Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland October 4

Wild Gams is back at Keeneland and is “much better than she has ever been” according to Ben Perkins, who is overseeing the 5-year-old mare’s training for his son Ben Jr., for Saturday’s 28th running of the $300,000 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. III) at 6 furlongs.

Wild Gams won this race last fall and earned a ticket to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and she is seeking to punch a return ticket to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint to be run October 24 at Santa Anita as part of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge.

Keeneland’s Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes field of fillies and mares with jockeys, weight and morning line odds from the rail out:

  1. SBG Global RacebookIndyanne ridden by jockey Robby Albarado carries 118 lbs. with morning line odds of 7-2
  2. Dhanyata (IRE) ridden by jockey Jesus Lopez Castanon, 118 lbs., 30-1
  3. Golden Doc A ridden by jockey Calvin Borel, 122 lbs., 6-1
  4. Graeme Six ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux, 120 lbs., 10-1
  5. Sugar Swirl ridden by jockey Rafael Bejarano, 122 lbs., 3-1
  6. Cash’s Girl ridden by jockey Jose Caraballo, 120 lbs., 12-1
  7. Wild Gams ridden by jockey Miguel Mena, 120 lbs., 6-1
  8. Any Limit ridden by jockey Cornelio Velasquez, 122 lbs., 5-1
  9. Sweet Hope ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux, 118 lbs., 5-1
  10. Indian Delight ridden by jockey Rene Douglas, 118 lbs., 30-1

Wild Gams will face 9 rivals Saturday in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes and break from post position 7 under jockey Miguel Mena in a field that features among others Grade 1 winner Golden Doc A, multi-graded stakes winner Sugar Swirl and the speedy Indyanne, who has won 4 of career starts.

Online Horse Betting“We shipped her straight down here from Presque Isle so she could train over the track,” Ben Perkins Jr. said of the New Farm homebred who worked five furlongs in :59.40 here last Friday.

It was the first work for Wild Gams since she won the $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, a victory that pushed her earnings to $1,138,486. Wild Gams had run second in the same race last year before her TCA triumph.

“We had given her the summer off last year to address some issues and all of those seem to be behind her now,” Perkins said. “I think she is better now at five than she was at four because she has filled in a lot this year.”

In last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Wild Gams turned in her poorest performance of the past two years, finishing ninth in a field of 10 over a sloppy track at Monmouth Park.

“We had put glue-on shoes on her and it was too late to change them,” Perkins said. “She never got hold of the track.”

The Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes is the 9th race in Keeneland’s October 4 horse racing program. Thoroughbred Club of America post time is 5:30 pm.

Horse racing news edited from www.keeneland.com.

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"Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland October 4" was posted on 3 October 2008 10:58 AM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Racing Picks & Betting Tips, Stakes Races

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