The MTH Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
MTH- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
June 17, 2023
We will have a field of nine going to post for Saturday’s running of The MTH Stakes, which is a nine-furlong race on the turf. Trainers will need to keep an eye on the skies for this one, because as of press time, there is a 60% chance of rain at the track for race day. The MTH Stakes first appeared on our schedule in 2010 as a Grade 3 with a $250.000 purse but did have a stretch as a Grade 2 for a while. In 2022, Nakamura Stables won the race with his gelding Buffalo G, and while that one has still been running well, he will not have an opportunity to defend that crowd here. Here’s a quick look at those looking to be the next MTH Stakes winner!
#1- B N Broadway (Choppy Inc., ridden by N Juarez)- This one is still going, and the eight-year-old gelding will be making his 44th career start. During the winter months, he put together a three-race win streak that ended with the TAM Stakes in February. After that race, he has been rather ineffective in terms of making money, but his speed figures for the last two are still very good. Hasn’t run on wet tracks a lot but doesn’t seem as though it’s an issue for him.
#2- Powervolt Patterson (Patterson Stables, ridden by P L Cotto Jr)- Most of his races have been in claimers, and that includes a start on June 5th at MNR, when he ran for a $25.000 tag. It was a good win and all, but not what usually leads to a graded start just eleven days later. He’s been lightly raced, so I wouldn’t be concerned about the short rest, but I am concerned about the massive jump in class.
#3- Affirmed Authority (Asgar, ridden by J Rendon)- Comes into the race after tiring to a seventh-place result in the Forester Turf Classic. That result ended a three-race winning streak for him, but still earned a 100 SRF, so more of the same against lesser competition may get it done. The five starts before the three wins were all runner ups, so he’s still on good form. He’s also one to like if it rains, with two wins and a second in his three off track starts.
#4- Sports Page (Bomberracing, ridden by J C Ferrer)- You know the name. But is he the same? Yes, he did run in the BC Classic last year and the Pegasus World Cup this year, but all he has to show for those are participation trophies. He was claimed by Bomberracing for $19.000 in his last start, a race he was a non-factor in. It’s going to take a lot to get this one back to his old glory and a recent work on the turf does not excite me.
#5- Cascade King (Nakamura Stables, ridden by I Castillo)- He draws the assignment of trying to get the second win in a row for the trainer in the MTH Stakes. Cascade King has not won since October but has been hit and miss with strong performances since then, including a second place in the Grade 3 Dinner Party last month. Might be one to look past if it rains though, as his off-track efforts have been subpar.
#6- Chai Danger (Wolf Ridge Stables, ridden by J L Gonzalez)- Another horse with plenty of experience, as it will be his 42nd career race. Over that time, he has won ten races and has an especially good history when running in LA-bred stakes as he has in fact won the last four such races, he has been in, dating back to December 2021. Still looking for a graded win and has been close in his last two attempts including a close second in the TAM Stakes. Won’t be the favorite in here but will be a contender.
#7- Wayward Prince (Angelos Stable, ridden by J A Vargas Jr)- A lightly raced four-year-old gelding with only nine starts, but four of those are wins. In his last start, he won an allowance at PIM and will now get a chance to make his stake debut. Worked very well here at the beginning of the month, so he will be up for the challenge. If nothing else, he’s turned into a good pickup for a $32.000 claimer who should still have a bright future.
#8- Grand Opening (Riggins Racing, ridden by L J Luzzi)- Riding a six-race win streak, but even that has not stopped him from being sold twice in the middle of it. Most recently was picked up in private sales for $20.000, and he has won all three of the races since. He’s been given tougher assignments with each race and comes here off a win in the Grade 3 Dinner Party, a race he won by three lengths and earned a 101 SRF. Hopefully he has found a home now, because he certainly deserves stable ownership.
#9- Key Ambition (Czech Out Farms, ridden by H R Diaz Jr)- He’s also riding a win streak, but not quite as long as Grand Opening. For Key Ambition, it’s a three-race streak that is highlighted by a win in the $100.000 Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap at TUP from March. Following that, he won an open allowance and that has earned him a chance to run against graded company for the first time. Not a horse that will be worried about rain.
Prediction: 3-8-6-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
