The Flower Bowl (Grade 1) (BC)- $500.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Inner Turf
October 7, 2018

This Sunday, we’ll get another step closer to knowing the field for the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. The Rodeo Drive last week provided us an exciting race, and now more points are on the line. Last year, Pip Kadabra won the race for Chili King Stables, but did not fare well in the BC. Only last month did she get her next win after that triumph, but she will be back in an effort to repeat. Going back a bit, Phyl Farms had a nice filly named Donna Jean who won this race in back to back years, 2007 and 2008, and in 2007 she would also win the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. She was third in 2008. Can Pip Kadabra pull that off? It’s actually a shame to see that she hardly ever bred, and none of her foals ever hit the track, but perhaps there is a correlation between one and two there. There are nine going to post, let’s take a look!

#1- Millinneal (Mb Stables, ridden by J M Campbell)- Early in her career, she tried some graded stakes, but was never able to pick up a win in any of them. Her runs were not awful in them, so the potential was there, but Mb Stables did back off of that, and that paid off with what is now a three race streak. It began at a LAD allowance, then a win in the smaller $100.000 Riskaverse before winning the Grade 2 Sands Point last month against good company. She will look to take another step forward here, and the trainer always seems to do this well.

#2- Quick Trigger (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J K Court)- It’s tough to get excited about this one, given that she has not been competitive in most of her races this year. Since she was claimed in a $16.000 race, it has been a case of attempts at a level that she has been struggling with. The good news is that she has never run this long before, and the hope is that she will thrive at the distance. I can see where the optimism is based, but I have to see it to believe it, first.

#3- Well Built (Smokey Stover, ridden by L H Colon)- The four year old Viking Monument filly is the highest earner in the field, with just over $1,200.000 won in her career. A lot of that came from finishing second last year in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. That came with Team 7 Illusions, and she was acquired by Smokey Stover in March for $500.770. She has won three of six, but where the wins have come will not yet make her profitable for her current trainer. Overall, I like that she knows how to win, a nine of 17 clip is impressive by anyone’s standard. Expect her to be one of the races top threats.

#4- Cross Culture (Mb Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- After a very uneventful career, Cross Culture was claimed by Mb Stables in August for just $14.000. That’s when things changed for this one. The trainer worked his magic, and debuted her going long in the Grade 3 Glens Falls Handicap at SAR, and she would win that race. Now, we’ll see if she can do it again. It’s an easier decision to make when you know that if it didn’t go well, you still have two others to root for. She will not have the benefit of the services of the incomparable of F Pennington here like she did in the Glens Falls.

#5- Tornado Warning (Mb Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- This filly is just beginning to get into her groove after taking a little bit to break her maiden. Once she figured out how to win, she has taken on stronger fields and ran second in the Grade 3 Regret at CD. In August, she picked up that stake win, taking the $225.000 Wonder Where for Canadians at WO. Didn’t follow it up as well as I would have liked but the Tornado Warning was just ahead of Feel The Thunder at the Grade 2 Canadian. She’s a threat.

#6- Broken Chai (Estero Farms, ridden by F Pennington)- After a decent two year old season, this Chit Chat filly really stepped it up nicely this year, and has won three out of five races. The highlight of that is the Grade 1 Diana, at SAR towards the end of July. It was her second graded win of the year, as she won the smaller Grade Providencia Stakes in April. All was going well. Then, what happened? Her last start, the Sands Point, was a very flat effort, with a drastically lower SRF then what she had been doing previously. If the trainer knows why that happened, such as blown meters, then there is nothing to worry about. This is a quick turnaround, so I am thinking the Sands Point is a throw out.

#7- Hide N Seek Pup (Gdp Inc, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- This filly has become very consistent, and she has never finished out of the top four for her trainer. It must be a nice feeling for Gdp to know he can keep entering her, and have confidence that she’ll win something. She has won six races in total, including a pair of Grade 3’s. The one thing she seems to lack is that one signature victory, the type of race you can proudly boast that you have won. Right now, that race is the RGD at DEL. This would be that race, and she just may get it done.

#8- Free Sunset (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by Alan Garcia)- After a strong two year old season that saw her cash a check from the BC Juvenile Fillies, Free Sunset never really stayed at the same level as others in that division, as she never went on the KYO trail. Instead, the trainer put her on the grass, and she been very consistent on it. Her last two races have been strong, starting with a win at the Grade 3 Matchmaker at MTH in July, which was followed up last month by running second at the Grade 2 Mabee. This is the first time she has been in a Grade 1 since she ran in the BC Juvenile Fillies.

#9- Pip Kadabra (Chili King Stables, ridden by J Talamo)- Last year, Pip Kadabra picked up the win in this race, and was able to go to the BC Fillies and Mares Turf thanks to the win. She did not perform well there, and unfortunately, she has continued to lack a stake win since then. Not that all of her performances have been poor, and she ran a good looking second on soft turf at CD for the CD Distaff Turf Mile. Her last start was a win, her first win since her 2017 Flower Bowl triumph, and it came against open allowance company at DMR. She knows how to get it done, and will have Talamo aboard just like she did last year.

Prediction: 7-3-6-5

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES