Wasted Tears Stakes
LS Race #9 1 1/16m Turf Stake
Purse $150.000 (plus up to $22.50 for TX-breds) For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.

With only four starters this race has a lot of tears, but they won’t be wasted as everyone goes home with a participation medal even if some will be worth more than others. Looking more like a handicap than a handicap race this has more interest than it looks at first glance and should be a decent contest.

1 Numeric Madness Ekli Stable Eramia R E 122 —

A five-year-old that was formerly with Aer Stables where she had started to run some good races before being snapped up for a cheap-looking $36.900 in the end-of-year auction. The trainer has found a couple of wins in decent overnights so this one owes her trainer nothing after that purchase and comes here with some of the best-exposed form in the race. Most notably that form includes a third in the grade one Rodeo Drive and as her works still seem solid enough and she has clearly settled well into her new stable I would say she could be the favorite to win.

2 Springs Eternal Aarons Hosses Alvarez J L 116 —

Bottom weight she gets in very well against this field but still has something to prove at this level. A good maiden winner at DMR she was tested in the Natalma next time but although she made ground after a slow start from a wide draw she didn’t really get into that race. She tried again in the Providencia Stakes a couple of races later but again got a wide draw and was a no-show. She got back to winning ways in lesser grade at GG last time out, but she will need every pound of the six she gets if she is going to win this.

3 Tall Southern Lady Oquinn Farm Elliott S 118 —

She has been pretty consistent this year being in the money in four ungraded stakes races in a row and represents good value for the weight she gets today. Although her last four have been on dirt her last win came on turf over this trip and she is unbeaten on the grass so I don’t think that will be a problem. I would say a definite for the boxed exacta with the one horse.

4 Aquifer Mo Mentum Farm Quinonez L S 122 —

This one doesn’t have the flashy form lines in recent races, but I don’t think she should be overlooked here and may just be the dark horse in the race. The only negative may be that in five starts on the turf, she has yet to win and in four tries at longer trips she is also winless so there are plenty of question marks against her form.

SUMMARY

Well, I think this is between Numeric Madness and Tall Southern Lady and the weight difference could make it very close indeed. I have a little nagging thought that Aquifer may turn out to be a bit of a shock winner though as her recent turf work was promising and just sometimes the code can be written in such a way that they get a big help up the improvement curve at certain times of their careers and this one may just be in the category.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded