Northern Dancer BC Turf – Grade I
1 1/2 Mile Turf Stake Purse $300.00 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.

1st First Class Male Team 7 Illusions Pimentel J

This race showed us once again why this is a computer game influenced more by player input through instructions than how good a horse actually is. Thats not saying this horse isnt good but a look at his last two starts really spells out the issues which have been prevalent on the forums recently. When this horse was a hard finishing third in the Forester Turf Classic back in May he looked like he may be yet another superstar from the great sire Cherokee Sunset. A nice effort when sixth in the Manhattan next up set him up nicely for a big drop in grade when he took on the Forbidden Apple but that race saw a rabbit and this one who tried to stalk the suicidal pace ended up tenth beaten seven lengths. Thats hardly an encouraging effort when stepping back into grade one against some of the best turf routers around but press the right buttons and voila, this time he sits way out the back and sweeps past to win by a half length.
This was a nice win but the form lines do have you scratching your head when the races are all so clearly dictated by which button the owner clicks when setting the instructions. This nice sort will now go on to the BC and he will be well fancied depending of course what buttons everyone checks on that day.

2nd Face Your Fears Mb Stables Bejarano R

Hit the front and looked the winner but the strong pace had sucked his finish dry and he just tired in the last few yards. He will now go into the pile of chances that the stable has for the BC Turf and if he is picked would have a good chance.

3rd Cherokee Charlie Team 7 Illusions Da Silva E R

Last beaten no less than 26 lengths in the DMR Handicap and now third beaten less than a length in a grade one with one of the best turf routers in the game behind. Just like the winner this is a great example of how far we have to go before this becomes a game that actually looks more like real life than a cheap computer game. To be fair this was much more like the horse we know and he was real solid in the finish and capped off a great result for the sire and the stable.

4th Techfluence The Sidley Stud Velazquez J R

For some reason this great horse was taken a long way back today which considering his running style which has been pretty much set in stone for a long time now was a strange occurrence. Whether it was a click by the owner or a result of the race engine doing as it pleases he still ran a nice race in being beaten just a length and will head to the BC in the hope of finally getting some joy on the big day.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES