Eddie D Stakes (Grade 2)- $750.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
September 28, 2024
For his entire career, even including his debut race, Shark Waters has run at least a mile. However, his last two races did not go particularly well, and this would lead to his trainer, Fractious, deciding to do something different with the gelding. In the Eddie D Stakes, he would only go six and a half furlongs, and it would prove to be the right call. Shark Waters went off as a 10/1 longshot in the race, which is understandable, considering he had to content with Drinkin Creepin in this field. He was not among our picks, as I do typically shy away from horses cutting distance like he does when it is in a $750.000 race, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be done, and here, it was. Chances are, after this win, we will be seeing more sprinting out of him. His trainer, Fractious, will add his name to the winner list for the first time in the Eddie D Stakes, and it is the second such win for jockey F Prat. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:11.91, the third fastest in the race’s history when run at this distance and quickest since 2009. Let’s take a look at it now:
(1/4 Mile- :21.92)- The field makes their way down the hill, with Drinkin Creepin out in front early for Mb Stables. He’s not alone, however, as he has two horses to his inside, including the pesky Mosquito on the rail for Spankys Barn, and Maxmillion Farm’s Kinnard running between horses. Stalking these three is our eventual winner, Shark Waters, and the Fractious entry is able to run right along the rail in the early portion of the race. It’s another length to Gorilla Glue (Maxmillion Farm) and Lantern Yard (Avenue Z), with Cioppino (TwinTowersRacing). Nashwa (High Voltage) trails the field for now.
(½ Mile- :43.74, Top of Stretch 1.7F To Go)- As the field moves around the turn, 20/1 longshot Mosquito gets the better of post time favorite, Drinkin Creepin, causing some concern from the fans in the grandstands. Kinnard, who had been running between them, had a hard time keeping up, and began dropping back. Approaching the exit of the turn, Shark Waters began to make his move, coming off the rail and F Prat had to love the large opening that presented itself to come between the top two horses. He hadn’t capitalized on that quite yet, but he was in position too. Also in a great spot was Lantern Yard, who was running right behind Shark Waters and could follow him if he wanted, but there was more than enough room to try and make a pass here of his own. Gorilla Glue had to move to the outside but was in striking range. Otherwise, Nashwa had passed Cioppino, but that’s about it.
(Finish- 1:11.91)- As the field runs for the finish, Mosquito was being resilient, but I’ll always take a shark in that fight. And Shark Waters had plenty of run left in him, and as a horse that is used to running long, there was no concern about him tiring out at this point. Taking advantage of the opening that was there to the outside of Mosquito, he would get the job done and win by half a length. Meanwhile, Lantern Yard could have stayed in his lane that he was in, but F Pennington shifted him hard to the rail to take that opening. This did work, as he got the second position, and was never going to get Shark Waters. Mosquito hangs on for third, over a fourth-place dead heat between Drinkin Creepin and Gorilla Glue. After the last two races, you have to wonder if “horse of the year” is slipping away from Drinkin Creepin. Nothing a BC win couldn’t fix, though. Nashwa, Kinnard, and Cioppino round it out.
About The Winner- Shark Waters, trained by Fractious, and ridden to victory by F Prat, is a three-year-old gelding by Shark Force and is out of Fall. He was bred by Arindel as a second quarter two-year-old in California and was acquired by Fractious while he was still unraced for just $6.140 in the June 2023 auction. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in eleven starts, and first stake win. His career earnings are now $600.080.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | ||
| 1 | Shark Waters | Fractious | Prat F | 10.90 | 11/2 | 1:11.91 | — | ||
| 4 | Lantern Yard | Avenue Z | Pennington F | 3.90 | 2nk | 1:12.01 | — | ||
| 3 | Mosquito | Spankys Barn | Saez L | 20.15 | 31/4 | 1:12.08 | — | ||
| 7 | Gorilla Glue | Maxmillion Farm | Conner T | 9.10 | 41/2 | 1:12.17 | — | ||
| 9 | Drinkin Creepin | Mb Stables | Velazquez J R | 1.65 | 41/2 | 1:12.17 | — | ||
| 8 | Nashwa | High Voltage | Franco M | 5.55 | 61 | 1:12.27 | — | ||
| 6 | Kinnard | Maxmillion Farm | Acosta J D | 7.75 | 7nk | 1:12.65 | — | ||
| 5 | Cioppino | TwinTowersRacing | Cedillo A | 8.90 | 8 | 1:12.70 | — |
Track: Firm
Time: :214 :433 1:062 1:114
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 1 – Shark Waters | 23.80 | 10.80 | 7.30 |
| 4 – Lantern Yard | 5.40 | 4.30 | |
| 3 – Mosquito | 18.00 |
$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 55.00
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 3 Paid 744.70
Scratched: Gizmodo(L)
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
