The 15th Running of The Shuvee-G3
July 25, 2021 15:00
SAR Race #8 $200.000 11/8 Dirt
4YO+ Fillies and Mares 123 Lbs (plus penalties)
Track Record-1:46.34 (Jesse James-2012)
Stakes Record-1:48.07 (Better Be Grayteful-2017)
A field of eight has been entered for the $200.000 G3 Shuvee on Saturday going 11/8 on the SAR dirt. Six of the eight entrants have taken down graded races so the winner will definitely have to defeat some classy individuals. This race has a lot of intrigue and may influence BC decisions going forward. Here is the field for the $200.000 G3 Shuvee:
#1 Envy (Mo Mentum Farm/J. Alvarado 123): Breaking from the rail and seeking her first win in over a year is Envy. 4yo homebred daughter of Devils Tower was the pacesetter in last year’s BC F&M Turf, but has spent this season focused on the dirt. Last run was 5th in the June 26 Fleur De Lis Handicap at CD after running 3rd in the G3 Trillium at WO. Her last start in upstate NY was the last time she visited the Winner’s Circle, but that was a long time ago and this is a tough field to try to beat for her first win on dirt.
#2 La Marseillaise (Whiteout Stable/J.R. Velazquez 123): Defending BC F&M Sprint champion La Marseilllaise gets a good draw here trying to secure her first win going more than a mile. 5yo daughter of Atomic Twister comes here after three G1 events (March 13 Beholder Mile-1st; April 17 Apple Blossom-4th; June 5 Phipps-2nd) looking for more BC points. Won here twice going shorter last year and is a multiple G1 winner so she has to be respected every time she enters the starting gate. Her result in this one could keep her on a BC Distaff path or send her back to the sprint ranks to defend her title.
#3 Tenrikyo (Smokey Stover/D. Davis 123): Tenrikyo returns to the distaff division after taking on the boys in the June 26 G2 Foster at CD. That 7th place finish came after an uninspired 10th in the G1 Derby City Distaff on May 1, but picked-up G1 and G2 wins in the Vinery Madison and Inside Information, respectively. 5yo Grandeur mare hasn’t thrown consecutive clunkers like the last two in a while and her conditioner knows how to bring out the best of his runners, so expect a much more typical Tenrikyo performance in this one.
#4 Five Star Queen (Angelos Stable/T. Gaffalione 123): Five Star Queen tackles nine furlongs in this after going 7-5-0-0 in one-turn races this year. 4yo daughter of Five Star General has had success going two turns in the past, but it wasn’t against these types. Likely pace factor in this one if she breaks well and used those tactics in the biggest win of her career when she took down the six furlong G3 Las Flores at SA back in April. Tough to endorse going this far, but may lead them for a long stretch of this and SAR is the “Graveyard of Favorites” for a reason.
#5 Toothless (Night Rider Stables/E. Cancel 123): 5yo Kavorka mare has been knocking around the allowance and ungraded stakes ranks, but has yet to find the Winner’s Circle this year. In fact, she hasn’t had her picture taken since February of 2020, so to say this is a huge step up would be an understatement. Conditioner is known for giving his horses their chances and no one can blame him for taking a stab here; however, this G3 came up pretty tough and would be hard to see her getting a piece of this.
#6 Dorians Drift (YME Stable/J. Lezcano 123): 6th in the G1 Phipps last out, 4yo Drift filly comes in here with less than half the number of starts of any other horse in here. Took some time breaking her maiden, but had been a win machine since December before the G1 try. Obviously has some upside and did not embarass herself last month at BEL. If she gets a bit of improvement out of that race, she could grab a piece of this and that would be a great accomplishment in this stacked field.
#7 Scarlet And Grey (Nakamura Stables/K. Carmouche 123): Scarlet And Grey returns to defend her crown after besting 10 rivals in this event last year. Has a G3 score as well as an ALW win so far this year out of five races. This will mark her 24th consecutive start in a route, so everyone knows this is what she wants to do. 5yo Brave Decision mare should be able to keep in touch with the leaders and should be doing her best running at the end.
#8 Speedy Ginger (The Sidley Stud/M. Franco 123): Another confirmed router, this daughter of Ginger Haggis will be making just the 5th start of her 5yo campaign. Only has an ALW victory so far this year, but hasn’t really had a “poor” performance since February. Should have no problem with the distance and, if she can navigate the outside post and avoid traffic, she could hit the board in this one.
Final Analysis: 2-3-7-8 It says here that La Marseillaise answers any lingering distance questions with a victory in the $200.000 G3 Shuvee. Good luck to all!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
