The Regret (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
June 4, 2022

As a part of the CD card this Saturday, we will have the 19th running of The Regret, but there is nothing to regret over the purse level. The $200.000 is an increase of $75.000 on the amount that it ran for last year, and for a race that had been running at $100.000 for a while, it is good to see the change. The last two editions of the race have been won by Mb Stables, but he does not have an entry in the field, nor do any of the other past winners of the race, so we will get that first time Regret winner here. Hawaii County was the willing filly in 2021, and she continued to have a strong season before eventually appearing in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. She’s two for three in 2022, and won each of her last two races by four lengths, but the trainer has not sought to run her in a stake again. Six go to the gate this time for the nine furlong turf event. Here they are!

#1- My Imagination (Arindel, ridden by C J Hernandez)- In eight starts, this filly has won three races and been in five stakes. Unfortunately, none of those wins were in a stake, but she might be getting a little closer. Two starts ago, she ran second in the $100.000 Sanibel Island while enjoying the soft turf that day. Each of her last two starts have been on an off track, and that’s something that is highly unlikely here on Saturday.

#2- Ginger Tiara (The Sidley Stud, ridden by M Murrill)- In nine starts, this filly has won three races and been in six stakes. But we don’t have to use our imagination to envision her winning one of them, as it happened last November at the $100.000 Tepin at AQU. Nearly got another stake win in her last start, the Grade 3 Santa Barbara three weeks ago, but lost the headbob to Maya Caribe at the wire. Also involved in that photo was Directors Chair, who she will be seeing again here.

#3- Bonnie (Arindel, ridden by J S Rocco Jr)- This will be the third race in a row that Arindel has entered both My Imagination and Bonnie together, and when they met in the Sanibel Island, she was the one who defeated My Imagination. Arindel didn’t get a 1-2 finish after that in the Grade 2 Edgewood here at CD, but Bonnie did her part by running second again. That race was won by Perfect Class, who may just be the top horse in this division, so Bonnie’s running close to her is very appealing in this race.

#4- Directors Chair (Nakamura Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- By far the most accomplished horse in this field as her $907.000 in career earnings is more than the rest of the field combined. Finishing second in the BC Juvenile Fillies helps that cause, and it was the culmination of a great two year old season. She’s been solid this year, too, taking a shot at the KYO trail before making her turf debut, at twelve furlongs, in the Grade 3 Santa Barbara. She was third in a three way photo there and won’t mind this race being shorter.

#5- Kiss Me Kelsie (Fractious, ridden by R Gutierrez)- After a solid two year old season and then beginning this year in a promising manner as well, Kiss Me Kelsie was sold in private sales by Jive Inc to Fractious for $125.000. The sale came a few weeks after she ran second in the $60.000 Startac Stakes at TUP. With Jive Inc., she had one win in seven starts, but with Fractious, she is already one-for-one, thanks to winning the $75.000 Campanile for CA-breds. It’s a good start, and now Fractious runs her in the type of race she had seen as a two year old a few times.

#6- Z Scarlet (Asgar, ridden by C Landeros)- Still a lightly raced filly with just five starts, and she has won two of them. After winning a maiden claimer at GP, Asgar entered her in the $75.000 Lacombe Memorial at FG and she would win that as well. Her last two races have seen similar results, a fourth place finish, but only missing by a length, and each were in a Grade 3. In April, she finished slightly ahead of Ginger Tiara in the Providencia Stakes. Worked very well at WO on her way here.

Prediction: 3-4-2-6

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES