Triple Bend Stakes – Grade II
SA Race #3 7f Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

1 Pray For Sunshine Spankys Barn Smith M E 123 —

A six-year-old, he has been on the cusp of this sort of level for a while but has yet to make a really consistent challenge. Last year he was a close fourth in the grade one Vanderbilt Handicap and this year he won the Fool Handicap so there is clearly ability there, but he has rarely strung two big performances together. His works are sharp and at his best he could win and if he runs to his running style he could get out to a lead and run well.

2 All Take Alydar Stables Van Dyke D 123 —

This is a bit of a classic HRP move here to bring a router whose best recent run has been a runner up at grade one over nine furlongs back to sprinting in the hope of finding his first win for a year. That last win of course was in the Preakness over a mile and three sixteenths suggesting that HRP, will be way too short for him, but, of course, that is not how it works at HRP, and the trainer knows it. As a Preakness winner he is working sprint trips as fast as the best sprinters in the game, another HRP anomaly, so his record over longer trips really has no bearing on his ability to win this.
OK so removing the obvious real-life consideration, here we have a grade one winner who is working some of the best times, drawn in the perfect gate with a jockey who is riding well. Yup, looks like a winning chance to me too.

3 Chemical Burn Mb Stables Espinoza V 123 —

As we see so often, this stable claimed this one who had looked at best just a good over nighter and turned him into a stakes horse with no change to adds. In fact, he is running pretty much the same times he was for his previous owner suggesting it may have been more of a budget thing that kept him out of the top level rather than anything to do with ability. Anyway, whatever happened he took the Fleet Sprint Handicap last time and clearly is a much better chance than he was a few months ago. His recent track work says the trainer is finding more and more from somewhere and with a great draw he has to go into the winning chance category.

4 Croton Road Invicta Group Llc Bravo J 123 —

A decent enough sort who isn’t the worst here on form and works but isn’t the best either. A bit of a deep closer so far, a tactic which is tough to win with on the new engine his trainer will be hoping for a suicidal pace and if that happens maybe this one could get involved at the end.

5 Chip Away South Shore Stables Gonzalez Ru 123 —

A real solid sprinter he ran pretty well in last year’s BC Sprint and has been in consistent form ever since in high level open allowances. His works do not inspire too much confidence but works mean far less than they used to at HRP, and he is more than capable of making his presence felt on race day.

6 First Down Dash Axeman Vazquez R A 123 —

A consistent seven-year-old with 11 wins to his name he deserves to be in this race and will always run his heart out. I think he may have lost some of his zip as he has aged but at his best would certainly be in with a shout.

7 Bigmouth Raj Night Rider Stables Rispoli U 123 —

Won nicely over this course and distance last time and is a five-year-old that has certainly progressed nicely with age. This may well be his specialist trip and his works are sharp, so I would put this one in as a lively outsider.

8 Electric Angelos Stable Gutierrez Mario 123 —

Another five-year-old who is right in it at this level. He has won over this trip and has run three graded stakes placings in a row suggesting he is not far from breaking in for the win.

9 Plan To Wheel Fractious Cedillo A 123 —

Out battled Electric in the Kona Stales last time and seems to have the perfect running style for this race engine. He is proven at this trip and certainly rates a top four chance.

10 Surprise Authority Spankys Barn Maldonado E 123 —

Another real consistent five-year-old who is running the races and the work times to be a big chance in this race. The wide draw won’t make things easy as the last time he was drawn wide at this level he went back and ran on as an also ran. If the race engine is kind and allows him to run his race, he is a real danger to the principals.

11 California Sun Royalty Stables Hernandez J J 123 —

Claimed back in February and since then he has won three in a row culminating in the grade three Runhappy last time. It just goes to show once again that very often horses can find a bit after they join a new stable and like Chemical Burn very little seems to have changed since he was just a consistent place getter. The cheap seats aren’t the best place on the old race engine but on this one the corners seem to run flatter and we have seen many winners come from the car park.

12 Profound Perfection Threshold Pereira T J 123 —

Thrown in, bad draw, bad jockey, has some ability beyond his form but will need a race engine miracle to win.

SUMMARY

Well, despite the trip you have to take All Take to win. The biggest danger will always come from an Mb runner regardless of whether they are the best horse or not so Chemical Burn may be the only one that can beat him. Beyond those two there are a few improving five-year-olds and some consistent sprinters that may push those two and who knows, with this new race engine one of them may just find themselves the beneficiary of an easy lead or a suicidal pace.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES