 3: Mor Spirit 130, Texas Chrome 122, Iron Fist 121
Note: Third consecutive lifetime best TimeformUS Speed Figure for Mor Spirit; one of 10 horses to hit the 130 mark in 2017