Desert Stormer (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
March 25, 2023

Don’t tell this field of nine that they are only racing for $100.000, because they probably think they are running for at least twice that. The Desert Stormer came up strong, so this is certainly going to be an entertaining race on Saturday out at SA. It sends older females six furlongs on the main track and runs for the twelfth time. It first appeared on the schedule in 2004 but went for a long period of not being carded between 2006 and 2010, and then again between 2013 and 2015. Last year’s winner was Baptisted By Fire, in a race that was held in June and not March. Mo Mentum Farm’s mare used the race to spark a three-race winning streak that sent her to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. She remains active and continues to run at a high level but will not be here to defend her title. The nine that are here have plenty of ability, as mentioned, so let’s look at those taking part.

#1- Secrether (Ekli Stable, ridden by R Curatolo)- A 33-race veteran who has won just a little under $500.000 in her career. The six-year-old has won thirteen times, and through a combined thirteen places and shows, so she knows how to be close at the end. Since September, she’s regularly been running in this type of race, if not stronger ones, and did win her last: the $100.000 Spring Fever Stakes for CA-breds, right here last month. Don’t see why she couldn’t win again.

#2- Terra Command (Threshold, ridden by A Aguilar)- While this one will have plenty of potential in the shed when that time comes, Terra Command still has a lot left on the track. Since running in the Grade 1 Beverly D last August, she has won three of four races, including the Grade 3 Chilukki at CD. That’s helped her increase her career earnings to be over $900.000. Lately, she’s been going a mile often, as well as running on the turf but don’t worry, she has plenty of experience in dirt sprints as well. Just have to go back before Threshold claimed her in 2021.

#3- Lassitude (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- With just two wins in seventeen career starts, it is going to be hard to pick Lassitude in this race. Since a good run in the Grade 2 Ballerina, she’s struggled through did bounce back decently in a GP allowance, but even there she was beaten by two lengths. I don’t mind her running in a Grade 3 for $100.000, but this field may have come up too strong for her. On the flip side, if the Eight Belles version of her shows up, she could spring an upset. We just have not seen that enough from her.

#4- Sinful By Nature (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- Since April of last year, Sinful By Nature has never failed to hit the board in a race. It’s a stretch that saw her move forward from an allowance at TAM, to a couple of Grade 3’s. Since that time, she has four wins, with the biggest victory being the $100.000 Lady Erie at PID. Her last race, though, shows that she can be a contender her as she only missed by a half-length in the Grade 3 Royal Delta. That is over a mile, but don’t be put off by that. She’s been fine at this distance, too.

#5- Peppermint Angel (Ace Racing Stable, ridden by K Kimura)- This one has been a force on the LA-bred circuit, winning four of those stakes in just the last ten months. The returns against unrestricted company have not been as strong, and her fifth of five performance in the $100.000 Interborough at AQU is a little concerning to see given that it was just two starts ago. With just two weeks of rest, she bounced back from that against the LA-breds, but the time is now to show she can handle those from other states. This is a great opportunity for her, given the strength of the field.

#6- That Which Is Seen (First Flight Stable, ridden by L Contreras)- The Desert Stormer will be her first race in the First Flight silks, as the trainer picked her up in a $20.000 claimer from Mb Stables. With that one, she had three second place efforts, and a win, in five starts but all were running over a mile. This will be her graded debut, and while she is earned it, it may be hard to be an “up and comer” in this type of field. Hasn’t sprinted in ten months, and only has done so twice. Hopefully she’ll be ready for the wire to come up.

#7- Slckmoment Laga (Night Rider Stables, ridden by C Franco)- Her past is nice. But there comes a point in time where you really have to disregard some of the bigger races that a horse has won. I don’t like doing that, especially when the Grade 1 Vinery Madison win was just eleven months ago, but lately Slckmoment Laga has struggled. She’ll have a great opportunity to remind everyone of her talents here, but you may have to start asking yourself too, if it’s time for her next life. In the shed.

#8- Canary For One (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J J Hernandez)- The trainer will look to win his second edition of this stake in a row, and with Canary For One, he certainly has an entry that knows how to be close. While she is not necessarily winning a lot right now, she has been consistently hitting the board time and time again, and this includes her third-place finish in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. She did win the Interborough at AQU in January, her first actual victory since December 2021. Capable of winning, but it might be safer to just put her in the top three.

#9- Juilliard (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Valdivia Jr)- The post draw did no favors for Mo Mentum, sticking his two horses in the outside gates; though I don’t think that is going to matter with them. Juilliard lacks the consistency of her stablemate but has still managed to win just a little shy of $500.000 in her 23-race career. She must absolutely be better than her last start, as she did not look good at all in the Inside Information. She was on short rest there, so perhaps we can point to that.

Prediction: 4-8-2-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES