Colonial Turf Cup Anticipation
The Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass is a horse racing series for three year old horses that consists of four races and has a total purse amount of approximately $5 million. Each turf event has a generous purse, but there is an added extra to the series: any horse that wins all four the racing events, is given a $2 million bonus.
The first leg is the $600 000 Grade 3 Colonial Turf Cup, which takes place at Colonial Downs on 21 June 2008. This is followed by the Grade 2 $750 000 Virginia Derby on 19 July 2008 at Colonial Downs, the $400 000 Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park on 9 August 2008 and the $3million Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park on 25 October 2008.
As the date for the first leg of the Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass starts to draw near, ten colts are getting ready for the big event. One of the favorites for the race is Adriano. He has recently moved into the care and training supervision of Bill Mott, who has had great previous successes in this event. Adriano is a horse that seems to favor racing on synthetic and turf tracks as has been evident in his victories, such as in the Grade 2 Lane’s End Stakes. For the Colonial Turf Cup he will be piloted by jockey Edgar Prado, who has remained a believer in the horse’s abilities even through his losses. Prado has also enjoyed hundreds of wins, of which three victories were in the Virginia Derby. Mott will also have Court Vision in the line-up, who will be taking part in his first horse racing event on turf.
The contenders and their jockeys, in the order of their pole position, are as follows: El Sultry Sun ridden by Elbar Coa, Court Vision and Garrett Gomez, Your Round piloted by James Lopez, Sporting Art and Javier Castellano, Baltimore Bob and Horatio Karamanos, Nistle’s Crunch and Robby Alvarado, Kentucky Bear ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Boss Lafitte and Julien Lepareaux, Sailer’s Cap and Alan Garcia, and Adriano teaming up with Edgar Prado.
While Court Vision, Kentucky Bear and Adriano participated in Triple Crown events and have the racing experience, the rest of the field can be considered to be veterans of the turf, making it an interesting mix for the Colonial Turf Cup. Each of the horses stand a very good chance in winning this racing event, which only adds to the anticipation and excitement surrounding the race.
