Royal Heroine Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
April 27, 2024

Here’s a look at the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes, which is for older fillies and mares on the SA Turf, run at a mile. It’s a race that first appeared at HOL in 2004, but it has not run every year since then. In 2009, it was upgraded to a Grade 2 would move to SA five years later. It retained that Grade 2 status until this year, where it has been dropped to a Grade 3, but the purse has remained the same. Last year’s race was won by Maletto’s Always Condottieri, who went on to have a strong season that included running in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. Now, she will try to do what Tidal Wave did in 2015 and 2016 and repeat as champion. Eight rivals stand in her way, let’s meet the field:

1- Red Flags (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- Comes here out of the $100.000 Wishing Well Stakes here in February, where she was third. That’s pretty much the type of horse she has been throughout her career, running competitively and picking up pieces of the purse in ungraded or graded stakes but not winning them. Lightly raced, as this will be just her third start since July. Perhaps now will be the time she has her breakout at this level.

2- Techfluence High (The Sidley Stud, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Last October, Techfluence High picked up the win in the Grade 2 Sands Point at AQU, but it has been a struggle ever since. She was able to run in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, and we can forgive that performance even though it wasn’t very good. The greater concern is her last start, which was a dismal outing at the Grade 2 Hillsborough Stakes. She saw some big names there that she doesn’t have to worry about here, but still much be much better.

3- Omnibus (High Voltage, ridden by D Van Dyke)- Took part in the Royal Heroine Stakes last year and finished third and went on to have a productive year. Always ran competitively, but too often for the trainer’s liking, I would gather, she still missed out on a bigger cut of the purse. Did win the Grade 3 Suwannee River in December at GP and comes here off a second place run against three rivals over soft turf at the Buena Vista Stakes. Figures to be in contention here.

4- Always Condottieri (Maletto, ridden by M E Smith)- As mentioned in the opening, Always Condottieri not only ran here last year, but she took home the victory. She would go on to have a couple of close seconds, including in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at WO before running in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. That wasn’t a career highlight, but she has rebounded very well since. Won the $100.000 Wishing Well Stakes here in late February, and narrowly missed in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes here last month and settled for second.

5- Foehammer (Avenue Z, ridden by J Valdivia Jr)- With just one win in 15 starts, this will be a hard horse to pick to win the race. She will be making her graded debut, however, on the heels of finishing fourth in the Irish Stakes, for CA-Breds, on St. Patrick’s Day. Has some solid works in preparation for the race, but it will take a career best effort to pull off the upset here.

6- Terra Con (Alydar Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- After breaking her maiden at LAD, she rolled off a three-race winning streak that culminated in capturing the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes here in early November. She’s made three starts since then and has seen a handful of these in those races. Most recently, she was here for the Wilshire Stakes on soft turf and finished one spot behind Always Condottieri.

7- Tapit Dancer (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Maldonado)- Picked up in private sales for $25.000 in August after a hit and miss career in overnights. She has since made three starts for Maxmillion Farm and won one of them, which was an allowance at five and a half furlongs at FG. This is not her graded debut, as the prior trainer gave her a shot in 2022, but Maxmillion Farm was likely encouraged by a strong work at the beginning of the month to see what she can do against this type of field. If she can race to that work, she can be a threat.

8- Not A Big Deal (Mb Stables, ridden by L Dettori)- A winner of over $1,300.000 in her career, but a lot of that came very early in her career when she seemed like a very big deal. She has gone on to win 12 times over 33 races in her career, but none of them have been on the turf. So, here we are with Not A Big Deal set to make her turf debut. A workout at AQU at the beginning of the month was very promising, and much like Tapit Dancer, if she can race to that work, she may take home the victory. She knows how to win, now we shall see if she can transition to the grass.

9- Hollywood Panther (Night Rider Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- It is close to being exactly a year since the trainer claimed this one for $40.000, and Night Rider Stables has been running her regularly at AQU since then, which several appearances in NY-bred races. She’s won a couple of optional claimers at that track, included her turf debut on a yielding surface the last time out. So, all Not A Big Deal needs to do is look at her former stablemate for inspiration. As for Hollywood Panther, she doesn’t have the same impressive turf works to look at so that makes her a harder pick.

Prediction: 4-1-8-6

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES