The Longacres Mile, Purse $200.000, Grade 3, One Mile, Dirt for 3+
This is one of the biggest races of the year at EMD and it has drawn a field of 4 horses in the race. Last year’s champion is coming back again this year to try and defend his title along with a couple of other talented stakes winners and one horse trying to break into the group of stakes winners. Let’s take a look at the field:
1-A Little Spicy (Allinthegate)- He is the reigning champ of this race and comes into the race with a career record of 14 wins in 32 starts. He won his first start of 205 but has not won since that race and has hit the board just 1 time in those 3 starts however most of those races were sprinting and he has done most of his best racing going long on the dirt with 3 wins and 3 seconds in 7 career starts. The bad is that his last race was going a mile on the dirt and that was the first time he has missed the board. Could this horse be over the hill and on the downhill side? His 6 furlong work on July 29th makes me think he has more left in his tank.
2-Roxys Triple Crown (Aer Stables)- He has won 2 out of 6 lifetime races including a race 2 back that was in an overnight stakes race. After that race he stepped up to a Grade 3 race and finished 5th by 2 lengths but that was a tougher field than what he is facing today. Since that race he has come back with a nice public one mile dirt race which has to make owner Aer Stables happy. He will be carrying 6 pounds less than the older horses in this race which I think give him a huge advantage. This is one is one that you have to look at to be there in the end.
3-Chrystal Wizard (Maximillion Farm)- He comes into the race winning 8 out of his 35 lifetime races. He has won 2 out of 6 starts with year but has only missed the board 1 time this year. One of his wins this year did come in a nice Grade 3 race in Feb. His most recent start was a nice run in a Grade 3 where he carried the same weight as he did today. He was the early pace setter in that race and held the lead at the 6 furlong mark but faded back to finish 3rd. I think this has more to do with his outside post rather than his typical running style so I would not expect to see him on the lead this race. He has to be looked at here, but for me its just a question as if the extra weight will slow him down.
4-Comedy Castle (Blushing Meadows)- He comes into the race winning 1 time in 9 career starts. That win came going 7.5 furlongs on turf in a MSW his first start of 2015. Since that race He has run 4 times with 3 of them going long on the dirt where he has managed 2 third place finishes. The reason that it looks like this horse is entered here is the massive jumps up that he has taken in his last 2 public works going a mile on the dirt. He fired off back to back fast mile works at Saratoga in August which shows me that the light bulb may have gone off for this one and this step up in class may be warranted. Take into account that he will be carrying 118 pounds this one has a great shot of stepping up.
At one of the biggest days at EMD in the year there are 4 nice horses that have signed on to take their shot at winning the Longacres Mile. I am going out on a limb here and saying that I don’t think that there will be a repeat champion this year. Here is my prediction. 4-2-1-3
Warbucks
Categories: Grade III
