The Sanford – Grade III
6 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $175.000 Open 2 Year Olds.

With so many horses running in this race that looked almost identical on paper it was inevitable that there would be a dead heat and also that there wouldn’t be much between first and last. With less than 0.8 of a second covering first and last and just 4 official lengths it was a race that didn’t break the mold and even added a dead heat in there as if to prove the point. Here is how they finished:

1st Free Roundhouse La Canada Racehorses Davis D

In the end it came down to which 90 speed rating with a 1.11 work would win and in the end the draw of three proved decisive as this one ground down the leaders and won by a quarter length, one of the biggest margins between the finishers. I liked this one before the race because he had one of the fastest work times and looked like this sixth furlong would suit him and that is how it worked out as he was the strongest at the end to gain the win. The trainer has been turning out some good juveniles in recent years and this is another that looks to have a future, whether they will be tempted by a big $$ amount or keep him will remain to be seen but for now he looks to be a decent chance in the BC and may be even better when stretched out over further.

2nd Gold Vault Fractious Castellano J J

With three very similar runners it was anyone’s guess which one of the stables horses would come out on top and in the end, it was this one. He ran on really well which was encouraging as these juveniles sort out the sprinters from the routers and he looks like the $42.000 spent to secure him at auction was money well spent.

3rd The Chicken Man Aarons Hosses Ortiz I Jr

Very often when the smaller stables come into these highly competitive juvenile races, they can be disappointed but there was nothing disappointing about this effort. I thought he may kick on better over this trip, but he still did really well to hold third and he looks to have a bright future.

4th= Beaten Path TwinTowersRacing Velazquez J R

Drawn wide he was sent forward to lead one of the two options from wide draws which seem to give horses the best chance of overcoming the draw handicap. He never really got left alone though and inevitably that can seem to draw the finish out of an HRP horse and sure enough when the whips came out it was he who faltered first. Still a big effort though.

4th= Empire State First Class Stable Franco M

Interestingly the two horses with stakes form and almost identical speed figures dead heated for fourth with one going back and one going forward from their wide draws. As usual the leader faded and the closer closed too late and they finished together a result which would probably have been the same if you completely reversed their running styles. A decent effort though and it is always nice to see your horse running on at the end of a race.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES