Tokyo City Cup (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
SA- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Dirt
April 2, 2017

On Sunday at SA, a field of seven will contest the 13th running of the Tokyo City Cup, which is a grade 3 event for those who want to run forever.  The purse is not much more then an open allowance here at SA, but it has still attracted some excellent horses in the past, and does again here.   The steady performer Macht Nichts picked up the win last year here for Eastern Equine, and the year prior it was another steady and consistent type, Gila Bend, that won the race for Barcelona Farms.  So while the biggest names will be elsewhere, there’s still many good horses in this field, and here they are!

#1- Zombie Tomb Raider (Night Rider Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- The trainer has done a fantastic job with this one after claiming him for $25.000.  Night Rider took him off the turf, and started stretching him out, and all this gelding has done since then has won.  Those two victories are not at this level, but he is starting to show the talent that once saw the prior trainer thought he could have he attempt the WV Derby with him.  Zombie Tomb Raider has not been near a stake since then, but has earned this second chance.

#2- Yummy Opus (Drabfantasy, ridden by R Bejarano)- The Broomstick Opus colt had an exciting three year old season, especially this time of year.  He would win a KYD prep race, the Davis Stakes at TAM, but did not follow that up any further.  He was still able to appear the BEL, and ended up getting a check for the trainer with a fourth place finish. Since then, there has only been one win, and while Yummy Opus has been a steady performer, that is likely disappointing to the trainer. This will also be his first race after a nearly five month layoff, having last run in the Marathon, right here, and placing 5th.

#3- Techfluence (The Sidley Stud, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Ran second here last November for the running of the Marathon, which would be his third consecutive second place finish at the graded level.  That streak was snapped the best way in his last start when he won the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes at WO, run at the same distance, by four lengths.  There can be a layoff concern with him as well, since it will be approximately four months since his last run, but if he duplicates that Valedictory run, it’s going to be tough for others to beat him.

#4- Siberian Slew (Wolfs Den, ridden by N Arroyo Jr)- While the prior two are dealing with long layoffs, it is the exact opposite for Siberian Slew, who last raced two weeks ago.  This is an interesting step up for him, because his recent career has mainly been in optional claimers, and just two races ago he was claimed for $32.000.  Sure, those with a good memory will remember the Grade 1’s, such as the Travers, he ran in during 2015, but those days were thought to be behind him.  We’ll see if he can be resurgent while at this distance on Sunday.

#5- Angie Springs (Barcelona Farms, ridden by M E Smith)- This four year old gelding has won four of 13 career races, and will run longer then 10 furlongs for the first time in his career.  I am very confident that he is going to be able to carry that speed and be particularly impressive in doing so.  However, like a few others in here, he is coming off a layoff, having also not run since the first week of November.  But for him, that race was not the Marathon, but a Grade 2 out at WO.   As long as that is not a problem, he looks like a top threat.

#6- King de Bois (Namor Farms, ridden by G L Stevens)- This gelding is still a maiden, and was soundly defeated in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap when the trainer tried a similar time to run him at the graded level.  The only difference between them and now is that he has been gelded.   He also carried a lot less weight in that race, then he will here.  It would be a major upset, to say the least.

#7- Socal Man (Night Mare Racing, ridden by J Talamo)-   It will be the 36th race in the career of this Die Laffin gelding, and it is one that has seen him win seven.   Early in his career, he ran in some big races, but the bulk of it was mainly in claimers, until mid 2015 when he discovered his ability to run extra long.  This returned him to the graded ranks a few times, including this very race last year.  He has not yet won one of those races, but since he does not seem to be losing a step, I get the feeling that he is due here.

Prediction: 3-7-2-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES