Pasadena Stakes ($200.000 Purse)
SA- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
March 17, 2018

A small field of five is gathered for the return of the Pasadena Stakes to the calendar. This ungraded event was held for four consecutive years between 2006 and 2009, for minuscule purses of under $100.000. Since then, it has disappeared from the schedule, before re-emerging in 2018. There is not much history that we can talk about for this race, but one somewhat interesting fact would be that if R Bejarano was the winning jockey, he would win it for three consecutive tries! Let’s meet the field, which is rather unheralded.

#1- Participation Trophy (Mcl Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- The trainer will be hoping that factoid concerned Bejarano comes true, as he eyes for more then a participation trophy out of this race. This Five Spirits gelding is actually very raw, and makes just his second career start. It will be four months since he ran for the first time, which was a sprint at PRX. His works are excellent to the point why you wonder why he hasn’t been racing, but perhaps this is the start of bigger things for him.

#2- Lost In Failure (Blazin D, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- This is also a lightly raced horse, making just the third start of his career. The trainer thinks highly of him, however, placing him in the Grade 3 Dania B for his last start, and on soft turf, he would not be a factor in the race. It will be good to see him get a chance on firm turf this time, so hopefully the weather holds up, because this may be an emerging star in the division.

#3- Ifitsfreeitsforme (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Maldonado)- After winning an allowance in November, prior trainer Luz International decided that would be enough, and shipped him off to Maxmillion Farm that day for $85.000. Maxmillion has taken him off of lasix, and would get another win, this in an optional claimer. If he was coming off of that race, I would put him on top, but I really don’t like the effort that came after, in another optional claimer. Hopefully there was a reason for that. He still has a great shot to get a win here, as this field isn’t all that difficult.

#4- Name Drop (Mb Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- This gelding by Well Informed has won just once in his four race career, but is clearly a horse on the upswing. After breaking his maiden, the trainer sent him to the $100.000 Kittens Joy, and he would run a competitive third. Some horse named Lane Frost won that race. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Name Drop was about a length and a half behind Lane Frost, and while that one has found his calling on the main track now, Name Drop is still looking to be a force on the turf. Ran second in the same optional claimer that Ifitsfreeitsforme ran fourth in, and he defeated that won by two lengths. Name Drop is the clear horse to beat here.

#5- Twig N Berries (Estero Farms, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Knows how to find the winners circle at the end of the race, with three wins in seven career starts. None of the victories have come in races to do much bragging over, but the trainer has tried putting him into ungraded stakes, though smaller ones, and he has not been able to step up. His last start was the Grade 3 Dania B, and he was well out of it on the soft turf that day. It’s time to step up now against stronger competition.

Prediction: 4-3-5-2

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded