Royal North Stakes – Grade II
WO Race #2 6f Turf Graded Stake
Purse $175.00 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Komoto du Diadame John Henry Boulanger G
This pacey dirt sprinter comes here for a first look at the turf and as we know that can sometimes buy a horse a length at HRP. The trainer is in great form and with a sub 1.11 6 furlong work on the dirt if she is showing a liking for turf on the farm and is better than that then she may just blitz this race. For now i am looking elsewhere for the winner but i have a very big aster-ix next to this one.
2 Royal Kunia Smokey Stover Contreras L
One of the very few unbeaten horses over the age of two you have to give thorough respect to a filly with a record of 5 from 5. A winner on the free track first up she has been kept to statebred racing mopping up lesser races before a powerful performance in the Power By Far Stakes last time when she certainly looked like a filly that could step up to this level. Her works are very strong and if she wins today we may just be seeing a star in the making.
3 Spirits Feronia Straight Arrow Da Silva E R
Has to give very fast three year olds weight which as we know is very hard to do but this tough five year old has done it before giving 8Lbs away in the Giants Causway. If anything can beat the three’s its this winner of 13 races and she gets a good enough draw to try and do the impossible again.
4 Ideal Host Defoe Wilson E J
If Spirits Feronia has a good chance of upsetting the three’s then this one must be right in it too as she beat that mare in the Intercontinental last time when running right on the pace and holding the much worse drawn Spirits Feronia by a length. With the draws much closer today i expect a much closer finish between the two and heavens forbid could we see the impossible witha one two for the older horses!
5 Pink Kitten Threshold Husbands P
A fast but as yet untested filly she has a lot going for her but today will test whether she has the class gene to back up her works.
6 Kaizoku Mb Stables Hernandez R M
An accomplished filly she has been running over much longer trips on dirt and turf but in true HRP style she put in one of teh fastest five furlong turf works of the field last time so she does have that look of one of ‘those’ horses that can win a race like this. Trained by the magic man she certainly has the ability but with just the one win from thirteen attempts she may find one or two just a bit more willing in a finish.
7 Lancashire Hotpot Blazin D Kimura K
Another older filly who is good enough to get in among the three year olds she ran a great race when just beaten in the Monrovia Stakes last time and is the type of filly you can never write off in a race of this type. The big drawback for her is the draw as she likes to get in a loose stalk and may be hung out wide but with some luck in running she could be right in it at the end.
8 Levi Sneaky Estero Farms Garcia Alan
I really like this filly but she gets no favors from the draw today and will have to be at her very best with a bit of luck thrown in to win this. The smart winner of the Sweet Life Stakes in February she went on to run a cracker in the Shakertown when beaten just a neck after leading into the final furlong. She ran better than her final placing suggests in the Jaipur and it may pay to give her another chance in this race even if she gets the horror draw.
SUMMARY
This is a very close sprint indeed with the older fillies very much in contention despite the silly weight differences imposed. Its a race of accomplishments against promise and its very hard to pick the winner. Its hard to leave out an unbeaten record so Royal Kunia has to be in the reckoning and if Pink Kitten has the elusive class gene she too could be a threat. I really do think a pin will be more accurate though so get them ready and enjoy this race which is sure to be fast and furious.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
