The Wonder Again – Grade II
AQU Race #2 1 1/8m InTurf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.
1 Barossa Valley Mo Mentum Farm Gomez J A 122 —
Ran up a nice stretch winning four in a row after cracking her maiden in November and was clearly progressing very well. After an ungraded stakes win on the dirt, she was sent to the Providencia Stakes at grade three on the turf and ran pretty well to be third, gold stamping her progress from the maiden ranks to being stakes class. This is another step up, so there will need to me more improvement, but this gate suits her running style, and she must be a live chance.
2 Gormley Royalty Stables Kocakaya G 122 —
Lost her way a bit for a few races but seems to be back to her best now, with the only question being is her best good enough to win this. By design or race engine anomaly she went from an on-pace type to a deep closer for a few races and that may have been the biggest factor in her failures, so if either of those things set her on pace today from this draw, she would have an each-way chance.
3 Extreme Metal Blazin D Cancel E 122 —
Defeated Barossa Valley fairly comfortably in the Providencia Stakes and with a good draw again today there seems no reason why she can’t confirm that form. But then this is HRP so one race can be totally different to the next as we saw when she was pretty average in the race previous to that good win. With a record of five wins from nine and being proven at this trip you have to like her chances.
4 Little Stinker TwinTowersRacing Alvarado J 122 —
Like all the runners from this stable she has bounced around trips and surfaces with equal success something this trainer can do which others cannot. She looked strong enough in her maiden win to suggest the trip is in her scope and she ran well enough in the Giants Causeway last time to suggest she has the class gene so whilst there are still plenty of questions a win would not surprise.
5 Magic Dust Fractious Castellano J J 122 —
This may only be a one race winner, but she has some of the best form coming into this race and hails from a stable that is having their best year ever. I really liked her effort in the FL Oaks when running a close third and she was good enough in the Edgewood on an off track to suggest this is a good place for her to win race number two.
6 Tokushima Nakamura Stables Rosario J 122 —
A progressive sort who put up an impressive work time recently she could well be the overlooked filly in this race. She has run all her races out like this sort of trip will suit and has shown the sort of heart in a finish that is so important these days. She may not look like the best horse in this race on paper, but she may well be the best horse afterwards.
7 Acqua D J C Racing Stables McCarthy T 122 —
Beat Magic Dust in the FL Oaks but like so many in the stable is a closer and that can lead to some inexplicable efforts on this new race engine. She went from a gutsy win at FL to a terrible tenth in the Appalachian, both times running her style as a closer but with two very different results. So, we know consistency with our closers is not achievable, so we just have to sit back and hope the race engine picks them. That we won’t know till they cross the line so if you like her, go fill your boots but don’t be surprised if she wins or ends up eighth.
8 Superface Party Mb Stables Spencer J P 122 —
As predictable as it is that most of DJC’s horses are closers so we know that most of Mb’s are on pace types. Whether that is instructions, race engine or a buying and breeding pattern I will never know but what we can be sure of is that this filly will use the outside speed push to put her right up near the lead. Second in the BC Juvenile Turf last year she hasn’t been quite as good this year but showed enough in the Appalachian last time to suggest this race is well within her scope.
SUMMARY
I would imagine Superface Party will push on for the lead and if she gets it softly enough will probably win. I am interested in Tokushima and she could be at rewarding odds but there is nothing in this race that can’t win.
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
