Tropical Turf Handicap (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Inner Turf
January 12, 2019
The starting gate will be nearly all the way full as eleven go to post for the 15th edition of the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap. This race is a chance for older horses to run a mile on the inner turf for a smaller graded purse. For most of its career, the race was nine furlongs, and the 2017 race became the first to be run at a mile, and also the first at GP having been at CRC previously. This race was not contested last year. Weights range from 118 to 120 pounds, so don’t expect them to play that big of a factor. Most of the field is at 118 or 119. Let’s take a look at our field!
#1- Jurassic Classic (Establo Pichon, ridden by J L Ortiz)- This is a full brother to the great Atomic Twister. That’s the best that can be said about him to this point, because he really is taking on the toughest field he has ever seen. Around this time last year, he was in $8.000 and $10.000 claiming races. He has had success, with three wins and five in the money finishes out of six starts in 2018, but this is a new challenge. Speed figures have been on the rise though, so we’ll see if he can step up.
#2- Block Message (Tiratzo, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- Naturally, I got the block message when looking him up. He had a terrific season of whitelisting the opposition, with four wins and two more seconds in 2018 out of eight starts. None of his four graded stake runs were a win, but he’s won at the ungraded level, and seems due to eventually pick up a graded win.
#3- Crowning Star (Angelos Stable, ridden by R J Albarado)- Acquired for just $10.000 in the December 2017 auction, Crowning Star went on to win three times in 2018, including finishing the season off with an open allowance win at PRX just before Christmas. There have been attempts to bring him up to the stake level in the past, but those races have not really gone well. Recent showings against FL-breds in stake company show him struggling. Glad to see him back at this distance, and we can expect to see him rebound.
#4- Pirate God (Witeout Stables, ridden by D Cabrera)- This is another one making a bit of a jump. He’s won just two out of fifteen career starts, and neither of those wins are going to intimidate any of his rivals here. He has been beaten by four lengths in his last two: an allowance and an optional claimer. As of press time, the adds are gone, so we’ll see what kind of impact that has on him, as it will need to be positive.
#5- Moscow Court (Wolfs Den, ridden by J R Velazquez)- He spent his holiday season jumping around between barns, and would like to be able to race again. He last did so in June for Mb Stables, and stayed there until the December auction, where he was sold to LionKing, who in turn sold him to Wolfs Den last week. Got all that? Good, now let’s see him race. Naturally, the layoff is an issue.
#6- Far Too Cool (Night Rider Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- This one figures to be one of the favorites here. He is the only one in the field to hit triple digit speed figures recently, and he has been able to do it in his last two starts. Most recently, we saw him win the $150.000 Schiller at AQU two months ago. It was his lone win of 2018, so the trainer will want more winners circle trips this year, because he seems to have that ability.
#7- Happy Model (Estero Farms, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Hit the board in seven of eight starts during 2018, with two of them being victories. It took him a while to break his maiden, though hopefully he remained happy while the close defeats dragged on. After a few more seconds afterwards, he won an optional claimer at DMR in his last outing. He’s always in the mix, so he should never be looked. Easier to place a show bet on him then a win bet.
#8- Thanks For Nothing (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by Jef Sanchez)- With everyone else having made, at minimum, double digit starts in their career, Thanks For Nothing has been more lightly raced. In seven starts, he has won twice, but is starting to hit his best stride right now, so the best may be yet to come. In his stake debut, he ran third in the BEL Turf Sprint, then won his most recent start, a CD allowance, which was at a mile.
#9- Snake Cayes (Joshua Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- After being acquired in private sales this past May for $17.500, Snake Cayes was moved to the turf and he has shown great improvement. He had decent runs prior to the sale, which like Happy Model, also included a longer then desired time to break his maiden. He won his first two with Joshua, and was graduated into stake company. Ran second in the CC Emerald last month.
#10- Id Rather Go Blind (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- He still has won just one time, and that is now out of sixteen career starts. His 2018 saw him go winless, and only have two second place finishes as his in the money runs. Late in the year, though, the trainer moved him to the grass, and he got one of those places in an allowance. The Grade 1 HOL Derby after that saw him only finish 6th, but also turn in a 99 SRF, and only missed out by two lengths there. This isn’t the HOL Derby. Needs to get back to the winners circle before I can pick him, though.
#11- Mean Street (Nakamura Stables, ridden by L Saez)- This veteran will now enter his nine year old season, and will be making the 46th start of his career. Over the course of his career, he has done some great things, and even ran in the BC Turf in 2014. But all of that success is not in the distant past. In 2018, he won two of his six starts, with two runner ups. His most recent outing saw him run second in a photo at the Grade 3 River City Handicap. His toughest finishes, now, are when he tries Grade 1’s, but back him off of that and into this type of race and he remains very successful. He can win this.
Prediction: 6-7-11-3
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
