Breeders’ Cup 2011 Entries: Ice Box

Every horse race has its long shots, and the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic is no different. One of this year’s long shots is a horse that won the 2010 Florida Derby and was 2nd in that year’s Kentucky Derby. Since then, however, he’s struggled to find his way to the winner’s circle.

Horse: Ice Box

Trainer: Nick Zito

Morning Line Odds: 30/1

Career Record (Str-1^st-2^nd-3^rd): 15-3-1-1

Career Earnings: $948,068

Pedigree: Sired by Pulpit out of a Tabasco Cat mare (Spice Island)

Pulpit won the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth during his three-year-old campaign, and he sired 2007 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Corinthian.

Dam Spice Island excelled on grass, winning the Grade 2 Long Island Handicap, and Grade 2 Glens Falls Handicap during her career.

Key Stakes Wins: 2010 Grade 1 Florida Derby

Overview: Oh Ice Box, where have you been?

Ice Box burst onto the racing scene when he was a shock winner of the 2010 Florida Derby at odds of 20/1. He followed that race up with a 2^nd place finish to Super Saver in the Kentucky Derby and, for a moment, the horse racing world was his oyster. But the good times didn’t last long. Ice Box finished 9^th in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, 6^th in the Grade 1 Haskell, and 8^th in the Grade 1 Travers. In his last race of 2010, he finished 5^th in the G2-Monmouth Cup, completing a run of four stakes races where Ice Box finished no better than 5^th and no closer than 7 ¼ lengths behind the winner.

The start of the new year hasn’t brought Ice Box any more success than the end of 2010. He finished 3^rd in an optional claiming event at Saratgoa and was nowhere to be found in the G1-Woodward, losing by more than 16 lengths at the wire. In his last race, the G1-Jockey Club Gold Cup, he finished 11^th, beaten over 11 lengths.

So to quickly re-cap, since the 2010 Kentucky Derby, Ice Box is 0-for-7, with one 3^rd place finish in an optional claiming race, and he has lost by more than 68 lengths. Realistically, Ice Box should be 50/1, at best, to win the Classic, and probably deserves to go off at higher odds than that.

Anything is possible in horse racing, but Ice Box hasn’t displayed any ability to beat horses of any caliber in a long, long time.