The MTH Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
MTH- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
May 25, 2019

The Spainard did all he could in carrying seven more pounds then everyone else in the field, but at the very end, he would be caught at the wire by our pick to win, Face Your Fears. It is just the second time that a three year old has won this race, but that did seem to be a good bet leading into the race. For the winner, it’s the first that he has won in nine months, although he has been lightly raced this year up to this point. We can surely expect to see much more of him now as the summer months begin. The winning trainer is Mb Stables, and he is able to cross off another stake from the list of those he has not won yet. C P DeCarlo is your winning jockey. Congratulations to the them! The time of the victory was 1:45.37, a new stake record. Let’s take a look. Note that Clutch ended up scratching out.

(½ Mile- :47.00)- Making his turf debut after a rough KYD, Zero Annuity jumps out to a slight advantage for Nakamura Stables over second place The Spainard, running for Big Jd Racing. Zero Annuity had the inside lane at the time. Right behind them where both our eventual winner, Face Your Fears, for Mb Stables, and Smokey Stover’s Devils Tower. Face Your Fears seemed to have a good spot on the rail at this time, and was just about two lengths from the lead. Running well off the pace in the early going was Ghost From The North, for Maxmillion Farm, with nearly seven lengths to make up.

(3/4 Mile- 1:09.99)- The first part of the backstretch trip is uneventful, but as we get closer to the turn, Zero Annuity seems unable to keep up with The Spainard, and that one rather quickly opens up a length lead at the top of the turn. Zero Annuity is backing up, and C P DeCarlo is astute to see that and quickly move Face Your Fears off the rail as to not be interfered with. Devils Tower was also not interfered with, and also moved down a lane as to keep himself clear of trouble. There was no disputing that Ghost From The North had no traffic trouble, as he was still all by himself, over five lengths behind the next closest horse.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Rounding the turn, The Spainard does what he needs to do to maintain a length lead, and is running well. To his outside, both Face Your Fears and Devils Tower are matching strides as they look to claim the lead from him while looking to outpace the other. Zero Annuity has dropped out of it, and Ghost From The North was not making any significant progress.

(Finish- 1:45.37)- In the stretch, Face Your Fears digs in and begins to put away Devils Tower by just enough. However, The Spainard was putting forth an incredibly valiant effort, especially considering his weight disadvantage, and making it very difficult for Face Your Fears. Approaching the wire, Face Your Fears would be able to make the pass and win by a head. The Spainard’s effort was not wasted, as he maintained second over Devils Tower. Further back, Ghost From The North never showed up, and Zero Annuity beats as many here as he did in the KYD.

About The Winner- Face Your Fears, trained by Mb Stables, and ridden to victory by C P DeCarlo, is a three year old colt by Proud Chai, and is out of Charming Face. He was bred as a yearling in New York by Mb Stables, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in 10 starts, and his second stake win. His career earnings are now $295.850.

Track: Firm
Time: :47   1:09⁴  1:33²  1:45¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 5 Paid 8.40
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 5 – 2 Paid 22.60

Scratched: Clutch

Winner Picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES