San Marcos Stakes – Grade II
SA Race #7 1 1/4m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

1 Koda Estero Farms Juarez N

this seven year old is pretty lightly raced considering this is his fifth season. It took him nine of his eighteen starts to break his maiden and when he followed that win up in a claimer he changed stables to his current owner. He still only has those two wins but with such a small gap in class over the past few seasons he went from that claiming win to run a half length third in the grade two Pan American for the new trainer. Since then he has run well and has recorded good speed figures but has yet to win his third race. Working 1.09 and 1 for the six furlongs he certainly is good enough on his works and this trip may just be what he has been crying out for so whilst a seven year old autogen wouldn’t be the most lavish looking winner he certainly could surprise a few here.

2 Captain Cook Nakamura Stables Bravo J

A solid sort he wont be the worst in this field and gets a great draw to make his presence felt. Unbeaten in the wet his best chance may come with rain but he was winning the grade three Thunder Road this time last year so even if its stays dry he is not without a chance. There is better form in the race but the draw and the trainer will be a big help.

3 Going Gone John Henry Gutierrez Mario

This seven year old son of Cherokee Sunset is undoubtedly the class in the race winning 12 races and over 2K in prize money. He had a massive year last year winning the MM Mile and the Shadwell Turf Mile and gets in nicely here with no penalty despite being a dual grade one winner last year. A definite win chance if he is fit enough and his legs still have a few miles in them with my only worry being the trip which may stretch his stamina a bit far.

4 Workload Mb Stables Lezcano J

He didn’t make the TC last year but wasn’t far off it and took advantage of that with a good win in the Read Stakes and two grade one placings. He will have to find a spot behind the lead today as he doesn’t perform as well when put on the pace so it will be interesting to see how he handles the new race engine. Working well, from a top yard he will be a selection for plenty of people.

5 Hollywood Niner Nolespan Racing Saez L

The stable has made some remarkable claims in the past and this one looked like another one for a long way in the Man O War after being claimed in the race before. He couldn’t keep his lead in that race fading to fourth in the end but that run was enough to suggest he could run with the big boys. He finished off last year with two wins at overnight level and looks like he may be one of the ones to get near the lead early on so it will be interesting to see how he does today. A chance but not my first choice.

6 People Doubted Waldo Espinoza V

Now a six year old he was sold in the middle of the year last year after some unlucky draws and some near missis. He has won two from four for his new owner both at graded level and his works suggest he has not slowed down despite his long years in the game. A very capable router who will be right in this and on his best day would win.

7 Slo Mo Maxmillion Farm Ferrer J C

Well the turf king has put a lot of his stable up for sale but i wonder whether there is a bit of a reprieve on the horizon. This is a typical entry for the stable in this sort of race, one that looks to have little chance on form having just the one win in a maiden claimer but we all know what Maxmillion Farm can do in a turf route and it really wouldn’t surprise me to see him perform another miracle today. The horse is impossible to tip on form and draw but i wont be stupid enough to say he can’t win.

8 Technic Fractious Fuentes Ru

This four year old followed up a maiden win with two great efforts in black type races including a big win in the DMR Derby. Those efforts saw a big price tag as Fractious bought him for $500, a bold move considering the horse was running out of his three year old season. He only had two more races last year ending with a close third in the Fort Laurderdale. He could be anything but we know he is good but after today with a wide draw we will find out just how good he is.

SUMMARY

A tight looking race with the potential to turn up a surprise winner. i rather like Technic but his draw may prove tough. The obvious choices would be Going Gone or Workload but i do think there is a chance at some good odds on offer so i will go left field with this and tip Koda each way.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES