The Manila (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Inner Turf
July 4, 2025
Mb Stables had a great Fourth Of July at SAR, winning all three of the day’s graded races at the Spa. That would get started in the Manila, as Darrow picked up his third win of the year, narrowly over Hail Justice. Darrow was our pick to win but was just barely not the post-time favorite for the race. I would expect to see more great races from this one over the summer and leading into the BC. For Mb Stables, this is his third Manila trophy, as he also won in 2021 with the late Into Pieces as well as in 2023 with Love Of The Derby. Aboard Darrow was J R Velazquez, and he wins the race for the first time. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.56, and that is a new stake record, but it comes with the caveat of being compared to times at BEL and AQU. Let’s take a look at how it happened:
(1/4 Mile- :23.23)- The Team 7 Illusions- trained Hail Justice is the quickest out of the gate and looks to clear the field heading into the clubhouse turn. But our eventual winner from Mb Stables, Darrow, is not going to let that being easy, staying just close enough to prevent Hail Justice from moving all the way over to the rail. These two would finish close at the finish, so was this seemingly small fact as they moved into the turn a small key to the win? These two are a length ahead of the rest of the field, with slight post-time favorite Man In A Box running third for Nakamura Stables while John Henry’s Shake It Up And Go was nearby on the inside. Street Sounds (Bigchief Stables) is in the fifth spot while taking the turn four wide with Moonligtonthewabash (High Voltage) next on the rail. Minding Q (Mb Stables) will trail the field.
(½ Mile- :46.41)- The early fractions continue to be set by Hail Justice as he cruises down the backstretch but cannot get fully away from Darrow. That one is about three quarters of a length to his inside, and these two have pulled away from the rest of the pack by a length and a half. They are essentially four wide for third, with Man In A Box being nearly a length ahead of Street Sounds, Moonligtonthewabash, and Shake It Up And Go. Minding Q continues to run at the back.
(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Down the backstretch, and around the turn, Hail Justice is still out in front and looking good. Entering the stretch, he leads Darrow by a length, and the two of them are inching further away from the rest of the field. Unless one of those other runners had a late charge coming, this looked to be a two-horse battle in the stretch, and it looked like it could be a good one. For now, Man In A Box is in third still, with a head in front of Moonligtonthewabash. Shake It Up And Go and Street Sounds are side by side for fifth, and at the back, Minding Q looks to be considering an outside run.
(Finish- 1:32.56)- For a moment, it looked like Hail Justice was running well enough and would be too much for Darrow to overcome. He still led by a length into the final furlong, but just when his supporters, and possibly his trainer himself, thought it was looking good, Darrow suddenly found another gear, showing tremendous heart as he refused to lose. Hail Justice could not do anything about this, and Darrow would get by just in time to win by a head. Hail Justice can only settle for second, and it’s two and a half lengths to the third place Moonligtonthewabash, who held off longshot Shake It Up And Go for that spot. Man In A Box is fifth, topping Street Sounds and Minding Q.
About The Winner- Darrow, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a three-year-old gelding by Lunar Eclipse and is out of Electric Fire. He was bred in Ontario by Mb Stables as a first quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout! Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in nine starts, and his third stake win, all of which are graded. His career earnings are now $690.580.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | ||
| 4 | Darrow | Mb Stables | Velazquez J R | 2.50 | 1hd | 1:32.56 | |||
| 6 | Hail Justice | Team 7 Illusions | Davis D | 5.20 | 22 | 1:32.59 | |||
| 1 | Moonligtonthewabash | High Voltage | Lopez P | 5.85 | 31/2 | 1:33.05 | |||
| 2 | Shake It Up And Go | John Henry | Smith M E | 117.65 | 4nk | 1:33.15 | |||
| 5 | Man In A Box | Nakamura Stables | Gallardo A A | 2.50 | 5no | 1:33.20 | |||
| 7 | Street Sounds | Bigchief Stables | Dettori L | 7.35 | 61/4 | 1:33.22 | |||
| 3 | Minding Q | Mb Stables | Franco M | 4.75 | 7 | 1:33.31 |
Track: Firm
Time: :231 :462 1:092 1:322
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 4 – Darrow | 7.00 | 3.80 | 2.90 |
| 6 – Hail Justice | 4.90 | 3.60 | |
| 1 – Moonligtonthewabash | 3.70 |
$1 Exacta: 4 – 6 Paid 34.70
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 6 – 1 Paid 64.90
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES