The Empire Distaff- $250.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward Foaled in NY
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
October 20, 2018

This Saturday, New York breds will rule the day at BEL with several quality state bred races. One of the highlights of the card is the fourth running of the The Empire Distaff. This is a race that first appeared on the schedule in 2015, and was won by La Gran Kirky. Last year, we saw Dreamin of Lys pick up the win for Angelos Stable. As we look at the field for this race, you will see that there is no shortage of talent. Half the field belongs to Team 7 Illusions, and all of them look competitive. Let’s take a look!

#1- Pumpernickel Basil (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Her career got off to a very consistent start, picking up either wins or second place finishes. That trend continued into this year, but she was unable to take the leap into graded company during the summer. However, she comes in here off a second place finish in the Grade 3 Locust Grove, so she might be showing her ability to run against that level now. This race should be pretty similar in regards to the level of competition she faced there.

#2- Too Much Wisdom (Mb Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- This is usually the trainer that we are talking about in regards to having three in a field, but Mb Stables is only bringing one to BEL for this race. Too Much Wisdom knows how to win, having done so in six out of eleven races. Early in her career she ran in several NY-bred stakes and was generally successful. Comes off a win up at the Spa at the muddy SAR Dew. Not the biggest field there, but a win is a win. Interesting to see how she stacks up here. Rain is 50-50 for Saturday as of right now, but if its wet, she is the favorite.

#3- Smile In Victory (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by E Cancel)- This filly was there for Too Much Wisdom’s win in the SAR Dew, as she ran second to her, but missed by two lengths. It was muddy that day, and Too Much Wisdom is a true mudder. For Smile In Victory, it was her first race since breaking her maiden. This will be a big race to see where she truly is in her career, because the SAR Dew was a weak field after the top two.

#4- Smoothie (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- The Cherokee Sunset filly spent the majority of her two year old season running in NY-bred stakes, and hit the board a couple times, but never won. She is still looking for her first win since she won her debut race. Smoothie has been competitive, as the runner up finishes show. Only has had one poor race, and there was likely a reason for that.

#5- Takeover (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by J D Acosta)- Comes into this race off of three weeks rest, but I am not concerned about that. Overall, she knows how to win, doing so in three of four races, all of which were statebreds. Her race at the beginning of the month was the $50.000 Arctic Queen, but that was only a three horse field. This is where my concern does lie with her, she has run in small fields, and her SRF numbers are not really that impressive, despite the three wins.

#6- Chase (Smokey Stover, ridden by J Alvarado)- This is the class of the field, as long as she is on top form. She is a Grade 1 winner, a fact that none of her rivals can claim, and that win was June at the Beholder at SA. Two weeks after that win, she was sent from D J C Racing Stables to Smokey Stover in a private sale that showed a $1,000.000 price tag. Smokey therefore has high hopes for the filly, and so far, she has not lived up to them, but there is still plenty of time. Does come off a win in a MTH allowance, but that’s not why the trainer bought her. If she needed a confidence booster, she got it, and this can be an even bigger one.

Prediction: 6-4-5-2 (dry);  2-6-5-4 (wet)

–NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded