Last night, Blinkers Off began to tackle the Illinois-breds in the later books of Keeneland September, with a look at Book 4.

Today, attention turns to the six Illinois-breds who remain in Book 5 of Keeneland September.  There were eight originally entered, but two have been declared out.  Hip 3442, a Fort Prado colt out of Radiant Rocket (Peteski) is an out, as is Hip 3505, a Giant Oak colt out of Strike for Home (Smart Strike).

Without further ado, meet the Illinois-breds of Book 5!

Hip 3291, dark bay or brown colt by Giant Oak out of Finchster (Malabar Gold)

This colt is part of Illinois-bred multiple Grade I winner Giant Oak’s second crop.  Finchster, herself Illinois-bred as well, raced most of her career on the Chicago circuit.  She won once in 29 starts, a maiden claiming dirt sprint at Hawthorne.  Finchster has produced three horses of racing age; so far her produce record is as modest as her race record.  Her first two foals were bred in Kentucky; both have started, but neither have won.  Two-year-old daughter Loyalty Spirit (Flower Alley), her first Illinois-bred foal, has not yet started though she is on the worktab at Delaware Park.  She sold for $23,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September last year, though she RNAed for $14,500 at OBS June this year.

Hip 3304, chestnut filly by Discreetly Mine out of Gambling Green (Touch Gold)

Though Gambling Green is the first along this female line to be bred in Illinois, she has roots.  Her dam A Cinch or Better was bred by David and Patricia Block (of Team Block fame), out of a Patricia Block-owned mare named Table Gambler.  Gambling Green is half to three stakes-winning Illinois-breds: Beg Borrow N Steal (Sham), Reno Rumble (Vigors), and Rodman (Apalachee).  Gambling Green herself did win twice in 21 starts, though it took a while; she won once at age four, and again at five.  Gambling Green has produced five foals of racing age, though only two have started: two-time winner The Green Cougar (Tale of the Cat) and five-start maiden Who’s Cheating Who (Cashel Castle).  Both of The Green Cougar’s wins have come sprinting over the Arlington polytrack.

Hip 3358, Little Bit Tipsy, gray or roan filly by Old Fashioned out of Light as a Cat (Tabasco Cat)

Little Bit Tipsy is the first of her female family to be bred in Illinois, but there are local connections in her first two generations.  Light as a Cat was Kentucky-bred, though she did make all 22 of her starts at either Arlington or Hawthorne.  In 22 career starts, she won once, in a maiden claiming dirt sprint at Arlington.  Though second dam Shining Light was not bred in Illinois either, she did race most of her career on the local circuit, and she annexed the 1994 Arlington-Washington Lassie (GII) for trainer Michael Reavis.  Light as a Cat has produced three winners, all hard-knocking claiming types: Cataguska (Yonaguska), Dimeonthelime (Limestone), and Fortune of War (Suave).  All three won in dirt sprints, though Cataguska also got her picture taken sprinting on polytrack.  Her fourth starter, Implied Volatility (Jump Start), was winless in seven starts on the Illinois circuit.

Hip 3418, bay filly by Discreetly Mine out of Peaceful Battle (Greenwood Lake)

Though Peaceful Battle was the first Illinois-bred along this filly’s direct female line, she is another one who has local connections several generations back — and, again, through the Blocks.  This yearling’s second dam Jousting has produced five winners, including open stakes-placed Illinois-bred Compelling Case (Successful Appeal).  The third dam, Cerada Ridge, produced stakes-placed Illinois-bred Adarec.  Peaceful Battle won twice at Arlington, both times going a mile and a sixteenth on the grass.  She has three foals of racing age.  Two have raced, and one has won: In the Chamber (Fort Prado), who made his two-year-old debut a winning one.  Like his dam, he won at two turns on grass, although his victory came at a flat mile.  Battlebrook (Montbrook) started three times, with her best finish a second-place showing in a maiden claiming polytrack sprint.

Hip 3459, gray or roan filly by Pure Prize out of Runaway Ridge (Runaway Groom)

This filly comes from the same female family as Hip 3418.  Runaway Ridge is a daughter of Cerada Ridge, Hip 3418’s third dam.  Runaway Ridge won once in nine starts, in a nine-furlong maiden special weight over the Arlington dirt.  To date, the most accomplished of Runaway Ridge’s four winners is Lakeaway (Greenwood Lake).  She finished second in the 2009 Illini Princess Handicap, and won eleven times.  Lakeaway did her best work going two turns, though she won on turf, all-weather, and dirt, and also broke her maiden sprinting on dirt.  Five-time winner No Apologizes (Cashel Castle) was a solid allowance-level runner at two turns on dirt and polytrack.  Burnt Hickory (Service Stripe) won a maiden claimer at Hawthorne at two turns on dirt, and Frontier Force (Fort Prado) has won twice in claiming company at two turns on grass.

Hip 3484, dark bay or brown colt by American Lion out of Slammin Success (Grand Slam)

New York-bred Slammin Success was winless in three starts, though she does have some black type under her dam Mrs. Filio.  Slammin Success is half to Swag Daddy (Scat Daddy), a two-time stakes winner in New York-bred stakes company as a juvenile.  Hip 3484 is only the second Illinois-bred out of Slammin Success; the other, a 2011 filly named Slammin Raffie (Raffie’s Majesty), is unraced.  Her other five racing-age foals were New York-bred.  All five raced; four won, all over dirt.  Sprinter Lucy Stragmore (Tale of the Cat) started 27 times, winning five times and hitting the board another 12.  Grand Savanna (Lion Heart) notched his only win in a maiden claiming dirt sprint at Aqueduct.  Allthesingleladys (Purge) won twice going two turns on dirt, as did My Two Hearts (Raffie’s Majesty).  Burning Sunlight (High Yield) started five times, with her best finish being a well-beaten second on debut, in a four and a half furlong baby race on the Monmouth dirt.  Among progeny of Slammin Success to go to sale, Lucy Stragmore was the most commercially successful, having sold for $37,000 at the Fasig-Tipson September Midlantic yearling sale.