Ocain 

1 1/16 Mile InTurf Stake Purse $200.00 Fillies Three-Year-Olds Foaled ln NY. At SAR

1st      Whirlwind Spirit                        Acber Farms          2-1 (HRP) 9-5 (SRF)

Since switching to turf, Whirlwind Spirit has become a turf monster. In her first try, she got too far back in the Grade II Edgewood and finished well back but closed a spectacular seven lengths through the stretch. So, on the sod she stayed and ran second in The $200.00 Mount Vernon, virtually an identical race to Ocain, so she laid fourth into the stretch only this time fired the strong run she needed to come home with a length advantage.

2nd      Hawaiian Wolf                     Lemax Farms               5-2 (HRP) 4-1 (SRF)

Since breaking her maiden, Hawaiian Wolf didn’t take any time adjusting to racing against winners with a second in a NY restricted optional claimer. She stepped up to this rather pricey stakes race and proved what I said in my preview, there’s no telling how good she is. Here she stalked the leaders from third and closed with determination down the stretch to miss by a length in second.       

3rd      Dark Peel                         Our Athletes                  6-1 (HRP) 3-1 (SRF)

As I mentioned in my preview, Dark Peel might have problems with her timing in this race because of the lack of a speed challenge up front, since Hit The Mark had the pace all to herself when it was time to go, the two stalkers in front of her had too much of an advantage for her to make up and she was about a length late.

4th      Hit The Mark         Mb Stables                  *8-5 (HRP) *8-5 (SRF)

Both the general public and I had Hit The Mark as the favourite, same odds even. I think were she owned by any stable other than Mb Stables, we might have had a different favourite. Dan has been having great success with young horses in their early developmental races, and I saw the same pattern with this one. Normally, I wouldn’t expect so much of such a young horse but with the trainer’s recent success in this sort of spot, I gave her too much credit. I must say, she looked very good running her race as she set her own open leisurely pace all the way into the stretch but just spit the bit coming to the wire and lost by two.   

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded