The SAR Special (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SAR- For Two Year Olds
Six and A Half Furlongs on the Dirt
August 14, 2021

Another two year old graded stake, another win for Mb Stables. After winning the two big fillies races that were run last week with Paris Pinnacle Party and Incendiary, there would be no let up in the SAR Special. In this race, Mb Stables would take home the top two spots, as Hilarity gets the win while being followed by Statuesque. As hard as it may be to believe, this is actually the first time that Mb Stables has won the SAR Special, and equally surprising that it is the first time that SAR mainstay J R Velazquez has been aboard the winner. Congratulations to them! The message is certainly being delivered right now that Mb Stables will have his usual wide selection of TC hopefuls when we move into next year. The race was run in a time of 1:15.24, making it the quickest edition of the race that was held at this distance. Let’s take a look!

(¼ Mile- :22.81)- The quickest out of the gate would be Paco, trained by D J C Racing Stables, and he will have some company nearby in the form of The Godfather, out of Smokey Stover. These two clear the rest of the field by a length and a half as they move down the backstretch. Leading the group of stalkers by half a length would be Statuesque, out of Mb Stables, as he runs between Waldo’s Portugal and Night Rider Stables’ Loquacious Luka. Right behind them, running all by himself for the time being is our eventual winner, Hilarity, for Mb Stables. Next in line, it is Junkyard Dog, for Jive Inc, and then Suspect (Arindel) and Rudy Is With Me (Fractious). At the back, it’s the surprising post time favorite, Scuba Snorkelton (Acber Farms) and Midnight It Is (LionKing Stables).

(½ Mile- :45.84, Top Of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Paco and The Godfather continue to lead the way after half a mile, but are vulnerable to those behind them as we enter the stretch though they try to show some fight. Statuesque gracefully moved to the third lane midway in the turn, and entering the stretch, he was right along side the two pacesetters. Portugal moved to the rail, hoping for room to come on through while Loqacious Luka held his lane while going four wide. All the while, Hilarity began lurking ever so closer to the frontrunners and was within a length and a half of them now. There appeared to be enough of an opening between Paco and his stablemate, Statuesque to come on through easily. Meanwhile, Suspect looked to advance a little bit as Junkyard Dog seemed to be lacking response. The others were not showing much.

(Finish- 1:15.24)- In the stretch, Statuesque put away both Paco and The Godfather pretty easily and looked to pull away from the rest of the field. Mb Stables had to like that, but for a brief moment might have been concerned when he saw another horse beginning to make their presence known. Then, upon seeing he also owned that one, he could smile, and hope to sweep the exacta. Hilarity was particularly good in the final furlong, winning while driving and looking like he could keep going and going. Those works suggest that will be the case, but today he will take the six and a half furlong win over his stablemate. Finishing third was Junkyard Dog, who as soon as they entered the top of the stretch, made a wide move and may have been the quickest of them all. However, he had too much ground to cover and was never a threat to take away Mb’s exacta. Loqacious Luka takes the fourth place check by a length. Rounding it out, it is Portugal, Rudy Is With Me, The Godfather, Scuba Snorkelton, Suspect, Paco, and Midnight It Is .

About The Winner- Hilarity, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a two year old colt by Fire N Fury, and is out of Laugher. He was bred as a yearling in New York by Mb Stables, of whom he’s been with throughout. Congratulations to the connections! He is a perfect three for three in his career with two graded wins. His career earnings are now $237.000.

Track: Fast
Time: :22⁴  :45⁴  1:09¹  1:15¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 7 Paid 65.40
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 7 – 10 Paid 704.20

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES