Charles Town Dash scouting report
Saturday, June 20, Charles Town
The Low-Down: As the millionaire Commentator learned in the Charles Town Classic last month, it's tough coming to the panhandle and beating the locals. Researcher ran off with the Classic for locally based trainer Jeff Runco. Experience should count in the Dash as well, especially when you consider defending champion JOEY P. now has a spin over the course.
A capacity of group of 10 includes Grade 2 Swale winner EATON'S GIFT (Dale Romans), G3 Mr. Prospector champ IKIGAI (Marty Wolfson), $973K earner JOEY P. (Benny Perkins), and recent G3 Aristides Handicap third-place finisher KNIGHTS CROSS (Eddie Kenneally). This is an extremely strong group for a listed stakes, with reps from California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Delaware and West Virginia.
Our Eyes: Gas matters going 4-1/2 furlongs. In fact, it's all that matters on the short stretch at Charles Town. JOEY P. took the field wire-to-wire last year in the Dash, and he'll have SEA OF PLEASURE and SECRETINTELLIGENCE just to his inside with enough pace to be factors throughout. EATON'S GIFT has led after the opening 1/4 in 7 of his last 9 starts, while IKIGAI can say the same in 7 of his last 10 outings.
We made a nice score on JOEY P in last year's Dash, loving the fact that NJ-based trainer Benny Perkins reached into the local jockeys' room to nab ace rider Travis Dunkelberger. Experience on the bullring is paramount, and with the likable Dunkelberger sidelined with a broken neck (Get well, Travis!), Perkins turns this year to local leading rider J.D. Acosta, who is winning at nearly a 25-percent clip on the year and is a master at this Dash distance. I love the 3-furlong work Perkins put in him for speed.
While EATON'S GIFT and IKIGAI have unmistaken class, you have to wonder if they are THIS quick. The 4-1/2 furlong trip is a different breed than what they're used to, and you have to be 21-flat, 44-flat kind of fast to seriously factor. What could be tough for IKIGAI is the fact that he's not the best gate horse. He tends to get away a beat slow and then put the pedal to the medal. In a big field of 10 and with everyone hell-bent on the front, that could be disastrous if he leaves a bit slow, as he has in 4 of his last 5 starts.
A horse inside-drawn who appears quick enough is California-based SEA OF PLEASURE, who once put 3 lengths on Gayego in the opening few jumps of the '08 San Pedro. That cat can scat, and he'll have SECRETINTELLIGENCE breathing fire on him from post 3 for Tim Ritchey of Afleet Alex fame. 'SECRET can flat-out cook and gets away from the gate wonderfully (he's been 1-2-3 at the opening call in 11 of his last 12 starts -- that's nearly impossible to do).
As for the pure locals, LOVE'S STRONG HART is 12-for-12 in the money at Charles Town lifetime and ran third here last year at 18-1. He ran within 1/5 of the track record at this distance in winning over a sloppy track in last fall's Potomac Handicap. Watch him even more if it's wet, which is in the forecast.
The Bottom Line: JOEY P. will key my trifectas and exactas, using him over 4 horses: SECRETINTELLIGENCE, SEA OF PLEASURE, TRUST OR BUST and LOVE'S STRONG HEART.
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