The Challenger Stakes (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
TAM- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
March 9, 2024
Two BC winners are set to take part in the $1,000.000 Grade 1…. err, made that the Grade 3 $100.000 Challenger Stakes at TAM, a race that in theory, would not be a place where you would expect to find the likes of Sexy Back and Seydoux II going head-to-head. But here they are, going up another that ran third in the BC last November and the second-place finisher from the BEL last summer. Now, all of that does not necessarily mean they are all at the top of their game right now, but it’s a tough assignment for anyone who brought an up and comer into the race. The 2023 race, one that had some good names but not at the level we see this year, was won by Ricki Tikki Tavi, for La Canada Racehorses. He’s still active but hasn’t seen in a graded race since June. Let’s take a look at our field of nine.
1- Berlin (The Sidley Stud, ridden by M Franco)- Claimed by the trainer for $7.000 about a year ago, and just two starts later, he won the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes at WO. That shows the great job that The Sidley Stud has done with him, and Berlin went on to win the Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes in October. Afterwards, he has been second twice in other graded races. Didn’t impress in the General George at LRL, but still earned a 100 SRF for it, his fifth triple digit SRF in six races. It’ll need to be six out of seven to beat the big guns here.
2- Seydoux II (Arindel, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This is the BC winner that surprises me the most with the fact that he is here and not something better. His BC Dirt Mile win was his fourth victory out of six races, so it certainly was not a fluke. Last time out, he was midpack in the Pegasus World Cup. But it’s the Pegasus World Cup, not something small. Makes me wonder what has the trainer concerned coming out of that. Perhaps, it’s simply limited options right now.
3- Jolly Rook (Angelos Stable, ridden by A A Gallardo)- With all of the accolades of horses in the opening, not one of them was something Jolly Rook did. And this is a horse that has won $2,600.000 for his career. A lot of that came a while ago, but still, over $600.000 was from 2023, thanks to three wins in which two were graded. The $500.000 New Orleans Handicap played a big part in that from last March. That, by the way, is not a handicap in 2024. We’re used to him running long from his better days, but after a string of sprints, only recently has he gotten back to running at least a mile.
4- Troublesome Order (Alydar Stables, ridden by D Cabrera)- It’s a troublesome field for this four-year-old gelding who has absolutely earned the right to take on graded competition for the first time. He’s won his last two, each an optional claimer at this exact distance, and they came with a come from behind effort. In late February, he turned in some great works at GP, showing that he would ordinarily be more than ready to handle a Grade 3, $100.000 field. But he gets this, a true test, and he is definitely one to be rooting for if you don’t otherwise have an interest in the race. I’d love to see him knock these off, and don’t think it is, in any way, a stretch for him to do so.
5- Sexy Back (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- A truly memorable 2023 it was for this Aggravation gelding, with over $4,000.00 in earnings. No win was bigger than the BC Classic, where he went wire to wire while earning a 103 SRF. But did that take something out of him? We’ve seen Sexy Back two times since then, he has been a non-factor in each of the Cigar Handicap and the Pegasus World Cup, both obviously topflight races. He was a considerable high weight in the Cigar. I don’t think he needed to drop down into this either but can understand it a little more.
6- Calico Jack (Asgar, ridden by F Geroux)- A horse that has not been raced a whole lot, but the patience that Asgar has had with this one may be paying dividends. Two starts ago, he won in the slop at the $75.000 CC Express, but an absolute dud that followed makes it hard to get excited about that one. Now, he’s going to go long for the first time since November 2022, but a recent work at WO may imply that he’s been dying to be given the opportunity.
7- Sinamaulu (Delta Farms, ridden by P Lopez)- The biggest impression that this horse made last year was done early, but it was strong one. After winning the Grade 3 Ruby Stakes, it was off to the KYD. Okay, so he didn’t beat anyone there, but a month later he finished second in the BEL. That, apparently, is his claim to fame right now other than being out of Hanamaulu. Delta Farms picked him up for $100.000 in private sales, and his last two runs have come in optional claimers, hitting the board each time. The good news for the trainer here is that his horse is used to seeing big names in the same race.
8- Lossupra (Riggins Racing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- There is no denying that this horse knows how to win, doing so seven times out of 12 races. He had a strong career with previous trainer, Kingelleinc, which was highlighted by winning the Grade 3 Peter Pan. However, Lossupra never really was able to take another step forward and now will make his debut for Riggins Racing. The trainer picked up with a $100.000 claim and will certainly make sure that he gets everything out of Lossupra that he can. I like this horse/trainer combination.
9- Tehran (Mb Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- Claimed by the trainer almost a full year ago for $30.000, and Mb Stables did not back down from running him graded right away after moving him from the turf to the dirt. Tehran delivered by placing third in the OP Handicap before ultimately running very consistently for the rest of the year. This even included the BC Dirt Mile, where he was third. After struggling in the slop, he was dropped into a starter allowance that he won by five lengths. The trainer may have been thinking he was going to bring him back up slowly, but with this field, that time to face top competition will not wait.
Prediction: 2-5-9-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
