Trillium Stakes (Grade 3)- $125.000 Purse
WO- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 17, 2018
The Trillium Stakes is a smaller graded event taking place north of the border this Sunday. The race is listed as being for three year olds and upward, but there is only one in the field that actually is not a three year old. Perhaps that is a statement for the impact of the weight differential now that three year olds have. There are six going to the gate for this one, and it is a well balanced field of runners that have taken differing paths to get here. We have a KYO runner, and the BC Juvenile fillies runner up. Then, we have a couple here who have mostly been seen lately having success in statebreds. Last year was the first year that the race was run here, and it was won by a three year old named Stacked, for Smokey Stover. She’d only race two more times and now serves as broodmare where, through the amazing wonders of our virtual world, she has already produced three foals. Smokey Stover figures to have the horse to beat here as well, so let’s look through the field.
#1- Are We Dreamin (Mb Stables, ridden by J M Campbell)- Ran in a few CA-bred races this year, including an attempt at the $200.000 CA Cup Oaks, where she would finish in the middle of the field. That has been her most challenging race to this point, but she is coming off a win right here in her last start, coming in the $100.000 Star Shoots, which had a four-horse field. Even though that race was a sprint, most of her career has been racing at a mile and longer. Speed figures at over a mile are not as impressive as others in here. The trainer has two in the field, and his best chance likely lies with the other.
#2- Adjourned (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by E J Wilson)- The Cherokee Sunset filly has spent much of her career running in FL-bred races. She has made a handful of stake attempts in her career, but they are not the best lines in the past performances. The My Dear, part of the FL Sire Stakes was a disappointment, and more recently, the Grade 3 Forward Gal saw her only finish 6th. That was a good field, though, and none of the three in this race that ran there were a contender for the win, either. I like how Adjourned has steadily improved since that race, and she should be considered a threat here.
#3- Sprinkles (Mb Stables, ridden by L Contreras)- The second of two entries by Mb Stables, and the one that appears to be his best chance to win. In eight starts, she has three wins, but has also shown an ability to be near the front, as she has never been worse then fourth. As a two year old, she attempted a pair of graded events, with the highlight being a runner up in the Grade 3 Tempted. The lone stake win on her record is the $75.000 Island Stakes from SUN back in February. When you have a horse consistent like this, there is always a feeling that is simply a matter of time before they come up with a big win.
#4- Marquesa (Treaux Farms, ridden by E R Da Silva)- This is the lone four year old in the field, and as such, she will have to carry five more pounds then everyone else in the field. That’s going to make things tough for the veteran filly in her 21st start. She is just coming into her own now, and was impressive towards the end of March when she finished second in the Henson Handicap, earning a 97 SRF. After that, we learned that she doesn’t like off tracks. If it weren’t for her weight disadvantage, I’d think she’d have a better shot, but that is the difference maker here. If she does win, it will be the first graded win for the trainer.
#5- British Chai (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Thanks to a successful run of races this spring, British Chai was able to participate in the KYO even while still being a maiden. It began at GP, where picking points for finish fourth in the Forward Gal and the Davona Dale got her name in the conversation. Then, in the Grade 1 Ashland, she was second in a photo, and thanks to that, she was off to the big race. In it, she was not at her best, so British Chai needs to rebound. You’d think that would be in a maiden race, but no, British Chai is going to keep running at this level. Good horse, but has never proven she knows how to win.
#6- Bora Bora (Smokey Stover, ridden by G Boulanger)- A successful two year season culminated in this Hardline filly running second in the BC Juvenile Fillies, then another runner up later in November to close out the year, coming in the Grade 2 Golden Rod. This year has seen a mixed bag of results, as on one hand, she has been good, getting a win in the $200.000 SUN Oaks in late March. On the other hand, you have to think that expectations were higher for her, and not making the KYO field may have been a letdown. Last month, she placed second in the Adoration (Grade 3) at SA, so she is still getting good results. But the trainer likely wants to see a little more. Winning this race would be a great start.
Prediction: 6-2-3-5
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
