The Allaire Distaff Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000
PIM- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
May 15, 2020

It’s hard to believe that it’s PRK weekend already with everything that happened in the KYD still running through everyone’s mind. We’ll get to the PRK a little later, but first we want to focus on some of the racing that is happening at PIM on Friday. Part of that is the Grade 3 Allaire Distaff Stakes. This race will send older females nine furlongs around the main track for a $150.000 purse, and it’s the 13th time that it will be run. Originally the race was run at 1 1/16 miles, before being increased to its present distance in 2015. The initial purse for the race was $200.000, but that did not last long, and it has been $150.000 for the majority of its history. This is a race where older horses have had success again three year olds, winning ten of the previous races, and many of them were at least five years olds as well. One of the two races that have been won by a three year old came last year when Red Lucy picked up the win for The Sidley Stud. Now, Red Lucy will be on the “older” team as she competes in this race as a four year old, still for The Sidley Stud. The older horses get the three inside posts, and the three year olds, with a five pound weight allowance, get the three outside posts. Let’s look at those taking part!

#1- Red Lucy (The Sidley Stud, ridden by R Bejarano)- Defeated a field of six here last year by coming from off the pace to earn the win. Since that victory, she has won just once in her next six starts, and that came in November at ten furlongs in the Maple Leaf Stakes, a Grade 3 at WO. Other then that win, she has been struggling, finishing in dead last in her last two starts, beaten a combined twelve lengths. Therefore, it is hard to get excited over her in this field for any other reason then the simple fact that she has won the race before.

#2- Neds Assets (The Sidley Stud, ridden by A Beschizza)- Starting right next to her stablemate, this is likely the horse that the trainer is pinning his biggest hopes on. Neds Assets has been consistent, hitting the board in 14 of 17 career starts, and there are six wins mixed in with them. The biggest victory was in the Grade 3 Pitcher Stakes last July, which is a very similar race to the Allaire Distaff. Also, this filly did run third to Red Lucy in the Maple Leaf Stakes, but her form most recently has been much better.

#3- Stellar Wind (Simmer Down Stable, ridden by J Pimentel)- The five year old Il Capitano mare is the oldest horse in the field. By the way, quick shout out to Smokey Stover as the breeder of each of these first three horses. In February 2019, Simmer Down Stable claimed the horse for $75.000 after her fifth straight win. The new trainer has increased her competition level by advancing her into stakes, but she has not won since that claiming race. However, she’s done a lot of finishing second! That means a little something at the end of the day and this race is similar to the ones she has been completing the exacta in lately. She’s done well against the three’s and being at a weight disadvantage like she will deal with here, so look for her to do well in this race, too.

#4- Dream Woman (Mb Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- Now, we begin the three year old side of the starting gate! The trainer is looking for his second win in three years in the Allaire Distaff, and pins those hopes on a horse that he picked up in the September 2019 auction. She has won twice, with three additional second place finishes in her six starts, but neither of those wins were in the stakes that she has attempted. This will be her first attempt at the graded level, and as long as she is continuing to improve, then this could be her break out. If the weights were equal, I don’t think she could beat two of the older horses here, but with the allowance, she can.

#5- Miss Flora (Nakamura Stables, ridden by V R Carrasco)- This is the only horse in the field that is coming off a win, and it was a pretty good one. In the middle of March, Miss Flora captured the Bourbonette Oaks, which is a KYO prep race. She has not raced since then, and has still only made six starts for her career, in general. Initially, she made her stake debut in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes, and placed sixth against some very tough company, including but not limited to eventual KYO winner, Bite The Bullet. She seems placed very well against the competition, and if she runs her race, the win should be hers.

#6- How Trait (Gdp Inc, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Another talented three year old that spend some time on the KYO trail herself. The highlight of her career to this point is likely not one of her wins, but instead her second place performance in the Grade 2 Alexandra at FG in a loaded field. Precise Performance, Relax, Winegum Wishes, and Mercy were just some of the horses she raced against, and beat all of them except for Mercy. Looks like she might be losing bute as an add, and that puts her back to what her adds were for her last win. I think Miss Flora is coming into this race with more momentum, but How Trait is her biggest challenger.

Prediction: 5-6-3-4

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES