The Cicada ($100.000 Purse)
AQU- For Fillies Three Years Old
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
March 19, 2022
For this time of year, this weekend is unusually light with races, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing going on. It will give us a chance to look at some ungraded stakes that may have gone under the radar on a prep race weekend. Here, the Cicada is the focus, with a field of six fillies ready to go to post. The race was a seven furlong first race when it debuted in 2005, but the next year, it was cut to six furlongs and had been that way ever since. Now, we are back to the seven furlong distance. It’s been a good race for Mb Stables, who has won it four times in the last seven years, including last year with Shes A Freak. That filly is still active, but has not been racing much of late. Let’s take a look at our six this year.
#1- Catori (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by K Carmouche)- A third quarter two year old that debuted in late October and broke her maiden in her last start, her fourth of her career. She’s been running at high tracks, other than the first start, and has run twice here at AQU already. Worked very well at a mile a couple weeks ago, and you have to think that a win here gets her propelled into a graded race, if not a last chance KYO prep.
#2- Zedge Asset (Asgar, ridden by Os Gomez)- Another third quarter two year old with four career starts up to this point. She’s won once, coming against CA-breds at SA in January and may have run into a good field for her last race at TAM. Could have used a little more distance in that race, and she will see that added furlong here.
#3- Perfect Party On (Martyparty, ridden by D Davis)- This filly has made six career starts, and has one win in them. She was partying on up until running second in the GS Juvenile Fillies in November, but her two starts have seen back to back off the board finishes. She does come out of the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes, though, and she’s not meeting that type of field here.
#4- Change For A Twenty (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- The trainer looks to win the race for the fifth time, and Change For A Twenty gets the call. She has four career starts, and is actually the only horse in this field that has more than one career win. Those victories are in her last two races, breaking her maiden against NY breds in January in a race that also had Catori in it. Beat NY breds here in an allowance after that, and gets her third start in a row here, with M Franco. It’s been working well so far! No need to get change for that.
#5- Ship House (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J Lezcano)- Plenty of experience comes with this one, as this will be the ninth career start for the Strategic Command filly, and she is a horse that has been seen in top races, including the Grade 1 Frizette. Unfortunately, the results have not been there since placing second in the FL Sire Stakes- Susan in August. She’s been dropped down, and I would have loved to seen her bounce back with better in her last race. That one stings for me to see, but maybe it was too long for her. This won’t be that long.
#6- Cant Fight (Sunny J Farm, ridden by T McCarthy)- A filly with three starts, one win and two others where she did not put up much of a fight, at all. For her to have a chance, the trainer has to get her to run as she did at FL in November, and maybe tactics can do that. Still, she is tough to pick in this field.
Prediction: 4-1-3-5
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
