Sycamore – Grade II
1 1/2 Mile Turf Stake Purse $400.000 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.

1st Gold Vault The Sidley Stud Lopez P

Success breeds success, I think that is my summary for this trainer in recent years as I seem to be writing more and more about big winners from the yard. This one backed up his second in the Hirsch last time with a fairly comfortable in the end one-length win coming with his usual late run. A look at his form just shows you how hard it is for the deep closers on this engine to string the wins together but on his day over these extreme trips he can be very good.

2nd= Sunshine Superman Barcelona Farms Rodriguez Jam

Two deep closers, one with the timing right and one with the timing wrong, that is what these races come down to these days. Possibly favored by the wet track when nearly winning the KY Turf Cup last time, he didn’t have those conditions today but still ran a great race to share second place.

2nd= Martinez Spankys Barn Gaffalione T

The other two wide horses chose position B from the wide gate and went back leaving this one with the wide gate speed push and though it took him a while to assert there was a point where he looked like he had an unassailable lead. In the end though he was always going to be vulnerable to a closer but kept on honestly to dead heat with Sunshine Superman after losing to that one in the KY Turf Cup last time as a closer.

4th Well Done Team 7 Illusions Cabrera D

Mid pack and ran home well but was maybe a little one paced in the end when he needed the kick. He had lost his way after a Hirsch win and a good effort in the BC Turf last year but seems to be back on track and he could be setting himself up for one of those five-year-old seasons we see sometimes.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES