The Personal Ensign – Grade I [BC]
SAR Race #9 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.00 For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward.
1 Devil In High Heels The Sidley Stud Franco M 123
This four-year-old has always flown a bit under the radar but as a multiple graded stakes winner and one with a consistent record she is a force at any level she competes. Her only below par effort this year came in a grade one when drawn the ace so that is a monkey she will have to get off her back but if there is a competitive pace and she can get a clear run up the rail, I am sure she will be a factor.
2 Spring Street High Voltage Van Dyke D 123
A deep closer that was beaten a head in the grade one Phipps two back, unfortunately has a running style that gives her record a bit of an inconsistent look. A closer by nature, her last start was one of those HRP races where the pace was crazy fast and for some reason the AI felt that being a tailed off last was going to give the mare the best chance of winning. In some circumstances it can but on this occasion, she was so far behind that she was never given a chance and though she made up a lot of ground, she was never a factor. Your guess is as good as mine as to what will happen today but she was a grade three winner from the stalk at the end of last year, so we know she can be laid up closer to the pace, and I wonder if the trainer will try that today from this good stalking draw.
3 Blind Fashion Winning Link Stables Corrales G 123
It became a bit of a “thing” to claim horses that had been winning multiple free track races for Spinetingling, and this is another of those types as she was taken for $30.000 after racking up four free track wins. In her first start for the new owner she was given little chance by the worst jockey in the race but did make up plenty of ground at the end of the grade three Trillium to suggest there was talent there. A better rider today and maybe we see a better result.
4 Flyingbolt Mo Mentum Farm Curtis B 123
Another that got way back in the Trillium in thanks mainly to a suicidal early pace, but she found a way to get into the race through the final furlong and ended up failing by just a neck. The 18-race winning seven-year-old had tried to make all in her previous race which just goes to show how hard it is to speed map these races but was weak at the end on a muddy track. At her best she is a danger, and she worked well enough recently to think the old girl may be looking for a last hurrah.
5 Wasted Away Mb Stables Velazquez J R 123
This is probably the overall best filly in the game at the moment and already has two grade one wins this year after taking the BC Distaff last year. The fact that she is an on-speed runner seems to suit the engine and the fact that she ran such a fast early pace in both her last two races and still managed to win is a huge plus in a race where many will be looking to close late. You can never say there is a sure thing at HRP, but this is as close as it gets.
6 Ragnar D J C Racing Stables Bejarano R 123
Likely to try and stalk Wasted Away, she may run well if the pace isn’t contested. She has been thereabouts at this level most recently in the Phipps when sixth so though her form doesn’t look as impressive as some, she has every right to be afforded the chance of a paycheck.
7 Ignore Tucker Big Guns Stables Smith M E 123
I feel like I have been writing about this five-year-old forever as she has always been one of those anomalies that never seems to reach her potential. An example of how much talent she is thought to have is the fact that she has been sold twice for more than she has ever won in stakes money and although she is a six-time stakes winner she has never really strung her performances together since her two-year-old days. If she puts her best and very capable hoof forward, she could just about win this but that is a gamble that rarely pays off.
8 Wavy Girl Saratoga Stud Lopez P 123
She is certainly a talented mare and looked like this was going to be her year when taking the Royal Delta and the Azeri early in the year. Since a good third in the La Troinne though she has been just a shade disappointing and will need to get back to that early season form to have a chance of winning this race.
9 Starting Over TwinTowersRacing Lezcano J 123
Only just failed to catch the tearaway Wasted Away in the Phipps and was then an impressive winner in the Shuvee last time making her, on paper at least, the biggest danger to the likely favorite. There isn’t much pressure on the front in this race so the fear is that once again Wasted Away will slip the field and the closers wont be able to get to her but with a strong enough pace she is certainly in the form to be a chance at revenge.
10 Boardwalk Authority Winning Link Stables Hernandez R M 123
Beaten by Starting Over in the Shuvee after the race engine forced her into being a deep closer, she had been more of an on-pace type before that so she is clearly pace affected in her running style and that will be key to her chances today. If she uses the wide gate speed push to stalk the leader, she may have a pace chance but if she is taken back there are a lot of horses to clear before she finds the rail and that could make things very hard for her.
11 Atomic Woman Williams9 Vazquez R A 123
Another on-pace type that was pace affected in the Shuvee she ended up running on into second in that race but with the outside speed push today I would expect her to push forward and be a pace influence today. Whilst her effort in the Shuvee was very good her previous form had been disappointing so she would have to back that last effort up to have a serious chance.
SUMMARY
Here is a good example of how the works engine has become disjointed from the race engine as we see no less than six of the runners in this race working a 1.10 and 2 over the six furlongs in their pre-race work. What makes it more of an anomaly is that those works are backing up everything from a grade one win to a ninth in a grade two so you can see how hard it is to use works as a guide these days. On everything we know from race day Wasted Away should win this. There doesn’t look much pressure on her to lead and all her main rivals are deep closers, so this looks pretty cut and dried.
Having said that, this is HRP so I won’t be relying on common sense too much, but I just can’t see anything beating the MB filly. Starting Over looks the obvious choice for second.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES