SAR Derby – Grade I
1 3/16 Mile Turf Stake Purse $750.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

Another stakes race and another dead heat in what has become an almost laughable situation where it is almost unusual not see to a dead heat in a stakes race. I don’t think either winning trainer will complain though as they both walk away with a hat full of BC points and for very different reasons they were probably worrying about second by a nose. Here is how they ended up:

1st= Fourth Estate High Voltage Prat F

A fast pace set by the other joint winner ensured that the closers would get their chance in what is an instantly comparable race to the BEL Derby. In that race the pace was fast but not fast enough and got faster through the mile rather than slower making the late run of Fourth Estate arrive too late by two lengths. Today it was the early pace that was faster than the late pace and that meant the leader weakened just enough for the closer to catch them. Anyway, mechanical explanations aside the gelding ran a great race today and has proved a brilliant buy by the stable after being taken from Barcelona Farms at the start of the year and now becoming a grade one winner.

1st= Ello Santa Mb Stables Velazquez J R

Was it the wide gate speed push that made this son of Ben Nevis go much harder that they did when easily winning the BEL Derby last time? We will never know of course but in the BEL Derby this horse led but got faster as the race went on and today, he was a clear leader in fast early splits and got slower as the race went on, the only difference apparently, the draw, so you can make up your own mind about that. Again, if we ignore the semantics of the race engine what we have here is a horse that is unbeaten on turf, that has won his last four in a row and now has two grade one victories which is pretty good for a horse that was bought for a very cheap looking $150.000 at the end of last year. He now emerges as maybe the top three-year-old chance in the BC Turf and who better to have behind the scenes that HRP’s GOAT.

3rd Darrow Mb Stables Lopez P

Stalked the lead but stalking a fast pace can often lead to a no man’s land situation as the late swoopers are given their chance and very often the leaders seem to find more than the stalkers down the stretch. I know the trainer has a high opinion of this home bred that ran a great race here but just seems to lack that finish that can turn him from very good to exceptional.

4th Iamaleava Royalty Stables Geroux F

If I told you before this race was even entered that a maiden winner with just three races under their belt would be only one length inferior to the best three-year-old turfers in the game, you may have said “only at HRP” and sure enough that was the case. As I mentioned in the write up though this maiden winner has been working stupendous times since that narrow maiden win and is clearly far better than a one race winner and has a lot of racing to come to prove himself as good, if not better than this effort. Still an entire the future looks very bright for the Smokey Stover bred son of Yankee Empire.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES