Seabiscuit Handicap (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
November 24, 2018
Due to time constraints and the tryptophan kicking in from Thanksgiving dinner, this will be a very abbreviated preview. The recap will be better. We’ll be taking a look here at the 15th running of the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at DMR, a race that has seen its purse gradually decline over the years. We’ll have nine going to the gate, and here they are.
#1- Inverted Calibration (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T C Baze)- Last race, the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes, saw him finish seventh, but only miss a length in an impressive closing bid. The last three times that he has run this exact distance, he has been victorious, a stretch highlighted by the Grade 3 Oceanport in late July. Must be respected here due to that streak.
#2- Jamie Mach (RNP Stables, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Makes his debut in the RNP silks after being claimed from Gdp Inc for $62.500 just two weeks ago. That race represented a drop down, as he had been running in Grade 1’s prior to that. For some reason, Gdp Inc soured on him. Now, with a quick turnaround, we’ll see if Jamie Mach can bounce back from a miserable run in the Sword Dancer. He’s the highweight in here, at 121 pounds.
#3- Solow (Hambletonian Stable, ridden by M E Smith)- This will be his second start for the trainer after being acquired from Saratoga Stud in the September auction. He struggled with Saratoga Stud, though won in an allowance for Hambletonian Stable. It’s been a while since he has looked good at the graded level.
#4- The Force Awakens (Diablo Diablo, ridden by G L Stevens)- Two wins in eight starts this year, both coming in optional claimers. At the graded level, he has been inconsistent, but did have a solid run in the Sword Dancer in August, finishing 3rd, and knocking me out of the survivor competition. If he can awaken that effort again, he can win this race. Should be good enough to get a piece of the purse.
#5- Ingrained (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- The only entry in this field who has surpassed the $1,000.000 mark for career earnings, most of that coming with his win in the BC Mile of 2017. He was unable to make it back this year, and has only won once in 2018. That came in the Grade 2 Baruch Handicap in September, so the potential is still there. Comes out of the Pattison, a race in which he placed seventh in. This is not the Pattison, and if he runs his race, he should come out on top.
#6- Cannon (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by H Figueroa)- The next few in the starting gate are winless. Cannon has only hit the board twice in five starts this year, and prior to his last race, the Grade 2 Knickerbocker Handicap, he had been struggling. Then, he rebounded for a second place finish, a theme that is becoming pretty commonplace with multiple horses in this field.
#7- Awesome Indeed (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Mar Garcia)- It’s been almost exactly one year since Awesome Indeed was indeed, awesome, and ending up in the winners circle. His nine starts since then have seen only two hit the board, as well. More often then not, he is finishing in the middle of the field and has not been terrible, just needs to be a little better. He’s run against good company, though this is not an enormous drop down.
#8- Lamboid Crest (Jackrussell Farms, ridden by G Franco)- At 117 pounds, he will be carrying the lowest weight in the field, and he’ll probably need that. He’s making a large jump up in class here, and has only been sprinting lately. Has not worked publicly at a mile in over a year, so whatever the trainer is seeing, it’s likely in private works so that makes him tough to pick. The rest of us will have to see it to believe it.
#9- Jimmy Dugan (John Henry, ridden by E Maldonado)- Has picked up two wins this year, and four overall finishes in the money out of seven starts. His lone graded attempt was not one of those finishes, however. What got him here is his last race, winning the $100.000 Lawless Stakes for ON-breds six weeks ago, earning a 99 SRF. If he does that again, he’ll win.
Prediction: 5-9-1-4
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
