Marion Stakes- $125.000 Purse
TAM- For Colts and Geldings Three Years Old Foaled in FL
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
December 14, 2019

On the west coast of Florida, we will have a field of four going to the gate for the third running of the Marion Stakes. This is a rare males-only restricted race, and it is for three years old that were bred in Florida. Last year, the race was won by Broken Tap, a horse that has had a lot of success throughout his career running with the state bred designation. This includes wins in the FL Sire Stakes at two, and his win here, which at the time was third straight FL-bred stake win. Our field is small, but evenly matched, so a good race should be on tap. Here’s the field!

#1- Speeding Raujenny (Night Rider Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Acquired by Night Rider in private sales for $20.000, he has been very good in his races on the main track since the sale. There was one win, coming in the Wildcat, part of the FL Sire Stakes. After pacing the field in the Millions Classic Preview in his last start, he ended up finishing second….. to Broken Tap! Maybe that’s an omen!

#2- Deceptive Speed (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- He has made eleven starts in his career, and all of them have been in statebreds. Kudos to the trainer on his commitment to statebred racing, and Deceptive Speed has taken advantage of that. He’s a four-time winner, and has hit the board nine times. There have been a couple stake attempts mixed in with those races, but he has yet to visit the winners circle after such a race.

#3- Gran Z (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by D E Centeno)- Better at finishing in the money then he is with winning. Just two wins in 12 starts, but has a top-three finish in ten races. The gelding has gone back and forth between the turf and dirt, and it seems like differing tactics are being tried too. If this horse figures out how to win more, he can become a much more well known commodity.

#4- Strategic Edge (Maletto, ridden by S Spieth)- This one is almost the anti-Gran Z. He does know how to win, doing so nearly half the time (4 out of 10), but when he is not winning, he is not hitting the board either. Also has been going back and forth between the turf and dirt. I do think he will like this distance, but the good Strategic Edge must show up. Below, I pick him fourth, but at the same time, would not be surprised if he won, either.

Prediction: 1-2-3-4 (I think this is the first time I made a pick like that here).

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded