‘Debutante
6 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $225.000 Filly 2 Year Olds.

With less than two-tenths of a second covering the first six and only 1.2 seconds covering every runner, this indeed was a race that was as close as expected considering everything was pretty much working and running within that sort of threshold. I am pretty sure these horses will finish in a different order if they meet again because a jockey change, a different draw, or just a pace choice by the race engine will make enough of a change that the 1.2 seconds is pretty meaningless. But today it was Fake Sunset and Arkansas Elite’s day as she managed to find a way through from the rail to get home by a head. Here is how they ran:

1st Fake Sunset Arkansas Elite Garcia Mar

The fast early pace played into this one’s hands although being stuck on the rail she had to show some pretty mature race craft and plenty of luck to find the gaps to put her stamina to good use. She never had to go wide as the rail opened up like the red sea and she simply stayed in a straight line to the post. She could have easily been sixth if the AI had sent her wide, so luck certainly played a part, but I do think this is a very good sort who may well turn out to be a good one when stretched out over even further. She went on my BC juvenile list today and though it’s early days I like where she is going.

2nd Remember This Day Pan Farms Cohen D

If I were a mathematician, I could tell you just how much further this one ran than the winner but wide isn’t as wide as it was on the old engine, so she wasn’t as inconvenienced as she would’ve been. I thought she had it as they entered the final furlong, but the effort proved just too much in the end and she got collared by the closing winner. She certainly has guts plenty and that will see her run well in the bigger races and who knows if she had got an inside draw today and saved the extra ground she may well have won today.

3rd Gulfstream 5 Oquinn Farm Loveberry J

Lost her unbeaten tag but lost nothing in defeat going down by just a neck in a driving finish. I think she will make a good mile plus filly in the long run.

4th Lawbreaker Diablo Diablo Beschizza A

Dealt with the draw pretty well and ended up a creditable fourth. I think her experience certainly helped here and she was finishing well enough to suggest it is worth another go at this level.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded