The Bloom Handicap – Grade II
BEL Race #8 6 1/2f Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $300.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Sharp Terms Mb Stables Bejarano R
With half the runners in the field the answer as to who wins this race is probably best answered by Mb Stables. A nice winner in the early season at overnight level she ran a decent third in the Desert Stormer before an awful run last time out and a slushy track. With both her runs in the wet ending in disappointment i think we can ignore that effort unless the rains come for this race. So a good enough sprinter in an ideal alley but she still has a bit to prove at this level despite having the fastest sprint works in the field. Fortunately this is a weak race so she may well end up taking the win.
2 Steel Calling Mb Stables Saez L
Despite three of her last six starts being in black type company her fastest run came in her last start in a little allowance at FE where she got beaten. Such is the way of the class system here at HRP so you can’t take that defeat as meaning she can’t win in this grade especially as she has got bottom weight and a decent draw to race from. Her works arent exactly scintillating but they are good enough and her close fifth in the Princess Rooney Handicap wasnt bad at all.
3 Lady Opus John Henry Ortiz J L
Another that has shown a dislike for very wet ground she looks a little inconsistent but that may be more down to weather than her personality. She was bought cheaply from Smokey Stover back in June having won the Distaff Handicap and a decent open allowance but her two efforts for her new owner have been pretty ordinary and one has to wonder whether she has the same enthusiasm that she did in the Spring.
4 Wha Two Si D J C Racing Stables Ortiz I Jr
This daughter of In The box won three in a row over sprint trips for her previous owner but after being bought for $40.000 her new owner decided she was a router and ran her in a couple of ungraded races on both surfaces. The first on turf was a disaster but her last start on dirt resulted in an all the way win in the Summer Colony. Despite that experiment apparently working her trainer drops her back to sprinting again and i wonder whether that choice was made because this field came up a little light rather than her showing anything special at home. She is a good sort and would have a chance here especially if she can find the lead early on.
5 Laffin At Ya Chili King Stables Leparoux J R
She was winning claimers at the start of the year but has found her mojo recently and managed to find some prize money in three graded stakes in a row in her last three starts. The best of those was probably when beaten just a neck in the Hendrie Stakes two start back but her last run from a wide gate in the Bernado Handicap wasn’t bad either. She will be in this race for a long way and gets bottom weight so must have a chance of scoring a cheque again.
6 Where To Find Me Mb Stables Velazquez J R
Probably the best horse on paper in the field she gets top weight for her troubles. Now, giving up to 3 pounds wouldn’t be a big deal in real life but those three pounds and the wide gate does mean that although she will be favourite to win she has a few HRP ism’s stacked against her. I think that despite those drawbacks she is clearly the best filly in the field and a repeat of her win in the Bernado Handicap last time would be enough to win this.
SUMMARY
On form Where To Find Me should win but it is worth having a little flutter with top weight and the wide draw against her. The rest are closely matched so if there are any long odds on offer they could offer some value.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
