The Louisville Thoroughbred
CD Race #3 6f Dirt Stake
Purse $300.000 For Three-Year-Olds And Upward.
It always amazes me when there is a full field for a $100 ungraded Stakes and then a short field running for $300 but here we are again with a very good purse contested by just 5 entries. So only one will miss out on a paycheck, let’s look at who that may be:
1 Penalty Shot Maxmillion Farm Cedillo A 124 —
It is a sign of the times here at HRP that this one’s only graded stakes win came over nine furlongs but here we see the Preakness contender from 2021 running in a sprint. Whilst the five-year-old’s best runs and 80% of his purse money have come over longer trips he has proved this year that he can sprint, which isn’t unusual at HRP and is normally the mark of a good horse. He was very impressive in the Hall Memorial last time from the same draw in fact rather amazingly for a random draw he gets his fourth ace to draw in a row today. It may be that fact that has seen him successful this year after losing his form a bit at the end of last year but he is working strongly and once again has the advantage of the ace.
2 Sam Malone Asgar Beschizza A 124 —
Claimed for ten dollars in June he is now working 1.10 and 1 for the dirt six and is a stakes winner for his new owner. That may seem extraordinary but it really isn’t unusual at HRP and with the perfect draw today it is very possible he could take another giant leap in earnings.
3 R Lopez Nynl Stables Dominguez Jo 124 —
I really like this four-year-old who has been patiently handled by the trainer and has put together a really nice record. Able to run pretty much any trip on any state of going I really think he is a future graded stakes winner and in fact could be already had he been put at that level earlier in his career. An on-pace type he will need to find his place in this race but if he isn’t used up too early I can see him being too strong at the end.
4 Ideal Info Arindel Jaramillo E 124 —
The outside draws here have all the forms and we start with this one. Whilst he has been in top company and is a graded stakes winner his works aren’t as sharp as some others and that is reflected in his rather inconsistent form. There was a nose between him and Expert Eye in the CD so I expect another close race between these two. Whilst he certainly wouldn’t be a surprise winner I do think there is some value in some of the others.
5 Expert Eye TwinTowersRacing Smith M E 124 —
The BC Sprint champion in an ungraded stakes race should be an obvious choice but he hasn’t raced up to that famous win since and at seven you have to question whether his best days are behind him. His brave third in the CD from a terrible gate certainly doesn’t seem to suggest he is finished yet but like Ideal Info his works haven’t been as good as some here and with a very flat class system his form may not be as good as it looks on paper.
SUMMARY
A quick glance at this race and you would have Expert Eye beating Ideal Info by a short margin but when you look deeper there may be some other avenues worth exploring. I really Like R Lopez and if he can race up to his workouts I think he can win this but the chances do not end there. Both Sam Malone and Penalty Shot are in good form and could easily take this out so as far as picking a winner goes, or even the one that misses out on a paycheck this is about as hard as it gets.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
