Intimidate and the Credit Winner

VFTRG contributor Joe F. is wondering if 2012 Breeders Crown Champion Intimidate will be eligible for the Credit Winner.  Here are his reasons why he may be on the outside looking in.

Folks are trying to figure out whether or not Intimidate, the Justice Hall gelding who won the BC last year, but has only earned 34K in five starts this year, will make the earnings cut for the upcoming Credit Winner at Vernon Downs. The top ten nominees in earnings qualify for the race which takes place a week from Friday. Last year only four started but there figures to be more interest this time around. There are 33 nominees and, aside from those that haven’t raced at all this year, just about all of them have larger bankrolls than Intimidate. 

Some like Winning Mister, Broad Bahn, Banker Volo and Prestidigitator can be eliminated because, for one reason or another, they haven’t raced……San Pail just qualified, but he’s unlikely to be ready for the CW, and he has no 2013 earnings, anyway…..Goo is on the road back, but he has only made a couple of unsuccessful 2013 starts….Big Chocolate is staying in Indiana…..Nancy Johannson’s Classic Conway last started in June……The same goes for Coraggioso and Flyhawk Jester….. Frost Bites K is racing, but against nw 8K, so he’s not likely to go…..So that would reduce the list to 22.

Takter has a pair nominated, Guccio and LBF. If he’s sending one, he might as well also send the other....Burke has Wishing Stone and Tall Cotton eligible. The former is pretty much a sure bet, but again, Tall Cotton has been very good this year; might as well send him, too…..Jeff Gillis has Herbie and Knows Nothing staked to the Credit Winner. Herbie is a sure thing, but Knows Nothing is sharp right now. Why not both?…..Sevruga is a solid bet…..The same goes for Market Share…..I imagine Arch will be in. He was last year….Hot Shot Blue Chip is the defending champ. Why wouldn’t he go?....And off his win over Sevruga & Market Share at Harrah’s Alagna will no doubt enter My MVP.

That’s eleven with solid potential.

Then there’s the borderline group. Trotters like Quick Deal, Lindy’s Jersey Boy and Undercover Strike, cheaper trotters that are sharp right now….. What about ice Machine.

New York loves convoluted entry configurations, the kind where you’re scratching your head trying to figure out how these horses are linked—Jerry Silva can’t own a piece of every horse in training, after all. In the 2012 Zweig Filly there were two four-horse entries and lonesome and alone, Win Missy B. Despite a nine-horse field, there was win betting only with Check Me Out paying $2.20 as the winner. This year the Zweig Filly winner, Mistery Woman, was part of a three-horse entry.

All the top mares are staked to the Muscle Hill, so that has the potential to be a very good race.