The Inside Information- Grade II
GP Race 4 7F Dirt
Purse $200.000 for Fillies & Mares
Four Year Olds and Upward
A field of 6, headlined by Temple Of The Brave, shows up at Gulfstream Park for this Grade 2 event. If Temple Of The Brave is at her best she will be very tough to beat but let’s see who has the best chance.
1 Proud Luck, trained by Wolfs Den
Picked up for $20 in a private sale at the end of December and has already run three times for her new connections with two seconds and a third. Has never won a pay race and her best efforts seem to have come on the turf. I think this spot is a bit ambitious for her and a minor check is probably the best outcome she can hope for.
2 Shoot The Moon, trained by TwinTowersRacing
Has only visited the winner’s circle three times in 21 career starts and all of those wins were routing on the turf. Her two most recent dirt efforts saw her set the pace only to fade and be well beaten. She does have a very impressive recent mile work which is cause for some optimism but I think she is a longshot to win.
3 Where To Find Me, trained by Mb Stables
Lightly raced filly with only 8 career starts which she has won 4 of. Included in her victories was the Grade 1 Ballerina where she rallied from last to beat a very good field. With her running style she will need a fast pace to run into and I am not sure she is going to get that today. Certainly a contender but I like a couple of others a bit more.
4 City Twirl, trained by Mo Mentum farm
Very consistent mare has finished in the money 16 of 21 times she has gone to the post with 8 wins. However a good number of those victories have come in starter allowances and small purse handicaps so she has only amassed $227 over her career. Her last outing was only her 2nd attempt at stretching out to seven furlongs and it may have been her most impressive race yet as she ran second in the Grade 3 Hurricane while finishing in front of Where To Find Me. Certainly seems to be in the best form of her career I just do not think she has enough to beat Temple Of The Brave.
5 Set In Stone, trained by Smokey Stover
Since being acquired for $100 this filly has won 5 of 8 starts. She has been dominating the NY bred stakes circuit winning three of those affairs and finishing a close second in another. Her forays into open stakes company have not gone nearly as well though as she has finished off the board in 2 tries. A very fast recent six furlong work suggests she is at the top of her game right now so has to be considered a serious threat.
6 Temple Of The Brave
The star of the show is the kind of horse we all dream about landing as we bid on unproven 2 year olds at auction. She was acquired for $16 back in 2016 and has since gone on to earn over $800 for her connections. Included on her resume are multiple graded stakes wins and a very good second in the BC Filly & Mare Sprint. She only knows how to race one way and that is out in front but since there is not a ton of early speed here that should work in her favor. Hard to beat if she is on her game today.
Summary
Temple Of The Brave is the class of the field and without much other early speed should be able to dictate things on the front end. The real battle should be for the place and I am going to go with City Twirl just holding off Set In Stone and Where To Find Me
6-4-5-3
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
