Latonia Stakes

TP          Race #3             1 1/16m            Dirt       Stake

Purse $250.000  For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old And Upward.

1 Go For Glory           Mb Stables                     Zayas E J                         122      

A winner of four from her seven starts she was narrowly beaten by the great Credit Crime in the Bayakoa last time and that run looks to put her way in front of this field. Not only does she look the best in the race she is also handed the ace draw which will give her an easy run from a likely on speed position. Though that last start looks superior to this field that run is probably the only one in her form that gives her the winning chance so it may be a matter of exercising some caution here. That caution is fleeting though, and I would expect her to take this out.      

2 R U Ready To Code         The Sidley Stud               Husbands P                  122

Beaten in a $4.000 race at BTP in October and then winning a similar race at the fair track in December she has mixed those runs at the lowest level with stakes races, winning her last two at black type level. She was game in winning the La Canada Stakes last time and has worked strongly since so she must be taken seriously in a race where the two leading trainers have grabbed the two best draws.

3 Shining At Knight           Our Athletes                  Geroux F                         122      

Whilst the six-year-old inside her looks to be just arriving at this level this one has been there and done that and brings some big race form to this race. A grade two winner she has some big races on her record but just recently that form hasn’t been as strong. Whilst she certainly hasn’t been entered in the sort of races, she was through the early part of last season, she has shown enough to consider her still capable. She looked pretty good in her seasonal debut win when cruising home in the Likely Exchange Stakes so her class is not in question.

4 So Blitz                          Asgar                  Smith M E                       122      

The third six-year-old in a row she has been pretty consistent through her career but finds a tough race here. I would expect her to show up here, but she may find a couple too classy for her.  

5 El Sweetie                Greyfriars Stable                        Centeno A                      122      

A decent four-year-old she ran well to be third in the Pine Stakes at three. On seasonal reappearance she ran on late to be fourth in the Megahertz and I would expect a similar effort today. Her biggest negative is her running style as there seems less scenarios on this race engine for closers to win but with the right pace and set of circumstances she could get into the placings with her late finish.

6 Midnight Rumble          Riggins Racing           Bocachica Ar                               122

Another deep closing type that will need the gaming buttons or some race engine help to win this. In truth she has won seven so she is clearly able to find those scenarios and some nice works and two runs into a campaign she could be ready to run a big race. She was hugely impressive in taking the Wayward Lass in her first start of 2026 and very nearly got the timing right in the Royal Delta last time so maybe she could be the one to upset the bigger names in this race.

7 Jawaher            D J C Racing Stables              Rodriguez Jam                       122

This multiple stakes winning five-year-old has been placed at grade one too making her one of the top choices on exposed ability. A decent run on seasonal debut, her works suggest she is as good as ever and ready to get in the finish here. My biggest negative here is that with a wide draw she faces a dilemma in getting to her favoured stalk position and in the past the wider she is drawn the further back she goes which will give her problems on this race engine. She made all to win the Turn Back The Alarm Handicap last year so I wonder if the trainer will be tempted to tap into the wide gate speed push and go for the front. Whatever happens she look the main danger to the Go For Glory.

8 Soliloquy Sunset       Nakamura Stables                    Gallardo A A                  122

You don’t get better form than this one. The winner of the BC Fillies Juvenile, fourth in the KY Oaks and third in the BC Distaff, she is clearly the most accomplished in the race and should be the obvious choice. The wide gate speed push should see her leading or stalking but after that it is more down to the race engine and others as to whether she confirms her status as the best filly. There are a few HRPisms that bother me here, firstly four-year-olds that have done well at three can sometimes struggle, secondly, if the race engine sees fit the pace could just beat her and thirdly her works are just a bit off the rest. If we see the tough, game three-year-old she has every right to win but it is hard to overlook some of those programmed drawbacks she may face.

SUMMARY

A tough race to call. On past performance you would say it is between Soliloquy Sunset and Jawaher but with the two wide draws that certainly puts some doubt in the mind. On her last run you would say Go For Glory with the perfect draw would be the one and I have to stick with her in the hope that last start wasn’t just ‘one of those things’. Everything in this race could run well on their day though so sit back and enjoy the race.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded