BG Stakes – Grade I [KYD]
KEE Race #5 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $1,000.000 For Three Year Olds.

I wonder what the odds are for having three horses in a race and having them all drawn next to each other in wide gates? Well, that is the fate of the Fractious trio in this race, but I am not sure it is so bad. Tactically there are options with three drawn like that, so it will be interesting to see how they go. Of course, it is always interesting as we close in on the KYD as this weekend is probably the last real weekend that the ones who have made the cut will have a decent rest between races to give them their best chance in the run for the roses.
Here is how they line up:

1 Exemplary Mb Stables Cedillo A 120 —

Well, we are reaching the last chance cafe for most of these runners and though this is one of them we have to ask whether we will see yet another qualifier for the stable who is already assured of at least three runners in the KYD. He draws the ace which is in stark contrast to his draw in the Gotham last time, but as a closer to date this draw may not suit unless he gets the same sort of trip that his stable mate got last week. In fairness to him, though his record recently doesn’t look great, he hasn’t been beaten far and if they blast out and go hell for leather today, he could well power home late.

2 Lion Command Riggins Racing Husbands P 120 —

Beaten a neck in the Breeders Futurity and not too far back in fifth in the BC Juvenile, it has to be said that he has been pretty disappointing as a three-year-old. Three no shows in a row aren’t inspiring form but he hasn’t had the best draws recently and he certainly gets a better one today. There is nothing to suggest in either his works or his form that he is ready to bounce back today, but we know he has the ability and just maybe the draw will make all the difference today.

3 Winned Team 7 Illusions Cohen D 120 —

This is a quick turnaround for this horse who we know has the ability to win this, but the biggest question is how he has come out of his last effort. From this draw and with his form and works he would be the obvious choice to win this and go onto the KYD but two weeks back after a three-week gap before that he may find this a tough ask. The trainer though is one of the best so if they are confident he can do it, then so am I.

4 Valance Wood Duck Stables Prat F 120 —

The trainer has been in great form recently and has decided to buy themselves a chance in the KYD with the Fountain Of Youth runner up. The price tag will look pretty cheap if he does the job today and there is no reason why he can’t after a strong finish last time where he was just held by the probable KYD favorite Poison Arrow. That looks like the best form coming into this especially as this one had a tough draw that day. He was pretty good in the Holy Bull and Smarty Jones before that so looks assured of a top three spot and very possibly the number one slot.

5 Crickets Martyparty Lopez P 120 —

A nice progressive type who goes for a one chance punch here to get to the big dance. With three ungraded stakes victories to his name, he clearly has plenty of ability and the question whether he has enough will be answered today. His work times are sharp, and the race speed figures good enough so he may turn out to be the dark horse in this race.

6 Bubba Would Saratoga Stud Dominguez Jo 120 —

Drawn the car park in the Fountain Of Youth he ran pretty well to fly home to be beaten just two lengths by Poison Arrow in the end. He was behind Valance that day but was going just as fast as that one at the end, he just mistimed his challenge from a terrible position. So, if you like Valance then this one could be the main danger.

7 Rearranger Mb Stables Velazquez J R 120 —

He ran a similar race in the TAM Derby as he did in the Davis Stakes, but the results were very different as he tried to keep up with a mid-race injection of pace in the TAM Derby. He looked good in the Davis when running out a good winner but his efforts in the Jerome and last time out suggest to me that he is not the strongest over ground when the pace is on and that may be a worry if he goes on the pace again today. He will have support just because of his trainer and he certainly wouldn’t be a surprise winner, but I am not sure about him yet being the superstar some of his stable mates are.

8 Glacial Till D J C Racing Stables Lezcano J 120 —

Another trainer that has been digging into their pockets to buy a KYD runner this one was a good third in the Gotham after going on the pace from a wide draw. Interestingly it was his new stable mate Awad that beat him that day and the trainer must be pretty happy with the works this one has shown since joining the yard. A sticky draw but in all likely hood he will go for the lead so it shouldn’t be a problem, but I do wonder whether the trainer will try the gaming buttons here and see him save something for the end.

9 Cobra Jet Barcelona Farms Van Dyke D 120 —

Just ahead of Glacial Till when second in the Gotham he had a rocky run from a good draw after a fast pace on an off track that day and in the end ran a very good race. The trainer clearly bought this one with half an eye on the KYD and has every right to expect a bold showing today. A stakes runner up over a shorter trip he certainly seemed to see out the mile last time so may be ready to improve again. One of the many win chances here.

10 Power Grid Fractious Moore R L 120 —

The first of the three stable mates all drawn together by the “random” draw. His TAM Derby win was top notch last time, but it does worry me that his best wins have come with better draws and the only time he has been wide was in the Southwest where he ran a very ordinary race. The works are good, and we all know how good the trainer has been so far this year so he may be plenty of people’s top pick.

11 Last Round Fractious Jaramillo E 120 —

A lesser light of the stable three-year-olds but nevertheless I do like this one’s chances. He proved in the Breeders Futurity he can stay a trip so the fact that he been over sprint trips in his last three does not bother me. His works say there isn’t much between him and Power Grid and that gives him a chance to get some here.

12 Master And Commander Fractious Franco M 120 —

Three runners and three good chances, this one will certainly see out every yard of this trip and may even find it a bit short. He finished strongly to be beaten under a length in the LA Derby but comes here on a very quick turnaround, so you have to worry about fatigue. If the pace is fast, he will struggle to keep up but watch for him late and wide.

13 Postol Royalty Stables Alvarado F T 120 —

Random draw anomaly number two, three KYD qualifiers and three very wide draws make this one the unlucky horse if he doesn’t make the KYD field. He did really well in the Davis from the car park to fly home for second and though he made up ground again in the TAM Derby last time could not pass enough and ended up tenth. He either needs a 22 and change opening quarter to give him a chance late or maybe the trainer needs to try the gaming buttons and use the wide gate speed push to take him to the front, either way he can win but only with some assistance.

14 Lights Camera Action Diablo Diablo Saez L 120 —

A run of good draws comes to an end at the wrong time for this horse as he faces the car park draw with a host of chances inside him. A good fourth in the SUN Derby after winning the Bourbon on the turf as a juvenile he certainly isn’t out of place here but will find it tough going from wide. Going on his turf form he may use the wide gate to get up onto the speed, but he will need the race engine to play his game if he is going to win.

SUMMARY

An interesting race as we start to pick up all the fringe horses in the KYD qualification. As always it is hard to settle on one horse to win although with Power Grid and Winned looking like the most likely favorites to do that, and they may be the right ones to fight it out. There are a few trainers here that will be sweating on the money they spent to get into the KYD, and they all have a chance of a good result but if there are a couple of left field choices, they may be Exemplary, Crickets and Last Round.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES