Trillium Stakes (Grade 3)- $125.000 Purse
WO- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 17, 2018

Longshot Are We Dreamin proved to be the best today in the second running of the Trillium Stakes, taking the first graded stake of his career. This is one of those horses that whenever they win at a big price, you look back at them, and wonder why you never picked them to begin with. Mb Stables had two in the race, and I felt that Sprinkles was his best chance to win, but he and Are We Dreamin proved me, and many other bettors wrong. J M Campbell is the winning jockey. I feel a little bad here for Treaux Farms, the trainer of the second place runner, Marquesa, as the trainer still looks for their first career graded win in eleven years of participating in the game. She was the only four year old in the field and had a five pound weight disadvantage. May have been that if the weights were equal, this would have been that first win. Instead, we’ll have to congratulate Mb Stables on another graded win. The time of the win was 1:41.66, which beats last years time in the inaugural running of the race. Here’s a look at it.

(1/4 Mile- :23.74)- Everyone was decent right out of the gate, but as they moved into the turn, we saw Bora Bora, from Smokey Stover take the lead from her outside post. She’d be three wide as they moved around the turn, as she was not able to move over to the rail due to second place British Chai (Maxmillion Farm) also starting well and being within a length of her. On the rail, eventual winner Are We Dreamin also got off to a good start, and was nearly side by side with British Chai. Sprinkles assumed a position in the middle of the field for Mb Stables, running without anyone alongside her. In the back, Adjourned (Team 7 Illusions) and Marquesa (Treaux Farms) would be the trailers, though they only had four lengths to make up.

(½ Mile- :47.58)- During the second quarter mile, the position on the track of the top three seemed to make all the difference. Are We Dreamin, while remaining on the rail throughout the turn and at the top of the backstretch moved into the lead in a methodical manner, while Bora Bora, still stuck in that third lane, would still hold her own, but drop to second at that same point on the track. British Chai was between them still. Sprinkles maintained her stalking position, running by herself, two and a half lengths back. Marquesa kept pace with the rest of the field, but had not yet moved up. Adjourned had dropped further back, and now trailed by over seven lengths, and three lengths behind Marquesa.

(Top of Stretch- 1.7F To Go)- The backstretch was very kind to Are We Dreamin, who pulled away from the entire field. This was a combination of both her looking good, and Bora Bora not as much. At the top of the turn, it looked like Bora Bora just decided that she had enough, and was disappointingly flat as they moved around the turn. British Chai couldn’t take advantage of that, and she too seemed to shut it down at the top of the turn. This led to Are We Dreamin opening up a big lead at the top of the stretch, and it would take a new challenger to keep her from winning. Sprinkles, who had been stalking, seemed to be a candidate for that, but there would be no run from her either. Instead, it would be Marquesa, moving four wide in the turn with the urging of E R Da Silva, and she’d be within a length of second. It would take quite an effort to catch Are We Dreamin, but she was going to take the shot. Adjourned continued to trail be seven.

(Finish- 1:41.66)- Are We Dreamin, at 24/1, had gotten away from them, and had plenty left for the stretch. She is able to win rather easily, cruising to a two length win. Marquesa’s four wide trip made her bid a tough task, and it would just not be her day. She’d end up getting second rather easily, but never really challenged Are We Dreamin. Bora Bora recovered a little bit in the stretch from looking poor in the turn, and is able to hold on for the third position. Sprinkles, Adjourned, and British Chai round out the finish.

About The Winner: Are We Dreamin, trained by Mb Stables, and ridden to victory by J R Campbell, is a three year old filly by Commanding, and is out of Hawaiian Pirate. That’s impressive breeding, because Hawaiian Pirate is also a BC champion. She was bred in California as a third quarter two year old by Mb Stables, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourth in eight starts, her second stake win, and her first graded win. Her career earnings are now $188.970.

Track: Fast
Time: :23³  :47²  1:11   1:41³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 100.50
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 6 Paid 123.90

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES