Grade 3 for Fillies & Mares Three Years Old & Up
1 1/16 Mile Turf
Post: 10/23/2016 14:35 at BEL
This is one of those races where anything can happen. One of these will rise to the occasion, and it’s very hard to predict which one. There is no single horse in the field of seven that outshines the others. I like Earthly Gran. Any filly that can break her maiden first out, take a thirteen-month sabbatical, and win in stakes company in her next start is okay in my book. Not only that, but in winning the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (Grade 2) two starts back, she scored a 101 SRF and ran the fastest 1 1/16 in the field at 139.91.
But I’m not the best handicapper, so you might also want to look at Catienus and Miss Graceful, both coming in off wins. But the former is making her graded stakes debut here, and Miss Graceful, at age six, may be past her glory days. Sure Shot Lady has a graded win this year, and she got up for a close third in her last out, another graded stake. Rip Snortin is winless this year but has been close a couple of times at this level. Vaguely Pink has finished off the board in all three of her graded attempts. Command And Conquer hasn’t been better than 4th since her win in the Regret (Grade 3) in May.
Here’s a closer look at the field:
1 Vaguely Pink
Owner: Wolfs Den
Breeder: La Canada Racehorses
Won the $100.000 NY Stallion Series – Liberty two starts back. The closest she has come to a graded win was in the Selene (Grade 3) on dirt in May. Last out she finished eighth and last in the ONT Colleen Stakes (G3). In the money 5 of 10 starts this year, so I wouldn’t completely count her out.
2 Catienus
Owner/Breeder: D J C Racing Stables
Finished off the board just once in 7 starts this year. That 6th place finish came two starts back in the $100.000 Riskay. She came back a month later and turned in the best performance of her career in winning the $125.000 Hettinger for NY-breds, beating a field of 4 and scoring a 99 SRF. Could be a factor.
3 Rip Snortin
Owner: Aer Stables
Breeder: Downwind Stables
Winless this year in 6 starts, but this four-year-old filly has been duking it out in graded company since March. Her last two efforts have been sprinting on off going, and she nearly won the $350.000 KDL Sprint last out.
4 Sure Shot Lady
Owner: Crocker Ggs
Breeder: Team 7 Illusions
Won the Beaugay (Grade 3) in May, a race in which Rip Snortin finished fifth. Her only other win this year came a month earlier in the $100.000 Plenty of Grace. Since then, she has struggled to hit the board, but she managed a third place finish in her last start, the Noble Damsel Handicap (Grade 3). She will have to turn in a top effort to win here.
5 Miss Graceful
Owner: Nakamura Stables
Breeder: First Class Stable
Coming in off a wire-to-wire win in Optional Claimer company, this six-year-old mare has lost just two of her five starts this year, but both of those were in graded company. She won the Rodeo Drive (Grade 1) and the Royal Heroine (Grade 2) in 2014 and competed in the BC Filly & Mare Turf that same year. But she hasn’t found her way back to the winner’s circle at that level since. She has been close several times, however, but her speed figures aren’t competitive with some in this field.
6 Command And Conquer
Owner: John Henry
Breeder: Blushing Meadows
Another one who has spent the year competing at the top ranks. This three-year-old filly raced only once as a two-year-old and broke her maiden in her first start of this year at SA. She followed that up with a graded win in the Santa Ysabel Stakes (Grade 3) and has not competed below that level since. Those successes came on dirt. It wasn’t until her sixth start that she was sent out on turf. The race was the Regret (Grade 3) and she won in front running style. That was her last win. She raced four more times coming up to this race, 2 on turf and 2 on dirt. This one has something to prove here.
7 Earthly Gran
Owner/Breeder: Drabfantasy
Very lightly raced four-year-old filly with only eight starts. In fact, she started just once as a two-year-old, breaking her maiden first out, then didn’t race again until March of this year when she won the $85.000 La Coneja Stakes for NM-breds. Most of her efforts have been on dirt, but she did win the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (Grade 2) on the turf two starts back and scored a career high 101 SRF. In fact, she has not finished worse than second in her two starts on turf. Could be very competitive here.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
