The Cardinal Handicap (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
November 21, 2015

This Saturday at CD, we will have the 12th running of the Cardinal Handicap, a Grade 3 event for older fillies and mares.  It hasn’t always been just for females, however.  After debuting for fillies and mares only, the race twice ran as an open event, coming in 2006 and 2007, before the race resumed to just be for females.   At first, the race ran for $150.000, but was cut to its current level of $100.000 in 2009.   The race lacks a signature name in its list of past winners, and last years winner, Zero Gravity, only ran two more times before she was sent to the shed.  After she won this race last season, she was dropped into a $21.50 allowance.  Amazingly, after running in this race last year, she has already produced four foals, none of which have accumulated earnings.   Our field of five does feature a runner in the Ladies Classic last year, but overall is similar to past fields.

#1- Crackdown (The Sidley Stud, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- The trainer brings two horses to the Cardinal Handicap, and to put it mildly, this is not the one where his top hopes lie.  Crackdown has worked nicely coming into the race, and has, on occasion, turned in a great performance.  Because of that, do not dismiss this six year old mare, but she’s going to have to improve on the track.  In her last five starts, she has failed to get at least a 90 SRF, and that includes the MNR race in which there is no such figure given.  She tried one of those free track stakes at the beginning of August, and could only place third.  Crackdown has not raced since then, so there is a possibility she comes back fresh here and fires off a big one.

#2- Devil Wears Prada (Maverick Racing, ridden by C H Borel)- This four year old O Cayman filly has had a very successful career, with lifetime earnings exceeding $1,200.000.  However, 2015 has been a disappointment for her, with just a pair of third place finishes to show for her seven starts. 2014 finished off with so much promise, that its hard to believe how little she has done this year.  She can atone for that by winning the Cardinal Handicap, which is a big step down from the types of events she has been running in lately, such as the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at SAR or Grade 1 Taylor Stakes at WO.  Those are impressive races to be on one’s past performances, but she was a non factor in each.  Against much lesser competition, Devil Wears Prada needs to get it done, and she has no excuse not too.

#3- Three Little Birds (Threshold, ridden by C J Lanerie)- This is the only horse in the race to not be carrying 117 pounds.  She will be carrying 122, so it makes you wonder how much of a disadvantage that will be to her.   Three Little Birds is on a great run of form right now, winning three in a row and four of her last five.   Those three straight wins were all stakes, starting modestly with the $50.000 ELP BC Turf, and ending with the most recent win, the $200.000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap, a Grade 2 event.   She worked very nicely about a month ago at PRX, and is definitely ready to run.  If everyone was carrying the same weight, she’s the clear cut favorite.  How much of an impact will the five added pounds hold?  That is the question you need to ask yourself before heading to the betting window.

#4- Shake It Daddy (The Sidley Stud, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- This is a very consistent racehorse in terms of finishing out exactas and trifectas, but the trainer would prefer to see her in the winners circle.  She is not a deep closer, but does seem to have a preference for coming a little off the pace, so you wonder if that’s part of the reason Crackdown is here.   In her last six races, Shake It Daddy has four second place finishes and two thirds, which include races such as the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap (2nd) and the $125.000 Hettinger at BEL for NY-breds (3rd).  Shake It Daddy does not have a public work since late September, but times to that point seem consistent.  This race seems similar to recent ones she has been in, and I sense a similar result.

#5- Dark Madre (Tirstar Racing, ridden by J Valdivia Jr)- The Sweepstakes filly has been lightly races this year, with just three races and one second place finish to show for them.  Most recently, she ran in the Grade 3 Violet Stakes at MTH, and finished second in that event.   That’s a nice result, but the end win time and SRF figures recorded from that race point to it being a soft field. It is important to note though that Dark Madre will be carrying seven less pounds in this race then she did in that one, and that may make a huge difference.  I wish I could see a few more longer works that have recently been done in order to put more faith in her, especially since she is lightly raced.

Prediction: 2-3-4-5

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES