The OP Mile (Grade 3)- $400.000 Purse
OP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
April 1, 2023
This Saturday at OP, we will have the second running of the OP Mile, which is part of the undercard for the bigger race of the day: the prestigious AR Derby. But before we can get to that point, we’ll get a chance to see this talented group of ten battle for a $400.000 purse. The inaugural edition of the race was won by Eclipse My Knowledge, a gelding who certainly had a lengthy career, winning fourteen times in 52 starts. As the stake returns to the schedule, let’s take a look at those hoping to be the second name added to the winner board.
#1- Crypto (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Prior to being gelded, Crypto had shown promise, but it was that snip that put him over the top. He would win his first three races after the geld, including the IND Derby and the Grade 2 Vosburgh and that is a stretch that would punch his ticket to the BC Sprint. While he did not cash a check in that race, he still managed a solid fifth place finish and continued to run well since then. Placed second in the Malibu right after and won the Grade 3 Toboggan in January. Has three triple digit SRF’s in his last five starts.
#2- Anna Da Artist (Smokey Stover, ridden by L Saez)- A horse that is hot right now, with three wins in his last four starts. That goes back to September, so he is not a horse getting a frequent amount of starts month after month, but he gets it done, nonetheless. Six weeks ago, he scored his eighth win (out of 13 starts), coming in the Grade 3 General George at LRL, where Crypto was one of the horses he defeated. Impressively, he has never finished out of the top four on a fast track.
#3-Pennine Way (Hippyheart, ridden by D E Centeno)- After running poorly in the Grade 1 Clark, Pennine Way rebounded as well as one could want, winning the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes and allowing us to focus instead on the fact that he has five total wins in his last seven outings. A key for him may be the start of the race, as in most of those wins, he has either gone wire to wire or utilized a stalking trip en route to the win. The exception to that tactic was the Clark.
#4- Electile Dysfunction (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Won two races in the early portion of 2022 that sent him into the graded level, but up to this point he has struggled in it. In five graded starts, the closest he has been was three lengths behind, coming in a fourth place run in the IND Derby. In the midst of those races, he did get an optional claiming win, but he has to show that he can get it done at this level. Until then, I cannot vote for him in my picks.
#5- Beach Xaar (Fractious, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Claimed from Diablo Diablo for $62.500 in August, and with that trainer, Beach Xaar had a great career. He may have been beginning to fizzle out, hence being placed in the claimer, and even though he is here in the OP Mile, you can’t really say that he has had a return to form. With Fractious, he did with the PRX Dirt Mile, but otherwise has been a non-factor, including a couple of subpar outings in SA open allowance. A series of good works is probably what brings him here, but he has always been one to work well.
#6- Stolen (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- You can write a similar story for Stolen that you did for Beach Xaar, minus the part about being claimed. He’s made over $900.000 for his career, which consists of 36 starts, so you have to be doing something right to do that. He was solid through the end of October last year, with a second-place outing in the $250.000 Empire Classic for NY-breds. Since then, he has three starts that saw him finish in the second half of the field, and none of those saw him being close to the winner at the end. It’s too early to write him off, but it’s time to get back to form.
#7- Sexy Back (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- Moving on for a couple of horses that have not been that great in their last few starts, we get Sexy Back who can provide motivation to those horses that they can reverse a stretch of tough form. After the Awesome Again, Sexy Back had a couple of subpar outings, though one did come in the BC. Then, he would become awesome again, scoring back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Hooper and Grade 2 GP Mile, registering 100+ SRF’s in both.
#8- Binnington (Riggins Racing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Picked up by Riggins Racing in private sales for $50.000 (obviously), and the trainer was not singing the blues at all when he made his debut in his silks. That would come in the $125.000 GP Sprint Championship, where he won by about a length. Riggins could have settled with that, and did more of the same, but that is not what has made him one of the best trainers in the game. He’ll now see if Binnington can handle a longer distance and it will be against strong competition. Does not have any public mile works to view.
#9- Pookie (Winning Link Stables, ridden by L Dettori)- In his last start, Pookie won the $65.000 Lad Handicap at SUN, snapping an almost two-year winless streak. He was rather inconsistent during that period, so you cannot say that he was just missing in races, but to his credit, the trainer kept him running at the ungraded stake level. Now, with finally another win, Winning Link Stables is moving forward a bit aggressively. It’s the right time to do it, but as an outsider, I can’t trust this horse in this type of field.
#10- Speter (Nakamura Stables, ridden by L J Luzzi)- Speter will look to extend his winning streak to three by starting from the outside here. It’s unfamiliar territory for him, as he always seems to end up with a post within the inside four since arriving at Nakamura. As mentioned, he has won his last two, starting with an open allowance in December at SUN, and then six weeks ago, in the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes. Always seems to run well, as other than one start, he’s won or been within a length of a win since he was gelded in late 2021.
Prediction: 2-7-1-10
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
