The 16th Running of The Bed o Roses Handicap-G2
Friday, June 10, 2022
BEL Race #4 $300.000 7-Furlongs
F&M 4+ Handicap Weights (117-122)
Track Record-1:20.41 (Soy Dinero-2004)
Stakes Record-1:21.46 (Unprecedented/Why You Do That-2020/2021)
The 16th running of The Bed o Roses Handicap-G2 will go as the 4th race at BEL on Friday. The $300.000 7-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares will be run under handicap conditions with a five pound spread among the eight entrants. Lady Narloff, hailing from the barn of TwinTowersRacing, will carry the highest impost at 122-pounds as she will spot her seven rivals two-to-five pounds. Let’s take a closer look at her and the rest of the G2 Bed O Roses field:
#1 Storm Of Fire (Mb Stables/L. Saez 118): Starting on the rail, 4yo filly returns to BEL after just missing in a similar spot last month when going a mile. She had to settle for a DH 2nd while only being beaten a neck that day for all of the money. Will be interesting to see how she reacts to being down on the rail as she has shown an affinity for settling 4-5 lengths off of the pace before uncorking her run. Only receives weight from two of these and gives away a pound to almost half of the field. Two works following that last effort say she’s continuing to improve and she could be dangerous here.
#2 Jedediah (D J C Racing Stables/S.X. Bridgmohan 118): Speaking of strong works, this is another 4yo filly that seems to be finding her stride going into the summer. Comes here off of a DH win at CD in a $160.000 stake and has looked good in the mornings since. She’s perfectly drawn to take advantage of her ample early foot and looks to sit a great trip in here. She’s been a consistent earner with 11 ITM finishes from 15 starts; however, the only time she faced graded foes, she did not fare very well. Gets the same weight scenario as the rail-horse and she’ll need to produce a career best performance to get the money here.
#3 Great Mojo (John Henry/A. Cedillo 120): A winner of four consecutive starts, 4yo filly will receive two pounds from the highweight, but has to give 2-3 pounds to the other six in here. She got her first graded tally last out in the local prep for this and only has to tote an extra pound from that effort. Another that likes to settle into stride before being produced, she’ll need to be careful not to get too far behind this group. Can’t fault her current form and she should be moving late in her bid to run her winning streak to five.
#4 Ponderosa (Smokey Stover/E. Jaramillo 117): 5yo mare has been uber-consistent with 13 ITM finishes from 15 starts, and the two times she wasn’t on the podium, she was 4th. Despite that consistency, she gets in at 117-pounds and will receive weight from all but two in here. Tried G1 foes at OP going a route of ground in her first try at the graded level and was only beaten a length that day before reappearing at WO in an allowance where she would finish 3rd over a strip labeled as good. Hasn’t sprinted since January of last year, but this barn doesn’t make too many mistakes placing their stock. With nothing but mile works on the tab, at least we know she will be fit.
#5 Ginger Lee (Nakamura Stables/E.J. Wilson 117): 4yo filly is a MSW, including a G3 last season, but she doesn’t always bring her best stuff. When she does bring her best, she gets her picture taken; however, with only one place and one show effort from 15 starts, she appears to be an all-or-nothing type. Almost all of her winning has come from the front or just off of the pace except for the one time she tried this 7f trip when she rallied from well off. Don’t expect her to be restrained on Friday as she is much more proven when she is involved from the jump. She set some really strong fractions in the G3 last month before ultimately succumbing late, but she may not have to go that quick early on here. Looms dangerous if she can relax and figures to be involved the whole way.
#6 Lady Narloff (TwinTowersRacing/J.R. Velazquez 122): Highweight did nothing but win from October to February, but all of those wins will cost her on the scales here. Weight is always a huge factor and, her being a 4yo, filly is up against it giving weight to a couple of older mares as well as those in her own generation. She is a G1 winner at this distance, but has faltered at that level in each of her three runs since the G3 tally at OP. Not going to lie, there is a lot to like about this filly, but the weight is just too much to overcome for anything more than a minor share here.
#7 Christina G (Mb Stables/C.J. Hernandez 118): Stablemate to the rail horse just missed in the local prep for this when she had to settle for a DH 2nd, beaten a half-length. 5yo gets a break on the scales as she only has to give a single pound to three runners. MGSW needed the confidence-booster at GP as that was her first victory in over a year. Unlike a lot of these in here, this lass is a confirmed sprinter as she only tried a single route in her 24-start career. This post could be tricky for her as she likes to be off of the pace, but she does get a lot of ground to work with in the run-up to the turn. Not sure she’s ready to win this, but she could be rounding into form and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her run big.
#8 Shes A Freak (Arindel/T.J. Pereira 117): Claimed for $10.500 at the end of April, filly returned in a starter allownace in her first start for the new barn and got the victory. Trainer is no stranger to bringing them back on short rest, so the quick turnaround doesn’t bother us; however, this is a big, big step up the class ladder from her last. Too her credit, she does have a pair of graded tries deeper in her running lines that show she is fully capable of competing. Gets in at the bottom of the weight scale and she is working as good as anything in the field. Would be a mistake to dismiss and figures to be pressuring anyone that goes forward.
Final Analysis: This is a very interesting race that could go any number of ways and any one of them winning (Lady Narloff being the exception due to the weight assignment) will not be a shock. Jedediah looks to sit the best trip and we’ll make her the selection over Ponderosa and Storm Of Fire. Good luck to all of the connections in The Bed o Roses-G2 and in all of their races this weekend!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
