The Start of a Turf War Throwdown

Inspired by my love of Weird Al style parodies, Top 40 music, one hit-wonders and hip-hop, this post is a response to something this blog read the other day. It is sort of an attempt at something seen mainly in hip-hop. One of the mainstays of hip-hop is a "beef". This is when two rappers have a disagreement or problem with one another. The hallmark of "beefs" is battling via song. In the spirit of that, this parody is a response to "Havre De Grace" by Ed Derosa, as performed by the undefeated filly Awesome Feather. It maintains the same title as the real song, Jason Derulo's "It Girl".

For those unfamiliar with the song, here is the video (possible NSFW themes). Having the feel for the song in your head helps when reading the lyrics below:

I've been to Florida and Churchill Downs
No one can beat me
I'm training like a maniac, and now I'm back
I'm Awesome Feather
Tell them other girls, just stay in the barn
girl please....
Cause the only time you'll win is ...your dreams
Much more than an Eclipse award
That's what I mean to the sport.

I'm horse racing's it girl
You know I'm the truth girl
Lovin' me isn't a crime
You know I'm fit girl
This is it girl
I'm a gift at 1-5
I just gonna win every race
and be in the middle of the spotlight
I'm horse racing's It girl
I'll be the real big girl

Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh (whistles first of "call to the post")
Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh
Let me win it fast

I can't help but turn them heads, knockin' them dead.
Dropping like flies behind me
Even if you get too close not getting by
Hoping with the busboy
By some saving grace they put up your number
No chance!
They can try everything to beat me...they want
Like a race replay showing my runs
Every time I race
I'm a gonna win

I'm horse racing's It girl
You know I'm the truth girl
Lovin' me isn't a crime
You know I'm fit girl
This is it girl
I'm a gift at 1-5
I just gonna win every race
and be in the middle of the spotlight
I'm horse racing's It girl
I'll be the real big girl

Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh
Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh
Let me win it fast

No one can stop me from... winning, winning
all the, all the time, time
I just keep coming, coming
til I cross the line, line
I've got that something, something
You wanna bet this girl
I'm the real deal girl
An Adena Springs girl
Hey baby...
Don't you know I'm the It girl

I'm horse racing's It girl
You know I'm the truth girl
Lovin' me isn't a crime
You know I'm fit girl
This is it girl
I'm a gift at 1-5
I just gonna win every race
and be in the middle of the spotlight
I'm horse racing's It girl
I'll be the real big girl

Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh
Let me win it fast
Let me win it fast like...
oh oh oh oh
Let me win it fast

Let me hear you cheer it like...
oh oh oh oh
Everybody at the track let me hear you cheer it like...
oh oh oh oh
I'm the It girl

A Hollywood Prevue to a Star?

The stakes action starts off this Thanksgiving weekend at the track of the lakes and flowers with the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue on Turkey Day. Going seven furlongs over the synthetic main track, this race is a prep for next month's Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity. This race in its past boasted winners such as Afternoon Deelites, Lion Heart and champion 2yo Declan's Moon, along with blog favorite Premier Pegasus. A possible star could break out with a strong performance. The field is a nice mix of stakes-tried horses and new shooters with buzz surrounding them. Let go over the field of eight, based on how they figure to run their respective races.

The probable front flight will consist of Sweet Swap, Hodge and So Brilliant (right). Sweet Swap dueled on the lead but faded late last time out in the Jack Goodman Stakes. The winner, Secret Circle, won the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint next out. This full brother of Sidney's Candy will look to clear off from the rail. Hodge broke his maiden last time in a gate-to-wire effort while under pressure the entire time. He comes back in only 19 days off that huge effort, but he does have a good work in the interim. So Brilliant dueled early and cleared off to win as a heavily bet favorite in his debut lat month at Santa Anita. He has had four strong works, though why he had one work at Hollywood, then shipped back to SA to work is a bit odd.

The horses sitting in the second flight, about 2-4 lengths back, figure to be Sheer Talent and Mucho Besos. Sheer Talent looks to bounce back after a subpar effort up at Golden Gate. His trainer Dan Hendricks brings him back off on short rest for the race and looks to be the one to "inherit" the lead if/when the speed backs up. Mucho Besos will try to jump off from an maiden claiming win to a graded stakes win. This looks like it might be too much of a step up, though he could get a slice if he gets the trip and one of the closers doesn't fire.

Galex, Empire Way and Brother Francis  are the last three in the field. Galex ran 2nd in the Jack Goodman Stakes (beating Sweet Swap in the process) by laying back and making one run. While he did pass the other 4 horses in the field, he lost ground on the winner in the last 8th. He did win his debut gate-to-wire, but he figures to sit off the pace in here. He does have several good stamina building works here. Empire Way won his maiden stylishly 11 days ago rolling by the field from the back. This full brother to multiple grade 1 winner Royal Delta appears to be in this race as more of a building block for the Hollywood Futurity according to his trainer's comments. His trainer also has a less-than-stellar record coming back on short rest (less than 14 days) with a two year old. Brother Francis started slow in his debut but closed quickly to just miss behind Hodge. He should improve with the extra distance, and does have two good works since, but he has never been over a synthetic surface either. He could show more positional speed with a clean break. "Brother" does have history working against him, as in the last twenty years no horse has broken his maiden in this race.

This is a tough race because I can see any number of these winning, but the tepid pick is Sheer Talent to pull an upset. It looks like there is enough speed for the front-runners to be softened up and allow him to "inherit" the lead in the stretch and hold off the closers.

Good luck and happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Post-BC Thoughts

Not many post-BC Thoughts for this blog, especially with a ton of disinterest in discussing year-end awards until at the earliest the first of the December. This blog did go 22-9-3-2 over the two days at Churchill Downs. (Taking early bird sign-ups for a possible BC 2012 syndicate now in the comments section!) But the lack of starting funds prevented a better outcome when it came to the wagering. So instead of some long diatribe about the weekend, this blog offers a picture of rainbow that appeared after a shower hit Santa Anita on Friday around first post.

This blog will take some time off until the Hollywood Turf Festival over the Thanksgiving Day weekend (unless something major comes up that this blog begs to require comment)