Longacres Mile (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
EMD- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
August 15, 2021

Moving away from the big tracks on Sunday, we head to the Pacific Northwest and EMD for the 14th running of the Longacres Mile. It’s a purse that has decreased in time, after initially debuting at $300.000 and attracting the likes of Alpha Ultimo, who went on to win the race. Now, the top horses of the game will look towards other races in August, but that does not have to be a bad thing. Now, we have a smaller race, attracting less accomplished but still plenty talented horses that would love to add a Grade 3 win to their resume. Last year, People Doubted did that for Waldo in just his second race with the trainer. He has since retired to stud. This year, we’ll have ten going to the gate, and here they are!

#1- Invade The Storm (Saratoga Stud, ridden by J Matias)- Picked up in private sales from Fractious for $500.000 after winning the Jerome. Thanks to finishing second in the BG Stakes, he was able to run in the KYD and the PRK, so we can’t call it a bad purchase, but Invade The Storm really has not done much else. This will be the seventh straight race he either starts on the rail or in a double digit post.

#2- Smugglers Blues (John Henry, ridden by A M Cruz)- For his last four races, Smugglers Blues cut back to six furlongs and ended up winning three out of four. John Henry could have stuck with that, but wants him to have success going a mile as well even though his history seems to suggest he is better in sprints. He can be a threat here, but I’ll be looking at others.

#3- Given Up On You (Night Mare Racing, ridden by R Barber)- One thing to consider when a race of this stature comes to a track like this is the quality of the jockey. That’s not earth shattering news to anyone reading this, but a 5% jockey on a horse is not ideal. Given Up On You has otherwise been consistent, hitting the board in12 of 16 races, and was recently second in the Grade 3 Triple Bend. But is R Barber up to the cut?

#4- Tango Mango (Nakamura Stables, ridden by K Radke)- Picked up in private sales in January for $50.250, and won his debut with Nakamura Stables, which was an open allowances. Off of that, he was elevated into stakes company, where he’s had some experience, but has looked lethargic in his last two. With two months to rest and some good works, he could rebound. But Radke is another of our 5% jockeys in the race.

#5- Raunchy Bay (John Henry, ridden by N Ramirez)- Picked up in the June auction for $50.010, and entered into the Grade 3 Dwyer in his debut for John Henry. He started better than he finished in the race, but did have graded stake experience as a two year old, including the SAR Special, which runs again on Saturday. Only has one win and a few seconds in his career, so he shows flashes of potential, but has not broken out yet.

#6- Ginger Sand (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J Whitaker)- This three year old gelding has four wins in twelve races, and has spent a lot of his career in NY-bred races, including stakes. He won one, which was the $50.000 Barker Stakes in the slop at FL. Afterwards, he won an allowance by three, and has been turning in some good works of late. Gets one of the better jocks that is possible here, and I think he has a good shot.

#7- Gettysburg (Night Rider Stables, ridden by F Ceballos)- In 18 starts, Gettysburg has won just three races, so we keep hoping for a turning point in his career. It could have been the $100.000 Shackleton, that he won in March, but he was unable to build on that in the two races that followed. He’s never been able to sustain long term consistency, though you never know when it will be one of his better days.

#8- Jolly Rook (Angelos Stable, ridden by J Couton)- One of two horses in the field that has surpassed $1,000.000 in career earnings, Jolly Rook was quite a well known name around this time last year. He would win the Haskell and the Travers back to back, and stayed strong in finishing fourth in the PA Derby. That seems to be where the excitement tailed off, though he has still been getting results at a lower scale. Neither of his two wins since the Travers are in stakes, but many this time of year will bring back memories and he can get back to that form. Gets one of the top jockeys here.

#9- Rise Above (Mwn Racing, ridden by H N Martinez)- Almost made the mistake of saying he makes his third start in a month, but in actuality, he impressively won his last start, coming in a muddy optional claimer at SAR, on a layoff of just over a year. So, we know that he is well rested and should be able to handle a twelve day rest and a cross country trip. He’s never failed to hit the board in his ten race career. Needs to race more!

#10- Bring The Pain (M.b.o. Racing Stable, ridden by J M Gutierrez)- This seven year old gelding has made 37 starts, most of which were while being trained by Mb Stables. In the June auction, his trainer name added an “o” and he was picked up for $20.010. During his career, he’s appeared in the Pattison a couple of times and even the BC Turf, but his only graded win was the Smile Sprint Handicap in 2019. Mostly been in overnights of late, but has earned the chance to run at this level again.

Prediction: 8-6-1-10

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES