The Quick Call (Grade 3)- $175.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds
Five and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
July 14, 2024
Seven horses will be taking part in the Grade 3 Quick Call, a turf sprint at SAR that runs for the 15th time. The race has been kind to Mb Stables in the past, as the trainer has notched four wins total and rides a three-race winning streak. The purse has always been modest for this race, and it reached the current $175.000 level in 2022. Last year’s winner was Derby Proud, scoring the third straight Quick Call win for Mb Stables. That gelding is still active but has not run since March. He’s winless since the Quick Call but has had a couple of close calls in the meantime. Mb has two of our runners here as he looks to add to his streak, but others are more than happy to put an end to it. Here’s the field:
1- Serengeti Creeper (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Davis)- Enters the Quick Call with two wins in his last three races, with a sharp looking wire to wire win last month in the $150.000 Bid at AQU. It would have been nice if he had a better showing in the Paradise Creek in May, but this will be his graded debut, and this is the right time to make it.
2- One Beer (South Shore Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- Late last year, he picked up his signature win to this point, in the $500.000 Great White Way for NY-Breds, and would later run in several preps for the KYD. He wasn’t necessarily terrible in those, but he needed to be much better. Ultimately, he was moved to the grass in May and is 1-for-2 on the surface. Hasn’t done much sprinting lately, though.
3- Freddo Caramel (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Lezcano)- Won two of his first three races, with each win on the grass and would subsequently be moved to the dirt. A couple of TX-bred races did not go well, and afterwards Freddo Caramel was happy to be back on the grass for the $100.000 Desert Code at SA that he would win. That made him 3-for-3 on the green. That streak would end, though he was a respectable fourth in the Grade 3 Manila two weeks ago.
4- Exemplary (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- The first of two horses that Mb Stables has in the race. This was a runner in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint last year, getting into the race after a win in the Grade 3 Futurity, but he did not run well in the BC, and he has not earned a win since. He was moved into KYD preps for a while and showed nothing. He’s been back on turf for his last two, but it’s been soft turf each time, and the horse was mediocre, at best. Goes back to sprinting, and the weather should be nice. So, in other words: no excuses.
5- Awad (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Made his turf debut in his last start, an optional claimer at CD that he won. Prior to that, he was successful on dirt as a two-year-old, running third in the Champagne and fourth in the BC Juvenile. This year, he got a win in the Gotham that allowed him to run in the KYD, though he struggled mightily in that and thus, the move to the grass. Sprinting has not been his thing lately, but he’s been good at it in the past.
6- Bad Fear (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- There are several horses moving into this division, and then we have Bad Fear, who has made his career in turf sprints. In eight starts, has three victories, highlighted by the $150.000 Paradise Creek at AQU in May. He was not able to follow that up well in the Get Serious Stakes but was also not beaten badly there. Makes his graded debut here, and he looks like one of the better options.
7- Gunpowder (High Voltage, ridden by L Saez)- Once the subject of a $400.000 private sale, money not spent by High Voltage, Gunpowder has not lived up to those lofty hopes. He’s won only once in nine starts, with that victory coming in September and he was sold for that large amount five days later. Didn’t last long with Arkansas Elite, as he sold him off for $25.000 after only two starts. High Voltage has done better with him, and based on his works, he has the potential to be a profitable horse. It’s time to show it.
Prediction: 1-6-3-7
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
