Ali – Grade III
KEE Race #1 1 3/16m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $300.00 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

1 Berlin The Sidley Stud Jimenez A 123 —

Like most of these older horses, was fairly innocuous in his younger days plying his trade way down in the cheap claimers and the free tracks. When they hit that upwards arrow in the old software though, they can rise to heights beyond what would normally be expected, and this one seemed to do that early last year when after winning a $7.000 claimer he took two stakes races in a row. It may not look exactly like real life but when they hit that upward improvement curve you have to take advantage and this trainer has certainly managed their career well picking up four graded stakes races. He battled on bravely to win the Challenger last time and looks in fine fettle as a six-year-old.

2 Charming Man Fractious Geroux F 123 —

This one was a decent three-year-old last year winning the Super Derby and the ONT Derby and unlike many good three’s he looks to have carried that form through to his early four-year-old season. He won the San Pasqual Stakes very nicely and then ran a cracker in the KY Cup Classic to just get beat into second. His works are on fire he gets the draw reserved for the elite and will be very hard to beat.

3 Uranus Threshold Gallardo A A 123 —

Came with a nice late run to win the SA Handicap last time and seems to have turned the corner this year. His best wins recently have come in the wet so conditions won’t bother him if it does come up soft so he must be a solid chance even if he didn’t get his first second or third choice jockey.

4 Burnin Red Hooves TwinTowersRacing Davis D 123 —

Horses from this yard do not care about the opposition, the race distance or pretty much anything, they just seem to lift on the big occasions. On bare form he looks up against it but that is generally when they are their most dangerous.

5 Mako Invicta Group Llc Bravo J 123 —

A solid type who has been pretty consistent over his career. The fact that he has been running in lower grade means very little at HRP but on what we can see he will need to lift.

6 Hangry Commander Night Rider Stables Jaramillo E 123 —

Gets weight off of Uranus for his fourth-place finish to that horse in the SA Handicap and that puts him nicely into the picture for this. The trainer has hit form again after a little nudge to the racing Gods so he could be a danger.

7 Nutmeg TwinTowersRacing Cedillo A 123 —

I have a feeling the wide gate speed push may see this one lead and like his stable mate what he lacks in outright form he makes up for by having this old magician on his side. He could slip away from them and make things interesting.

SUMMARY

For me this looks like a race between Berlin, Charming Man and Uranus. You have to go with all the advantages that Charming Man will get although the winner could come from any of them.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES