The Green Flash Handicap (BC) (Grade 2)- $200.00 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Five Furlongs on the Turf
August 22, 2026

The Green Flash Handicap is the second of three automatic qualifying races for the BC Turf Sprint. We already had the $500.00 Jaipur in June, and will await the $1,750.00 KD Turf Sprint which will come two weekends from now. The purse for this race pales in comparison to those two, as “just” $200.00 is up for grabs. However, that amount is actually a new high for the race, up $50.00 from last year. There’s only one horse in this race that raced at the Jaipur at SAR two months ago, and we’ll see in a couple weeks how many run at KD on short rest. Last year’s Green Flash Handicap winner was Brit Style for Lemax Farms, and he would go on to win the BC Turf Sprint two months later and is still running in well in graded races to this day, running second here in the Grade 2 Read Stakes three weeks ago. That’s a great role model for our winner this year to try and follow, and let’s look at the twelve contenders to be that victor.

1- Luttrell (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by R M Hernandez)- This colt will be running for the 19th time, and is still looking for that third career win. He’s inconsistent, hitting the board only once in his last five, and that came at KEE in an allowance in April. He’ll have some hot patches that make you think he could be on the verge of being a more competitive horse, and it does seem that when he does run his best, it’s in a turf sprint on firm ground. That is expected to be the case here on Saturday, so it should warrant another look at him if his odds really climb, but there will be more appealing horses here.

2- Bells N Whistles (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The Van Gogh colt did well to rebound from a couple of tough races last time out when he went wire to wire to win an optional claimer at SAR. Where he struggled came in stake races, and he has not been able to step up when against the stronger competition outside of winning the $150.00 Nashua last November. I suspect that we’ll see him look to get out on or near the lead again as he shortens up, but these conditions seem better for his stablemate.

3- Star Skeleton (Chili King Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- It’s going to be tough to convince a lot of the bettors here that they should put money behind Star Skeleton. The best case for him is that he is a regular turf sprinter, but his last three races have been claimers. That includes being dropped for a $12.50 tag at LS two back, and even in that he was only fourth of six. His last victory came in May 2025 against three others in the $100.00 Chamberlain Bridge Stakes, also at LS as an 82/1 longshot. Only put a little virtual money on him if you see that price, or higher, again.

4- Niagra Thunder (Threshold, ridden by B Curtis)- A very reliable gelding that has finished somewhere in the top four in his last twelve races. That goes back to February 2025, but also when he was officially moved from the dirt to the turf. It took a little while for him to be moved up the class ladder, and it would be this year when we saw him in a stake for the first time. That would be out at GP, where he was third in the $125.00 Silks Run, and last time out he was fourth in the Grand Prairie Turf Challenge for $125.00 at LS. Might not come out on top here, but this he can run with this field, and may extend that top four streak.

5- Tyreek (Delta Farms, ridden by M J Sanchez)- It’s fitting that Tyreek is starting right next to Niagra Thunder in the gate, because they are pretty similar horses in how they got here. Tyreek didn’t do much on the dirt, but was eventually moved to the grass around this time last year. In nine turf starts, Tyreek has hit the board eight times, and managed four wins. However, like Niagra Thunder those aren’t all against top competition, and it would take time for him to also climb the class ladder. After winning at PRX two months ago, he’ll make his stake debut right here.

6- Afro Cuban Jazz (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- This gelding is out of Pirate Petranella, who in her day was a BC Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, and would continue to run exceptionally well on the grass throughout her career. Afro Cuban Jazz would only start to follow his dam’s lead after he was purchased by High Voltage, and he has shown potential in six starts, all of which have come at a mile. He also needs to do a little more, so you can understand him being shortened up here as the trainer hopes this one can thrive. After all, he has looked to go wire to wire in his last three, so he may have been yearning for this change.

7- Mosquito (Spankys Barn, ridden by H I Berrios)- Scratched

8- Ineedu2party (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Mar Garcia)- Has gone back and forth between the main track and the turf for most of his career, and the grass has not been kind to him over his last three starts. First, he would finish dead last and be beaten by six lengths in the TS Turf Sprint, before struggling in both the Jaipur and the Highlander Stakes. Prior to that, his two runs on the dirt were also disappointing. While his works have been consistent, there’s isn’t a lot there that creates excitement for him winning here.

9- Foxy Devil (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Starting right next to his stablemate, and the second set, out of three, stablemates that do start right next to one another. While Foxy Devil is a one time BC runner, most of his starts lately have been in overnights, getting a heavy dose of optional claimers. He did win at TAM in February, but would then only make one more start after that, coming in May, before this one right here. Typically productive at hitting the board, or finishing fifth. If you want to put virtual money on a Maxmillion horse, this is the one.

10- Around The Table (Black N Gold Stable, ridden by A Fresu)- Claimed by the trainer for $30.00 in March, and he is a horse that has bounced around in claimers a little bit. However, Black N Gold Stable was not going to simply do more of the same, and the gelding stepped up to win an allowance at KEE in their first start together. This led to placement into ungraded stakes, where he’s been able to run well, but the finishing position hasn’t always been indicative of how close he really was to the winner at the end. Runs graded here for the first time.

11- Earthshine (Black N Gold Stable, ridden by V Espinoza)- Of course, Earthshine is also starting next to his stablemate here in the Green Flash Handicap. The two Black N Gold Stable entries are the highweights in the race, carrying 120 instead of 119, so nothing significant, but should be mentioned at least once. Earthshine recently won back to back ungraded stakes, taking the $125.00 McKay Turf Sprint at LRL and then the $100.00 Get Serious Stakes at MTH, but carried no momentum off that to his last race, beating none of his rivals in the Tri-State Turf Sprint just three weeks ago. I sense the trainer knows exactly why that happened and is ready to make it a quick memory.

12- Pressurized (Stald Gullis, ridden by N Arroyo Jr)- Typically, you’d say “ladies first”, but in this case, the filly will be the last to load into the starting gate. Despite running against the boys, Pressurized does not get any kind of weight allowance. Since being purchased from Mb Stables in the auction, she’s won half of her six starts, all of which are allowances or optional claimers, but did not hit the board in the other three. Two of those were ungraded stakes, including the $250.00 Hummingbird at ELP three weeks ago. With the post draw also not doing her any favors, she’s tough to pick here, but I’d feel better about her against fillies.

Prediction: 5-4-6-11

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES