Wishing Well Stakes
SA Race #6 6 1/2f Turf Stake
Purse $100.000 For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward.

1 Giga V Invicta Group Llc Prat F 123 —

A fairly consistent sort but she has been struggling to win since a great start to her career. Only once out of claimers in her last five starts she does have something to prove at this level but has seemed to improve on the grass so maybe she could improve again today.

2 Pelucha Avenue Z Rosario J 123 —

Took the Unzip Me Stakes over this course and distance and gets in here with no penalty so must be a consideration from the perfect draw. She was disappointing on seasonal debut but may have needed the run so she may be worth another chance.

3 Club Card Alydar Stables Valdivia J Jr 123 —

Unbeaten over this course and distance and the winner of seven races I really like her chances here as she looks to have landed the right gate in the right race.

4 Red Flags Maxmillion Farm Espinoza V 123 —

Ran a faster time over this course and distance than Club Card when beaten a head last time out so if that form stands up, she has an outstanding chance.

5 Always Condottieri Maletto Smith M E 123 —

Plenty of form here with one of the class horses in the race, she has won 11 races for over $1,500.000, so must be a chance in an ungraded stakes race. She can be frustrating at times and these older types tend to start shopping around the trips as they become a little inconsistent. I am not sure this is her best trip but as we all know, it doesn’t always come down to the distance of the race as to who will win.

6 Sweetness High Voltage Van Dyke D 123 —

This seven-year-old has 41 starts for 9 wins for over $1,000.000, so like the horse inside her, has a good track record and will be tough in this class. She only managed the one win last year, so her previous form has to be taken with a pinch of salt, but she was good enough on seasonal debut to be given a big chance today.

7 In Dreams TwinTowersRacing Maldonado E 123 —

Dead heated for the win with Stellar Strength in the highly competitive Music City Stakes over this trip and a repeat of that run would probably go close to winning this. She has been flicked around trips and surface which may make her form look a bit all over the place but this stable knows how to knock out the wins and I would be very wary of her if you bet against her.

8 My Girl Makita Smokey Stover Gutierrez Mario 123 —

It just goes to show how competitive racing at HRP is at the moment when you get an ungraded stakes with this many proven graded stakes winners in the field. This is the winner of 14 races and well over $2,000.000 in prize money so again we have an older mare out to prove herself still able to turn it on. She won the Maddy Stakes over this course and distance at the end of last year but was a shade disappointing on seasonal debut so whilst she undoubtedly has a winning chance it may pay to treat her chances with a little reserve until she proves herself at age 7.

9 Stellar Strength Mb Stables Dettori L 123 —

Dead heated with In Dreams in the Music City Stakes but disappointed in her next two. She was dropped into the Common class to win on debut and the trainer often does that to bring back a horse’s confidence so if it has had the desired effect, she must be a good chance here.

SUMMARY

Wow, this is some field for an ungraded race running for a small prize, and I often wonder why the big-ticket open allowances draw small fields for much the same purse as these stakes races do. What it has done has given us a great race to watch and hopefully find a winner and with four proven top-class fillies and mares in the field there are plenty to choose from. I am going outside the heavy weights for this based purely on time form and I may box up Club Card and Red Flags for what may be a nice return on the boxed exacta.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded