The CCA Oaks – Grade I
SAR Race #8 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.

1 Spicy Poke Estero Farms Wilson E J

Third in the grade two Sorrento Stakes as a juvenile this filly was put away for a fair time before making her three year old debut in an ungraded stakes. She was put on the front end of that race and kept on really gamely to win by a half length in a very good effort considering her 5 month lay off. Estero Farms saw the potential and bought the filly for a fairly cheap $100.000 and quickly saw some pay back as she won the Selene Stakes in her last start. Unbeaten this year this filly has avoided the stress of a KYO campaign and comes here pretty fresh and working very strongly. If she gets a fair trip from the inside gate i think she may just about win.

2 Blue Caviar Waldo Lermyte J

A winner fo six from ten she certainly has the form on the board to start favourite for this race and running from the perfect draw she must rate a very strong chance. The winner of two state bred stakes as a two year old her campaign has been carefully managed and has seen great success. This season she was very tough when making all to win the Santa Ysabel Stakes and that earnt her a spot in the KYO where in true HRP gaming style she switched her running style 180 degrees and ran from the back. She stormed home too late to be sixth beaten just a length on a muddy track that probably didnt suit her and was the real eye catcher in the race. In her last start she took on the big purse in the WO Oaks Stakes and again showed just how tough she is by winning by her second nose of the season. A big chance to last the trainers third grade one.

3 Elegant Mb Stables Sanchez M J

Probably the best two year old form in the race she was beaten just a neck in the BC Juvenile fillies but her form this year has proved a little inconsistent but that seems to be the nature of HRP at the moment. If you take out the allowance defeat first up and the poor run in the mud her form figures look pretty good. A nose behind Blue Caviar in the Santa Ysabel she was running from a horrible gate and caught the winner a stride after the line, on that effort you would have to give her a huge chance. She then ran a big race in the SA Oaks to be second again this time beaten a neck and then finally got the win she deserved last time out when beating a short field in the Trillium Stakes. She could easily win and has a good team behind her to make that happen.

4 Obvious Fraud Nakamura Stables Beschizza A

The trainer knows how to get a bit extra out of their horses so although this one looks hopelessly outclassed there is no such thing at HRP and you have to respect her even if it looks unlikely she could win. She was tested as a two year old at stakes level and looked okay in the Sorrento Stakes when beaten just two lengths but was poor in the Pocahontas and brought back to allowance level for the rest of her races. Her last two wins have come at low level but it is clear her trainer thinks she is worth another go so here she is against just 5 other fillies.

5 Tenrikyo Smokey Stover Alvarado J

This filly is just about as good an example as you can possibly find as to how the trip can win races here at HRP and not the ability of an individual horse. Brilliant in the KYO she strode away to follow up her brilliant Ashland win in the race before and looked like the rising star of her generation. Now her form with Cannolo is the interesting thing here and the basis of my above statement. In the KYO she got back but found a path through to beat Cannolo by a length. Cannolo herself was also taken back but got held up and ran on for fourth. In the Acorn last time Cannolo was pushed up into teh stalk from the wide gate and beat Tenrikyo who was taken back again but this time didnt get a clear run and ended up beaten two lengths. The final thing to muddy this theory is the Ashland where both fillies met prior to those two starts and ended up a length apart, i will leave you to your own conclusions as to how that result transpired. Now you would think that with just six fillies in this race these two should both get clear runs and so maybe just maybe we will see which is the better of the two.

6 Cannolo D J C Racing Stables Franco M

This under rated filly has looked very good over a mile winning the Davona Dale and the Acorn but has been beaten both times she went further than that in the Ashland and the KYO. Could the wide gate and the likelihood she will be up on the speed be against her here? Well she has shown no signs of stopping over the mile so i see no reason why that should be the case so i think we have to put that down to coincidence for now. I really can’t separate Tenrikyo and Cannolo but at the moment it stands at 2 to 1 in favor of Tenrikyo and she is working better and drawn inside so you have to say that Cannolo has a few things against her. A lot will come down to what the race engine does here as to which one wins today but this is a very intriguing battle between two very good fillies and i am looking forward to the spectacle.

SUMMARY

Well it looks a little like a two horse race on paper with the only question being whether Tenrikyo will beat Cannolo or not but there is more chapters to this story than meets the eye. Those two fillies find themselves drawn wide and whilst in real life with 6 runners that wouldn’t matter at HRP it certainly does. Blue Caviar and Elegant have the perfect draws to upset the apple cart here and i do like Spicy Poke who may just be the dark horse in the race.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES