Thunder Road – Grade III
SA Race #7 1m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $100.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward

1 Plucky Ben Arindel Gonzalez Ru

A thirty three race veteran he has run some nice races and doesn’t seemed to have reached the ledge just yet. Fourth in the DMR Mile last year you would think he would’ve had more success than one win for sixty bucks but that’s just how tough this division is.His works are as good as ever and a pipe opener in lower grade will have given him a fitness edge over some. An on pace runner he is suited to this draw and to the new race engine so i expect a bold show from him.

2 Shanghai Nakamura Stables Espinoza V

There has been no stopping this trainer recently and this five year old could be ready for a big year based off of a consistent four year old season last year. His works have been very sharp suggesting he is better this year but i just wonder whether his future may lay on the dirt rather than the turf. Having said that the surface didn’t mean much under the old race engine so it will be interesting to see how this one runs from the perfect gate.

3 Sparky Laga Night Rider Stables Cedillo A

The trainer is a prolific claimer of horses and pretty often turns up with a good one. Claimed for $14 he seemed to improve leaps and bounds at the end of the year finishing third in the grade two Mathis Brothers Mile in December. The one thing you can’t predict at HRP is the hidden improvement curve and this one certainly seems to be on the upward trend at the moment.

4 King Que Niagra D J C Racing Stables Corrales G

This one ran some cracking races last year but like a good few from this stable didn’t seem to care whether he was sprinting or routing on turf or dirt. He ran very well in the grade one Malibu in a dirt sprint but ran equally well in the turf sprint Nearctic and the long route Smith Stakes. If the new race engine isn’t a bit more picky about trying to find the best trip and surface for your horse this one could again be right in this contest.

5 Chai Danger New Larkhill Stables Rispoli U

His form suggests he may be a bit of a long shot but his works suggest he is good enough to run very well. Four from eighteen and just over sixty bucks in the prize fund doesn’t look anywhere near good enough but we all know the hidden improvement curve can strike at any moment.

6 The Grandmaster John Henry Gutierrez Mario

This evergreen sprinter was huge in the BC Turf Sprint last year getting home by a quarter length in a season best performance. We always knew this grand old horse could win a BC and his works suggest he hasn’t lost any of his zest. The trip may look a problem on the surface but at HRP the class gene seems to trump trip so i am not too worried. His best wins by a few lengths but the weights are against him today and he would have to be even better than his best to take this.

7 Atomic Eclipse La Canada Racehorses Fuentes Ru

Second in the DMR Mile and fourth in the WO Mile last year he wasn’t very far off the best milers so with normal improvement he should be even better this year. His 1.34 and 1 mile work certainly suggests he is on the up and he is definitely a danger.

8 Great Gallant Rock Creek Franco G

He has been bought and sold more times than he has ran in the past 6 months so it will be interesting to see the take his new trainer has on him. He was certainly working well enough to win a race like this so could be a surprise package.

9 Phar Lap Threshold Leparoux J R

Sadly not as good as his unparalleled namesake but there is a feeling that we may have not seen the best of him yet. Another who has found it difficult to settle on a preferred trip or surface a win wouldn’t surprise but ten nor would a defeat.

10 Ohtani Sccj Stables Prat F

He had a successful three year old season winning the Hill Prince and running well in some top races. His biggest moment came when second beaten a neck in the BC Turf Mile and that sort of run would make him the winner today. His works are on the money he just have to overcome a nasty draw.

11 Marx On The Moon Court Jester Racing Hernandez J J

A noted dirt runner and the winner of three graded stakes on that surface we are once again reminded of the glitch at HRP when we see his recent turf works are good enough to see him in a BC Turf mile. That surface preference is something we have to live with at HRP so it is safe to assume that even with a terrible draw he will be very competitive here.

SUMMARY

This is a very good race for a grade three and there are a few who have got in very nicely at the weights. Ohatani very nearly won the BC Mile so is like a grade one winner without a penalty here and that may be enough but the wide draw makes him a tough choice. Marx On The Moon comes into the same catagorey and i have a feeling that Atomic Eclipse or Phar Lap may be due a big run.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES