The 19th Running of The Dwyer-G3
Saturday, July 2, 2022
BEL Race #2 $250.000
1-Mile Dirt 3YOs 122 Lbs
Track Record-1:33.34 (Alpha Ultimo-2005)
Stakes Record-1:34.60 (Ufc Morals-2016)
The 19th edition of The Dwyer-G3 has drawn a field of eight sophomores to go 1-mile on the BEL main track. Chasing a $250.000 purse, all of the runners will carry 122-pounds as they attempt to get their summer started in a positive fashion. The Dwyer-G3 will be the 2nd of three races on the Saturday card and serves as a co-feature along with The Nerud-G2.
Several of these spent time on the KYD prep trail and we have a couple of TC combatants making their first starts back following the completion of the series. This is a step-up for several in here, but it’s also time for others to prove they have the heart and drive to win at this level. It’s an interesting group, so let’s meet the field for The Dwyer-G3:
#1 Rogue Commando (Mb Stables/R. Silvera): Runner-up from the G2 Day Mile in his latest, gelding draws the rail for this assignment. Set extremely quick fractions last time before finally wearing down late. He has versatility though and it would be a bit of a surprise to see him blast out that fast again. Still, he won’t be too far back and if he can reserve some fuel for the finish, he can get the best of these.
#2 Deep Purple (D J C Racing Stables/K. Carmouche): Up-and-coming colt already has three wins from six starts and enters here off of back-to-back allowance scores. As an April foal, he should be closing the gap on those that started earlier than he did and his recent results show a horse that is on the improve. We’re going to make him the top selection because we like the way he’s progressed and we don’t think he’s hit his ceiling. Big chance.
#3 Gem Of A Shark (Arindel/E. Maldonado): Gelding got his season off to a pretty good start with a $200.000 stake win followed by a nice effort in G3 Davis. Hasn’t factored much since with only a 2nd-place finish in a CD allowance to show from four other starts. Seems to run his best when he’s involved early and is drawn well to get back to those tactics. Nothing wrong with the way he’s working, but he needs to let that talent show in the afternoon.
#4 Uranus (Smokey Stover/A. Cedillo): The only graded winner in the field, this fella was last seen in a non-effort in the G1 BEL. Hasn’t produced anything of merit since G3 win and G2 runner-up in consecutive races in January and February, respectively. Not sure what the problem was, but the most recent work says this conditioner has figured him out. Doesn’t have to win this, but expect we’ll see a much better effort this time around.
#5 Brave Freedom (Nakamura Stables/R.M. Hernandez): Gelding enters on a two-race winning streak after taking a $60.000 stake and WO allowance. He romped over the off-going the last time we saw him, posting a four length margin of victory. Water gets deeper here, but have to respect this barn and they usually know when the time is right to take on these assignments. Nice to see the latest wins came under very different circumstances, so expect him to run his race again in this one.
#6 America First (TwinTowersRacing/J. Lezcano): Colt had to share the victory when we last saw him in a DH for the $300.000 TX Derby. This G3 level has been just a tad rough on him with three tries and a 4th beaten one length being his best finish; however, as an April foal, that may have been a case of too much too soon. Expect a better showing here, but that may not translate to victory.
#7 The Martian (Mo Mentum Farm/R. Eikleberry): Colt is stuck on one win after ten starts; however, he has danced every dance that he could get into, and we last saw him finishing a very good 4th in the G1 PRK. He’s dot a couple of nice breezes on the work tab since that effort and looks to be one of the main contenders in here. We’ll take him to round out the exacta and back it up with a small win wager.
#8 Fireside Story (Calia Stable/I. Ortiz Jr): Gelding makes his first start for the barn after bringing a winning bid of $27.000 at the most recent auction. Had a really nice 6f work after that purchase and the new connections throw him in the deep end of the pool to see what they have. Gets stuck on the outside to reward the barn’s faith, but that may not hurt him too badly as he may try to drop to the back and make one run. He tried that last November at this level and didn’t fire at all, but maybe the new connections can get rewarded for their ambition here.
Final Analysis: In more of a gut call, we’re going 3-7-1 in The Dwyer-G3. Good luck to all of the connections.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
