Kent Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
DEL- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
July 2, 2022
Part of the action at DEL on Saturday will be the 17th running of the Kent Stakes, a Grade 3 event for three olds on the turf. It is a race that was once held in much higher regard, going for a $500.000 purse for it’s first two years, but then the reductions began happening. The low point would be $150.000. Otherwise, the conditions have been the same with it being a Grade 3 and run at nine furlongs. Mb Stables has recently been dominant in the race, winning it four of the last six times, including last year with Owens. The gelding is still active, but has not been seen in a stake since October. He’ll have one of our six in the race, and we’ll be able to get right to it. Here’s the field!
#1- Crazy Ivan (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Acquired by the trainer in private sales at the start of the year for $70.000, and he would win his first two races in Mb silks. He would rout PA-breds in an allowance before going to the $125.000 Battaglia Memorial and winning that as well. Off of that, he would be moved into the graded ranks and it hasn’t really gone well for him. That said, this is not the BG Stakes or the Peter Pan. Hasn’t run on turf as a three year old but worked nicely on it at BEL.
#2- Just A Horse (Arindel, ridden by J K Court)- Fortunately, this one does not know how plain of a name it has, and has run well in eight career starts, hitting the board six times with two wins. In March, he captured the $110.000 Equistaff at TAM for his career highlight at this point but comes out of the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge, where he was closing well late to get up for fourth. His work on the 15th doesn’t jump out at you for being graded stake caliber, but his consistency shows that he knows how to step it up on the track.
#3- Neds Influence (The Sidley Stud, ridden by P Lopez)- In March, the Techfluence colt went wire to wire to win the $75.000 Black Gold Stakes, but flopped in his follow up race, the Grade 2 Whittingham in late April. That has kept him on the shelf since then, as the trainer looked to figure out how to keep that from happening again. This may just be an inconsistent horse in the long run, as while he has had some very good moments, he also has multiple head scratchers in his young career. The good news is that they haven’t happened in two straight races.
#4- Letters By The Bay (Wood Duck Stables, ridden by Jo Ruiz)- The trainer has always had high hopes for this one, as evidenced by high stake placement as a two year old. Those races did not go well, but maybe he just needed a little more time. With back to back wins in high level optional claimers, including a 98 SRF in his last outing, he’s getting another chance to prove himself. He is also a perfect 3-for-3 on the grass, so if he wins this one, he may never step foot on the dirt again for a race.
#5- Angel Code (Smokey Stover, ridden by D E Centeno)- This CA-bred has spent nearly his entire career racing in his home state, so the eastward travel is a bit different for this one. He’s also won his last two, taking a SA allowance before beating fellow CA-breds for the $150.000 Snow Chief at that same race track last month. After his debut, he has hit the board in every start, worked nicely at PRX in preparation for this race.
#6- Cascade King (Nakamura Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- After finishing in the double digits in the $100.000 Winkfield, prior trainer Broken Spoke Stables sold him to Nakamura for $75.000 but he would not be an instant success in his new silks. He would finish tenth again, and then eighth, so Nakamura had to be wonder what he got himself into. Cascade King rebounded nicely though, winning the $75.000 Alcatraz at GG last month before heading out here to DEL and is working well for this race.
Prediction: 4-6-5-3
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
