Bradley Stakes ($100.000 Purse)
FG- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
January 22, 2022

Things may be a little quiet this weekend if you are looking for big stakes races to either run in or watch, but we’ll still have a little something with most of the excitement coming at FG. In the Bradley Stakes, an ungraded stake that runs for the 17th time, a field of eight will go to post with Nakamura Stables looking to win the race for the third year in a row. This race did have a stretch from 2009-2018, and a few of the past winners may be names that are easily recognizable. Last year, Hollywood Hero was your winner, the first of four wins in a year that saw him ultimately run in the BC Mile. Let’s look at our runners this year who would love to follow that lead.

#1- Master Of Hounds (The Sidley Stud, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Not a horse that is known for winning, with just two trips to the winners circle in 23 races, but if you want one that hits the board in other bets, then Master Of Hounds is a better option. The Louisiana bred has run in many races with conditions like this one, and usually is near the front. That wasn’t true in his last race, the $75.000 Diliberto, but he only had two weeks of rest for that.

#2-Involved (Nakamura Stables, ridden by C J Hernandez)- This is the horse that Nakamura will look to extend his winning streak with. He’s by Commanding, but also out of a Cotillion winner with Enoughs Enough, so his parents have high expectations. Right now, he seems to be knocking on the door with a couple of stake appearances, and then a nice debut on the grass in his last race, wire to wire in an optional claimer at TAM. Gotta love that race winning time, and his 94 SRF may actually seem low. It may be time for him to shine.

#3- Quarter Plan (Gdp Inc., ridden by A Beschizza)- About a quarter of Quarter Plan’s races have been on the turf, and he has not been on the green since St. Patrick’s Day. He finished third on that rainy HOU day, but would win his next start on the main track a month later. That’s the last time he won, though for a little while it got him entered into some top races, like the Metropolitan Handicap, where he ran respectably. Comes out of a fourth place run (out of five) in the Grant Stakes in November, and as of press time will have a bit of an add change.

#4- Hurry Hard (Hrg Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Claimed for just $6.250 on a rain-soaked day at FE, where he ran fifth and would debut here for Hrg Stables last month, where he went wire to wire. Only two of his last six races have been run on firm turf, and they are the only two races that he won in that stretch. Should be dry, so as he jumps up in class, we’ll be able to see him at his best.

#5- Ancient Aliens (Angelos Stable, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- It took a little more for Angelos Stable to claim this horse than Hrg did for Hurry Hard, getting him for $25.000 in September. He had some stake experience previously, and with the way Ancient Aliens has run since the claim, Mb Stables may have let one get away. He is 3-for-3 under his new trainer, successfully moving back to the turn, and winning with a front running style. Very exciting one to watch here.

#6- Rhythm Of Thought (Oval Express Farms, ridden by J Loveberry)- The results have not been there lately for this one, with his best finish being sixth in his last six starts. There was nothing exciting about his last race, missing by six lengths, but he has been running mostly in stakes, so the trainer certainly feels good about him. I would not have the same feeling at the betting window.

#7- Banshee Star (Calia Stable, ridden by G Saez)- Yep, this one is still around and the gelding will be beginning his eight year old season by making his 54th career start. It’s been a great career, but for this race, it’s really more about what he has done lately. Since being claimed for $16.000 from Arindel, Banshee Star has won three of five and that includes a nice effort at GP in his last race. He also ran second in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker, so the Banshee Star of today is very capable of a win here. Very interestingly, he was second there to Lets Do It Big Boy, another eight year old gelding with 55 career starts that is trained by RNP Stables; where Banshee Star ran for a year and a half.

#8- Chai Danger (Wolf Ridge Stables, ridden by J Graham)- After running fifth in the Grade 2 City Of Hope Stakes and missing by four lengths, Chai Danger was sold a three weeks later for $45.000. When he made his second start for Wolf Ridge Stables, it was at the LCD Turf last month, which he won. It broke a stretch of out of the money performances for him, and this is a good spot for him to build on that, if he can.

Prediction: 2-5-7-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded