CC Tiara $150.000 – Churchill Downs Louisville, KY

You see a horse eyeballing three straight once in a while, but aside from the bushes, you rarely see one going for eight. Pelayo from Bears Stable is attempting just that feat on Saturday in the CC Tiara Stakes. Pelayo was claimed for just $5.000 in late November last year. Only four starts since suggest she isn’t a tank, but when she does start, she lays it all on the line. Her last race was her best yet, winning the Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita. Not sure what her ceiling is, but she is the type of rags to riches story that the Claiming Crown and horse racing in general are all about. Two Creepy Chrystals from Maletto also ran the best race of her life in her last start, albeit a sprint, but if she can reproduce that effort stretching back out she can play ball here. Yesterdays Queen from Wood Racing Stable will have no trouble with the distance and if the top one doesn’t bring her “A” game she might be the horse to beat. “Queen” has improved big time since the claim and even ran second in a grade three. She fits here big time. Pollards Game from La Canada Racehorses comes out of four straight State bred assignments where she did quite well. If “Game” can transfer that form to this cast, she will be tough. With a couple sprinters stretching out underneath her, I think she will have to sit back further than usually to be effective. Regardless of tactics, she fits.

Of the rest:

Little Chair from Mb Stables tries the sod for the first time. She has some gas and might take these along further than most think.

Lady Hamilton from SPB Racing fits on numbers but got the outside parking lot draw. Would need everything to go perfectly to get a piece.

Erupt In War from Team 7 Illusions can clearly run all day and if somehow the pace does not go down as expected, she might find herself in a good spot. Dangerous if the race falls apart, because she won’t be short.

Feral Mystic from Asgar has a couple back-to-back decent enough runs numbers wise but only shows a single win going two turns. Conflicting info.

Code Red And Ready from Fractious was just taken for $25.000 out of a winning effort. Broke maiden routing, but this does not look like conditions to order from my perspective.

Expletive Deleted from Diablo Diablo like the off going and won by eight in her last. Praying for rain here and without it looks in real tough.

McCaskill from Royalty Stables has one run showing recently, the Mint Julep Handicap that would give her hope here. Needs to reproduce that effort for any chance.

Bullet Dash from SPB Racing is a three-year-old with some conflicting information. First time routing but also with a past number in a Grade three that if reproduced would fit here. However, that race was three-year-olds only. Should pay good dividends if you believe here.

R U Ready To Code from The Sidley Stud is a nice enough mare, draws the rail, but simply looks far too cheap to threaten the top ones signed on here.

Rowdy Spirit from Sim Speed Stables just ran in a Clm20.00N1Y and failed to get the prize. Still working well and she does have eleven wins to her resume, but I can’t see it today.

-Trackman

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded