Steward's Cup Turf Mile Preview

Original article written by Greentree Racing posted 15 years 1 week ago

Year 21 Week 16 Friday brings “The” exciting year end turf mile race for 3year olds and up in New Jersey. The weather is expected to be sunny, and the purse is a cool two million dollars!

First on the card is Arabian Coffee, owned and bred by EC Emz. He is a four year old colt by Shirocco (racing age 27, SW: 29.6%) out of Complex Expression (Crystal Night). Shirocco is a Turf router, but Complex won mainly around 7F or so, although her dam was a T Router & Sire was a T miler.

Arabian won a G1 1 mile Turf at age 3, and has been placing in other graded stakes since. He has been racing in Europe, but moved to the United States in week 12. His most recent race was a 1 mile G3 in week 12 in which he came in second, with the race time being 1:36.64.

He raced in last year’s Steward’s Cup T Mile as a 3 year old, but finished poorly against some of the same rivals he will be facing this year: Benjamin Franklin and Test My Heart. Connections are hoping with maturity, he will pull this off, this time!


Next on the card is the 4 year old Benjamin Franklin owned by Mac Silver, bred by Emily Shields. He is by George Washington (Racing age 66, SW: 9.1%) out of Gift of Angels (Tulloch). Gift of Angels already has two offspring who have won 1 million, and she herself, won close to ½ million. She lost only once, and that was to Sai Yah, Monaachi’s dam.

“Ben” has been in the Steward’s Cup series three times. He was in the Steward’s Cup T mile last year (Yr 20), coming in second to Test Your Strength by only a neck! The race time was 1:36.04. Yr 19 found him winning the Steward’s Cup Juvenile 1 mile Turf also, in a race time of 1:36.23.

Ben has only run 3 times this year all in the United States, with 2 wins, and one 2nd, back in week 4 to Fleet Admiral. Ben’s last race was week 12, in a G2 at 1 mile which he won by 4 3/4 lengths in a race time of 1:36.12.

Incidentally, Ben’s full sibling Gift of Love, a 2 year old filly, is also running in the Steward’s Cup races in the Juvenile Fillies 1 mile Turf. It will be interesting to see if this family has the makings of a dynasty.


Next is Good Memories, a 3 year old owned & bred by Sara Kendall. This is the first of 2 fillies running in this race. She is by Barbaro (racing age 235, SW: 9.9%), out of English Channel II (Giant’s Causeway), a stakes placed mare.

She had been racing in Europe most of this year. She was then moved to Border Park racetrack in Texas week 10, for a week 12 G3 which she won. She then was shipped to a farm in Indiana for 12 days of rest, before shipping again to Garden State racetrack for this race.

Good Memories has really started to come into her own this year winning 3 G3 races in a row since week 6, each time having more & more of a lead. Her last race was week 12, but her best time at 1 mile was week 9 in a time of 1:36.28. This certainly makes her competitive to get on the board here against the boys.


Next entry is Red Sun Field, a 3 year old colt, owned by Amanda O’Brien, bred by Alexandra Jaysman. He is by a lesser known unraced Storm Cat sire, Three Wonders (only 9 foals, SW: 22.2%), out of Field of Blue (Fields of Green), an unraced mare.

Red Sun has only raced twice in his life in Europe, and never as a two year old. His last race was week 12 and in his only graded stakes race (a G3). He won this in a time of 1:36.98. He has a single workout of 2F T in a time of 23:53, Y 21 week 6.

He shipped to a United States farm Week 13.

He is definitely a long shot here, but connections are hoping he will stand up to the stress and competition of a Steward’s Cup race.


Next up is another blue blooded entry, Red White and Blue. He is by the undefeated A Crown Awaits (racing age 210, SW: 31.9%), out of Until Sundown (Crystal Night), a mare who has won $783K. Interestingly, Fiji a foundation mare from year 2, appears fairly close up in Red White and Blue’s pedigree, in the 3rd gen, bottom side.

Red White and Blue has knocked heads with only 1 other entry in this race, World of Races, 3 times in his last 3 races. Red White and Blue has won 2 of the 3, but the race times were relatively slow (1:36.40 & 1:36.56). However, both can really move out when motivated, as World of Races won 1 out of the 3 races, in a race time of 1:36.17. Red White and Blue was 2nd only by a nose.

Red White and Blue last raced week 13 in Paris. He was shipped to the United States week 13, & has had 12 days of rest so far.


Next up is Test My Heart, a 4 year old filly owned by Donnie Hildago, bred by Emily Shields. She is by King Kamehameha (racing age 49, SW: 10,2%), out of Test of Passion (Storm Cat), a prolific racing and producing mare, who has three, million dollar offspring to her name so far.

Test My Heart was in last year’s Steward’s Cup Turf mile, ran as a frontrunner, but faded badly to 7th.

Year 19, she won the Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies 1 mile T, in a race time of 1:36 flat, and nearly repeated that time this year, 9 weeks ago in a 1 mile race with a smokin’ 1:36.01.

Since that time is faster than last year’s Steward’s Cup Turf mile, connections are hoping she will run like that again, with maturity she will rate better, and that her jockey does not take her to the front right away.

Test My Heart owns the fastest time for a turf mile of any of these entries: Year 20 Week 13, 1:35.92 !

Test has been racing in Europe, her last race was W13, a G1 which she won in a race time of 1:36.11. She was then shipped to a farm in Europe for 1 week. Then re-shipped to a United States farm this week 6/2/08.


Thomas Jefferson is another George Washington bred, 4 year old colt. He is out of Prima Beauty, an unraced Gone West mare.

Thomas has only raced against 1 other entry in this field, back in Yr 20 Wk 8, as a 3 year old. He raced against Benjamin Franklin in a G1 1 mile T, which Ben won, with Thomas Jefferson coming in 3rd, 3.5 lengths behind in a race time of 1:36.40.

Since that time however, he has won all his races, which have all been G1 or G2s in Hong Kong. Also, his times have just been getting faster in each race. His last race was 1 mile in a time of 1:36.34.

He was shipped to the United States week 12, and has been resting up at Red Oak Farm.

It looks like he is coming into his own, as a four year old.


Tom Sawyer, is the second to last entry. He is a 3 year old colt, by A Crown Awaits, out of Head South (Gone West). This is an interesting breeding that combines Red White and Blue’s sire, with the dam sire of Thomas Jefferson.

This “Tom” has raced 4 times this year all in Australia. His last 2 races were G1s which he won, and his times also are getting faster with each race this year. Last race time was 1:37.06 in week 12.

He was then was moved to a farm in the United States also in week 12. So he has had 4 weeks of recuperation from his long ship.

He should be ready to go!


The last entry is World Of Races. This is a 3 year old colt by Three of a Kind (racing age 66, SW: 10.6%), out of another Gone West mare, Turning Japanese.
“TJ” is a turf sprinter allowance winner, who’s best offspring is World of Races.

This colt has also been racing in Europe for Yr 21. His last race was against Red White and Blue in the week 13, “Prix Benjamin Franklin” G1 stakes in which he came in 2nd by a nose to RWB. World has raced five times this year.

He was moved to Red Oak farm in the United States week 13, and should have adequate rest for this race.

Those are the current entries.

Good luck to all!

Ramrod Racing

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