The 17th Running of the Colonel Power Stakes
Saturday, February 18, 2023
FG Race #5 $100.000
4+ 123 Lbs 5.5 (T)
#1 Creepy Rocky Party (Mb Stables/L. Detorri): MGSW in ’22, he started ’23 locally with a runner-up in a similar spot. Caught a soft course that day and was only beaten less than a length. BC participant could be sitting on go with the rail draw.
#2 Electric Blue (Choppy Inc/D. Carroll): Shared runner-up honors three weeks ago in a GP open ALW. Don’t like that he’s at level weights with some of these, but he is in the midst of a good run of form.
#3 Silver Woman (Hippyheart/J. Loveberry): 5yo gelding only raced four times last year, so he should be relatively fresh. Had won three straight prior to the two recent near misses. Well-drawn and should be involved from the jump.
#4 Lunar Watch (Black N Gold Stable/C.J. Hernandez): 7yo hasn’t won in a while; however, his last three efforts on firm ground make him a player here. Gelding didn’t fire in seasonal/engine bow but could be better prepared at second asking.
#5 Cherokee Raj (Night Rider Stables/M. Murrill): 6yo took his seasonal debut last year before losing seven year but. He was ITM four other times last year but have to wonder how he’ll act on the new engine.
#6 Come Together (South Shore Stables/A. Bocachica): 4yo didn’t race much as a sophomore, but he also didn’t win after his June debut. Like the fact that he’s proven capable to fire fresh but would like more reliability to confidently go to the windows.
#7 Glass Of Hermes (Simmer Down Stable/F. Geroux): Tagged for $32.000 in December, he didn’t lift a hoof on a bogged-down SA course in seasonal bow. Backers have to hope effort was due more to course condition than ability.
Final Analysis: 1-2-4 is how we see it in the Colonel Power Stakes. Good luck to everyone involved!
The 18th Running of the Stall Memorial Stakes
Saturday, February 18, 2023
FG Race #6 $100.000
F&M 4+ 123 Lbs (plus penalties) 11/16 (T)
#1 Just As Sharp (Paradise Stable/F. Geroux 123): Rail horse has been reasonable at this same level. Only has the maiden-breaker to show for her eleven starts, but she has four other ITM finishes. Didn’t break the best on old engine, so it’s reasonable to expect an improved performance is plausible.
#2 Peppermint Diamonds (Allinthegate/L. Saez 125): High weight has to spot her four rivals two pounds due to her SAR NY-bred score back in July. That is her only turf win; however, she has only been OTB once in five turf starts.
#3 Your What Hurts (YME Stable/J.R. Velazquez 123): Filly has been productive with limited exposure to grass racing. Note that those efforts were at levels that are comparable to what she faces here. Nice to see her win the ’23 bow even if it was on the main track.
#4 Casting Spells (Sting Racing/D. Carroll 123): Filly hasn’t been off the board since March, but she’s only had four starts in that time frame. Made a mild rally here last month in a similar spot and may be ready to produce a better effort in this second spin on this engine.
#5 Jackie Trip (Gdp Inc/L. Detorri 123): ’23 debut was a solid runner-up effort on the main track, and she’s proven grass is her preferred surface. Faced tougher groups early last year and was at least competitive at the G3 level.
Final Analysis: 3-1-4 in some combination is how they’ll hit the wire in the Stall Memorial. Good luck to everyone racing at FG!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
