Autumn Stakes (Grade 2)- $175.000 Purse
WO- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
November 9, 2024

Everything was great for Angle Of Attack at the start of the year, but his last two races saw him struggle. He had still been working well, and the Autumn Stakes was a bit of a drop from where he had been running previously. On Saturday at WO, Angle Of Attack would remind everyone of his talent level, as pulls off the win! He was not our top pick, but he was amongst our selections, and the betting public made him the post time favorite. The win is the first in the Autumn Stakes for both the trainer, Luz International, and the jockey, K Kimura. Congratulations to the connections! The time of the win was 1:47.29, which cannot be compared to previous editions due to the race being at a longer distance. Let’s take a look at it now:

(½ Mile- :47.30)- Out front early, TwinTowersRacing’s Booker and the Fractious- trained Gorogue Laga pull ahead of the rest of the field and go back and forth over the first half mile over who has a head in front of the other. Booker gets credit with the advantage at this point. It’s a gap of about two lengths to the rest of the field, with the eventual winner of the race, Luz International’s Angle Of Attack, running in the third position. He’s a half-length ahead of Maxmillion Farm’s Prince Ferro, who is to his outside, and Bahamut (Ashwood Farms) to his inside. Bonus Baby (Night Rider Stables) runs behind them, and Lossupra (Riggins Racing) trails the field.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.39)- Booker and Gorogue Laga are still out front as they head down the backstretch, but others are closing on. The first one on the attack is Angle Of Attack, who moves to the third lane with hopes of getting around the two pacesetters during the turn. Bahamut is keeping up with him but does not have the clear lane like he does. Prince Ferro is nearby, but not looking quite as good. Bonus Baby has lost some ground, and we have not seen anything out of Lossupra yet.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Angle Of Attack looks great in the turn, pulling even with Booker and Gorogue Laga and making the pass look pretty easy. At the top of the stretch, the lead was not only his, but he had already pulled out by about a length. While Booker and Gorogue Laga were still second and third, the fact that Angle Of Attack was now a length and a half ahead of Bahamut made a big difference. Meanwhile, Prince Ferro and Bonus Baby were lacking response, and Lossupra continued to simply hang out in the back, showing no interest in getting involved.

(Finish- 1:47.29)- It’s all Angle Of Attack in the stretch! Once he took over the top spot, there was no denying him as there was simply no one close enough coming with enough speed to concern him. Bahamut got within a length for second, but never threatened for more. It’s two lengths behind him to a photo for show that sees Booker getting that spot over Gorogue Laga. Prince Ferro, Bonus Baby, and Lossupra round it out.

About The Winner- Angle Of Attack, trained by Luz International and ridden to victory by K Kimura, is a five-year-old gelding by Positive Reason and is out of the late Progress Report. He was bred by Fractious as a yearling in California, and was acquired by Luz International, via Mojica Racing, with a $20.000 claim in April 2023. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourteenth in 37 starts and his second stake win, each of which are graded. His career earnings are now $747.780.

Track: Fast
Time: :47¹  1:11¹  1:35²  1:47¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 2 Paid 29.10
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 2 – 5 Paid 73.10

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES