Monrovia Stakes – Grade III
SA Race #16 6 1/2f Turf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward.

1 Trippi Sprinkle Mb Stables Hernandez C J 123 —

Drawn the ace we find the Mb Stables trained Trippi Sprinkle who was bought for $285.000 from Gdp Inc as a five-year-old. It is hard to knock her record of 16 wins from 31 starts but amazingly although she has no less than eleven stakes wins NONE of them have come at graded level. That’s not to say she hasn’t run well in graded stakes; she was fifth beaten a length in this race last year, but it is a remarkable fact that she hasn’t managed to win a today,. She can certainly break through today but it would take a brave gambler to say that this is her day over the eight times she has tried before.

2 The Black Water Arindel Centeno D E 123 —

She has won over this course and distance which can be a big plus as the downhill track doesn’t suit every sprinter. She won the Las Cienegas Stakes first up this year and was then beaten less than a length in the Wishing Well, so it is easy to give her every chance from the perfect draw.

3 Stinky Rene TwinTowersRacing Gonzalez Ru 123 —

Like all the great horses from this barn she isn’t given an easy race and has been competing at a high level for a year now. The winner of the Red Carpet Handicap over a marathon trip it would be somewhat strange to see her line up in a race like this if this was a real-life race but at HRP unfortunately the distance of a race seems to mean less than the ability written in the code, so I am not too worried about her ability to sprint. Her works are on the money and as long as she doesn’t get too far back, she may well be a dark horse.

4 Bohemian Bourbon Smokey Stover Silvera Ru 123 —

Smokey Stover plucks this one from their harem of beautiful girls that seem to grow out of the woodwork at their stables and whilst she hasn’t reached the heights of some of her stable mates her works are telling us she is keen to get among the greats in the stable. She had been kept out of the limelight until a great third in the KD Ladies Sprint from a wide draw but once again went back to the shadows running mostly in open allowance company at lower grade tracks. Today she gets another chance at graded level and if her works are anything to go by, she is certainly ready for it.

5 Hollywood Babe Maxmillion Farm Gutierrez Mario 123 —

She looked to be building into a leading sprinter last year winning three black type races in a row including the KD Ladies Sprint and the Franklin County but ended the season on a bit of a downer with a defeat in the BC Turf Sprint and then again at Allowance level. She then had a decent break and came out with a better effort over this course and distance and has since been sizzling up the gallops. I have a feeling she is on her way back and looks a real winning chance.

6 Sweetness High Voltage Franco M 123 —

Won this race last year and then ran pretty well over much longer trips in the Flower Bowl and Rodeo Drive showing once again how little the trip can mean to these digital horses. She looked as good as ever when coming back after a break when third in the Irish Stakes over this course and distance and you have to think that a winning double in this race is very much a possibility.

7 Point Of Honor High Voltage Hernandez R M 123 —

This is one of those horses that we would all love in our barn, the winner of ten from twenty-three and a real consistent five-year-old who rarely runs a bad race. She is on a four timer here after taking her third stakes race in a row last time and as a winner over this course and distance no less than five times must be considered a specialist and they can be very hard to beat.

8 Laptop Oquinn Farm Loveberry J 123 —

Lightly raced and an improving sort who looks like she will be winning races like this before long. The draw and timing may be against her but she is on my watch list and a good effort here may launch a successful season.

9 End Of Ze World Winning Link Stables Elliott S 123 —

Gets the car park but is not a forlorn hope. Lightly raced as a five-year-old she has plenty of ability and has won over this trip. She ran well from the car park last time so should again be in the race at the end.

SUMMARY

There are three horses next to each other here that I really like as a boxed trifecta. Hollywood Babe from the turf king may just get the nod but Sweetness and Point of Honor will be pushing all the way to the line.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES