The Glens Falls – Grade II
1 1/2 Mile Inner Turf Stake Purse $250.000 Filly & Mare 4 Year Olds And Up.

1st Number Nine Smokey Stover Gutierrez Mario

Well it seems to make sense that this filly has not been on a positional instruction for much of her career and either runs a pace instruction or is very consistent off a HL instruction. She has made the running at the sort of pace she was 10 lengths off the lead today and that certainly played into her hands as one of her main rivals committed pace suicide. It was great to see the reining BC champ back in the winners circle and she may turn out to be the only hope of the older fillies and mares of toppling the new wonder filly Perfect Class.

2nd Build Battle Mb Stables Hernandez C J

I would say this is her best effort since her three year old days so just maybe she is getting some upward motion in her improvement curve which can come a bit late in the season for these four year olds. She was a distant stalk as old Maggie Greene turned into a two year old sprinter suggesting she too was on a pace type instruction and i must admit i thought she would win until the class of Number Nine told.

3rd Maggie Greene The Sidley Stud Franco M

The last time this mare went to a clear lead was in the Sheepshead Bay in 2019. That day she ran a 50 second first half and was five lengths clear and a 1.13 and 4 6 furlongs and was still five lengths clear. At the line, you guessed it she was still five lengths clear. So what was it today at seven years old that made her run a 46 second first half and a 1.09 and 3 six furlongs and be 8 and 10 lengths clear at those two markers? Was it a ‘fast’ instruction, was it a ‘lead’ instruction? Well whatever it was and knowing HRP it was HL she cooked her bacon well before she ate it and things went cold for her down the stretch. It was a valiant effort and may have been a combination of the wide gate speed push and an attempt to slip this quality field but either way she ended up third which is still a fair enough result for a mare that has been at the top of her game for a long time now.

4th Loihi Martyparty Velazquez J R

She certainly didn’t finish like she did in the RGD last time but was beaten by three very good horses and may just need a bit more time to get to this level.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES