The South Beach- $100.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Seven and a Half Furlongs on the Inner Turf
December 12, 2015
This Saturday at GP, we will have the seventh running of the South Beach, which is a $100.000 ungraded stake. That is, perhaps, a racing condition that may make one look to see if there are bigger races going on this weekend, but don’t be so quick to dismiss this race as not being as potentially exciting as other possibilities. The list of past winners is actually very impressive, highlighted by 2012 winner One Big Mess, who won over $1,800.000 in her career. She had a slow start to her career, even being in claimers during the summer of 2012. When she went to the South Beach and won, it was her first stake victory. Eleven months later, she was victorious in the $2,000.000 BC Fillies and Mares Turf. Other past winners include Maahes, Years Go Bye, and Royal Irish Lancers. There’s plenty to like about this stake, and there will be a talented field of five going to the gate. Let’s have a look at them!
#1- Czarina of Moscow (Blushing Meadows, ridden by L Contreras)- This three year old filly looks to finish 2015 about how she started, when she won her first three races of the season. Those victories won’t jump out at you other then the fact that they were all at seven furlongs. It was after the streak that she made her stake debut, placing fourth of four in the Grade 3 Carry Back at GP. That result saw the trainer scale the filly back again in terms of placement. Most recently, she returned to the grass after a while on the main track and defeated two rivals in an optional claimer at BEL. Now, Blushing Meadows will give her another shot at a stake, and see what she can do on the grass in such a race. She showed good form in that three horse race, but it also looks like she was never challenged. That will change here.
#2- Une Pouliche de Truc (Axeman, ridden by G Olguin)- This three year old Dr Oz filly has had a pretty solid career to this point. She has always shown promise, and had moderate success in a couple of LA-bred stakes as a two year old before being sold from Alegria to Axeman in September of 2014. Axeman tried to advance her into graded competition right after the purchase, but that did not go according to plan. In 2015, Une Pouliche de Truc has been seen in races much like this one: ungraded stakes. She has won one of them, the $60.000 Lacombe Memorial Handicap at exactly this distance, over yielding FG turf. The filly is always competitive, and is due to win a purse of this level at some point.
#3- Mooncreek Mach (Riggins Racing, ridden by J Bravo)- Last year, as a three year old, Mooncreek Mach was a three-time graded stake winner. Those wins include the Bourbonette Oaks (Grade 3 at TP), Azalea Stakes (Grade 3 at CRC), and The Ballerina BC (Grade 3 at HST). Those are, of course, all run on the main track. Since those races, Mooncreek Mach has been a bit of a disappointment, and has only won a minor allowance at LS in 2015. However, a couple recent results do point to her possibly being on the rebound. In September, she went to KD, and ran on the turf at a similar distance in the $300.000 KD Ladies Sprint and was second. Then, she added some distance and took part in the Grade 1 First Lady at KEE and was third by less then a length. The winner of that? Broomsticks Copy, a two-time BC Champion. Mooncreek Mach is really an interesting filly right now, because if the trainer does have her figured out and back on track, there’s a lot more she might be able to do; in the South Beach, and beyond.
#4- Moonlight Cloud (Alydar Stables, ridden by O Bocachica)- This Ironbound filly will return to the race track for the first time since May. The big question will be how she can handle the layoff, and she is going to have to come back against some very good competition. Alydar Stables opted to give her some rest after a series of disappointing results during the spring, with 10th of 10, 10th of 12, and 5th of 6 results, beaten 8, 7, and 2 lengths respectively. As a two year old, she was well known, and was third in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Then Blushing Meadows unloaded her to her current trainer for $365.000. The trainer is hoping for big things, but I just do not see any improvement in her works.
#5- Coldwater Creek (Whitewater Stables, ridden by J C Caraballo)- It took this Western Red Cedar filly a little while to break her maiden, but she looked good when she was finally able to do it at BEL. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long to win her second race, finding victory in a WO allowance against two other rivals. Both of those wins were at a similar distance and also on the turf, and done with good finishing times. She is improving, and a recent work at WO definitely has to get the trainer excited. Coldwater Creek will elevate her game to stakes competition for the first time, and it looks like she should be able to be competitive against these.
Prediction: 3-1-5-2
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
