Alcibiades (Grade 1) (BC)- $600.000 Purse
KEE- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
October 6, 2023

The Grade 1 Alcibiades is about as good as it can get for two year old fillies, as the race offers a generous $600.000 purse and the coveted ticket to the BC Juvenile Fillies. That purse is an increase of $100.000 from last year, and last year saw a similar increase from 2021, so the status of this race is quite impressive, indeed. On Saturday, there will be two other “win and you’re in” races for the BC Juvenile Fillies, and you need to add their purse amounts together to get that $600.000. As you could expect, then, the race has drawn a full field of twelve, and we’ll take a look at them in a moment. Last year, the Alcibiades was won by Arindel’s Scarlett Dream, and she went to finish third in the BC, and has had an excellent three year old campaign. Altogether, there were five horses in the BC Juvenile Fillies that rain in the Alcibiades, and I’d expect to see a similar number this year. Now, here are our entrants!

#1- License To Kill (Arkansas Elite, ridden by G W Corbett)- Drawing the rail for this race is this Con Artist filly that has a pair of wins in her first three starts. She won on debut in June at CT, and narrowly missed out at the wire from going back-to-back in her next start. That strong allowance performance led the trainer to enter her in the competitive FL Sire Stakes- Vixen, and after stalking leaders, she was much the best in the end for the win. This is her first time going long, and I am not fully convinced she can beat some of these at more than a mile, but you have to take the shot.

#2- Awesome Angel (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M E Smith)- In April, Awesome Angel won a two-furlong race at TAM, and would reappear three months later at ELP on the same day that License To Kill was there. After setting the early pace, she went to finish third in an allowance, and would use that same plan of attack last month at SAR. There, she would get the win by a length and that will lead to her first stake race here. Had a solid work at AQU before heading here.

#3- Rubimaulu (Arindel, ridden by E Jaramillo)- You just gotta love those Hanamaulu foals, and Rubimaulu will now try to be the next in line of great ones out of that dam. For now, she has one in in five starts, but after breaking her maiden, she ran in two graded races at SAR: the Schuylerville and the Spinaway, and finished fourth in each of them. She was running well late in both of them, so a little more distance could see her finish a few spots better. Interestingly, this is the first particularly talented filly out of Hanamaulu.

#4- Freed From Desire (The A Stable, ridden by F Geroux)- This will be the first race away from SAR for Freed From Desire, and she will be looking to bring her form to KEE. Won on debut, in August, at SAR, for $90.000. Read that again, because with the way there is a lot of talk, and it may be justified, about how horses need that first race, Freed From Desire didn’t get a run in at PEN, MNR, or FP first. It was right to SAR, and she won. A month later, she ran in the Grade 1 Spinaway, and won that too. She’s by catch a rising star, and that’s exactly what she is. She might not win here, but I really like this horse.

#5- Children Of The Sod (Onlineracingclub.com, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Making her fourth career start here, and she’s been able to win twice. In talking about challenging first race assignments, let’s give this one some credit, too, for debut at BEL in June, against NY-Breds. Not quite what Freed From Desire did, but Children Of The Sod’s runner up showed she is full of potential, too. Since then, she has two wins, highlighted by the $200.000 Sorority Stakes at MTH six weeks ago. Looks to have a good shot here as well, but many do.

#6- Lawbreaker (Diablo Diablo, ridden by Mar Garcia)- The most experienced runner in the field thus far, as this will be her seventh career start. She’s won twice over that period of time, with the non-maiden win coming at ELP in the ELP Debutante in mid-August. A month later, she appeared in the Grade 3 Pocahontas, and was third following a late run, bringing her here on three weeks rest. Despite having the six starts already, I don’t think she’s been overraced, she simply ran in early April, and has pretty much been running once a month.

#7- Purple Charger (Fractious, ridden by L Saez)- In June, she won the $150.000 Astoria at BEL, making her 2-for-2 in her career, and catching the attention of Fractious. A few weeks after that win, he purchased her from Our Athletes for $550.000, and eight days later got a chunk of that back when she won the Grade 3 Schuylerville at SAR. Purple Charger would remain at the Spa for the Spinaway, and while it would be the first time she didn’t win a race, she put forth a great effort, and ran third. This is certainly a logical spot to follow those races, and she should be considered one of the top options here. Has traditionally done her best running late.

#8- Sitting Pretty (Arindel, ridden by D E Centeno)- Like Purple Charger, Sitting Pretty was bred by Our Athletes and sold by that trainer for a decent chunk of change. Arindel spent $200.000 to bring in the unraced filly and was rewarded when she won on debut in April at AQU. She’s run twice since and was second to Purple Charger in the Astoria. Two months ago, Sitting Pretty ran in the Grade 3 Adirondack at SAR and led early before three got by her before the finish. Like her works and think we will see improvement from her here.

#9- Jamaican Coffee (Night Rider Stables, ridden by A Beschizza)- Another horse that has made three starts thus far, and for Jamaican Coffee, there’s been one win. That came at SAR in July at the beginning of the meet, and it was a result that led to her being entered in the $200.000 Seeking The Ante, for NY-Breds, and she nearly got it done, placing second in a photo. Runs long for the first time here, but I would have liked to see a faster time with that September 6 work. There’s been a month, however.

#10- Sled (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- Began her career north of the border and broke her maiden against ON-Breds in June, her second career start. Later that month, she won an allowance at CD, which sent her into stake racing. She’s been in two, and her last race may be a throw out. Although she had been near the front in her first four races, she was way, way behind in the Grade 1 DMR Debutante, and showed good closing kick to get a fifth-place result. We could see that tactic again with this longer distance, so be watching for her late, if so.

#11- Gutter Black (Iolaus Racing, ridden by R A Vazquez)- Looking to extend her winning streak to three as she makes her stake debut here. The Funny Cide filly needed three races to break her maiden, and that would come at MTH in July. After about two months, she captured an optional claimer at DMR, and she looks like she may be competitive against this company. Her works are as good as anyone in this field, but others will have more name recognition at this point. Gutter Black can change that with a strong run here.

#12- Sitting Bulls Champ (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Second horse in this field that is by Sitting Bull. She’s made four starts, and scored wins in her first three, highlighted by an allowance at SAR in July. That would send her into the Grade 1 Spinaway, where she ran well, but fell one spot short as Freed From Desire got the win, but she was better than Purple Charger and Rubimaulu there. In this deep field, no reason to think she can’t win, but will have to contend with this post.

Prediction: 4-8-12-11

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES