Conquest Typhoon Could Turn Tables on Metaboss in Spiral

Conquest Typhoon, pictured winning the Summer Stakes, aims to rebound from a third-place finish in last month's El Camino Real Derby in Saturday's Spiral Stakes. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
The 44th running of the Grade 3, $550,000 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park drew a full field of 12 but shortly after the draw it was announced one of the likely betting choices, Imperia, would scratch. That doesn't take away from the puzzle that surrounds the race and with important Road to the Kentucky Derby points on the line.
Royal Son won the local prep, the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, in dominant fashion for North America’s leading trainer Todd Pletcher and should get the most attention. However, Metaboss ships in from California on the heels of a strong victory in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby and certainly has all the tools to succeed. El Camino Real Derby third-place finisher Conquest Typhoon disappointed as the favorite last month but had been on the sidelines for two and one-half months previously and can improve. Wireless Future and Dubai Sky both seek their fourth straight wins and must be respected as well, while Watchyourownbobber has won two races in a row and has an upset chance.
Conquest Typhoon was sent to post as the 9-to-5 favorite in the El Camino Real Derby but after leading in the stretch and tiring to third, it became obvious he wasn't fully cranked up following more than two months on the shelf. Conquest Typhoon won the Summer Stakes and Cecil B. DeMille Stakes last year on turf as well as finished second in the Grey Stakes. Making his second start as a 3-year-old and second off a layoff, Conquest Typhoon should move forward significantly off a career best 98 Equibase Speed Figure, and if he does so can win this year's Spiral Stakes. Additionally, Mike Smith comes in from California to ride Conquest Typhoon after riding him in his last two races and when a Hall of Fame jockey does that, it sends a strong statement he believes this horse could win and move on to the Derby in a few short weeks.
Metaboss won the El Camino Real Derby last month at the distance of the Spiral when racing on a synthetic surface for the first time. Coming from eighth of 10 early, Metaboss rallied powerfully on the turn and drew away late to earn a career-best 102 speed figure. Having won at the distance of the Spiral (on turf) before that, Metaboss appears to have no questions as to whether he can run as well again so must be strongly considered as a contender to win the race.
METABOSS WINS THE EL CAMINO REAL

Vassar Photography
Wireless Future has an upset chance in the Spiral as he has done everything asked of him in winning three straight races, including his most recent by seven lengths. Although he has never raced on a synthetic surface, trainer Tom Amoss shipped Wireless Future into Kentucky last week and the colt put in a strong five furlong workout that was the third best of 31 on the day, signaling a liking for the track. Wireless Future has improved his speed figure in each and every race since his debut in November, having earned a 97 figure last month that is on par with Conquest Typhoon and others. With more improving to show us it would be unwise to discount the chances of Wireless Future in the Spiral.
Royal Son tried a synthetic surface for the first time last month while also adding blinkers for the first time. One or both of the changes resulted in a huge improvement over his previous four races to win the John Battaglia Memorial. Earning a 110 speed figure that would win the Spiral on the square if repeated and if no other horse in the field improves, there is also a good possibility Royal Son may regress as is often the case off a huge win. Still, as he gets the ground-saving rail post position and is likely to be in the top three in the early stages to avoid traffic issues, Royal Son is yet another contender in this field.
Dubai Sky and Watchyourownbobber are two more that might catch our attention, particularly for exotic wagers like the exacta and trifecta. Dubai Sky is trained by Hall-of-Fame conditioner Bill Mott and has improved his speed figure in every start since his debut last August. He won his last three races with his most recent win in the Kitten's Joy Stakes on grass with a 99 figure. Watchyourownbobber is one of two in the Spiral owned by North America’s leading owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey. The colt has won his last two races, the most recent with a 93 figure. With a very strong best-of-31 workout at Turfway Park coming into the race and 20-to-1 morning line odds he could be hard to ignore.
The rest of the field (with their best representative Equibase Speed figure): Another Lemon Drop (94), Big Family (87), Firespike (92), Magic of Believing (86) and Task Force Glory (89).
My Selections:Conquest TyphoonMetabossWireless Future
$550,000 Grade 3 Spiral StakesSaturday, Turfway Park, Race 11 at 6:28 p.m. ET1 1/8 miles on the all-weather track 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owner

M/L

1

Royal Son

Rodney Prescott

Todd Pletcher

WinStar Farm LLC

7-2

2

Big Family

Albin Jimenez

Gustavo Delgado

Grupo 7C Racing Stable

30-1

3

Watchyourownbobber

Rajiv Maragh

Mike Maker

Ken and Sarah Ramsey

20-1

4

Wireless Future

Florent Geroux

Tom Amoss

Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence

12-1

5

Another Lemon Drop

Drayden Van Dyke

Philip Bauer

Rigney Racing LLC

6-1

6

Imperia

Joel Rosario

Kiaran McLaughlin

Godolphin Racing LLC, Lessee

4-1

7

Magic of Believing

Shane Laviolette

Kenny McPeek

Turf Stable LLC and Magdalena Racing

20-1

8

Task Force Glory

Rafael Hernandez

Mike Maker

Ken and Sarah Ramsey

30-1

9

Conquest Typhoon

Mike Smith

Mark Casse

Conquest Stables LLC

5-1

10

Firespike

Miguel Mena

Mike Maker

Skychai Racing LLC, Charles Kevin Warner, and Sand Dollar Stable LLC

20-1

11

Metaboss

Alex Solis

Jeff Bonde

J.M. Arndt, M.N. McFetridge, D. Preiss, M. Metanovic and C. Azcarate

4-1

12

Dubai Sky

Jose Lezcano

Bill Mott

Three Chimneys Farm and Besilu Stables

8/1