The Appleton – Grade III
GP Race #5 1m InTurf Graded Stake
Purse $100.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

1 Time Warrior         Paradise Stable            Bravo J

These cheap stakes races can really blow out with quality early season because for these older horses facing the three year olds in the months to come will prove a huge money drain. So for some this is their best chance of a win at this level so we end up with a full field of good horses all running for a few bucks.

Time Warrior comes up with the ace draw which is refreshing as he has a long history of rotten treatment by the random draw monster. I think he is under rated due to that and he may represent some nice odds today. His last two runs haven’t been as encouraging as his summer form of last year but he was only three lengths back in the BC Mile and would’ve needed his first up run in the Tropical Turf. He is generally a closer which is tough in a mile race but with this draw i think he can sit a bit closer and he should finish off strongly.

2 Dracarys          TwinTowersRacing               Davis D

Twin Towers has a habit of throwing this type of horse in these types of races and conjuring up a big performance. His form to be fair is pretty average at best but his recent works suggests he has either found an upward trend in his improvement curve or TTR has found a combination that works. Either way i have a suspicion that this one will out run his form.

3 King Ranch              South Shore Stables            Carrasco V R

He will be hard fit with three starts this year so far but his form is nowhere near the best of these and he will have to find something from deep within to be involved in the finish. His works aren’t too bad though so it is worth a throw at the stumps from the trainer especially as he has come up with a decent draw.

4 Kimura            Mark88                 Saez L

I think this one was a real bargain at only $80 with 7 wins from 11 and over 1K in prize money. The trainer has been around since 2004 but has never had many starts but this one may be the trigger for them to go on to bigger and better things. The winner of the BC Juvenile sprint at two he managed three graded stakes wins last year and ended the season with a good run in the BC Mile to be sixth. The only drawback here is that he hasn’t run for nearly six months so he may need this.

5 Edging In              Nakamura Stables              Jaramillo E

The Nak factor will carry this one a long way in this race. He looked good winning an open allowance on seasonal debut and came to hand early last year to win the San Gabriel and run fourth in the Kilroe Mile so there are lots of ticks in boxes for this one. My only fear for him is the mile may be a bit sharp for him these days but if he can get handy early on he will be in it for a long way.

6 Ferro Fever                Santan Stables               Alvarado J

With just the one win from eleven starts and that came in 2019 it has to be said it would be a surprise to see this one win.

7 Plucky Ben            Arindel               Bahen S R

This six year old has been around the block a few times but has proved himself at this level. Three runs this year will have him very fit for this and if he can reproduce his good second in the Thunder Road then he should be right in at the death. Forget his last start from a rotten draw.

8 Money Truck             Spankys Barn             Gaffalione T

He had a bit of a mid summer break last year after trying the dirt but when he came back to the turf he ran some nice races including a second in the breeders Stakes. He finished the year with a strong win in the Woodchopper Stakes over this trip so should be thereabouts again today. His works suggest he may be a bit of an enigma though so it is hard to say with confidence how he will run but f the best of him turns up he will be taking home a pay check.

9 Fog Machine                Our Athletes                McCarthy T

This is one of those difficult to place horses that can win at lower levels but struggles a bit when upped in grade. He won at overnight level last year in a sub 1.33 time for the mile so it is clear he can run fast enough but he still has to prove he has that elusive class gene.

10 Hollywood Command         Scarletandgraystable            Bejarano R

This is an interesting entry as he was claimed after a very easy win in a cheap allowance and then went on to an impressive win at allowance level. It is a much bigger leap to this grade but he may just be on the up on his improvement curve and that is the sort that can come in at big odds. The draw is against him today and that makes me doubt his chances today but i will be keeping my eye on his performance for future reference.

11 Prime Time Que        D J C Racing Stables         Bridgmohan S X

A lightly raced colt with just the one win he has shown glimmers of form so it is hard to write him off completely I thought he ran a good race from a similar draw in the McKnight Stakes when beaten under a length and a similar effort over this shorter trip would see him a contender.

12 Bubble Bubble            Angelos Stable          Velazquez J R

It is a shame this one got the car park draw because i would’ve seen him as a live chance had he got closer to the rail. He has suffered in his last two starts from bad draw luck and on both occasions went to the lead only to weaken late in the style of the old race engine. A lot depends on where he gets to in the first furlong and how much energy he expends doing it but of he gets the rub of the green he could well be there at the finish.

SUMMARY

Kimura would be my choice here of he had had a recent start but i think he may need the run here. He may still win regardless but i am going for Time Warrior to get a bit of racing luck for once. Of the rest i think Bubble Bubble will be a contender despite the draw and Edging In may be the biggest danger.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES