Kentucky Cup Turf (Grade 3)- $600.000 Purse
KD- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
September 10, 2016

The biggest race at KD is set to go this Saturday for the fourth time, and the third time with the purse being at this level.    It attracts a full field, which is nothing like this race has even seen before given its size and high quality.  The field of ten sees a 50-50 slit between three year olds and older horses, and as this year goes on, that weight allowance starts to get smaller and smaller.  Now, it is just three pounds, so the playing field is likely starting to become more level.  Last year, the race was won by Officer Outcast, who was recently claimed by the boss for $15.000.  The KD Turf was the high point of his career, and he has not hit the board since.  2014 winner Battleship Gneiseau seemed to be at the top of his game when he won that year, but still active gelding has only one since then, an optional claimer at WO.   This is a race then in theory should lead to bigger things for the winner, but so far, that really hasn’t happened.  However, others in those races that did not win have gone on to long surpass the winner of their race.  There is plenty of talent here, so let’s run through the field!

#1- Aggravation (Mb Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- You’d have to expect that any horse out of a mare named Pumpkin Spice Latte will be coming into season this time of year.  However, Aggravation has always been a winner at any time of year, with six wins and two places in this eight starts after his obligatory struggle in his debut.  On the grass, Aggravation has been especially good, winning four of five, with the most recent victory being in the Secretariat Stakes, topping the likes of Yankee Baseball and Pinstripes Proud, causing aggravation to anyone who played the Yankee exacta there.  If that alone is not enough to love Aggravation, it’s also noteworthy that Mb has gradually been increasing his distance each race, and each time, his Commanding colt has stepped up to the plate and hit it over the fence.  He’s never run a bad one, and seems to be the horse to beat here.

#2- Pervoked (Blushing Meadows, ridden by P Lopez)- This late bloomer was purchased by Blushing Meadows in August of last year, and did not hit the track until November.  The trainer was patient with him, and knew he had a strong turf on his hands as he’s never raced on anything but grass.  He broke his maiden this spring at WO, and followed that up with an allowance win at the same track a month later.  This brought him to the same Secretariat Stakes that Aggravation won, and in it Pervoked never really was a factor, as he looked to come from off the pace.  In the races prior to that, he has been a lot closer to the lead early on, so we will see if the trainer returns to that type of trip again here.  That said, sometimes a horse will just need a race at this level, Pervoked has plenty of talent to get it done.

#3- Grande Sournoise (Drabfantasy, ridden by R Bejarano)- After spending a couple days surprisingly riding at MNR, R Bejarano makes the trip to KD to be aboard Grande Sournoise, a horse with just one win in six career starts.  This is a horse that the trainer is high on, as he propelled him into graded company immediately after he broke his maiden last November. And strong runs in the Whittingham Stakes and United Nations justified that confidence, but he would become a non factor in his most recent start, the Arlington Million.  He’s taken advantage of his weight allowance as a three year old against older, but that advantage is shrinking now, and there more three’s in this field then he has seen in a while.  After this race, we’ll really see where he is heading.  Noticed that he’s been looking to come from well off the pace lately, though I am curious about tactics as his best runs look to have been when he was closer to the front.

#4- Chateau Angel (Invicta Group Llc, ridden by J Alvarado)- When Chateau Angel started racing, we hadn’t even had one edition of the Kentucky Cup Turf to speak of.  Now, the eight year old gelding is set to make the 49th start of his career.  That’s a career that has seen fifteen total victories.  Last October, one of those victories was in the Grade 3 Sycamore at KEE, his first ever graded win.  He had picked up a coupe of ungraded stakes wins earlier in his career.  That win kicked off a run of four in a row, but he did not return to a stake again until appearing in the Grade 2 Elkhorn, where that streak came to an end.   He got back to the winners circle in his last start, a starter allowance at SAR.

#5- Bold Eagle (Spankys Barn, ridden by D E Centeno)- Began the year being sold from La Canada Racehorses to Spankys Barn in a $40.000 private sale immediately following a disappointing sixth place run in an optional claimer the same day.  That was a low point for him, and Bold Eagle has gone on to have a strong year as he later picked up two strong results in CA-bred unrestricted events, starting with a runner up finish in the $100.000 Crystal Water Stakes before winning the $150.000 California Dreamin Handicap a month later.  The run continued three weeks ago with a place in the Grade 2 DMR Mile.  He’s had short rest, but that should not be a factor.  If the upsurge continues for the Double Upcharge gelding, he can pull this off.

#6- Astonishing (Wolfs Den, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Since being gelded early in his career, Astonishing has been very consistent and a money earner for his trainers, going (10-5-4-1) since the operation.   That would also be the same time that he was put on the grass, and he has delivered. Former trainer Mb Stables was modest with his expectations, however, choosing to run him mostly in open allowances before being sold to Wolfs Den for a bargain price of $20.000.  With the new trainer, Astonishing has become a stake winner, as he took the $100.00 Troy at SAR less then a month ago. So here’s the thing: on grass he’s never gone more then 5 1/2 furlongs. (Or more then six, if on dirt)  Will he think the race is over a lap around the track early? I’m not sold on his longer work times, but I love to be proven wrong!

#7- T S Crystal (Triple K, ridden by L Contreras)- After a career of running mostly in allowance or optional claimers, T S Crystal responded in a big way when Triple K moved him into graded competition for the first time.  That was the Grade 3 Singspiel at WO, also a 12-furlong turf race, and he pulled off the surprising victory against good opposition.  That effort, unfortuantely, was simply not followed up on at all after that when he went to the Grade 2 Bowling Green at SAR last July.  He has not raced since then, and it is imperative that he bounces back to show that Singspiel form again.

#8- Tundra Kenny (Australia Wide, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- The winner of the 2015v BC Turf is still looking for his first win this season.   That big day on Halloween seems to have been Tundra Kenny’s peak, and he has been a disappointment in 2016.    That doesn’t mean it’s all been bad, but when you’re a BC Champ, you have much higher expectations then most.  Highlights this season would be a third place finish at the Grade 2 CT Classic in April.  It seemed as though that might get him jump started, but it didn’t work out that way.  In his last start, Tundra Kenny was part of an exacta for the first time since the BC in the Grade 3 Oceanport at MTH on yielding turf.  Today is a great chance for redemption!

#9- Exactly As Planned (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by F Pennington)- Turf warrior F Pennington heads to KD this week to ride Exactly As Planned as the gelding makes his debut running for Maxmillion Farm.  He was the subject of a $75.000 private sale about a month ago following a third place run in a SAR N1X allowance.  So far, he only has his maiden win to speak of, and while I like that he has been running in N1X’s at high tracks, it’d have been to see him get a win in one of them before trying to tackle this field.  Work times show he’s gonna love the distance, and he’s still young and learning his way.

#10- Inspector Jacque (Kopites, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Speaking of learning his way, our horse on the outside has made only two starts in his career.   He made his debut at the free track last July, and was second and would not race again for 13 months, appearing last month in a maiden at FE.   Off of that, it’s the $600.000 Kentucky Cup Turf!  This decision was likely made after a strong work at DMR which is as good, if not better, then the times turned recently by several rivals here.  It’s his debut for Kopites, who bought him on the second of this month for $100.000.  He seems to see something.  The rest of us will need to see it on race day.

Prediction: 1-5-6-8

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES