Red Carpet Handicap – Grade III
DMR Race #5 1 3/8m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $150.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Numeric Madness Aer Stables Van Dyke D 120
Gets in on top of the handicap but with only two pounds covering them all it shouldn’t be too much of a problem especially as she has a decent draw to help her along. Bought for $20 she won a little two win allowance at LS for the new owner and then as this trainer does so often she suddenly turned into a grade one horse by running strong thirds in both the Balliston and the grade one Flower Bowl. Whatever they did certainly has worked for this four year old who had run on the turf before but without the success of recent months. The trainer certainly has the magic touch and i expect her to be very competitive.
2 Ginger Shamanism Greyfriars Stable Espinoza V 118
She gets 2 Lbs for the two lengths she was beaten by Numeric Madness in the Flower Bowl but as we know at HRP 2Lbs doesn’t mean the same as in real life and that difference should put her right up there especially with the much better draw today. Her form before that wasn’t inspiring but that may be down to her unfortunate running style which is difficult to win with these days. If the trainer can get her out of the gates without too much leg spin she should run a decent race.
3 Stinky Rene TwinTowersRacing Cedillo A 119
Three year olds don’t come out well in these handicaps but the impossible never stops this trainer from having a go. If this was weight for age i would give her a big chance as she ran a very nice race in the Ladies Marathon last time when just getting shaded by a nose by Number Nine. The handicap is against her though so she may well need something to help her today, an off track would be one of those for sure.
4 Tell The Queen Nakamura Stables Rispoli U 119
Speaking of off tracks this one is three from three on a wet surface so would certainly be a strong chance if the rain comes. She has fair form but the handicap is against her like the other three year old and i could only give her a winning chance with some moisture.
5 Ginger Tiara The Sidley Stud Maldonado E 120
A three year old with joint top weight, you would have to say it would be a tough task to beat the two older fillies. She is a very nice sort though and won the Regret very nicely in the Summer so she may well come out on top of the three’s.
6 Tessas Star Glorify Stables Vazquez R A 119
A very lightly raced three year old with just four starts she has shown some rapid improvement after winning at MNR and FE in her first two starts. She was massive in the Wonder Where Stakes and then did well from a rotten draw in the Sands Point but she gets the wide gate again today and is not well in with the older horses so she will have to improve again to take this race.
SUMMARY
An interesting race with so many three year olds fighting the weights. For me this is simply down to the fact that AER can find something in any horse that many cannot and the fact that the older horses are at such an advantage in a handicap. So for me it is Numeric Madness to take down Ginger Shamanism. The three year olds are certainly in this and the older horses are no super stars so you can easily make a case for them but for this race at least i will stick to the tried and tested HRP formula.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
