Winn (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
CD- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 18, 2016
Last week, the Gotham winner and one of the better three year olds in the game was missing in action from the BEL. As many know, after the PRK, Missing In Action was sold from Downwind Stables along with KYD winner Water Mummy deal in what was labeled a package deal to aspiring new trainer, John Henry. The new trainer has wasted no time in picking up a slew of talented horses with Minda and Rocket Man also being two that were acquired, as well as talented sire Skeleton Key (purchased Wednesday for $177.770). Not much is known yet about the new trainer, and some speculate if it is someone who was once previously active in the game. Nonetheless, John Henry drops Missing In Action down significantly in their first race together, to this $100.000 Winn. Despite the drop, there is some very good opposition he meets here, including Coup de Lyon, who also ran in both the KYD and PRK. Others who were on the trail and posted decent results along the way that are in this field include Admirals Aces, Overspender, and Mystery Boy. The end result is a surprisingly loaded field for this race, and this isn’t something that has necessarily been common for this race. A field of nine (originally ten) go the gate here, let’s look at them!
#1- Admirals Aces (Grimley, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Still a winner of just one out of six races, Admirals Aces impressed back in April when he finished fourth in a Grade 1 FL Derby that was overflowing with talent. It was a tough spot for him to make his graded debut in, but he hung with the frontrunners all day. This would prove to be too little too late though to get him into the KYD, and the trainer opted for the Grade 2 Peter Pan at BEL. He was not really able to build on what he was able to do at GP in that race, finishing fifth, even though the SRF numbers and race times suggest improvement and note that Overspender was second in the same race. This is a great spot for him to end up off of that and a little less distance could make the difference when comparing him to Overspender. We also know he is not intimidated by the likes of Missing In Action, and his inside post position figures to help.
#2- Awkward Seven (Mcl Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- On Monday, Awkward Seven was gelded. In our virtual world, there have been many examples of how that has turned a horse’s career around, so it’s certainly the main variable to consider when assessing his chances. To this point, this PA-bred has not done anything other then annihilate two others at the free track in November. He’s turned in a couple decent results, but recent attempts to advance his career have come up short. Based on his placement, we know the trainer really believes in him, so we have to ask again, what will the geld do for him? As I have said several times, if this leads to a win, geld an underachiever in your stable in appreciation.
#3- The Star Of Jones (Oval Express Farms, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)– You would have seen The Star of Jones on KYD day at CD, but on the undercard in an optional claimer. No, he didn’t win. Actually, he didn’t beat anybody. That was his first attempt at running on the grass, and it didn’t go well. On the main track, this colt has been a lot better, scoring a good looking maiden win at SA in April. He’s still young and unproven, and does not have the accolades as many in this field will have, but if he can duplicate the effort that he did at SA that day, he could find himself in the mix.
#4- Coup de Lyon (Nakamura Stables, ridden by J S Rocco Jr)- The Knowledge Geek gelding was one of the last ones to get into the KYD on points, and he was never able to make his presence felt, beating only Phooeys Ideal and Snowmizer in the race. The trainer hoped for a better result at the PRK two weeks later, but that did not really happen. The result was pretty similar to the KYD despite a major tactical change. Instead of heading to the BEL and possibly getting more of the same, Coup de Lyon ends up here, in a spot where he can remind all of us that he actually is a very talented racehorse. A good run here will be important, because let’s face it, those last three lines on his past performances look pretty ugly. Coup de Lyon will rebound well here, and definitely should be one of the favorites here. I’m making him my pick as I just have a positive gut feeling about him here.
#5- Overspender (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Possibly lost in the shadows of other talented stablemates, Overspender started to show his champion talent a little late to be able to get into the KYD. He caught the attention of many back in March when he placed second in the Grade 2 TAM Derby, but the race after that, the Wood Memorial at AQU was do or die for points, and he finished off the board. Not to worry, Mb Stables simply sent him to the Grade 2 Peter Pan, where he finished second to some horse named Black Mojo. You know, the one that just finished second in the BEL last week? Certainly no shame in finishing as the runner up there. Overspender is due to finally pick up a graded win, but this field may have come up a little tougher then the trainer was wanting. Absolutely one of the top horses here.
#6- Sir Amos (Blushing Meadows, ridden by M Mena)- Last month at CD, Sir Amos was finally able to break his maiden, coming in his sixth start. Just to show how difficult it can be to win a high level maiden, when he failed to win his fifth career start, the winner that day was The Star Of Jones. That’s him in post position #3 here, today! When he failed to win his fourth career start, the winner that day was Black Mojo. Yep, we just talked about him having finished 2nd in the BEL last week! So even though he makes his graded debut here, you can say he has been running against graded runners for a while now and you wouldn’t be wrong. I like the way he won the maiden event, as well. His odds could start sneaking up there on race day, and if they do, take a shot!
#7- Missing In Action (John Henry, ridden by R J Albarado)- Up until the KYD, many people would have considered Missing In Action to be among the top 10 or so three year olds in the game. After a great two year old season carried into a strong start this year, he was definitely a top contender. In the Grade 3 Gotham, former trainer Downwind Stables provided us one of the highlights of the prep season by calling his shot before the race and then backing it up on the track. Time has been ticking since then, and in the three months since that race, Missing In Action has missing from earning a check after a race. The FL Derby was tough, so there was still confidence in the KYD that he could run a big one. That would be the other one who ran in Downwind silks that day. Missing In Action would be 11th in the KYD and 13th in the PRK, and that would lead to him being sold to John Henry for $300.000. Unfortunate circumstances forced the sale, and we wish for the best for Downwind Stables right now. John Henry races him for the first time and is faced with the task of getting this colt’s career back on the path it was in back in March.
#8- Viking Rasta (Delta Farms, ridden by J J Castellano)- Like Sir Amos, it took Viking Rasta a little while to break his maiden, needing seven starts to it. He was pretty good at finishing out the exacta early in his career, however. Viking Rasta hadn’t run in to the same caliber of eventual race winners in those maidens like Sir Amos, though. What he did do was back up that win with another one, coming in the ungraded $100.000 Sir Barton on the PRK undercard. His performance that day was quite stunning, earning a 97 SRF in the process at this very distance. If he runs like that again, he can beat everyone in this field.
#9- Quadplex- Scratched
#10- Mystery Boy (Heavens Own, ridden by R Bejarano)- The Pip Boy gelding made a strong push to get into the TC races, but in the end, he would never be able to find his way into one. During the winter, he was pretty impressive, and the highlight was his win in the $150.000 Smarty Jones at OP in January. He’s come close to building on that, and may have been a victim of tough luck along the way. In the Grade 2 Risen Star at FG, he was seventh, but only missed out by a length. A month later, he went to the SA Derby, and was third and less then a length from the winners. That seems like good form, and it was, until the Peter Pan. If the trainer knows why this happened and knows what to do to avoid it, then all should be ok. Otherwise, that’s just not going to get it done here. Overspender beat him by nearly a full second.
Prediction: 4-5-1-7
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
