The Forbidden Apple (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
SAR- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Inner Turf
July 16, 2021
The starting gate will be full for the seventh running of The Forbidden Apple, a Grade 3 event for older horses on the inner turf. This is a race that was initially held at BEL, and would be at that track for four years before moving upstate in 2020. Last year, the race was run by Apocalypse Rising, for Gdp Inc. The horse has gone on to more success over the year, and even ran in the BC Mile and is on very good form right now. Our field this year is an impressive, and with them all coming together, there probably should be more than a $150.000 purse for them, but that is what we will be running for. Here are the runners!
#1- Roman Rage (Gdp Inc., ridden by M Franco)- This seven year old gelding has been around, and will make the 50th start of this career in the Forbidden Apple. He seems to be getting better with age, as career start #49 led to his highest SRF, a 101 in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. That was a near miss, losing the headbob at the wire with the winner for what could have been his seventeenth win. In theory, this is a drop down from that, but not with this type of field.
#2- Spiral (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- A strong four year old campaign saw him win the Fourstardave Handicap here last year, and he would eventually go on to run in the BC Mile. He picked up a check in that race, placing fourth, but did not run in a graded stake this year until last month. That was the Grade 3 American Stakes at SA, where he ran second to Apocalypse Rising, giving us another reason to wish that one was here to defend his title.
#3- Through The World (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by J Alvarado)- We also saw this horse in the American Stakes, and it must have been a very tight photo at the wire, because he was third and only beaten by a neck. Through The World also won a race at the Spa last year, capturing the Grade 3 Saranac, and to date that is his biggest career win. He’s never been as good as he is right now.
#4- Cherokee Surprise (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by R Santana Jr)- After winning the Grade 3 FG Stakes, it has been a struggle for Cherokee Surprise, beating exactly one horse in each of his last three races. In them, he has been beaten a combined 18 lengths. For two of them, he could blame the post, but that was not an excuse in his last start. Works are fine, but in this crowd, I can’t trust him.
#5- Mojave Rattler (John Henry, ridden by T Gaffalione)- The winner of the 2019 BC Mile is the biggest name in the field, but is he still as good as he was then? He’s won twice since that day, each a grade 3, one in mid-2020 and the other at the start of this year. He was dropped into an open allowance for his last start, the first time that he had been in an overnight since April 2020. In it, he was third of four. A horse like this can be capable of reminding us why he was great, but I have to pass on him now.
#6- Silent Commander (Serenity Stables, ridden by E Cancel)- The trainer gave this horse a tough assignment for its turf debut, placing him in the Grade 1 Forester Turf Classic, but he stepped up there and ran third. A month later, he was fourth in the Grade 1 Manhattan. He drops into this race, and figures to be a threat, but can we count on a horse that hasn’t won in 14 months? There was a reason he moved to the grass, I suppose.
#7- Multiple Shadows (Our Athletes, ridden by K Carmouche)- While the Forester Turf Classic was a great race for Silent Commander, it is one that Multiple Shadows would love to forget. The gelding was awful, finishing ten lengths back, running dead last. I can’t say it’s a throw out either, but he didn’t run well in the Muniz Memorial Handicap before that, either. The best thing you can say about him is that he is rested.
#8- Ice Wall (RNP Stables, ridden by J Rosario)- He still has plenty of races to go to equal Roman Rage, but the six year old gelding does make the 39th start of his career here. I have been running into him a few times lately in these articles, and I have not been left with a feeling of being impressed. He’s a fine middle of the field horse in a race like this, and this will probably be more of the same.
#9- Cp Sad Pain (Barcelona Farms, ridden by J J Castellano)- A horse that knows how to win, doing so in six out of nine starts, and he has been in the money in all of them. Now, his tenth race will be his graded debut, and he has certainly earned the opportunity. If he did win, this would be his fourth in a row, and if you are looking for an “outside the box” horse for the Forbidden Apple, this is a good choice.
#10- Jolly Rook (Angelos Stable, ridden by J Lezcano)- SAR fans will certainly remember Jolly Rook, as after all, he won the biggest race of the meet in 2020, taking home the Travers trophy. It was part of a great stretch for him, since he won the Haskell in the race prior. So, what has he been up to lately? He’s not running in Grade 1’s anymore (as of now), and has not won another stake. He has won two of his last three races, but each were an open allowance. This will also be just the second start of his career on the grass, something he has not done since breaking his maiden back in March of last year.
#11- Scarlet Devil (Nakamura Stables, ridden by D Cohen)- Picked up in private sales from Aml Racing for $100.000 last October, and Nakamura has been plenty patient with him. This is just the third race for Scarlet Devil in Nakamura silks and his works seemed to be trending better after the middle of June. Seems to be happy to be back on turf.
#12- Sundays Sauce (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Our final horse in the field was added to the D J C Racing Stables fold in the December auction for $70.010, but he has struggled to be profitable for his new owner. Only once in six starts has he finished in the money, and he has more often not, been finishing in the middle of the field, 3-4 lengths behind the winner. Gets another chance to step here, and I at least know his sire, Lest Ye Command, will still be rooting for him.
Prediction: 2-3-6-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
