Transylvania Stakes (Grade 3)- $400.000 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
April 5, 2024
With all of the attention on the TC Chase, it may be easy to overlook the top three-year-old turf horses going in the game today. Naturally, some of them are probably still in KYD preps, but in the Transylvania Stakes, we will get a chance to see some of them. This is a Grade 3 race that provides a $400.000 purse, so it is most definitely an appealing race. In 2023, this race was won by Drinkin Creepin for Mb Stables, a horse that won the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint the year prior and went on to win the BC Turf Sprint last fall. That may make him the least known two-time BC winner out there! He is still active and thriving. To no one’s surprise, the starting gate will be full this year and the reigning BC Juvenile Turf winner, Classy City, is among our entries! Let’s meet the field!
1- Rock With You (Smokey Stover, ridden by D E Centeno)- After winning back-to-back turf races, including the $100.000 Pulpit in December, Rock With You was sent to the main track in hopes of finding success in KYD preps. Well, that did not go well for him, as the colt failed to get involved in both the Gotham and the Lecomte. Returning to the grass should be a good thing for him, and he is working nicely coming into this.
2- Diamond Haggis (Fractious, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Took part in the BC Juvenile Turf last fall, and cashed the fourth-place check, missing by less than a length. Just a little more than a month later, he was sold in private sales to Fractious for $300.000 and has since made two starts in his new silks. He’d win the Grade 3 Kitten Joy, but then Fractious was struck by the “what will he do in KYD preps” bug. Diamond Haggis ran mid-pack in the Fountain Of Youth, so not terrible, but the gelding is on his favorite surface here.
3- Classy City (Asgar, ridden by P Lopez)- Last fall, Classy City became a BC Champion with a strong stretch performance seeing him get up in time. It finished off a great year that saw him win three of his five starts on the grass. Other highlights include winning the $150.000 Skidmore at SAR and running second in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes, which is always a very competitive race and loaded field. We’ve only seen him once the BC, and it came in an optional claimer in mid-February that he won. Now, Classy City is ready for his first big test as a three-year-old. Others are working better, but that doesn’t have to mean anything.
4- Stormy Invasion (Red Fox Farms, ridden by J Bravo)- Could be a big moment for the trainer, as this is just the second graded race that they have entered, and fifth total stake. They’ve yet to win one, so can Stormy Invasion make it happen? He’s already had two runs in ungraded races, beginning with opening a lot of eyes in the $100.000 Texas Turf Mile in January at HOU. His late running style then had him run fourth in the $175.000 Colonel Liam. So, he certainly deserves the chance here, but it will take a career best. Works very well, but can he make up so much ground against this caliber of opposition, or will a tactical adjustment be in play? We shall see!
5- Damiano (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- It is not his performance in his last three races that led to him being entered here. In them, he was beaten by 15, 5, and 8 lengths. In two of them he ran last and only one can be blamed on an off track. It’s been two months, so presumably either something has changed or discovered since. Very little to be excited about here, so I’ll have to see it to believe it.
6- Proud Devil (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by M Franco)- Only one start on this one to speak of, and he was beaten by eleven lengths in it. That’s obviously not why he is here. That work on March 22nd, as well as on the 14th. That’ll do it! Well, maybe other trainers still would have tried a maiden race first, but Team 7 Illusions is going for it right away. If it works, he will look like a genius. The potential is obvious, but he has been idle for about four months, too. Might need a race first. Or maybe not.
7- Trouble Brewing (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by A Jimenez)- After a strong weekend last weekend, Maxmillion getting hot will certainly be trouble brewing for everyone else. As for this horse, Trouble Brewing is still looking for his first win since the trainer picked him up in private sales for $250.000. That came OT Juvenile Turf, and he would debut for Maxmillion in the BC Juvenile Turf, where he ran third. So, the start of their relationship was great, but it’s soured since then. Running fourth in the Kittens Joy is his claim to fame since the BC.
8- Zensation (Threshold, ridden by F Pennington)- Last September, Zensation picked up a massive win, capturing the $500.000 KD Juvenile, which sent him into the BC Juvenile Turf. There, he had the most frustrating finished known to HRP players: fifth by a length. A strong late close just missed cashing a check for the trainer. He’s run once since, an optional claimer from SA in February, where again he used a late running style. Only got up for third there. Others are working better than him, so hopefully for the trainer, he can step up.
9- Struck Down (Fractious, ridden by F Prat)- After winning three of his last four races, Struck Down will get a chance to make his graded debut here. The streak began with his maiden win and is highlighted by the $100.000 Black Gold Stakes from FG last month, where he had no problem with the soft turf and won by two lengths. There’s a 25% chance of showers here Friday, but in regard to this horse, Fractious might not mind if that trends in the wetter direction. It doesn’t have to be wet though, for him to grab a win.
10- Numbskull (Blazin D, ridden by P Husbands)- Won the Grade 2 Pilgrim last October, and that earned him a spot in the BC Juvenile Turf. That did not go well, as he ran near the back throughout and has not been seen on the grass since. Blazin D has opted to try to the KYD trail with this one, but after coming up well short in the Davis Stakes and the TAM Derby, it is back to the turf! His works are very nice and give me a good feeling that he is about to remind everyone of how good he was in October.
11- Warrior Time (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- In eight starts, this gelding has won twice and has hit the board five times. But it may have been a couple of races with back-to-back fifth place runs that derailed Warrior Time from being placed in bigger races. Made his stake debut last time out in the $75.000 Columbia Stakes and was second best. Hasn’t done much public working of late, but the trainer is confident enough in what he sees to make this jump in class. I wish I could’ve seen a more recent work.
12- Fanatical Empire (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Plenty of promise with this one, as he is two-for-two on the grass. After running on the main track for his first two races, Fanatical Empire broke his maiden on the turf at AQU in December, then won an optional claimer in late February. So, he is being brought along patiently by Smokey Stover, and that may start paying dividends. Worked very well at AQU two months ago but is another one with not many recent public works.
Prediction: 3-10-4-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
