KD Ladies Turf (Grade 3)- $350.000
KD- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
September 9, 2017

We have ourselves a nearly full starting gate for the inaugural running of the KD Ladies Turf, held at KD. An attractive $350.000 awaits the winner as this track gets a rare opportunity to be in the virtual spotlight this weekend. Expect a competitive race, as there does not seem to be anyone in here taking that proverbial chance to move forward. This field of eleven is well accomplished, some more then others of course, but there are no slouches here. As the first running of the race, I can’t go into the history books for this introduction, so let’s get right to the field!

#1- Born From Mrs Z (Mb Stables, ridden R J Albarado)- This filly is the only entry for the trainer in this race, and was a recent addition to the stable. Mb Stables acquired her in mid-July, after a second place finish in an ungraded stake at ELP, for $65.000 from Oquinn Farm. In their first race together, Born From Mrs Z was victorious in a CA-bred race out at DMR, running pretty similar to how she ran at ELP. This ever so slight reduction in her distance could prove to be very beneficial. I will be looking elsewhere, though.

#2- Condottieris Fox (Hawaiian Shirt Guy, ridden by J J Castellano)- She is the highest earner in the field, with those winnings currently sitting at $1,463.960 over a span of 29 career races. She has been very consistent, even now in her career, winning five of her last 11 races, with a pair of Grade 2 wins sprinkled in. Condottieris Fox has also won a big race on this race track, taking the KD Ladies Sprint of last year. This is a versatile mare, winning those sprints, then winning at the longest distances offered by the game as well. Just as long as that last race is a throw out, she should be fine.

#3- I Billieve (Sharis Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Well, now that she has a graded win under her belt, the Bills jokes I used last time would not really have the same affect. We do know that the Bills like to do things in spurts, so we’ll see if this kicks off a string of four straight graded victories. The timing of this race, on opening weekend of the NFL is perfect, by the way. This is going to be tougher then the San Clemente, which includes Typical Rich Girl taking another crack at her, but the field here is more accomplished overall. That said, if she runs exactly like that again, it may be enough. There just may be a little more heat on her this time, so we’ll have to see how she withstands the pressure.

#4- Glow Bright (John Henry, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Acquired about a year ago from Australia Wide in private sales for $80.000, Glow Bright has consistently been able to find her way into the money for her new trainer. They have not always been wins, though. She would glow the brightest in January winning the small Grade 3 Megahertz as the highlight of her career to this point. She has a lot of experience running this distance, and that will prove to be helpful for her, although she has never seen a field this big before.

#5- Cant Touch That (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by D Moran)- Cant Touch That will look to drop the hammer down on the field in her 21st career start. She had a great 2016, with four wins and six in the money finishes over her nine starts, finding decent success in NY-bred stakes. This year, the wins have been tougher to come by, though no one could touch her 12-furlong dance in the Grade 3 Bewitched at KEE in April. Should be in the mix, but like the other contenders, only the one’s who are at their best are going to contend in this open field.

#6- Three Little Birds (Threshold, ridden by F Pennington)- The trainer was certainly glad to only see two three year olds in this field when it was released. In 27 career starts, the six year old mare has impressively won ten of them, but her rate of victory has begun to slow down. This is the type of horse I love to throw by support behind with eight straight finishes in the money, and she shows the ability to step it up in bigger races, as her lone victory for 2017 may have been the toughest race she attempted. Seems to be at her best when she is near the lead early.

#7- Pip Irish (Chili King Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- The sire, Pip Boy, has given us some great turf runners over the years, and while Pip Irish will not be confused with some of them, she has had a successful 20-race career. This, though, may be a bit tough, as I am not really impressed with how she has fared in her longer races over her career. She’s predominantly been a sprinter, and if she was doing that again, I’d like her more. Oh, and we also have to mention this is her second race in ten days.

#8- Sunset Black (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by D E Centeno)- This four year old Cherokee Sunset filly was acquired by Team 7 Illusions in March via private sales for $120.000 off a long hiatus, and they got off to a good start together. Sunset Black hit the board in her first four starts with Team 7 Illusions, and this included a win in the Grade 3 RGD in July when going 11 furlongs. The Grade 1 Beverly D proved to be a little too much for her, but she’s not facing that type of field here. This race is shorter then what she has been seeing lately, and you have to go back quite a bit to see past races at this or similar distances on the grass.

#9- Smokin Nebulae (Drabfantasy, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Over soft turf in the Grade 3 Waya at SAR in her last start, Smokin Nebulae put on a closing clinic. Down by eight lengths midway through the race, she only made up that distance, but went on to win by four lengths, accounting for a 12-length turnaround. It was just her second win of her career, and it followed up a couple of lackluster runs before that. It will be very interesting to see how she follows that up here, because it can and will likely determine if she ends up in the BC for the second straight year. Her distance is cut back here, so the room to close will not as much, and it doesn’t seem like we will have rain on Saturday. She’s the one to watch here.

#10- Typical Rich Girl (Smokey Stover, ridden by R Bejarano)- After playing cheerleader in a runner up finish to I Billieve in the San Clemente, Typical Rich Girl will be happy to get a second chance at her here. I am excited about the form each of these two bring into this race from that one, and expect that they will be among the frontrunners here. They ran the race differently, though, and I Billieve could be dealing with more pressure on the front end this time if she runs as she did in that one, and it could be all that Typical Rich Girl needs to turn the table from a photo finish second last time out. By the way, how did I miss the “Rich Stadium” pun opportunity between her and I Billieve last time? Well, this race may open up a new era for them.

#11- Duracell (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J J Hernandez)- Finally, we come to the horse that keeps going and going. Wait, that’s the other one, and as such, Duracell has cut back on her distance after attempting the 11-furlong Beverly D at AP in her last start. When going shorter, she has been able to find success, winning the Grade 3 Penny Memorial at PRX in her last start, topping Glow Bright in the process. It appears as though she is looking to find her perfect distance when running against graded company, and this will be a good test here.

Prediction: 10-9-3-2

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES