The PID Masters Stakes (Grade 2)- $400.000 Purse
PID- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Dirt
September 16, 2019

The race is called the PID Masters Stakes, and there has been one trainer that has been a master of it, and that is Mb Stables. He has won this race four years in a row, starting with Smoocher in 2015, then Lea and Darling Smile, before Are We Dreamin won it last year. I can’t recall any stake that I have looked at that has had a trainer win it for five consecutive years, as even four straight is very rare to see. He’ll have two going to the gate as a field of ten will contest this race. Let’s look at this race that takes place on Monday.

#1- Indian River Queen (South Beach Racing, ridden by M J Sanchez)- On the rail, this Moment Of Madness filly has made a living running in long sprints. Over her 23 race career, she has five wins that is highlighted by the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Handicap, a BC win and you’re in race, so congratulations to South Beach on getting Indian River Queen into the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. She’s coming into the race after running second in the Grade 2 Ballerina, so there is plenty to be excited about in regards to her current form.

#2- Blazing By (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- One of the two hopes in the race for Mb Stables to extend his streak, but if Blazing By is going to do that, she is going to have to be much better then she was in her last start. Like Indian River Queen, she last ran in the Balleria, though in the Ballerina, she ran last. She was much better over the spring, a stretch that included finishing third in the Grade 1 Ashland.

#3- British Chai (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by D Van Dyke)- The four year old Spanish Chai filly has won two of her last three starts, taking the Grade 3 Desert Stormer at SA, then the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at SAR in late July. In both victories, she was a big longshot, and I cannot see that happening again. She’s a consistent runner that seems to prefer stalking trips and that could work well for her here.

#4- Seydoux (Smokey Stover, ridden by P Morales)- It has been a struggle for the jockey thus far, with just nine wins in 106 mounts, so Smokey Stover will really be hoping that can change here. She has been somewhat hit and miss since the trainer picked her up in private sales for $250.000 in March. Won the $100.000 Grade 3 Bernardo Handicap at DMR last month and we’ll see if she can build on that in this race.

#5- Thalassa (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Esquivel)- This is a tough horse to pick to win, given that she has just three wins in starts, but she does her numbers get much better when you see the seven runner up finishes. Two of those second place finishes are in her last two starts, including the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes three weeks ago at WO. She has been a regular graded participant, and can either run on the lead, or come from off the pace.

#6- On The Flop (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by J Lezcano)- Looking for her sixth straight win as Team 7 Illusions has done an excellent job with her. The streak began in $12.500 claimers at LAD, and Team 7 picked her up in mid-May, upgraded her to a CD allowance, which she also won. After that, she dominated an optional claimer at SAR, for NY-breds, then won the Union Avenue at the Spa, also for NY-breds. Now, it’s time to take on graded competition, and you have to be impressed with how she has continued to respond and thrive when she has been asked to do more. No reason why that streak can’t continue here.

#7- You Just Have 2 Wait (Estero Farms, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Three races ago, You Just Have 2 Wait finished third in on a muddy day at the KYO, but her career never did go in the direction of running longer. She did not perform well in the Acorn at BEL in June, so the trainer looked for alternatives and ran her in the Grade 1 Test at SAR, and she came away with the win, just getting up in time at the wire, showing good desire. Knows how to win, with five wins in eleven starts.

#8- Red Broom (John Henry, ridden by A A Gallardo)- One of three horses that come out of the Grade 1 Ballerina at SAR three weeks ago. For Red Broom, she set the early fractions before hanging around in the stretch and finishing fourth. This time, the likes of Indian River Queen will have a little less time to try and run her down and pass her should she try that strategy again. Most of her success has come on the grass, but she has really made a smooth transition to the main track.

#9- Sneaky Opus (Smokey Stover, ridden by J Alvarado)- With Joshua Stables shutting their doors, Sneaky Opus became available and was picked up by Smokey Stover for $225.000 in private sales last month. This will be her first race since that sale as the new trainer did not just keep going with what the prior trainer did, and that is evident with her cutting back on her distance here. She is also another who has raced a lot on the turf over her career. We’ll see if the trainer has discovered something new on her.

#10- Down And Out (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- If the trainer fails to extend his winning streak, this horses’ name would summarize that, but Down And Out would rather be up and in for that. In her 21 race career, she has five wins but just one was this year, coming in an optional claimer at the very beginning of the year. She has had some rest, and I do feel a little better about her then I do Blazin By. The streak depends on them!

Prediction: 1-6-3-5

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES