The 13th Running of the Plate Trial Stakes
August 1, 2021 13:40
WO Race #2 $150.000 11/8 Dirt
Canadian Bred 3YO 123 Lbs (plus penalties)
Track Record-1:47.13 (Hint Of Mint-2012)
Stakes Record-1:47.96 (Gemini Shadows-2017)
The designated prep for the G1 Queens Plate, the $150.000 Plate Trial for Canadian-bred sophomores, drew eight contestants to go the 9-furlongs on the WO dirt course. The field is a little light on accomplishment (combined record 67-12-15-9), but you can’t win if you’re not in the gate, and the winner of this will most likely earn a spot in the gate for the big one. Here’s the field for the $150.000 Plate Trial Stakes:
#1 Rockin Rodeo (Nakamura Stables/G. Boulanger 123): Purchased for $165.000 in May, this one will make his first start for the new barn on Sunday. First four starts saw him get one win, but that is not out of the ordinary for this field. Conditioner strikes with 17% of starters their first run with him at the controls, so must be respected in here.
#2 Doc Cherok (Crocker Ggs/J. Stein 123): His three wins make him the most photographed horse in the race. This will be his first try vs stakes company, but he comes in here a winner in 3 of his last 4. Has been off since that April ALW score over this track, so he should be primed for a big effort in this.
#3 Cherokee Gray (Mo Mentum Farm/D. Fukumoto 123): Been running exclusively over this surface since May; broke his maiden before finishing 4th in the Queens Stand and 2nd in an ALW. Goes farther in this one than he’s ever been, but he should be stalking the pace in a good spot from this draw. Like a lot of these, he’ll have to answer several questions to score here.
#4 Python King (Axeman/D. Moran 123): Claimed for $19.000 when winning here on July 1, this guy will be looking to make it three straight wins. Didn’t do very much as a juvenile, but has shown steady improvement as a sophomore with two wins and three seconds in six starts. Takes a major class hike today, but that N2L claiming win was at today’s distance so he’s not in here without a chance.
#5 Kill Miss Farley (Family Racing/S.R. Bahen 123): $40.000 claim back on May 13 makes his debut for the new barn looking for his first win in a pay race. Before that 3rd place finish, he was 7th of eight in the $75.000 Black Gold Stakes. This will be only his 4th career start so there are a lot of unknowns with this guy. Appears to have good early foot and may be the pacesetter in here, but for how long?
#6 Attention To Detail (Night Rider Stables/E.J. Wilson 123): Was last seen finishing 4th in the $150.000 Sir Barton on the local turf course. Before that he ran for a tag in seven straight races. He has flashed early speed, so expect to see him up on the pace when the gates open, but can’t see him besting this field.
#7 Crack Stone (Mb Stables/S. Ryan 123): 0-5 since being purchased for $300.000 back in November with only one finish hitting the board. That being said, three of those tries were against stakes-company and he didn’t embarass himself. Hard to get a gauge on exactly how he wants to run, but, if he shows some improvement and gets a trip, he could grab a piece of this.
#8 Hint Of Sugar (Arindel/R.M. Hernandez 123): Only has a maiden win to his credit, but he just missed when 2nd in a pair of KYD preps down in Florida. Accumulated enough points to compete in the G1 KYD and was only beaten two-lengths in an 8th place effort. Last two runs were sub-par and raise some concerns, but he has finished in front of a lot of quality runners and looks to be a prohibitive favorite in here. If he gets back to his early-Spring form he can be a player in some big races going forward.
Final Analysis: 8-2-4-7 Good luck to all of the participants in Sunday’s $150.000 Plate Trial Stakes!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
