The Stymie- $125.000 Purse
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Inner Dirt
March 13, 2016

Running at the Big A this Sunday will be the fifth edition of the Stymie, an ungraded stake for older horses.  The $125.000 purse represents a new high level for the stake, having initially run for $65.000 in 2010.  After that season, the stake disappeared from our schedule for a few years, before it re-emerged in 2013.  Despite it’s ungraded status, we have seen some prolific winners here in the past, including Hyper Silver last year for Night Rider Stables, and Hallelujah two years ago for Eastern Equine.  None of the entrants this year have reached that level of success in their careers, at least not yet.   The highest earner in the field is Memorandum, who by the way, also happens to be a filly.  So, can she take the these aspiring boys who will want a shot at her, or will they prove to be out of her league?  Let’s meet the field.

#1- Wire To Wire (Choppy Inc, ridden by J Alvarado)- Despite his name, Wire To Wire seems to prefer more of a closing style to get the job done.  This gelding is a winner of five out of fourteen, including a three race winning streak late last year.  That run began very modestly, in a $3.500 allowance at MD, and then a claimer at MNR.   Eventually the streak sent him to the Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap, but he would finish last in that race, and was beaten by nine lengths.  Most recently, he is coming off a third place performance in a GP claimer, where he looked pretty good, and he seems to be working well coming in to this.  The trainer gives him another chance at stakes company here and will be hoping for a better run.

#2- Conquest- Scratched

#3- Dullahan (Crazy Horse Racing, ridden by M Franco)- Looking at the past performances of Dullahan, my first impression is that he seems to be a very inconsistent racehorse.  He’s looked great in races like the $125.000 Toronto Cup Stakes at WO, and was strong in the Northern Spur earlier last year at OP.  Then, he has races where he simply did not show up.   Earlier this year, the was a distant 7th in the Jerkens, and while that race was longer then he had gone before, he never made his presence felt. Put it this way, he has three wins and four seventh places finishes in eleven starts.  Which Dullahan will show up on Sunday?  If it’s the good one, then he stands a chance to Memorandum’s biggest challenger in this race.

#4- Cju (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Cancel)- This autogen is just beginning to get his feet wet at this whole racing thing after making his debut in September last year.  He has raced three times thus far, and he is really an interesting one to watch because so much of his talent still seems to be untapped.  The only win on his resume so far is his maiden win, coming in his last start right here at AQU but it was impressive, and the 89 SRF figure earned in the win seems to low for the effort, in my opinion.  He’s working well, and it looks like he could become good on both dirt and turf.   This field is small enough for this to be a great opportunity to move his career forward even more.   I think he is going to run a big one.

#5- Memorandum (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)-   Our filly is the class of the field, and if there was any doubt as to her chances here also consider that she is carrying five fewer pounds then her rivals.  She has won just shy of $200.000 in her career, one of which has seen her win five of thirteen.  Only twice in her career has she failed to pick up some sort of check for her trainer, as well.   Memorandum has never won a stake, but did finish third by less then a length in the Grade 1 Ashland last year, as well as being second in the Grade 3 Groupie Doll at ELP over the summer.   Her most recent race was on Valentine’s Day at the Grade 3 Bayakoa but she did not feel any love for the track that was only good that day.  While she has proven to be beatable against top competition, Mb Stables was likely looking for an easier spot and boy, did that decision come up roses for him.  She has no excuses here.

Prediction: 5-4-3-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded