CT Classic (Grade 2)- $1,000.000 Purse
CT- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
August 22, 2025

Previously, we looked at the CT Oaks, so now it’s time to check out the other massive race taking part at everyone’s favorite bullring: the CT Classic. This race first appeared on the schedule in 2010 and has seen some true virtual racing legends get the win. After all, the first two winners were Madhouse and Mrs Bombastic! The who’s who of the game’s superstars continues on the winner list, as it also features Commanding, two appearances by Niagra, as well as A One and Black Mojo. 2024’s winner is also a great one, but compared to those great names, he still has some work to do. That would be Lunar Victory, who won this race for Fractious and now runs for Mb Stables. This year’s field has a few horses that could be on their way to achieving that elite level of greatness, but like Lunar Victory will still have some work to do in order to be compared to Commanding and Niagra. We have eight taking part, and here’s a run through the field:

1- Handle The Storm (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- The five-year-old gelding seems to be peaking right now as he makes his 24th start. He enters on a two-race winning streak, with a career best effort in his graded debut, the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes last time out. In that, he earned a 101 SRF and will look to continue his progress in this one. Since November, he’s been a part of the exacta in eight of nine races, but not against anything of this caliber.

2- South China Sea (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Picked up a big win last year around this time, when he won the Grade 1 Whitney at SAR, sending him to the BC Classic. It was part of a six-year-old season that saw him win over $1,100.000, and close to 75% of his overall career earnings. After the BC Classic, he was sold by Fractious to Mb Stables, but after one race, the new trainer only ran him in open allowances. Last month, he and Retaliate were seen in a four-horse open allowance at LAD for a whole $13.860 purse. Anyway, South China Sea won and is back at the level he should be at.

3- Grit And Grind (Mb Stables, ridden by G Corrales)- Not as accomplished as his stablemate, but at least when that one was looking to cash in on that $13.860 last month, Grit And Grind was running in a graded race. And it was a big one, running in the Grade 1 Haskell at MTH. He had a decent overall year in preps, but not enough to get into any of the TC races. In the Haskell, he finished in a dead heat for fifth place while running on the lead early. Perhaps he’ll like it here at CT.

4- Berlin (The Sidley Stud, ridden by P Lopez)- No one in this field has made more than Berlin, who’s career earnings are over $2,100.000. Close to half of that has come here in his seven-year-old season, a year that he began by placing second in the Pegasus World Cup. Right before that, he had been fourth in the BC Classic and seemed destined to have a big year in 2025, and that has played out for him. Saw him last month for the MTH Cup, and thought he would be a little better, but still managed fourth. He’s promising in this field and will be my pick.

5- Doc Rivers (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by M Franco)- Two starts ago, Doc Rivers got the win in the $200.000 Commentator Handicap, and at the time we were hoping that could break him out of the funk that he had been in. But Doc Rivers would only hit the rim when he took a shot at the Grade 2 Suburban a month later with a lackluster effort for much of the race, though salvaged fifth at the end. Equine Doc Rivers is not one that you want taking a last second shot when down by one to get a win, but if he’s on, he can also hit a long range three for the win.

6- Bonus Baby (Night Rider Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- You can look back in this six-year-old’s history and find some good-looking stake wins, which include the Grade 2 Seagram Cup Stakes at WO thirteen months ago, but since then his best efforts have been in overnights. This includes the trainer even entering him for a $40.000 claiming tag in December. Since then, he’s just made four starts, but his last two point to some resurgence, so Night Rider is going to give him a shot here. Does have some nice works. Not picking him, but he would not surprise me if he won.

7- The Stranger (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by F Prat)- In June of last year, The Stranger won the $150.000 Pegasus Stakes at MTH, in what at the time was his fourth win in five starts. All looked promising then, but things have not played out for him. The Stranger has not been back to the winner’s circle, and for a while struggled to get competitive results in most of the races he had been for the rest of the year. In overnights in 2025, The Stranger has been back to consistently earning some portion of the purse, just not the top prize. His last outing, two months ago in a MTH open allowance is not going to wow anyone, but it was a solid field there and may be better than it looks. Could get a cut of this, too.

8- Shadow Senator (Arindel, ridden by B Curtis)- Arindel picked this one up in a $14.000 claimer, and then has shown that he has not missed a step in his short time away from the game. The seven-year-old gelding has won three out of four starts in his new silks, all coming in overnights but running for higher purses that he had been for around six months or so. Those wins led the trainer to run him in the Seagram Cup Stakes at WO three weeks ago, and he showed he could handle graded company, running third with a career high 100 SRF. This is his 38th career start, but he’s has never been better. Look for him to hit the board.

Prediction: 4-1-8-3

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES