CD (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
CD- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
May 1, 2021
Part of the excitement on the undercard of the KYD will be the CD, a long sprint for older horses with a generous $500.000 purse. This race will run for the 18th time, but it will be just the third time that it has been classified as a Grade 1. Initially, the race ran for a purse of $200.000, and has gradually gone up, reaching its current level in 2015. In the past, we have seen the great Shoot Skyhigh win this race in consecutive years, achieving that in 2010 and 2011. In 2020, the race was won by Peculiar Sensation for Mb Stables, and as of this time, it is the last stake that horse has won. The gelding is still active as of press time, but seemingly not able to run at this level any longer. A field of 2021 will hit the gate for this year’s race. Let’s get to know those horses!
#1- Twilight Flame (Mb Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo)- This gelding by Grandeur has managed wins in three of his fourteen races, and has hit the board nine times. He has been given the opportunity to run in various stakes over that timespan at distance at a mile, or around it, but is still looking for a stake win. His fourth place run in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap at the start of April was encouraging, but a little more will be needed against this crowd.
#2- Iron Return (Alydar Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Finished his three year old season by winning the Grade 1 Malibu at SA the day after Christmas. That’s a race that came right after the BC Sprint for him, so all was seeming well for him. It has not happened the same way for him this year, at least not yet, with two off the board finishes in his only starts of the year. He doesn’t need to win here, but could really use a big bounce back effort.
#3- Tallmadge Star (Our Athletes, ridden by J R Velazquez)- He will be making the third start of his career for Our Athletes after a strong career for Oquinn Farm. While in the Our Athletes silks, Tallmadge Star is a perfect two for two, winning the GP Sprint Championship in February, and the Grade 2 San Carlos, the latter being in a dead heat. The five year old gelding has seemed to have taken a liking to going out to the lead early, so that is likely to continue here.
#4- Seven Oaks (Royalty Stables, ridden by Ru Fuentes)- This gelding will be running in a stake for the first time, getting the chance after back to back wire to wire victories. Those came in an allowance and an optional claimer, so he has certainly earned his chance to run in a stake, but the Grade 1 CD is an ambitious ask. It’s best to try it when the horse is hot, and Seven Oaks is hot, winning three of his last four.
#5- On The Turning Away (Gdp Inc., ridden by D Moran)- It took this gelding a little while to break his maiden, and when he actually did, it was on the turf. After that win, he stayed on the turf for a while, and did fairly well. In March, he looked good in finishing second in an optional claimer, and that sent him to the Grade 1 Carter Handicap, a race that he won. Earned a 100 SRF in that race, and if he can duplicate that here, it’s going to be tough for the rest of the field. He carried four less pounds there, but despite that, he looks like one of the top threats here.
#6- Expert Eye (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M J Sanchez)- Like the horse to his inside, Expert Eye comes out of the Carter Handicap, and for him, it was a third place finish. He was less than behind the winning On The Turning Away, but did carry three more pounds than him in the race, so his effort is just as impressive. Holding this one back has been some inconsistency as he has struggled to put two strong stake efforts together, in a row. That is a trend that will need to reverse itself here.
#7- Kapa Gold (John Henry, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- This is a horse that knows how to win, doing so nine times in seventeen career starts. Those victories are well spread out, and many times have been every other race. Despite this, whenever a graded stake has been attempted, Kapa Gold has not gotten it done (5-0-0-0). Ungraded stakes, and NM-bred stakes have been great, but for some reason it has not happened for him at this level. With that, it’s hard to think this race will be any different.
#8- Not Trippin Now (Gdp Inc., ridden by G Saez)- A six year old gelding that has only made nine career starts. The trainer’s patience has begun to pay off for this horse that was once dropped into an $8.000 maiden claimer. Broke his maiden, in start seven at the free track, and has continued to progress, winning the $45.000 Caps at AQU in his last start. This would be an impressive win for patience if he pulls it off.
#9- John Deere (T Boy Racing, ridden by M Franco)- As a three year old, John Deere mowed down the competition with five wins in seven career starts, and that included winning the BC Sprint. After that, former trainer Mb Stables elected to sell him off, and T Boy Racing would spend $400.000 to acquire the gelding. However, he has not placed him highly since then, as he has only raced twice, and in optional claimers. Surely that is not why you spend so much on a gelding, so it is good to see him back in graded company. Is he ready to be John Deere that we knew before?
#10- Sweet Sweet Sweet (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- Early in his career, this five year old gelding did appear in some small ungraded stakes, but for the most part he has run in claimers. That had worked out well, but Night Rider had much greater aspirations when he claimed Sweet Sweet Sweet for $20.000 last August. Made his graded debut last month in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at KEE, and he ran third, within a length of the winner. Seems like he could go either way here, but at his best, he can get a win here.
#11- Reach For A Latte (Fractious, ridden by T Gaffalione)- On the outside, we have the well known Reach For A Latte, but what kind of effort can we expect from him? Prior to his last start, he had three highly disappointing performances in graded stakes, leading Fractious to drop him all the way down into a $35.000 claimer in his last outing. He won the race, and no one opted to pick him up. Was that race a much needed caffeine boost for his career? Interestingly, this is the fourth time in five races that he will start from a double digit post.
Prediction: 3-5-8-9
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
