Wild Applause

1 Mile Inner Turf Stake Purse $150.00 Fillies Three-Year-Olds. At SAR

1st      Missing Dress              Our Athletes                  *6-5 (HRP) 3-1 (SRF)

Speedy Missing Dress failed at the 1 1/16 mile Edgewood at CD but obviously appreciated the cut back to a mile to get that beautiful form going again, now she has hit the board 7 of 8 starts with three wins. This is her third race in a row that she was favourite, the first of those she obliged. It seems ironic that she reaches stakes level and is a favourite for all stakes. The only other time she was favourite was in the maiden claimer in which she was installed as the 1-10 favourite and won by six-lengths. Surprisingly, the only other lass to go on from that claimer was  Jerry Garcia Racing’s Cailleach which ran last in the four-horse race beaten nine lengths and yet has gone on to a stakes-winning career of $235.32 similar to Missing Dress’s.

2nd     Matilda Jung           Noblepark                  5-2 (HRP) 5-1 (SRF)

Matilda Jung went sprinting the last couple of races, won a pricey six-furlong allowance race at WO before running flat in The Grade III Soaring Softly at SAR, but she came back for this all better and closed for second like the Matilda Jung we know. I certainly judged her. I tend to give HRP horses real life attributes and penalize them too much for mixed distances when around these parts, a win is a win, never mind the distances. As a result, HRP ‘capped her a close third while I had her last.

3rd      Stagger Home                        Mb Stables                      2-1 (HRP) *3-1 (SRF)

I figured Mb Stables would pull another follow the maiden win with a stakes win with Stagger Home but found winners to be a bit tougher than the maidens she closed from fifth(and last) to first by a half-length. With this crowd, she laid fourth from the opening of the gate to the stretch where she picked three lengths but only one position.

4th      Heaven Park             D J C Racing Stables                  67-1 (HRP) 4-1 (SRF)

Maybe we shouldn’t talk about odds here. I thought Heaven Park had a good chance for fourth and placed her so. HRP obviously thought not. Fact is that she made or forced the pace from the get-go and showed courage all the way to the photo that showed she missed third by a nose. She worked hard to break her maiden and backed it up with a high-priced AQU allowance win. Looks to me like this filly is developing nicely.

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded