GI – Alabama

$600.000 Graded Stake 1 1/4 Mile on Dirt for Filly Three Year Olds

The big field of eleven loaded into the gate on Saturday afternoon in SAR all looking to prove they are ready for the BC Distaff the first weekend of November at DMR. The post time favorite was Blackberry who was coming off two straight impressive GII victories and was the deserving favorite. All race long Blackberry did not look like the filly we all expected and would end up fading back to dead last by the end in a very disappointing performance.

Stealing the show in the Alabama like they do on many other occasions was Mb Stables. In the end his three fillies in the race would finish 1st, 3rd and 4th with Musical Treat coming out on top.

Right from the start of the race she would jump out to the front and never look back. Down the backstretch her stable mate Two For One would apply some pressure but it did not phase her one bit as she quickly turned her away and would head down the stretch with a couple length lead. The only one able to spoil the Mb Stables party was the six horse Whispering Nurse who turning for home looked like she may be able to run down Musical Treat but could not find that final push she needed ending up with a very solid second place finish for her connections, D J C Racing Stables.

A few surprise performances, good and bad in the race included Bonkers who was running on the dirt for the first time in her live and ran to a solid fifth place finish. K T D, the KY Oaks winner was expected to run well like she has all season long but lacked any sort of interest in this one as she sat in tenth or eleventh for much of the race and could only muster up a ninth place finish.

With the win Musical Treat now sits in eleventh with fourteen points for the BC Distaff. Whispering Nurse moves up to eighth.

Congratulations to Mb Stables and Musical Treat on the GI victory. She was able to complete the mile and a quarter race in a time of 2:01.29.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES