Elkhorn (Grade 2)- $250.000 Purse
KEE- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
April 20, 2019
Distance turf runners will have a good chance to show their skill on Saturday as the Grade 2 Elkhorn goes to post at KEE for the 15th time. There is one trainer who will be hoping that the 15th edition of the race finishes much like the 14th did as Invicta Group Llc brings Bayou Quartier to KEE in hopes of defending his Elkhorn title. A field of eight looks to keep that from happening, so let’s get right to it, and it won’t take long to get to our reigning champion!
#1- Bayou Quartier (Invicta Group Llc, ridden by J Alvarado)- Last year, Bayou Quartier won the Elkhorn with a wise stalking trip most of the way, and winning by a length. He won the next race that he ran in, but has not pulled off another win since that one. In fact, he threw up a couple of hefty duds afterwards, including a main track attempt in the Pacific Classic. About three months ago, he was second in the Connally BC Turf, the first time he hit the board since his last win. The trainer hopes to get him going again here in familiar scenery.
#2- Taniwha (Aml Racing, ridden L H Colon)- Well, look who’s starting on the inside again. Ok, so this is a Grade 2 so it doesn’t count in his Grade 1 statistics, got it. Aml Racing has done a fantastic job with Taniwha ever since getting him and keeping him close to the pace, but in his last start, he went almost wire to wire, before settling for second in the Grade 2 Diarmida, beaten by Techfluence. Taniwha gets the jockey Techfluence had that day, the coveted L H Colon on the turf.
#3- Steel Home (Blazin D, ridden by E A Roman)- He didn’t like the soft turf in his last start, finishing well off the pace in the McKnight Handicap at GP, but we can throw that one out as long as its firm on Saturday. Prior to that, he hit the board in all three starts since the trainer acquired him in private sales, and that was highlight with a win in the CC Emerald last December.
#4- Barton Rovers (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by F Pennington)- Speaking of the McKnight Handicap, that race was won by Barton Rovers, and he did so by five lengths. So if it is a wet track, definitely give him an extra look while you give Steel Home an extra pass. After that, he went to the Grade 2 Diarmida, and was in the mix while finishing 3rd, behind Techfluence and Taniwha. He’s peaking right now, and Maxmillion is always one to be feared on the grass, as is the jockey, the great F Pennington.
#5- Lets Do It Big Boy (RNP Stables, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- Ran third in the BC Turf last fall, and stayed busy with two more starts in calendar year 2018 after the BC, one of which was a win in the Grade 2 Ft Lauderdale. Now, he’s on another group of races close together, running for the third time in seven weeks. That’s not terrible, necessarily, but all in all, that’s 35 furlongs, and he has not been in the money yet this year.
#6- Happy Model (Estero Farms, ridden by Alan Garcia)- The trainer is going to stretch out his Model American gelding here. The longest he has gone so far is 8.5 furlongs. His last start saw him come from off the pace to be second in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile, and overall he has never had a race go by where he did not get some part of the purse. In his last seven starts, he has three wins and four seconds. At his wheelhouse distance, he’s a pretty easy pick. This is something a little different, so bet accordingly on how you feel he will do with it.
#7- Oh Awesome One (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Beschizza)- Ran in the BC Sprint last fall, and was sold to TwinTowersRacing just five days after that race. Under the new trainer, he was moved to both the grass, and to longer distances, and while I would like to say this has improved his performance, the jury is still out on that. The seven year old has maintained consistent speed figures, so that is a plus. This will be career start number forty.
#8- Sweet Son (Oval Express Farms, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)– Picked up by the trainer in a $20.000 claimer after a couple of dreadful graded performances. The results remained poor in his first two races with Oval Express, too, but after some changing of the adds, he impressively bounced back in his last start to win an open allowance at FG. The seven year old gelding has a lot of experience at this distance, and if you really want to turn back the clock, you’ll see that he won the Pattison. Back in 2015.
#9- Aruba (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- The four year old Niagra gelding will make his graded stake debut here after winning a $25.000 claimer at six furlongs in his last start. It’s also his turf debut! The trainer has certainly noticed something in the meantime about him, because his past performances don’t really show that this would the logical next race for him after that claiming win. Where he has raced, he’s been successful, with four wins in 13 starts, and being in the money nine times.
Prediction: 4-2-6-3
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
