- Bill Turner told me and a group of about eight other owners in the paddock before the race that he expected Just Zip It to run well, but that he thinks she really needs more distance. It was a 5 1/2 furlong affair against a pretty weak state-bred field. I found that interesting because most everyone who saw the photos I posted of her here felt that she was built like a sprinter. (I should have some photos up shortly.)
Turner told jockey Jose Espinoza to "leave her" in the early stages but to see to it that she finished well. I don't think that meant she should get left at the gate, but sure enough, though she seemed to break alertly enough, she was clearly last just a couple of strides from the gate. She passed a horse or two as they rounded the turn, and she was between horses in the two path, making progress. She continued to move up towards in the inside once straightening away in the stretch, but then found herself in a bit of a box along the rail. She had to alter course to the outside at around the eighth pole.
She was still a good 6-7 lengths back for sure at that point, and it's one of those races that you wonder as you watch how she finished where she did. She never looked like the winner, but I guess that wasn't really the intention. She just kept coming and coming and closing the gap, and got up for second in the final strides, just a length and a half behind the winner. She made up 11 1/2 lengths in the final 2 1/2 furlongs; pretty cool! And the race went 4/5ths faster than the first division of the split race.
I presume she'll move out of the claiming ranks into the more lucrative world of state-bred maiden specials for her next start. (Though the $26,000 purse ain't bad, and the second place share of $5200 will pay some bills.) And she'll certainly get the extra distance next time that she truly looks as if she'll relish. Hopefully she'll run for a bigger purse, because I don't expect we'll be in a position to make much at the windows. She was 7-1 in this race, but unless she moves up too drastically, she'll be a lot closer to 7-5 next time.
RSS Feed for this Blog
Friday, November 24, 2006
Just Zip It Zips Late
Posted by Alan Mann at 11:20 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 Comments:
Nice effort Alan. I didn't bet her because she was kinda dead on the board (I thought) when she drifted up to 7-1. So I took a stab at Karakorumwhatever. If I had a little courage I could have had a nice exacta.
Nice blaze -- handy for picking her out when she emerged, CV silks obliterated by mud, from the pack at the turn. Seeing the race on TVG, she was out of the frame for most of the race.
Pretty impressive first effort, regardless of what you think of the company. She wove between horses and took a lot of dirt in the face to get where she did. So she passsed the test and looks like a serious race filly. Cute too. It will be fun to watch her.
Impressive debut, in this case (unlike the Highland Cat discussion last summer) I feel the step up in class is definately warranted. She should handle the stretch out based on style, and City Zip has not been a pure sprint sire as I would have expected.
Congrats, I was excited for you when she started rolling, but alas was not wagering yesterday except on the feature, where my Rahy's Appeal was unfairly a victim of the stewards.
Thanks everyone. And sorry about Rahy's Appeal. Ouch! :-( My understanding has always been that it's an automatic DQ and not a judgment call when a rider hits another horse with his whip.
(Oh man, I just saw that he was 23-1....yikes!!!)
I always thought that too Alan, but apparently it is not an automatic DQ, at least according to todays NY Daily News.
I was not very upset yesterday thinking it was automatic, but now I am getting hot as there is no way this filly was going to lose, and the smack to the lip actually happened only because Mint drifted out into RA AFTER RA took the lead (the race was over).
Good run, she made, alright. Very exciting. Luck to & your partners in the stretchout. Looks like she'll be a fun one to have.
Post a Comment