The Sanford – Grade III
SAR Race #7 6f Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $175.000 For Two Year Olds.
1 Abyss Fractious Centeno D E 118 —
As usual these early stakes races are about all the big-ticket maiden winners sorting out which is the best early in the year. This entire ran well on debut and put that experience to good use with a game win in a CD maiden going through the wire in 57 and 1. That winning time is the benchmark for this race as are the works of 1.11 and 1 and 58 and 3 so six-furlong right in the mold as a winner of this race. He gets Centeno in the saddle who will be looking to take up a position without getting too buried from this ace draw and of things play out he will be on top of many lists.
2 Evil Dead Jive Inc. Lezcano J 118 —
Won a WO maiden in 57 and 2 at the second time of asking and whilst his six-furlong work could not break 1.12 he does have the sub 59 work over the five furlongs to suggest he could be up to this grade. Though his winning race was a little slower than some of these the track variant was such that he earned the same speed figure as Abyss did when he won in a quicker time so his chances from this perfect draw certainly aren’t hurt by that winning time.
3 Free Roundhouse La Canada Racehorses Davis D 118 —
He only just scraped home in his maiden at BEL but has run both his races like this six furlongs will suit him and that small winning margin shouldn’t put you off. A recent 1.11 flat work says he is a main contender here and his speed figures again are the same as the horses inside him. 1.11 is about as fast as the juveniles can go at this time of year and with a great draw, he must be a very solid win contender.
4 Lion Command Riggins Racing Saez L 118 —
Well, picking the winner doesn’t get any easier as we go through this card as here, we have the only two-time winner in the field. His last win in a CD allowance was won in a time none of the others have managed and he too has hit the sub 1.12 and 59 works to put him in the right race. an SRF figure of 90 is held by nine horses in this twelve-horse field just showing how close these two-year-olds are being churned out but this one comes in with the third best of 92 which would suggest he too has a winning chance.
5 Off Break Asgar Cancel E 118 —
He proved this longer trip will not be a problem with an easy maiden win at his third time of asking at WO. The key here is that he has also run a 1.11 flat work which is about as good as it gets and runs from a gate where he will have more choices than the inner and outer draws. I feel he may be overlooked in this field and could be the dark horse in the race.
6 The Chicken Man Aarons Hosses Ortiz I Jr 118 —
Well, another maiden winner this time at SA who scored a 90 SRF figure and another that has proven he runs well beyond the five furlongs with his win last time over 5.5. This trainer isn’t known for their breeding successes so this is a great one to have and it would be nice to see him run well which he has every right to do with race times and work times right up there with the best of these.
7 Charm City Bomber Jerry Garcia Racing Prat F 118 —
You can’t get better than being unbeaten and it is rare enough to win on debut in this game so this one deserves a good look. I like the fact that his 57 and 1 winning time was on debut, and you would expect a bump from that race putting him a little ahead of those that had had a prep race going into their maiden wins. The trainer is on fire at the moment, and I am thinking this son of Bronx Bomber may be a bit special.
8 Coronado Beach Alydar Stables Lopez P 118 —
Guess what…. won his maiden at CD in 57 and 1 achieving a 90-speed figure…..this really does look like a race with nine clones racing. Sure enough, he too has worked the required sub 1.12 work times, so it really is impossible to tell them apart. I suspect he may be the speed influence in this race after two fast starts and a lot depends on how the race engine treats him from gate 8.
9 Gold Vault Fractious Castellano J J 118 —
Yes, another 90-speed figure winning a big-ticket maiden in 57 and 2 and working I 59, if I wrote ditto on most of these it may be the most accurate assessment of their chances. Another son of Chase My Tail Lights, he could win or finish ninth, I really couldn’t tell you but he has done nothing wrong in his short career and won his maiden from a wide gate, so that is a plus. Wide again today he will need some race engine favors, but like so many is a winning chance.
10 Beaten Path TwinTowersRacing Velazquez J R 118 —
Ok, now we get to the widest gates we come to the two that have already tasted black type racing and also have the 95 speed figures which makes them stand out among the 90’s. This home bred was a close second in the Tremont, so is clearly a precocious type, ideal for these early stakes races. Though he shares the best speed figure his works are pretty much the same as the best of the 90’s so again his chances are tied up with the wide gate and the race engine rather than his lack of ability.
11 Empire State First Class Stable Franco M 118 —
The second 95 speed figure with black type form he achieved his with a second in the KY Juvenile after a win on debut. His works are a bit harder to weigh up but that second in the KY Juvenile is probably the best form in this race and therefore he could be considered the favorite here. Of course, his chances with the wide draw will once again be at the mercy of the race engine, but if he is given a fair chance in running, he could well win.
12 Diventare Fractious Gonzalez El 118 —
Drawn in the car park he is the ninth 90 speed figure winning maiden and did so in the 57 and 1 at WO. His works are sharp, and a better draw would have put him as one of the favorites but sometimes the wide draw can be an advantage in a race that looks like it may have more than one hard luck story.
SUMMARY
Well, who will win the race of the clones? It really is impossible to say, so it may be safer just to go with the speed figures and box up Beaten Path, Empire State and Lion Command. If you want to have a gamble on one, then I am actually suggesting Charm City Bomber from the in-form Jerry Garcia Stable as maybe the best bet.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
