Gallant Bob Stakes – Grade II
6 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $300.000 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.

With just two lengths covering the whole field first to last this was another of those races that seemed hard to assess and will be even harder for those that finished at the back to know where their horses fit going forward. When i say two lengths that is of course the official margins given on the horse page but the naked eye made it look more like three but then again i didn’t get out my ruler and set square to settle the argument.

Whilst it was a very close race there were in this race a group of HRP anomalies that gave it some consistency within our game at-least. Firstly the three year olds dominated, this has been a consistent in the game for a long time and whilst this year we have seen a few older horses break the mould it is still the rarity rather than the norm. The second thing was that the inside draws had the advantage of an easy trip with the outside draws either being made to lead or trail. The third thing was Mb Stables got first and second, it doesn’t always happen but among our elite trainers it is him that manages to pull this out the most.

Here is how the first four finished:

1st Grond Mb Stables Franco G

It looked on paper as if this three year old was the second string to their stable mate. John Deere who won the grade one Crosby last time from a similar draw in a very similar winning time as today’s race was won, this horse however had been beaten in his last four attempts at any type of graded stakes . But what we must remember here is that the grade and status of the race at HRP doesn’t seem to matter as much and if we look back to the one win allowance this horse won at SAR we see that he won that quicker than today’s race was run. So that seems to be the key to this victory, removing form from the equation this horse was just able to run quicker than his stable mate and got the perfect trip. I guess the question is can he do that again and i suppose the answer would be, given circumstances, there is no reason why not. He toughed out the finish in good style, clearly has the class gene and can cover six furlongs quicker than most.

2nd John Deere Mb Stables Davis D

I had this one pegged as the winner on his impressive win in the Crosby last time and his works that were consistently faster than his stablemate. But in a game where inches make a huge difference the winner got the easy trip on the rail and this one was forced wide to make his run. I think if the draws were reversed this horse wins every time but today he didn’t. This was still a good run and he will go forward to the BC with every chance if the draw goes his way.

3rd The End Game RNP Stables Bisono J

I actually think this was the best run in the race and if i could pick a horse to buy out of the top three it would be this one. The sad thing is i doubt that he will be able to show his worth in the BC this year but i see a big race in this ones future. Taken back by the wide gate he ran round the entire field to finish a strong third and he is clearly a rapidly improving sort. If he can find a draw and a good race whilst he is still three i will be piling on my Disney Dollars in his next race.

4th Out On A Limb Estero Farms Lezcano J

The old fella ran another great race but found, as many do, the three year olds impossible to beat with the weight allowances. He was fourth in the end leading at the furlong pole and i think that there is still some mileage in the old legs.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES