The Iselin Stakes (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
MTH- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
August 19, 2023
The Iselin Stakes had all the makings on paper of a tightly contested race where any of the horses involved could either win or finish at the back of the pack. Our pick for the race would be Ginger Clean, for The Sidley Stud, and she would end up making us look pretty good as she would step up and win by a length and a half. We nailed the exacta as well, although they were for short prices, so not exactly an exciting payout. For The Sidley Stud, this is his first win in the race, and that is also true for the jockey, I Castillo. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:41.03, and that is definitely something that is exciting, because it is a new stake record! Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :22.72)- Cheveley Park is strong out of the gate, and quickly opens up a two length lead for Mo Mentum Farm. Genetic Code, who the bettors seemed to forget about, was next for TwinTowersRacing with Papa Nature to his inside for Night Rider Stables. It would be another length an a half to the next pair, and that would see the Nakamura Stables- trained entry, Set In Space, running on the rail with London Racing’s Boogaloo beside him. Where’s our eventual winner, you may ask? Well, The Sidley Stud’s Ginger Clean is at the back all by himself, two lengths behind the closest ones to him, and seven behind the leader. And that’s just how this traditional closer wants it!
(1/2 Mile- :46.43)- There is not much change to speak of as the field rounds the turn and moves halfway down the backstretch. Cheveley Park is still setting the pace all by himself, with Genetic Code and Papa Nature running evenly for second. The only change is that Set In Space is now a length ahead of Boogaloo. At the back, Ginger Clean was content to ride this portion of the race out.
(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Moving into the final turn, Cheveley Park was still out front, but saw his lead shrinking. He would be caught approaching the exit of the turn, and this would lead to the longshot, Genetic Code, being in the top spot entering the stretch. Papa Nature would take over the second spot, and for now, Cheveley Park was still third. Set In Space was set to the be the next one to go by him, though the one he had been running with, Boogaloo, was not looking as good. Meanwhile, Ginger Clean put the field on notice midway through the turn that he was coming, and with Cheveley Park also dropping, his margin to the front was narrowing pretty quickly even if he had not actually passed anyone yet. He was in a great position to take the outside lane in the stretch to make his run.
(Finish- 1:41.03)- While at one point in this race, there was about eight lengths separating first from last, with a furlong to go, we had just a single length making that difference. Genetic Code had his few supporters hoping for a massive pay out, but both Set In Space and Ginger Clean were positioned well to go by. Papa Nature was hanging in there, as well. While you had to like where Ginger Clean was at that point, we still seemed destined for a closer finish. However, I Castillo made sure there would be no doubt, and kept Ginger Clean in full stride, to win while drawing away, grabbing the stake record with a length and a half win. Set In Space is second, with Genetic Code giving us a nice trifecta. Papa Nature is fourth, ahead of Boogaloo and Cheveley Park.
About The Winner- Ginger Clean, trained by The Sidley Stud, and ridden to victory by I Castillo, is a six year old gelding by Ginger Haggis and is out of Haha House. He was bred in Ontario by The Sidley Stud as a second quarter two year old and they have been together throughout! Congratulations to the connections! The win is his twelfth in 43 starts, his seventh stake win, and third graded win. His career earnings are now $679.460.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | |||
|
Ginger Clean | The Sidley Stud | Castillo I | 2.60 | 11 | 1:41.03 | ||||
|
Set In Space | Nakamura Stables | Loveberry J | 1.55 | 2nk | 1:41.38 | ||||
|
Genetic Code | TwinTowersRacing | Jaramillo E | 624.05 | 31/2 | 1:41.45 | ||||
|
Papa Nature | Night Rider Stables | Carmouche K | 6.30 | 4hd | 1:41.59 | ||||
|
Boogaloo | London Racing | Castellano J J | 3.80 | 52 | 1:41.63 | ||||
|
Cheveley Park | Mo Mentum Farm | Hernandez R M | 4.90 | 6 | 1:42.04 |
Track: Fast
Time: :223 :462 1:103 1:41
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 3 – Ginger Clean | 7.20 | 3.50 | 2.80 |
| 1 – Set In Space | 2.80 | 2.50 | |
| 5 – Genetic Code | 102.70 |
$1 Exacta: 3 – 1 Paid 9.90
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 1 – 5 Paid 1,317.50
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
