The Eatontown Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
MTH- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
June 20, 2020

It was not a surprise that Czarina ended up being the winner of The Eatontown Stakes at MTH Saturday afternoon. After all, she seemed like a top choice. What was more unexpected was how easily she ended up making it look. In our virtual racing world, a two length graded win is a dominant one, and Czarina would certainly rule over the field here in doing so. She has never raced poorly, and has been particularly good once arriving at La Canada Racehorses. That trend continues for this three year old filly, earning her fifth win in her last eight starts. For the trainer, it is the first time that he has won this race, and that is also true for the rider, M Tunon. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:40.18, a middle of the road winning time. Let’s have a look!

(1/4 Mile- :23.67)- Rising Fashion is great out of the starting gate for Nakamura Stables, but does not overdo her lead, settling in to run a reasonable opening quarter as they move into the first turn. Cracked The Code, the only older horse in the field, runs second for Smokey Stover, and is within a length from the lead. On each side of her, she has horses nearby, and one of them is our eventual race winner, Czarina, from La Canada Racehorses. She is on the outside of Cracked The Code while the Estero Farms trained filly, Sweet Tip Toe, is on the rail. After a length and a half, Starship Rhythm (Arindel) and Starbound (Mb Stables) are side by side. About three lengths separates first from last at this early juncture.

(½ Mile- :47.23)- There are not any significant changes over the second quarter of the race, but Cracked The Code may lurk a little closer now to the pacesetter, Rising Fashion. Czarina held her ground in the third lane, running a length and a half from the lead while Sweet Tip Toe remained on the rail. Further back, Starbound pulled ahead of Starship Rhythm just a little bit, but neither are separated from the leaders all that much, either.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- During the backstretch run, there continues to not be much change, but as we move into the turn, we start to see some movement. Cracked The Code pushes forward on the leader, Rising Fashion, who helped to stay in style on the front end. Soon enough, Czarina began to make her push as well, this one coming more towards the exit of the turn. While Rising Fashion did well to battle Cracked The Code, she started to show signs of leg weariness when Czarina made her advance. At the top of the stretch, Czarina had poked a head in front while Cracked The Code still tried to remain in contention. Back further, Sweet Tip Toe lost ground in the turn. Starbound started picking up the pursuit, and had two lengths to make up. Starship Rhythm had not yet done much.

(Finish- 1:40.18)- In the stretch, Czarina pulls away from her rivals, and there is no one that is able to catch her. From start to finish, she had a great trip, making it look easy with the two length win. Starbound was second, but really only ran level with Czarina over the second half of the race. Cracked The Code gets third by a neck over Rising Fashion, with Sweet Tip Toe and Starship Rhythm being non-factors today.

About The Winner- Czarina, trained by La Canada Racehorses, and ridden to victory by M Tunon, is a three year old filly by Doctor Nemesis, and is out of This One Is A Gem. She was bred in Ontario by Blushing Meadows as a yearling, and acquired by La Canada Racehorses in the September 2019 auction for just $15.020. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fifth in 11 starts, her second stake win, and first graded win. Her career earnings are now $291.080.

Track: Firm
Time: :23³  :47¹  1:10²  1:40

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 5 Paid 20.20
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 5 – 2 Paid 34.70

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES