The Iroquois- $125.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward Foaled In NY
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Dirt
October 24, 2020

The 15th running of the Iroquois will take place on Saturday, and this version of the race is for older New York females, not to be confused with the BC Juvenile prep race of the same name. It returns to BEL after spending a year at AQU to make way for virtual hockey arena construction. The purse sees a decrease of $25.000 from prior years, but it has run for this amount in the past. Last year, Ace Racing Stable got the win with Lemon Danz, but that filly has not been able to carry that momentum into 2020. Here’s a look at our runners.

Top Picks:
#3- Slytherin- Usually, I stay away from these inconsistent horses. Slytherin could be turning the corner from that, however, with three solid efforts in a row that followed a win in an allowance. The trainer has given her more then a month of rest, which we don’t always see, and she has been better when she has had adequate rest.

#1- Immortal Steel- Looking for a favorite in this field is tough, but the thing I like the most about this filly is that she always seems to run well, and is consistently placed at this level. What concerns me is that it has been ten months since her last win. Putting her second best seems a little safer.

#6- Girls Night- Going to throw out the last race, the Grade 2 TC of America, simply because there is no one of that caliber in this field. That was a step up, a chance that she deserved, but now she will be better against lesser competition. Beat similar company in March and when the graded races are overlooked, she seems much better.

Not My Picks:
#5- Queen Of Navarre- The Mordred filly has been successful with four wins and four places in 16 career starts. Unfortunately, she comes off a race that is a turn off for me, where she was sixth of six in a SAR allowance while running this distance. It’s been about two months since tat and maybe time heals that wound.

#2- Perfection Only- At first, I was going to pick her to win outright, but her speed figures concern me. Only an 82 SRF, and an 86 beforehand will not get it done. Seems as though she is reverting back to bute and losing the lasix that she tried, so maybe that makes a difference. Hopefully, it does, because she seems capable of being better than what she showed in her last two.

#4- Time To Dance- Broke her maiden in her last start, her seventh, in a $20.000 maiden claimer in the mud. That came over three months ago, so I am guessing the time off has done her well, but I have to see it first to pick it.

Prediction: 3-1-6-5

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded