Taylor Stakes- Grade I
1 ¼ Mile Turf Stake Purse $750.000 Filly & Mare Three-Year-Olds And Up.
1st Ponzi Scheme TwinTowersRacing 9.85-1
“So, if 1 ¼-miles is far enough for her, this could be the dark horse in this race.” I said in the preview, and sure enough, it was. Taylor Stakes’ defending champion repeated last year’s performance to a near exact, registering a time a fifth faster than last year’s time, but this win was a handy two-length romp as the seven-year-old mare dominated the field. Last year the odds-makers had their doubts about her at 7-1, this year more so at nearly 10-1, and I was hesitant making her 5-1. Obviously, I had my doubts about her since I predicted her fifth in my handicap, but she showed me. I did notice her recent record with longer route races and made her my dark horse, so it got pretty dark at the finish line. This is her third straight victory in races at 1 ¼ miles and over, and she certainly proved she belongs in grade one.
2nd Explorer Avenue Z 1.90-1
Come to life indeed. This is four graded tries and four in the money finishes for this lightly races five-year-old mare. I placed her third in the handicap because of her sparkling form coming into this race and she out performed my expectations, stalking the pace to the run home and finishing with courage, but just couldn’t keep up with Ponzi Scheme’s determined run.
3rd Poetic Panther Maletto *1.00-1
Poetic Panther was made the solid even money favourite off her strong win last out in the grade one Diana at SAR where she came from off the pace to score a half-length victory. Today she placed nicely in stalk in fourth throughout, but when it came to fire she just didn’t seem interested and cruised home alongside Explorer for third.
4th Slip And Dip Temulac Farm 7.30
I didn’t see much hope for this one and made her the longest shot on my handicap, but the odds-maker saw quite differently and made her the third favorite, or perhaps it was the betting public. In any event, she did herself proud, setting the pace to the far turn before weakening a bit but continuing on to finish with the bunch in fourth narrowly missing second.
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