The Palm Beach Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds’
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
March 2, 2019

Returning to the track for the first time since winning the BC Juvenile Turf, Devils Tower will some familiar foes from that race as well as some other up and comers as the 16th running of the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes takes places at GP. Five of the eight in this field ran in the BC Juvenile Turf last November, but only Devils Tower hit the board for the race, as he went on to win the race. He’s been rested for this race, and he will be the focal point of the field, but there are certainly horses in here capable of knocking him down. It’s a field of eight, and now let’s get a look at them!

#1- Warino (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Took part in the BC Juvenile Turf, but that’s the best that can be said about it, as his tenth place result was the worst of the five that are in this field. He’s raced twice since, hoping to continue to improve, and would win the $75.000 Logan Stakes in December. Ran fourth here in the Dania Beach last month and should like that this race is a little longer.

#2- Cut The Brakes (Estero Farms, ridden by F Pennington)- Winner of two out of seven in his young career, but the best race on his resume thus far is when he finished second at the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at WO, as that always proves to be a difficult race in this division. Ran in the BC Juvenile Turf and got a piece of the purse by finishing fourth in the race, a length behind Devils Tower. Took a stab at the main track for the Mucho Macho Man, but that result shows that he is probably best staying on the turf. If Devils Tower is not ready to fire after layoff, look out for this one.

#3- Laffin Jamie (High Voltage, ridden by T Gaffalione)- One of the three in here that did not run in the BC, but he was most impressive with a stunning come from behind effort in the Grade 3 DeMille Stakes. It didn’t get him a piece of the purse, but he’ll like that he has more distance here. Last ran in the Kittens Joy, which was actually a shorter race, and was not a factor. I like him as he continues to stretch out.

#4- Manifestation (Barcelona Farms, ridden by C Landeros)- This one is looking to make a name for himself in this race. He is lightly raced, going to post just four times, but he has won three of them. None of them are at the stake level, so he is still looking to prove himself a bit. Speed figures in the past are not going to jump out at you, but if he has improved since then, it won’t matter. Seems to be working well, and as of press time, it seems as though he will run with both bute and lasix, which is worth noting.

#5- Face Your Fears (Mb Stables, ridden by L H Colon)- The trainer calls upon turf legend L H Colon to take the mount, and with that, he won’t have any fears about how the jockey will perform. He is by Proud Chai, who also sired the 2017 winner of this race, Clockwork Chai. Had a couple of wins early in his career, which enabled him to get into the BC Juvenile Turf. He faded that day, much like he did in his prior race, the Grade 3 Borbon, so we saw a tactical adjustment with him in his last start, an allowance where he ran second.

#6- Devils Tower (Smokey Stover, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- This is the defending BC Juvenile Turf champion, and he will be starting his three year old campaign right here. Some could be concerned about the layoff, as some of his rivals who also raced in the BC have made two starts between then and now. But for Devils Tower, that was not necessary. Also, the trainer did not try a TC-prep race with him just to see, as he knows that he belongs on the grass, something that seems confirmed by his works. His last two races show him as one that wants to come from off the pace, so be looking out for his best stride late.

#7- Clutch (Aer Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Starting to the outside of Devils Tower is the one I feel has the best shot at knocking him off. Clutch has won two out of six, but was gelded after a rather flat performance in the BC Juvenile Turf, where he was ninth. He followed that up by winning an allowance, taking him to where we are now. The reason I have a bit of a gut feeling on him is that I feel the race may set up well for him, especially in how Devils Tower, and even Face The Fears may run. But you can never really truly predict pace in this game.

#8- Coco (Joshua Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- For the first time in five races, the trainer is finally going to be able, presumably, start his horse on firm going. At the moment, anyway, it looks good that we will run this on firm turf. Coco has won two of eight, but neither at the stake level. His stake debut did not come until his last start, when he challenged older in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, on soft going, and finished in the middle of the field. I think most of us should be excited about finally being able to see him run without weather being a factor, for Joshua Stables.

Prediction: 6-7-2-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES