We would like to begin this week’s Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch by thanking West Point Thoroughbreds for taking over this sponsorship. We were honored to be associated with KBC Horse Supplies for nearly a year and look forward to a great relationship with Terry Finley and his team. Please click on the banner above and visit their website after reading this week’s installment below.

The Independence Day holiday provides the backdrop for a slew of graded races taking place over the weekend. On Saturday, watch for the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont and the G1 United Nations at Monmouth. The Suburban marks the 2010 debut of I Want Revenge, the 2009 Kentucky Derby favorite, who scratched on the morning of the race due to an ankle swelling. I Want Revenge began his career in California, racing for his owner/breeder David Lanzman and trainer Jeff Mullins; in April of last year he was transferred to Rick Dutrow’s barn by new owners IEAH Stable. The son of Stephen Got Even reeled off two graded stakes wins in New York, stamping him as the Derby favorite. There will be six betting interests in the 1 1/8-mile Suburban–I Want Revenge, coupled with Pictural, is the 7-5 choice.

Though the race has drawn a contentious field of nine, absent from the United Nations turf fixture (1 3/8 miles) is 2008 and 2009 winner Presious Passion. Five of the starters are group or grade 1 winners including Winchester, winner of the June 5 Manhattan Handicap. The 5-year-old Christophe Clement trainee is 7-2 on the morning line, as is Acclamation, last seen winning the Charles Whittingham Handicap (G1) in California. Slight favorite at 3-1 is Take the Points, who won the G1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap back in February. Since then, he’s raced twice, finishing fifth in the Dubai Duty Free and fourth in the Manhattan.

Sunday’s graded stakes line-up includes the Firecracker Handicap (G2) at Churchill Downs, which has drawn Mine That Bird into the full field of 14. The one-mile contest is a significant one for the son of Birdstone; it would be his first race of the season, the first on turf, and the first under the tutelage of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas mentioned the possibility of not going in the Firecracker, but entered him to keep his options open. Mine That Bird’s sophomore campaign became well documented after hitting the wire first in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, where he posted a staggering $103.20 payout for a $2 win bet. Following the Derby, he ran second in the Preakness, third in the Belmont, and again third in the West Virginia Derby (G2). His final two starts of the season were on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface; sixth in the G1 Goodwood followed by a ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Also on Sunday, Belmont hosts the G1 Prioress, for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track. Fanny Freud is going for her fourth straight win; she is two-for-three on this surface. The betting favorite may be Champagne d’Oro, who pulled off the upset win in the G1 Acorn at nearly 40-1. Trainer Eric Guillot said that she will not attempt to complete the Triple Tiara, but rather target the G1 Test at Saratoga. Completing the field for the Prioress is Funny Feeling, Stormandaprayer, and from Bob Baffert’s barn, Bonnie Blue Flag.

There is special holiday racing on Monday at the major tracks—Hollywood Park will present the G3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship and the G3 Bed o’ Roses Handicap will be run at Belmont.

Tags: belmont park, churchill downs, Firecracker Handicap, Hollywood Park, I Want Revenge, mine that bird, monmouth park, suburban handicap, Terry Finley, Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch, west point thoroughbreds

This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.