Horses to Avoid List Part 1

* Macho Again (Arrived at Saratoga off of a mediocre Grade 1 win in the Foster. His final time that day was 0.16 seconds slower than Miss Isella and Swift Temper went in a similarly paced Grade 2 stake on the same card - at the same distance. I know Miss Isella is a different kind of horse at Churchill and Swift Temper came back to beat Icon Project with a perfect trip next out - but it was still as soft a Grade 1 win as you'll see in the handicap division.

Got a great 116 pace figure to close into when 2nd in the Whitney. In the Woodward, he was more than 15 lengths off of the blistering 22.86 opening quarter .. 8 lengths further back than the horse racing 2nd to last at that stage. In spite of being positioned perfectly and getting a dream run through the pack without looping the field .. he hung badly and never looked like he was going to past a very softened up Rachel Alexandra at any point. He's less than nothing special .. and his resume looks strong off of his last 3 races.


* Mother Russia (Set a legit pace and took a 150K NY stallion stake race in her first try at Saratoga. The 2nd place finisher Es Mia was beaten just a neck and she had failed 4 times prior at the NY Bred MSW level coming in. Es Mia would run 5th at 6/5 odds in a NY Bred MSW next out .. not exactly flattering Mother Russia.

Mother Russia returned to a score a wire-to-wire NY Bred stakes win on the Travers undercard after getting away with murder on an uncontested lead through slow fractions.


* African King (came into Aug 22nd off the turfer as a 5/2 shot having won 3 straight races at 3 different race tracks. Had the race handed to him on a silver platter as he was able to steal away with an easy lead - setting the pace while earning a mind-boggling low 46 pace figure.

The pace was so slow in relation to final time - that I didn't believe it at first. It held up after I hand timed it though. The winner, Bad Action, broke slow & rallied from 4th with a wide sweep to win by 3 lengths. I realize that Bad Action has since won back twice stretching out on the turf - most recently at 15/1 odds. That still doesn't excuse African King for easily losing what amounted to a 3 furlong sprint .. while getting a head start and very favorable tactical position.



* Get Stormy (Two back, he got away with murder on the front end in a a one-mile N1X ALW race for older males. He was always a length to 1.5 lengths in front, while running six furlongs in a pokey 1:13.42. By comparison, NY Bred MSW fillies went 1:13.30 on the same course and at the same distance two races earlier that day. Get Stormy made all the best of the huge tactical edge and exploded with a 21.94 last quarter mile to win by 3 impressive lengths.

Get Stormy returned in the 85K Lure Stakes and once again found himself loose on an uncontested early lead through very slow fractions. Once again, he made the best of the tactical edge and finished with a good burst to hold off Mikoshi by just less than a length.

The problem with Get Stormy is that he has a history of running his best races when he makes a lead ... he's won each of the last 3 times he's led after a 1/4 mile ... he's failed each of the last 6 times he hasn't. He's simply not that quick early on and his run of easy leads is bound to end.


* Unbridled's Heart (Whoever named this horse badly insulted Unbridled ... because this guy has a heart the size of a pea. He entered an Aug 1st ALW race off of 4 straight defeats - each time as the odds on favorite.

This time, he got away loose on an uncontested lead through one of the slower route paces of the whole meet relative to final time .. and still he couldn't cash in - or even manage to save 2nd.

He may have Beyers of 93 or better in five of his six career races .. huge numbers for an N1X horse. He also is exiting Saratoga .. where his trainer is a brutal 11-for-131 with a $1.06 ROI since 2004. However, he's still a heartless money burner who can't cash in on a race he dominates on paper - even with a perfect trip. His trainer Albertrani is 21% with a jaw-dropping $3.99 ROI at Gulfstream since '04 .. so we might revise our opinion on this horse once GP comes .. but as long as he's in New York he's an avoid.


* Just about anything coming out of the Jim Dandy, Sanford, or Ballston Spa not named either Bulls and Bears or Salve Germanica.