Connally BC Turf (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
HOU- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
January 29, 2017

Down in Texas this weekend we’ll have some good racing that is highlighted by the 10th running of the Connally BC Turf.  This is a twelve furlong race for older horses that has attracted some big names in the past.   None were bigger, however, then the one that found victory in this race two years in a row, in 2007 and 2008.   That would be the 2007 BC Turf Champion, Xray Eyes, a winner of seventeen total races.  Charming Behrens and Sub Zero also won this race before, and Barbarino actually attempted it once.  So good horses have made their way down here to HOU, making it no surprise that we have the quality runners that we do here, with three who have won over $1,000.000 in their careers.  Let us meet them, and the three others as we run through the field.

#1- Gila Bend (Barcelona Farms, ridden by R Bejarano)- This gelding has always seemed to be on the cusp of greatness throughout his career, and in that time he has won four Grade 3 events in those 27 lifetime races.  Barcelona has been very patient with him, however, and has kept him at this level more often then not.   This is a good test, because he has a couple of opponents in here who have been running in bigger races, and if Gila Bend is able to pull off a win here, maybe he will follow suit.   He loves going long, and it does not matter if it is on grass or on the main track.

#2- Play Ball (Mb Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- As a three year old, Play Ball won four out of five races, a streak that culminated in him winning his graded stake debut in November, in the Grade 3 Smith Handicap at AQU.  The streak began here in the Lone Star State, with two wins in allowance at LS before moving to bigger things.  That Smith Handicap win seems promising for him, though, as it was just a bit shorter then today’s race will be.  He ends up facing a few in here that will be better then he has ever seen before, so we’ll see how he is able to come to the plate.

#3- Tucson (Aer Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- It has been exciting to watch this horse accomplish more and more as his career has gone on.  I’ve been covering a lot of his races, and have seen his progression ever since he was claimed by Aer Stables.  Give that trainer credit, as he has done a masterful job with Tucson in his career.  His moment of glory last year came at beautiful Saratoga Race Course with a win in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer.  That got him a BC Turf ticket, and well, that’s a tough race.   The Connally represents his return to the track since that race and you have to find his chances here very promising.

#4- Exactly As Planned (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by F Prat)- It’s the 2017 debut for this now four year old gelding, and there should be plenty of excitement in what he could be capable of running a full year for Maxmillion Farm.  The trainer bought what had been a good allowance horse from Australia Wide, for $75.000, and immediately found success at the graded level.  Their only win was one of the biggest turf races on the calendar, taking the $1,000.000 Pattison up at WO.  A month later in the BC Turf, he ran really well and finished third.    He loves this distance, and he will be my pick.

#5- Volare (Axeman, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The seven year old mare has won over $1,700.000 in her career, which puts her tops amongst her competitors in this race.  That said, it is a little unexpected to see her in this race particularly when you got the La Prevoyante at GP on Saturday, which is the same distance and just about the same purse, but then you remember that this is really nothing new for Volare.  She’s tried running against the boys in the Pattison, and a couple of other times.  Twice she has been second against them, but still can’t say she’s beat all the boys yet in a race.  Expect her to be a threat.

#6- Hulk Hogan (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by J K Court)- Fittingly, the Hulkster is announced last, and after all of his opponents.  The equine version has been a resilient gelding, taking on graded company a total of seven times, but has still not picked up a win in any of them.  You have to go back a year and a half for the last time Hulk Hogan won, which was the $100.000 ungraded Oceanside Stakes.   It’s a tough field for him, and since the race is not scripted, don’t look for him to win.

Prediction: 4-3-5-2

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES