Hirsch Stakes- Grade 1 (BC)- $300.000 Purse
DMR- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
July 28, 2019

On Sunday at DMR, we will know who one more runner in the BC Distaff will be as a field of ten goes to post in the 16th running of the Grade 1 Hirsch Stakes, a stake that provides an automatic spot in the field of the BC Distaff. Last year, Enoughs Enough picked up the win in the Hirsch, but did not fare well in the BC Distaff as we are still looking for our first horse to win both of those races. Mb Stables has had good success in this race, and looks for his third consecutive win, and fourth overall. He’ll have two runners in this field, including a rather interesting one. Let’s take a look at the field!

#1- Jinxed Queen (Joshua Stables, ridden by M J Sanchez)- After spending the majority of her career with Gdp Inc, Jinxed Queen made her debut in Joshua silks at the beginning of June, following a $650.000 transaction. That was the Grade 2 Phipps, where she was second to Misty Firefox. The blinkers were taken off for that start, and it appears as though that will still be the case here. No reason not to like her here, and she should be very well rested.

#2- Sneaky Opus (Joshua Stables, ridden by M E Smith)- This one cost a lot less for Joshua to obtain, buying her for $150.000 in May from Drabfantasy, and it will also be her second race for her new trainer. Her debut was successful, as she won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes in June, although that was not necessarily the greatest field. This is the first time she has been in a field size above seven for her career.

#3- Ineffable (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Pennington)- She also comes out of the same Phipps Stakes that Jinxed Queen, but her performance in the race was not one to be excited about. No reason to worry much about that, as her two prior races were victories, one of them being the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at OP in April. It’s her 26th start, and as long as there is an understanding of what went wrong in the Phipps, she should do fine here.

#4- Ghost In The Shell (Spankys Barn, ridden by D Van Dyke)- She was elevated in class pretty quickly after she broke her maiden, and that was because she was doing a very good job with it. After running second in the Black Eyed Susan (Grade 2), Ghost In The Shell became one to watch, but may have dropped off the radar again after a flat showing in the Grade 1 Acorn, which is also her last start. This seems like a very pivotal race for her in deciding where she goes from here.

#5- Camp Hollywood (Estero Farms, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies is one of six three year olds in the field, and they all start in a row from posts four to nine. She has not picked up a win this year, and that is certainly disappointing. That’s not to say she has failed to be productive, as she was second in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes, and most recently, third in the $500.000 WO Oaks for Canadians. Working well, and should have more big wins in the future. Perhaps, here.

#6- Queenhood (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- The three time winner of the race has two entries in the field, but a bit surprising that neither of them have much name recognition in the game as of yet. Queenhood almost does, but she has a lot more to do if she wants to be compared to Queenwood, The Commanding filly has won three of ten, with the biggest win being the $50.000 Legislators Stakes at EMD last month. Only raced over a mile once in her career, which was on BC day last year, but not at CD.

#7- Love Struck Baby (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Finished 13th in the BC Juvenile Fillies last year, and has one thing in common with that races winner, Camp Hollywood. That is, both of them are winless as three year olds. For Love Struck Baby, it was a hot SAR that got her in to the BC, but her 2019 has seen a couple close calls though a lack of a win. Ran second in the GP Oaks (Grade 2) in March, and comes off a third in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis. Could get it done.

#8- Test Of Time (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Another one of our three year olds that ran in the BC Juvenile Fillies, but she has been able to get a couple wins this year as well. After winning an optional claimer at PRX, Test Of Time won the Grade 2 Summer Oaks at SA, going wire to wire. She tried that tactic in her most recent start, the Mother Goose, but was unable to hang on as well. Not sure if she will be doing that again here, and if I were to guess, I would say probably not. Fits in well here.

#9- Seek Victory (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- With just one race in her career, coming earlier this month in a sprint on soft turf at MNR, there is not much that we can do to pick this one. It’s quite a leap in placement, but let’s face it, it is something that a trainer like Mb Stables can afford to do.

#10- Stellar Wind (Simmer Down Stable, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Quite an impressive track record on this one, with all fifteen career starts she has made seeing her finish in the money, and eight of them are wins. There were some lopsided wins coming at this distance along the way. Simmer Down picked her up in a $75.000 claimer and elevated her into stakes. All three races together resulted in second place finishes, and that includes a pair of Grade 2’s: the Santa Margarita and the Santa Maria. Look for her to do well.

Prediction: 1-7-5-10

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES