The Iselin Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
MTH- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
August 21, 2021

Only five horses will be going to the gate for the Iselin Stakes, but that does not mean a lack of quality. Two horses have amassed over $1,300.000 in earnings, with another just a bit shy of $700.000. Therefore, we should still have a good and entertaining race on Saturday. This is the 15th time that the race has been run, and it was won by Court Jester Racing’s Marx On The Moon last year. He is still active and did work at MTH on Thursday, but will not be a part of this field. Let’s meet the ones that are!

#1- Akkadian (Night Rider Stables, ridden by N Juarez)- An experienced runner that will make the 31st start of his career. Within that time, there are a handful of graded stakes that has helped him accumulate just under $700.000 for this career. However, you could say that he’s never been able to a lengthy roll to allow him to become a more well known horse. This year is a good example, with an ungraded and a graded stake being won back to back, then two flat performances. Always a capable commodity.

#2- Tomahawks (Smokey Stover, ridden by G Corrales)- This is the only three year old in the race, plus this is a filly taking on the boys. Smokey Stover has been doing this recently, but would love to get a better result. With Tomahawks, he has an entry with a nine point weight allowance over the rest of the field. She’s plenty capable otherwise, hitting the board in 11 of her 12 starts. Five of them are wins. Did win a $400.000 FL-bred stake as a two year old for her signature win, but has mostly been seen in overnights. Nine pounds on everyone is a big deal.

#3- Commanding Hope (Delta Farms, ridden by H R Diaz Jr)- This five year old horse has made all but one of his nineteen career starts in overnights, and has won seven of them. In April, he got an opportunity to run graded, as he was entered into the Grade 3 Excelsior. He could only run eighth of nine, and was over five lengths behind the race winning Akkadian. A strong run in a PRX open allowance for his last start gives him another chance here.

#4- Eclipse My Knowledge (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A Jimenez)- It’s been a while since this six year old gelding won a race, with that coming back in April of 2020. A lot has happened in the world since then! He’s won nine times in his 38 starts, but the peak of his career was 2019. He has still been hitting the board, though, and as long as he continues to do that, he is going to keep being entered into races like this.

#5- Burning Approval (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- We certainly approve of his career thus far, with lifetime earnings approaching $2,500.000. A stretch in 2019 went a long way with that, with Prince of Wales, Travers, and PA Derby wins coming consecutively, and he was also second in the BC Dirt Mile. He’s been winning since then, and has done so in two of three, but doesn’t have a graded win since the PA Derby.

Prediction: 2-5-4-1

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES