The OP Handicap (Grade 2)- $1,250.000 Purse
OP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
April 20, 2024

The purse for the OP Handicap was increased to $1,250.000 and Mb Stables decided that he did not want to share that with anyone, except for the fourth-place portion. It was a great race for the trainer, as his three entries competed a 1-2-3 finish with Lion Lake leading the way and beating his stablemates by a quarter length. Lion Lake as a recent addition to the barn, as Mb Stables claimed him for $32.000 at the end of last year, and the seven-year-old gelding has now won two of three. This is the third time that Mb Stables has won the OP Handicap, with prior wins occurring in 2017 and 2020. J R Velazquez was aboard the winner and collects his first OP Handicap trophy. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:46.98, which is the third quickest such time in the race’s history and the fastest since 2012. Let’s take a look at it now:

(½ Mile- :46.79)- East Of Creep, from Fractious, was the quickest out of the gate, but he would concede the lead to On Schedule, part of the Mb Stables trio, as they moved into the opening turn. East Of Creep would settle for second, and run to the outside of the third place runner, who would be our eventual winner from Mb Stables, Lion Lake. Wahpekute Sioux is a length back in fourth, so a good start for all of the Mb runners here. To his inside are Arindel’s Seydoux II and Alydar Stables’ All Take. There’s a gap of about four lengths to the rest of the pack, which sees Eight West Party ahead of his TwinTowersRacing stablemate Gas Lighting, then Barista (Wood Duck Stables) and Chais Thrill (Mwn Racing).

(3/4 Mile- 1:10.69)- The field heads down the stretch with On Schedule still out in front, but Lion Lake takes over the second position from East Of Creep moving into the turn. Lion Lake had a very good trip to this point and would be positioned perfectly on the rail for the turn. East Of Creep would still be third but had Wahpekute Sioux looking to make a move to his outside. Seydoux II and All Take remained with the lead group, and we still had a large break to the rest of the field.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- During the turn, Lion Lake gradually cut into the lead of his stablemate and would be running right alongside him at the top of the stretch. East Of Creep would still hold the third position, but was about to lose that spot to Wahpekute Sioux. At that point, Mb Stables had to be very excited with the way that this race was setting up. All Take and Seydoux II were still with the lead group, but neither had made any sort of move. Gas Lighting was the best of those in the back and was making up some ground, but had a lot of work to do in the stretch.

(Finish- 1:46.98)- Lion Lake surges to the lead right at the top of the stretch, and while for a moment it looked like he might pull away and win this race by a couple of lengths, both On Schedule and Wahpekute Sioux would run gamely to the wire as well and be within a length at the end. It’s a 1-2-3 finish for Mb Stables with Lion Lake getting the victory. Wahpekute Sioux edged his stablemate for place, and the too little too late running Gas Lighting finishing fourth. Seydoux II was a non-factor in fifth, perhaps being the high weight played a role in that but that’s not the only excuse. Rounding it out, it’s All Take, Eight West Party, East Of Creep, Barista, and Chais Thrill.

About The Winner- Lion Lake, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a seven-year-old gelding by Dial It In and is out of the late Supreme Failure. He was bred as a yearling in New York by Smokey Stover, and was acquired by Mb Stables, via Night Rider Stables, with a $32.000 claim in December 2023. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his ninth in 36 starts, his second stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $1,331.750.

Track: Fast
Time: :46³  1:10³  1:34⁴  1:46⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 5 – 9 Paid 74.50
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 9 – 10 Paid 488.40

Scratched: King Que Niagra

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES