The Davis Stakes (Grade 3) (KYD)- $250.000 Purse
TAM- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 11, 2023
A field of twelve got together for the running of the Davis Stakes, hoping to pick up the valuable KYD points that are associated with it, and they would prove that this time of year this KYD chase can still be quite unpredictable. Each of the horses that ended up hitting the board had double digit odds associated with them, and the more well bet horses finished at the back of the pack. Grabbing the victory would be Hamilton Library, a horse that took a little time to break his maiden but now that he has done so, he is on to bigger and better things and his win here in the Davis Stakes proves that. Hamilton Library is trained by First Flight Stable and was ridden by E Jaramillo. For each of them, it is their first win in this race. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:41.76, which is a middle of the road winning time for this race. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :23.41)- Everyone seems to break well out of the gate, and we end up with a three-horse battle for the lead down the front stretch and into the opening turn. After a quarter mile, Tarte Aux Pommes grabs the early advantage for Jerry Garcia Racing but is only a half-length ahead of both Ghostzap and South Point, who are trained by Fractious and Alydar Stables, respectively. Running fourth is Nevada Lee, for Nakamura Stables, and he is directly behind Tarte Aux Pommes at this point. Later Dude is a length back, but in position to make a four wide move for Rampage Stable if he wished too. Close to him are Night Mare Racing’s Sinning Black and Aer Stables’ Shula. It’s another length to the one we picked for this race, Arindel’s Pink Shark. Finally, we have a row of four behind them, with What A Joke running on the rail for Delta Farms. Our eventual winner, First Flight Stable’s Hamilton Library is right next to him. He has typically been a closer, so this is not a point of concern. Buccaneers Bounty (Nakamura Stables) and Wisdom (Mb Stables) also trail.
(1/2 Mile- :47.15)- Over the second quarter mile, we don’t see any kind of changes with the running order. Tarte Aux Pommes continues to lead and has pulled a full length in front Ghostzap and South Point now, with Nevada Lee now joining those two. Otherwise, there is not much to speak of within this field as they ride out this portion of the race as they were previously. So, let’s move on.
(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Around the turn and entering the top of the stretch, Tarte Aux Pommes still seems to be running well as he maintained his lead, but now he will have to deal with the stalkers making their move. The first one to do so is South Point, who is in a great position just to his outside and begins to pull even. Ghostzap and Nevada Lee are still a length back of them, but not losing ground. Sinning Black is keeping up with them in the fifth position. Meanwhile, further back in the field, things set up just the way a closer would love it for Hamilton Library. There was plenty of open space directly in front of him in the turn for him to take advantage of without anyone hindering him. This allowed him to pass a few, but then Hamilton Library had to alter his path just a little to keep from running into Later Dude as that one drifted out just a touch on exit of the turn. E Jaramillo read that well, though, and moved Hamilton Library to the outside of that for an easy pass. Now, he had only the top five in front of him and while he had to deal with a 4-5 wide position on the track, it was a clean lane that would allow him to showcase his closing kick. Towards the inside, What A Joke was hitting good stride, and while he had been passed by Hamilton Library in the turn, it seemed like he could make a bid for some KYD points, too. Buccaneers Bounty was another to keep an eye on.
(Finish- 1:41.76)- Right from the beginning of the stretch run, Hamilton Library was gaining on the front five with every stride, and clearly would have enough time to get by all of them if he maintained it. With a half furlong to go, he had only South Point to worry about, but would not have much trouble passing that one either, taking over the top spot with a little time to spare. He’d win while driving and scores an impressive victory by a length and a half, and you have to like his prospects of handling the longer distances of TC season with the way he handled himself here. In a close photo for second, South Point holds off both What A Joke and Sinning Black. What A Joke is another one to watch as the distances increase. Buccaneers Bounty was somewhat in this photo as well. Nevada Lee is sixth, ahead of Wisdom, Ghostzap, Tarte Aux Pommes, Pink Shark, and Later Dude. Eventually, we’ve heard that Shula did finish as well.
About The Winner- Hamilton Library, trained by First Flight Stable and ridden to victory by E Jaramillo, is a three-year-old gelding by Hamilton and is out of Hawaiian Warrior. He was bred by First Flight Stable in New York as a first quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in seven starts, and it is his first stake win. His career earnings improve to $222.710.
Track: Fast
Time: :232 :47 1:111 1:413
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 4 – 8 Paid 350.20
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 8 – 1 Paid 930.90
Scratched: Chameleon
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
