The Iselin Stakes (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
MTH- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
August 17, 2024
Whenever Individuation is in a race, he will be the headliner, and the gelding returns to action on Saturday for the Grade 3 Iselin Stakes needing to rebound after his previous effort. He is just one of eight horses heading to the starting gate with our typical mix of up and comers and proven stars. The Iselin Stakes has been run every year since 2006 and was won last year by the late Ginger Clean, for The Sidley Stud. That one finished off 2023 great but could not carry that into this year. Here’s a look at those running this time around:
Please Note: Due to RL plans Saturday into Sunday, the recap for this race and all of my races this weekend may not be submitted until Sunday evening. But don’t worry, it will be coming.
1- Cheap Ways (Iolaus Racing, ridden by A Beschizza)- This one has passed through a few barns over his 23-race career, and it was not until around this time last year where he really began to take the next steps forward in his career. Big Jd Racing got him going, and it would be Team 7 Illusions who advanced him into the graded ranks. Now with Iolaus Racing, and with one race in the bag for the trainer, the gelding looks for his biggest win. While he’s been entered at this level before, he hasn’t hit the board in one of these yet.
2- Investment Center (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by D Van Dyke)- A former stablemate of Cheap Ways, Investment Center has had his moments with three wins over 18 starts. Unfortunately, he has had some stretches of inconsistency that has slowed his progression forward, but perhaps he is beginning to get it together. He has hit the board in three of his last four, all ungraded stakes, and that includes the $300.000 Hanshin from CD last time out. It’s a bit longer of a distance than he has had lately, but I feel that is a non-issue.
3- Individuation (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Truly, this is one of the best active horses in the game, but he will need to rebound after a disappointing effort in the Grade 2 Brooklyn last month. Looking further back in his career, it can be seen that he will have a race like that on occasion, and most horses will have to deal with that at some point. Two back, he had no issue in the Suburban, missing out on the win in a tight photo, so I feel good about him being better than the Brooklyn. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pick him to win, though.
4- Big Bang Boom (Rock Creek, ridden by F Prat)- The majority of his career has been in overnights, but he has had a couple of chances to step up into Grade 3’s. Most recently, he did so in a sprint and was fourth of five in the MD Sprint Stakes. Did better in his last race, also a sprint, and now goes long for just the second time. There isn’t anything recent to suggest how that may go and taking on Individuation and Lets Celebrate at distances they like is quite a challenge.
5- Winter Book (Fractious, ridden by J P Spencer)- After a strong three-year-old season that included a win in the Grade 1 HOL Derby, Winter Book has not been able to follow it up quite as well thus far. He’s run well on both the turf and the dirt and was moved back to this surface for his last race, which was none other than the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Came on well there to be fifth, and while this field is not as deep as that one was, he still meets up with some tough foes. Should get a piece of this.
6- Lets Celebrate (Riggins Racing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- August was memorable for him last year, as he went on to win the Grade 1 Whitney. It was part of a year that saw him win over $1,500.000 and he has gone on to win three of eight this year. Two of them are overnights, but that also includes the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes at WO at the beginning of June. The victory started a stretch of three straight triple digit SRF’s for him, and even though he did not finish in the money in his last two, he’s still running well. I’m giving him a slight edge on Individuation here.
7- Best Of West (Williams9, ridden by R Bejarano)- One of two three-year-olds in the field, the other being the likely longshot Big Bang Boom. Best Of West still has something to prove at this level as well. He was last seen in the $150.000 NY Derby at FL last month, and after running on the lead, ended up a decent third. Was fourth here in the Salvator Mile right before it. He’s the pick if you wanted to pick a horse with a four-pound weight allowance, and don’t rule him out from getting a piece of the purse.
8- Kylo Ren (Luz International, ridden by L J Luzzi)- After a nearly four month layoff, Kylo Ren ran here, against the likes of Lets Celebrate, but did not beat any of his rivals in the Grade 3 MTH Cup. He may have just needed the race, as he did have two triple digit SRF’s right before the layoff. The majority of his career may have been on turf, but he has been working very well on dirt lately and seems like a pesky foe to some of the bigger names here.
Prediction: 6-3-8-5
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
