The Turn Back The Alarm Handicap (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
October 30, 2015
While the racing world focuses its attention on KEE this weekend, the other race tracks across the country still need to put on a show as well. This includes BEL, which will have its share of interesting races. One of which is the Turn Back The Alarm Handicap, which is for older fillies and mares. It is the seventh time that the race has been contested, debuting in 2008, but was never held in 2009. At first, it went for $100.000, but in 2013, track officials increased the purse to its current level of $200.000. No trainer has won the race more then once, but Hawaiian Shirt Guy looks to be an end to that and not only win it twice, but to do it two years in a row. Last season, the trainer saddled Secret Sector who went on to win the race with J J Castellano aboard. J J has other plans this weekend, but Secret Sector will still look to defend his title in this event. There will be five going to post, so let’s take a look at them now.
#1- Evicton (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Until this year, Evicton hadn’t really shown us much. She has been part of the winning exacta in each of her last five races, with two wins and three seconds in that time frame. Her last race was her stake debut, taking part in the $125.000 La Lorgnette Stakes at WO, and she would win the event. That was a tough four horse field with the other three horses either being graded winners or a winner in a high-priced state bred stake. Of those she beat was Grade 1 Mother Goose and CCA Oaks winner Behrens Bride. That one will be running in the BC Distaff. Despite that good result, it does look as though Evicton might have to pick it up a little bit here to have a chance at victory. She’s shown she can step up to the occasion.
#2- Sonoma (Alabarda Stable, ridden by J Lezcano)- This four year old Hollywood Stunt filly finished off 2014 and entered 2015 with an impressive run of victories, but has not been to the winners circle since her win in the La Canada Stakes in January. To his credit, Alabarda has continued to place Sonoma in some of the tougher races on the schedule, such Grade 1 Santa Margarita at SA and Grade 1 Ballerina at SAR. She was competitive in those events, and on paper this is a drop down from the Zenyatta, also a Grade 1, which she last participated in and placed fourth. I would have preferred to see a quicker SRF figure out of her in that race, and I am not quite sure if she will be poised for a bounce back race here.
#3- Secret Sector (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by A Arroyo)- The Die Laffin filly will look to win her second consecutive Turn Back The Alarm, but will have to do it with a different jockey aboard since last year’s J J Castellano will be at the BC. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue as Secret Sector has had several jockeys throughout her career. Since her win, she has won two more times, one of which came in her last outing, which was the Grade 2 Bloom Handicap. If you’re thinking, “but isn’t that a sprint?”, you would be right. Secret Sector hasn’t really run a consistent distance this year running a range of options between six and nine furlongs. She has been showing vulnerability going long lately, so the stretch run will be key for her as she looks to defend her crown.
#4- Barbaresca (Chili King Stables, ridden by E Cancel)- After running her last nine races on the turf, Chili King Stables puts Barbaresca back on the main track for this one. The last time she was on the dirt was back in December 2014, and she never won on the main track. When she made her turf debut at the beginning of the year, she showed a liking to it right away and would go on to win four races. The highlight of those is the $100.000 Hilltop Stakes at PIM. After one attempt at a graded event that didn’t go well, the trainer put Barbaresca back into allowances, and she is coming off a good win in an open allowance here at BEL, on the grass. She has certainly earned the right to try again against graded company, but I am surprised to see it coming on the dirt. Even recent works have all been on the turf, and has not worked publicly on dirt in 2015. It almost makes you wonder if Chili King’s secretary got the surface wrong when they suggested the race to the trainer. We shall see how it goes!
#5- Living Dead Girl (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by K Carmouche)- This four year old Grand Lodge filly spent a lot of time lately hanging around BC runners, having worked consistently at KEE over the last few weeks. She was 29th in points overall for the BC Distaff, so the trainer was likely holding out some hope that she could get in. Instead, she will have to settle for coming to the track that was the site of her last race, the Grade 1 Beldame where she finished a strong second to Little Jen. She was caught at the end of that race, and this race will be a little shorter then the Beldame. Simply put, this race is right in her wheelhouse, and she should be the horse to beat and I would not be surprised to see a win by multiple lengths out of her. Other then a slow work on the 20th which probably has a good reason behind it, she is training well, and shows a lot of consistency. If she is on her game, everyone else is racing for second.
Prediction: 5-2-3-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
