Melair Stakes
SA Race #6 1 1/16m Dirt Stake
Purse $150.000 For Fillies Three Years Old Foaled In CA.
1 Legs For Days Bigchief Stables Maldonado E 122
A filly with only five races to her name she gets the ace draw here and looks the type that could take advantage of it. She ran a creditable third in the CA Oaks last time but a recent study into these stakes races with small fields have shown how unlikely it is for a horse to make all the running and she ended up running where most front runners end up. She may well try and take advantage of this draw and go to the front again here which i fear may end up with another third place but if the closers get too far back there is a chance she will last home. A solid chance especially as a couple of the main hopes are carrying weight penalties.
2 Neon Moon Smokey Stover Bravo J 124
The first of the runners carrying 2 lbs extra she hails from the stable of the moment and gets the perfect draw to pay back a bit more of the $300 she cost. Another who learned a tough lesson about leading the time before last she got the stalk last time and ran out an impressive winner in a big ticket optional Allowance and a repeat of that may be good enough here even with the weight penalty.
3 Commanding Trait Gdp Inc Gonzalez Ru 122
Broke her maiden last time out in a maiden claimer which would normally not be good enough but here at HRP the race class means little. The more important fact may be that it was over six furlongs and today she gets back to a trip that saw her beaten at maiden level so she would have to be rapidly improving to get the victory here.
4 Theres No Doubt Angelos Stable Cedillo A 124
Possibly the most consistent three year old filly in training she went from just being beaten in maiden after maiden to just being beaten in stakes races which whilst not unusual at HRP does show se is still improving. I really liked her effort in the KYO when given an impossible gate and as long as this race hasn’t come too quickly she looks to me as the likely winner even with a 2Lb penalty.
5 Cmonyalll Arindel Espinoza V 122
Won her maiden nicely and ran well in the Martha Washington but has disappointed since and there are questions that need answering in this race for her to win. On that Martha Washington run where she stormed home over the mile you would have to say this race sits nicely for her but she was so disappointing in the Santa Ysabel next time that she makes herself a tough choice. Could win, could run last.
6 Zin Rock Creek Van Dyke D 122
A good second in the Silverbulletday Stakes she was then tested in both the Risen Star against the boys and the FG oaks against her own sex and was a spectacular failure both times. Back to her grade she ran well in the Memories Of Silver last but is a tough choice to make with any certainty back on dirt.
SUMMARY
As always these races really could go to any of the six but for me it looks between the two penalty carriers as long as the 2 Lbs doesn’t act like a half ton rock. There’s No Doubt is certainly the form choice and Neon Moon has the trainer of the moment to help her so i would put them first and second.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
