1 Clementine Cottage, trained by A and I Stables

This race isn’t a question of who will win more that can this grand campaigner put together another huge weight carrying performance. Having a first ever race on turf added to the big weight burden will certainly cause everyone to question whether he can win but he put up some a huge performance in the Birdstone I think he may just do it. He made all that day under 130Lbs adding another black type win to his two grade three wins so is clearly the best horse in the race. Good luck to him and his trainer.

2 Instinctively, trained by Canadian Racing

And eight race winner on turf the way he won in a sub 1.33 for the mile last time suggests he may well be one of these super five year old improvers. If that is the case then the handicap should gift him a win with my only fear being the extra eighth of a mile.

3 Kick It Up A Notch, trained by Mb Stables

This decent three year old gets all sorts of weight from these today and must be a big threat. As with all of the stables runners he has mixed stakes runs with stealing smaller purses in lesser races but clearly has a touch of class as demonstrated with his good fourth in The Seagram Cup Stakes. He is not as good as the top weight and may not even be as good as Instinctively but the weight pull may be big enough to see home home.

4 Tempus Edax, trained by Wolf Ridge Stables

Fifty seven races, sixteen wins and eight years old. There wouldn’t be a more popular winner of this race if this old stager can get home today. There’s plenty that says he can’t win but a small field and a fairy-tale finish could just be the shot in the arm that this horse needs for his day of glory.

SUMMARY

The weight evens this field up quite a bit. Although Clementine Cottage looks best on paper the surface and weight could put you off. The three year old could easily carry on the big recent winning percentage of threes against olders with his big weight concession and the great old warrior Tempus Edax would certainly give me something to write about. But even though any of those three could easily win I am going for the improving instinctively to win today.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded