Las Cienegas Stakes- Grade III

SA Race 5 6.5 Furlongs Turf

Purse $100.000 For Fillies & Mares

 Four Year Olds and Upward

1 Blame the Grey, trained by Mb Stables

Ultra-consistent mare from the sites leading trainer has been in the money in 13 of 14 lifetime starts all of which have been on the turf. Jock has won at a 40% clip on the grass and works indicate that she has not lost any of her form. The only negatives are that she has yet to be able to break through with a win in a stakes race and this will be the longest she has ever run. Since she has never been more than a length back at the finish I must believe she will be right there at the end.

2 Pharos Lighthouse, trained by Axeman

Another filly in top form her most recent effort was a good second in an overnight stakes race. Prior to that she won the Grade 3 Maddy Stakes and an 80K optional claimer. Has earned SRF ratings of 98 in both of her most recent races and works suggest she is still on the top of her game. Has done most of the damage in her career sprinting on the turf and should get a nice trip from this post so I expect her to be in the photo.

3 Flyer Destiny, trained by TwinTowersRacing

Won on a soft course last out and has had 3 of her 5 wins come on a wet turf. With no rain in the forecast for Saturday she is going to have to find another way to get the job done here. Works and speed ratings are a notch slower then most of the field and I think she is up against it here.

4 Zigety, trained by Langley Farms

Claimed for $4.000 three races back she managed to win a small starter allowance last out. That race was on the dirt however and she has only raced on the grass once which resulted in a decent third over todays course and distance. With the big step up in class and the limited turf experience I will be looking elsewhere for the winner.

5 Spirits Feronia, trained by Straight Arrow

This filly has found her stride since switching to the turf finishing first or second in 11 of 12 starts. Owns a victory over Pharos Lighthouse and has three stakes wins to her credit. Picks up Bejarano to ride so a good trip is almost assured and with the best speed ratings in the field she is my pick to get the win.

6 Sunset Beach Bunny, trained by Nakamura Stables

Our final entrant is also the high earner in the field. She has tested herself in some of the biggest turf races for fillies and while she did not fare so well in those she does have a grade 2 win in the Dance Smartly on her resume. Has spent her entire career routing as only her debut race was run at under a mile, so this will be a significant cut back in distance. Her 6 furlong works seem to be a tick slower than the best in this field so while it would not be a major surprise if she was the winner others seem to have a better chance.

Summary

This looks to be a tightly contested race and the winner will probably be the one that avoids getting pushed to the front and instead sits a comfortable 3 lengths or so off the pace. I envision Zigety leading early with Blame the Grey and Pharos Lighthouse stalking the pace. I expect both to over take the leader at the top of the stretch only to be caught by Spirits Feronia at the wire.

5-1-2-6

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES