Grable Stakes- $100.000 Purse
DMR- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward Foaled in CA
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
November 11, 2018

This small field of four looked to be a very evenly matched group as they made their way to the gate for the 16th running of the Grable Stakes, a long sprint for female Californians. There was no standout for the race, as none of the entrants had won a stake in their career, so all of them had the same goal, and the same vision of earning a win and moving forward. It was also interesting in that three of the four were transitioning from the turf to the dirt here. The one who was a main track regular? That was Christmas Robber and perhaps today she gave a lesson to the others about running on the main track. She is trained by Chili King Stables, who wins the race for the first time. C S Nakatani is also a first time winner of the race, so congratulations to each of them. The time of the victory was 1:22.28, the second quickest in the stake’s long history. Here’s a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.38)- Up front, both Liverpool Spitfire, out of Angelos Stable and Smart Queen, for Night Rider Stables, get off to a quick start, and pull away by nearly three lengths over the rest of the field. Approaching the quarter mile, Liverpool Spitfire pulls away a tad from Smart Queen. Christmas Robber, our eventual winner from Chili King Stables runs with Pink Peppermint, from Allinthegate, run side by side as well as the field begins the backstretch trip.

(½ Mile- :46.42)- Not much changes in the second quarter of the race as the field runs a pretty similar pace. Liverpool Spitfire leads Smart Queen by a length as they move into the turn. The main mover here was Christmas Robber, who cut a length off of her earlier deficit, but even she was not really making her push to the front quite yet. Pink Peppermint is now all by herself, and trailing by four lengths.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- As they make their way around the turn, Christmas Robber moved off the rail and looked to split Liverpool Spitfire and Smart Queen. Gradual progress was maintained as they approached they top of the stretch. Liverpool Spitfire was not going to make this easy as she held her ground well. Smart Queen was still a length back. Pink Peppermint still lagged behind the field and was not a threat at this point.

(Finish- 1:22.28)- Christmas Robber shows her experience on the dirt in the stretch, and is just a little bit better then her rivals with every stride. Liverpool Spitfire hangs tough for a while, but could not quite keep up. Christmas Robber is able to pull ahead by about a length to get her first stake win. Liverpool Spitfire runs second by half a length over Smart Queen. Pink Peppermint gets near her rivals, but doesn’t pass any.

About The Winner- Christmas Robber, trained by Chili King Stables, and ridden to victory by C S Nakatani, is a three year old filly by City Robber, and is out Christmas Come Early. She was bred in California by Sir Daniel Martin as a third quarter two year old and acquired by Chili King Stables, via Aer Stables, in private sales this July for $25.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her third in 13 starts, and it is her first stake win. Her career earnings are now $153.570.

Track: Fast
Time: :23¹  :46²  1:10   1:22¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 2 Paid 13.50

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded