The Suburban (Grade 2)- $400.000 Purse
SAR- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Dirt
July 4, 2025

After watching Darrow win the Manila, Mb Stables still had a lot more work to do, with two horses taking part in the Grade 2 Suburban, including Killer Instinct, who had been preparing to run in the Foster last week. The weather was much nicer this week for Killer Instinct’s return to the main track after winning the Man O War. Still, he would need to take down a talented field which included the reigning BC Classic winner, Spankersville. Killer Instinct would prove that it did not matter what surface he was won, he has instincts that know how to win. But things would be even better for the trainer, as his other entry, Charlie Jace, took home the second spot as well. This is the second time that Mb Stables has won the Suburban, with the prior occasion being in 2020 with the late Having A Blast. M Franco is the winning rider, and it is his second such win. The winning race time was 2:00.35, almost a tenth quicker than last year’s edition at SAR. Here’s a look at it:

(½ Mile- :47.60)- Charlie Jace is sent out to the lead for Mb Stables, and shows the way around the clubhouse turn and into the backstretch. He’ll lead by a length over YME Stable’s Senor Vinagre Y Agua, who is in the third lane, as well as TwinTowersRacing’s Derby Dreams, who is on the rail. Right behind them, Mo Mentum Farm’s Chagrin Falls is fourth and these horses initially create a bit of a gap between them and the rest of the field for a while. However, Colombia would look to close in on the front four for Night Rider Stables while running four wide. The Sidley Stud’s Spankersville runs in the middle of the field, a length ahead of the eventual winner of the race from Mb Stables, Killer Instinct. He’s on the rail, and half a length ahead of Face The Lunatic (Martyparty) and Ocala Secret (Grimley). It’s a long way back to the two trailers, Investment Center (TwinTowersRacing) and Doc Rivers (D J C Racing Stables).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.62)- Charlie Jace travels down the backstretch continuing to lead the race. The advantage is a length and a half over the second place Colombia, who’s now moved into the spot while still running in the fourth lane. Senor Vinagre Y Agua is close by to his inside, and also in the area here are Chagrin Falls and Derby Dreams. In the middle of the pack, Killer Instinct is running with Spankersville, and they are four lengths from the lead. Face The Lunatic and Ocala Secret are right behind them, while Investment Center and Doc Rivers have a lot of ground to make up.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Out in front, Charlie Jace is still out in front, and is putting away those who had been closest to him. The lead is about two lengths, with Chagrin Falls being the only one of the initial stalkers who is able to at least maintain his distance to the leader. Colombia and Senor Vinagre Y Agua were just beginning to lose ground, and now had Killer Instinct all set to go on by to their instinct. Surely, Spankersville is coming with Killer Instinct, right? Well, not today, as that one is lacking response but it was not too late for him to make a run. Face The Lunatic was now preparing to go on by. Derby Dreams had packed it in, and Ocala Secret had not shown much. Further back, Doc Rivers was showing significant interest and making up a lot of ground, but he still had quite a deficit to make up. Investment Center did not have the same push.

(Finish- 2:00.35)- With a furlong to go, Charlie Jace looked to hang on, but he still had a few to be concerned about. Once was friendly fire, as Killer Instinct was quickly gaining ground and was looking good, but Mb did not have this in the bag quite yet, as near the rail, Face The Lunatic was making a big move and was preparing to crash the party. Chagrin Falls had not gone away, either. At least they didn’t have to worry about Spankersville, who was having his first bad race in about a year. Approaching the wire, Killer Instinct took the lead, and was ready to grab the win, but the 1-2 finish for Mb was in jeopardy as Face The Lunatic continued to run well. At the finish, it is Killer Instinct, adding another impressive victory to his resume, and Charlie Jace does hold off Face The Lunatic in a photo for place. Chagrin Falls takes fourth over the late running Doc Rivers. Colombia is the best of the rest, topping the underwhelming Spankersville, then Senor Vinagre Y Agua, who I also expected better from today. Ocala Secret is next, with Investment Center and Derby Dreams making this a rough race for TwinTowersRacing.

About The Winner- Killer Instinct, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by M Franco, is a six-year-old horse by Fire N Fury and is out of Irrefutable. He was bred in California by Mb Stables as a first quarter two-year-old and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his twelfth in 41 starts, his ninth stake win and seventh graded win. His career earnings are now $4,850.480.

Track: Fast
Time: :47³  1:11³  1:35⁴  2:00¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 4 Paid 131.30
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 4 – 5 Paid 1,449.20

Scratched: Quiet Return

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES