The Manhattan (Grade 1)- $750.000 Purse
BEL- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Inner Turf
June 5, 2021

As we get ready for the Manhattan, the 8th race on the card, the howl of the hound is starting to get a little louder. Just two more races to get through before we witness the highly anticipated BEL. Fortunately, those two races offer plenty to be excited about as well, and here we will take a look at the Manhattan, a Grade 1 on the turf which offers a $750.000 purse. That purse is unfortunately a cut from the $1,000.000 that it has raced for from 2014 to 2020, but it has not kept us from getting a great field for the race. Last year’s winner, Xmas Snow, had a great career running for Maxmillion Farm, but at the moment, he has not won a race since, and has dropped down into an open allowance, and then the auction (the six year old gelding goes on the 20th). The gate is nearly full, with eleven going to post, and there are some big names on the list. Let’s take a look!

#1- Silent Commander (Serenity Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Last year, Silent Commander was part of the field in the BEL, though was mostly silent with his finish. That was also true when he ran in the Travers two months later. Things were not going well on the dirt, so for his last race, Silent Commander was moved to the turf for his grass debut, and it would come in the Grade 1 Forester Turf Classic. He raised a lot of eyebrows that day when he crossed the line third, so it is very interesting to see what kind of momentum he can build from that as he heads to the grass again!

#2- Feathers Not Dots (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The five year old gelding makes his third start in Night Rider silks after the trainer picked him up in private sales for $100.000. He finished fifth in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile, but against a quality field, that can be forgiven. He was dropped into an optional claimer two weeks ago, though, which he won on yielding turf. Not sure who needed the confidence boost there more, horse or trainer.

#3- Winter Solstice (John Henry, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Here is a horse that is running very well right now, winning his last three races, and four of his last five. The race that he did not win was only the BC Turf, so we can certainly forgive that one, even if he did get a double digit finish. That seems to be a blip though, in regards to his general performance, he comes here off a nice come from behind win in the Grade 1 Man O War, right here, last month. For such a big race, that field was small, but he still got the job done. He can do the same here.

#4- Concerto Of Eggs (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Davis)- This is one of the horses that Winter Solstice was able to beat last month in the Man O War. Concerto Of Eggs was third of five that day, also running near the back early but not able to advance as well as the rival he faces today. Plenty of experience with this one, as it will be his 29th start, and his career in general speaks very well of the trainer’s patience. Grade 1’s haven’t been kind to him yet, but neither were maiden races for a while. The trainer still believes!

#5- Winchester (Fractious, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Picked up by Fractious at the beginning of April for $250.000 in private sales, and so far the gelding has raced once for this new trainer. That came in the Grade 2 Alysheba, where he was moved from the turf to the dirt, and that would not go well. Not that surprisingly, he is back on the grass and hoping to find the form he had in February when he won the Grade 3 TAM Stakes.

#6- Hollywood Hero (Nakamura Stables, ridden by V R Carrasco)- Since the beginning of 2020, this gelding has won seven of fifteen starts, successfully moving from overnights, to ungraded stakes, to the graded ranks. After winning the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes at PIM over PRK weekend, he will run against Grade 1 opposition for the first time. The key for him will probably be to not get too far behind early on.

#7- Dead Madness (John Henry, ridden by S R Bahen)- One of the top active turf horses in the game right now, as he has accumulated over $5,200.000 in career earnings. He’s won some very big races over the course of his career, not only including the BC Turf, but also has won the Arlington Million twice. Do that, and those earnings certainly will pile up. Right now, Dead Madness needs to remind us how great he was. In his last three races (and five of his last six), he has been an afterthought, so hopefully this is not a bad omen. Ran in the Manhattan last year, and finished third, and has fared well historically, at BEL.

#8- Shanghai (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T J Pereira)- Won his first start in Nakamura silks after the trainer picked him up in private sales for $150.000. That came in February 2020, and fast forwarding to right now, you would have thought that he would have won another race since then. He’s hit the board quite a few times since, so he has not been a bust, but even dropping into overnights for his last three races has not resulted in a win. That makes it hard for me to like him here.

#9- Immoral (Mb Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo) The best way for the trainer to contain the jitters as the BEL gets closer, and the potential for winning that TC bonus, is to keep having good horses in the races that lead up to it. Immoral is quite a good one to fill that role as the gelding has won nine of 18 starts, and been in the money 14 times. That has led to over $3,700.000 in earnings, and part of that came from winning the Grade 1 BEL Derby last summer. Later would finish third in the BC Turf, and is hot right now with back to back wins in two Grade 1’s, the Makers Mark Mile and the Forester Turf Classic. Immoral will give him a good shot to make a trip to the winners circle for the Manhattan. As for winning that TC bonus a couple races later? Maybe Immoral’s parents hold the secret. A Noble Moment to come? No Doubt About It, many will hope!

#10- Bubba Kush (Threshold, ridden by J Bravo)- This horse is not a household name yet, but he did impress in his last start when he was second to Immoral in the Forester Turf Classic. Maybe he should be more well known, as he knows how to win, with 14 victories in his 45 starts, but only now is this eight year getting a lot of attention. He’s won over $800.000 for his career, and that number will only continue to grow as he continues with his recent form.

#11- Annihilator (Eastern Equine, ridden by M Franco)- Starting from the outside, this gelding hopes to follow up his second place finish in the Man O War. He doesn’t win much, with just two victories in 13 starts, and has several duds in his past performances that will probably make most turn away from him. In a field like this, if he runs his race then he could surprise, but I trust others here a lot more.

Prediction: 9-3-7-10

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES