The Kelso Handicap, Purse $400.000, Grade 2, One Mile , Dirt for 3+ Year Olds
This is one of the stakes races on the card today at Belmont that is not a Breeders Cup win and your in race however the winner of this race should be well on their way into running in the Breeders Cup dirt mile if they want. This handicap drew a nice field of 8 runners that are all separated by 4 pounds or less. Let’s take a look at the field and see if we can separate some of these runners :
1-Gisn (Team 7 Illusions)-This 4 year old is co-low weight in the field carrying 117 pounds. This son of Charley Farley has started 20 times with 8 of those starts resulting in a win. 2015 has not been his best year as he has only won 1 time out of 8 starts, the win came back in April in an overnight stakes. He has yet to win any graded stakes races but has tried several times. Can he get his first graded stakes win while carrying low weight?
2-Foresight (Sanny Village)-This 4 year old comes into the race carrying 119 pounds. He has won 4 out of 22 starts in his career but he has not won a start in 5 tries in 2015. His last win came back in December of 2014 in an overnight stake. He was a recent $200.000 purchase by Sanny Village and has yet to hit the board for these new connections. He has also never won a graded stakes race although he has run in several. He is hoping for a step up today to get that elusive first graded stakes win.
3-Orange Skeleton (Chili King Stables)-This 3 year old is also the co-low weight in the field carrying 117 pounds. He has started 15 times in his career and has won 2 of those starts. He has run 7 times in 2015 and he won 1 of those starts and that was back in February. That win was an allowance race on the turf, and that made both of his victories in his lifetime coming on the turf. Since that race he has run several times including 4 times on dirt and has managed two 2nd place finishes. He is also looking to step up in this race and hopes the low weight can help him get his first graded stakes win.
4-Investment Grade (Barcelona Stables)- This 4 year old is carrying 119 pounds in this race. This will be the first race for new owner Barcelona Stables who purchased this 5 year old son of Pink Panther from DJC Racing Stables for $450.000. He has started 29 times in his career with 6 wins. He has started 6 times in 2015 with 1 of those starts resulting in a win. That win came back in January in an O/C race, since then in the 5 races after he has only missed the board 1 time. This horse has won a graded stakes race and that was a Grade 3 race back in April of 2014. He is looking to get back into the winners circle in this graded stakes race.
5-You Big Freak (Hawaiian Shirt Guy)-This 3 year old is co-high weight in this race carrying 121 pounds. He has started 14 times with 8 wins coming from those starts. He has also started 8 times in 2015 with 3 wins coming from these starts. In 2015 alone he has notched 3 graded stakes victories including back to back graded stakes scores 3 and 4 races back respectively. This race will be his 3rd race since August 29th so you have to wonder if he may be a little tired going into this race. But he does have a lot of proven class that some in here don’t.
6-Masterpiece Five (Razorback Racing)-This 4 year old is also the co-high weight in the field carrying 121 pounds. He has started 24 times with 5 of those starts resulting in a win. He has started 8 times in 2015 with 2 of those starts resulting in wins. Both of those wins came in Grade 2 races early in the year but one of those came at today’s mile distance. The negative in 4 starts after his most recent Grade 2 win he has yet to hit the board. Can he reverse his recent form and run his way to his 3rd grade 2 victory in 2015?
7-Mars (Grimley)-This 3 year old is carrying 120 pounds in this race. He has raced 13 times and has won 3 of those starts. He has started 8 times in 2015 and has won 1 of those starts, however that was in the Grade 2 LA Derby which propelled him into running into all 3 legs of the triple crown where he did manage to hit the board in the Kentucky Derby. Since that race he has only hit the board 1 time and that was in his most recent effort on the turf. Can this horse rebound or did the Triple Crown and its trail take to much out of him?
8-Much Notoriety (MB Stables)- This 3 year old son of Chai Latte is carrying 120 pounds in this race today. He has started 13 times in his career with 5 of those starts resulting in a win in 2015 he has raced 6 times with 1 of those starts resulting in a win. That win came back in March in a Grade 2 race along the Triple Crown trail. Since that race he has managed to hit the board 1 time and that was in his most recent race in an O/C race after and almost 60 day break. Could he be sitting on a big race after that break?
There are a wide range of horses that have signed up to run in this race, which makes it fun. Will the winner come from a proven graded stakes horse or a horse who is on the improve. Will the weight affect the outcome of this race or will the class edge hold? I feel that the results could go in a number of different directions but here is my prediction: 2-7-6-5
Warbucks
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
