The Manila (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
BEL- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
July 7, 2023

This Friday at BEL, the featured race of the day will be the ninth running of The Manila, a nice Grade 3 event for three years on the turf, and it will be the biggest of this race that we have ever seen. That is because of the purse increase, as in the past the stake only had a $100.000 purse associated with it. Now, that has seen a large increase to the present $250.000, making this a much more appealing race for trainers than it ever has been before. The field is intriguing, as several of these may be on their way to becoming a star, but have not peaked yet, making it a great opportunity for the winner and for all of those that run well. In 2022, Distant Volcano won the race for Team 7 Illusions and worked his way into the BC Mile. He hasn’t been the same horse since, but at least he was there. We have eight runners for the 2023 edition, and it’s time to take a look at them.

#1- Way To Party (Establo Pichon, ridden by R W Walcott)- A gelding that is still coming along, with only four starts made, but is showing plenty of potential. His lone win came back in April at LRL, so there was no money won there, but was able to step up with a good run at WO before ultimately placing second in the $125.000 Queenston at that same track. He’s gone back and forth with surface, and all of the recent public works are on the main track, so he’s hard to get a feel for right now.

#2- Runway (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After running well at SA, he eventually broke his maiden in his fourth career start, at that track, in early May. He would stay out there and ran a respectable third in a CA-bred optional claimer and now he is going to go across the country. We still haven’t seen him tested in the way that he is going to be challenged here, but unlike Way To Party, there are recent turf works to look at it, and they are indeed, very good.

#3- American Grandeur (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by L Saez)- Had a strong two-year-old campaign, and was able to run in the BC Juvenile Turf. That wasn’t a career highlight, however, and afterward, the trainer moved him to the main track to run in some KYD Preps. They also did not go well, but now that the horse is back on the grass, he has resumed being productive with back-to-back wins in overnights that sent him to the Grade 1 Jaipur here last month. His performance there was impressive, running second while scoring a 102 SRF. The question on him will be whether or not he wants to go a mile.

#4- Nevada Lee (Nakamura Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- Winner of two races late last year, highlighted by the $100.000 Logan Stakes at SA in late December. 2023 has not been as kind to him, as he has failed to hit the board in any of his four races, leading to very minimal earnings on the year. The trainer has not backed down from his placement, however, and we did last see him Nevada Lee in the $225.000 Audubon, where he picked up his $9.000 for the year, by running fourth. Works say he should be getting better results, but he needs to step up.

#5- Regulatory (Mb Stables, ridden by A Beschizza)- This will be the hard-earned graded stake debut for Regulatory, and it comes after he had a good run of success this spring at the ungraded level. After hitting the board in a couple of $100.000 races out at SA, he appeared in the $225.000 Audubon and prevailed at the wire in a very tight photo to score the win. Now, we will see if he can build on that, and it would certainly appear that he will be one of the top choices here in the Manila.

#6- Kentucky Pharoah (Arindel, ridden by M Franco)- Last August, this gelding won the Grade 3 With Anticipation at SAR, and that would send him in the BC Juvenile Turf. Unfortunately, other than winning an optional claimer in March, the only time that he has been dropped out of the graded level, Kentucky Pharoah has not even earned a penny since the With Anticipation. When you’re a big stable, you can keep throwing them back at this level and hope that things will change, but as an outsider, I can’t get excited about him here.

#7- Love Of The Derby (Mb Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- One of the more lightly raced horses in the field, but when he has been out there, he has gotten the job done: winning four out of six. In late April, at GG, he would win his stake debut, which was the $75.000 Sullivan Stakes and carried that momentum into the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge right here at BEL, where he placed third. Certainly, one to watch, since he knows how to win, but now the trainer wants to see just how good this one really might be, and this will be a good test for that.

#8- Theegala (Alydar Stables, ridden by F T Alvarado)- Ran well as a two-year-old, and ultimately that led to a $50.000 private sale to Alydar Stables, where the new trainer has tried to advance the gelding’s career. Initially, that did not go well, but he rebounded well in a couple of overnight races, earning him another chance at the stake level. This time, he was ready for it, and won the $75.000 Alcatraz at GG, which was also his turf debut. This is a good spot to challenge him, and with his running style, everyone else should be looking to see if he’s making a bid at the top of the stretch.

Prediction: 5-2-3-8

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES