OBrien Stakes- Grade II
7 Furlongs Dirt Graded Stake Purse $250.00 Three-Year-Olds And Upward. At DMR

Again, I am rather lost with these kinds of races; I have managed to do OK with them but soaked in insecurity. So, here’s what I see: I like last year’s winner, Excogitator, to win in a hard-fought battle with longshot Wild Girl and probable slight favourite Exploration Bay. We’ll have to see if the outside post position helps or hinders Exploration Bay. And they’ll still be in tight with front-running Only Way Is Up and late-running Retaliate.

Here’s the OBrien Stakes Handicap:

Horse                                  Owner                              Odds    SRF

Excogitator                         Family Racing                    4-1        98

Wild Girl                             Delta Farms                       8-1        96

Exploration Bay                 Mb Stables                         *4-1        96

Only Way Is Up                  The Sidley Stud                  4-1        97

Retaliate                             Mb Stables                          4-1        97

Gold                                   Spankys Barn                     5-1        96

Indiscretion                        John Henry                          6-1        97 

Stumble                              Mb Stables                          8-1        96 

Brooklyn Bash                    First Flight Stable              10-1        97

Propel                                   Maxmillion Farm               15-1        98

Blue Finn                             Luz International               20-1        95

Cherokee Revolution          Royalty Stables                30-1        96

aeArchiduque                      High Voltage                     50-1        99

1  Blue Finn                 Luz International                  95

A whole bunch of 6 1/2 furlong races for Blue Finn lately giving him a win in the $100.00 Thomas Memorial Stakes at SUN, followed by a win in the inaugural $100.00 FHBPA Sprint and a second in The Grade III True North. Then a beatdown in The six-furlong Grade II Vanderbilt Handicap reminded him why he liked that extra half-furlong. Let’s see if another half-furlong will please him more.

2  Cherokee Revolution                Royalty Stables                       96

Cherokee Revolution has been going kinda long routes lately and ran second in The Grade II Gold Cup at SA at 1 1/4 miles. He led all the way into the stretch. We can try to make something of that as he was leading at seven-furlongs, but I just don’t think it works that way, pace being different and all.

3   Propel              Maxmillion Farm                98

Since Maxmillion Farm purchased Propel from Team 7 Illusions for $35.00, he has been on a steady diet of mile router, allowances, Opt/claimers, stakes races and a couple of graded stakes races highlighted by a second in The $200.00 Knicks Go at CD. Now, all of those were at a mile, and they all looked like he would have appreciated shorter. It never seems to work that way, so you guess.

4   Retaliate                 Mb Stables                     97

Mb Stables bought Retaliate basically for this race from Riggins Racing for $175.00. At first glance, he seems not to have the character for this race, but if you go back a year, you’ll see he races in last year’s edition of this race and finished fourth. He won two graded seven-furlong races leading up to the Obrien. My problem is it looks like they are relying on his win in the $125.00 Forego Stakes at TP and his very hot works, but the race was short and Retaliate is a Morning Glory.

5   Gold                       Spankys Barn                 96

Gold won The Grade II Carter Handicap at AQU at seven furlongs in very fast time and was a very determined third in The Grade III True North but got stomped in the Grade I Crosby Stakes. I think that can be forgiven as I don’t think he’s much of a six-furlong horse at that level.

6   Indiscretion                  John Henry                97

Indiscretion just ran a deep closing fifth in the Grade I Crosby Stakes. Prior to that, he ran third in The Grade III Bango at CD and before that he won the Grade III San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs at SA. That gives him the credentials to be here trying for the win,

7   Stumble                  Mb Stables               96

Stumble has been devoted to routing recently and hasn’t seen a seven-furlong race since his stumble in The $150.00 Shipman Stakes at SAR. He most recently won the Grade II Eclipse Stakes at WO at 1 1/16 miles. He came down to a mile in The Grade III Hanshin at CD and finished second. Then he tried the Grade I Crosby Stakes and found six furlongs too short, although he was only a length back in seventh.

8   Excogitator                    Family Racing                   98

Excogitator is primed to defend his title in this ace with two sharp seven-furlong races. First the Grade III Triple Bend Stakes at SA where he finished third beaten only a neck, the second was an ALB allowance in which he placed second. I look for him to be a repeat winner of the Obrien Stakes.

9   Only Way Is Up                     The Sidley Stud             97

Only Way Is Up posted a courageous third in the Grade I Crosby Stakes last out. Recently won the Grade III Cartier Stakes at WO and placed second in a couple of Grade III stakes races. The nagging problem here is they were all at six furlongs and always fading. The last time he went seven furlongs was in The Grade I Forego at SAR where he went down in flames,

10   Wild Girl                 Delta Farms                   96

Wild Girl showed his seven-furlong prowess with a victory in the Grade III Triple Bend Stakes at SA, He followed that with a try at the Gade I Crosby Stakes but found the distance too short for his late run. He was within a length of the leader when the jockey eased him up and he was probably wondering why. Today’s race is back at his distance.

11   Brooklyn Bash                   First Flight Stable            97

Brooklyn Bash prepped for this race just three weeks ago with a win in a high-priced DMR in a mile Opt/Claimer. Back in October he was a narrowly beaten second in the Grade III Perryville at KEE.

12   Exploration Bay                 Mb Stables              96

Exploration Bay won The Grade III Bango at CD at 6 1/2 furlongs over a few of his competitors in this race, His latest was the Grade I Crosby Stakes which was too much for him. He also placed second in The seven-furlong Grade II Carter Handicap at AQU, Likely favourite with the outside push.

13   aeArchiduque                         High Voltage            99

Lightly raced Archiduque has never raced at seven furlongs. He tried 6 1/2 furlongs a couple of times and won an allowance race at CD which gave him a SRF 98. Unfortunately, that SRF 98 was only good for eighth in The Grade III True North at SAR.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES