The Nerud (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
July 6, 2024

The gate is full for Saturday’s running of the Grade 2 Nerud at AQU, sending older horses seven furlongs on the main track. The race first appeared at BEL in 2014, and was run for a $400.000 purse, but unfortunately that dollar amount has only gone down since then. The present level of $200.000 represents a new low for the stake which is particularly disappointing when you consider the quality of horses that are running in this race. Last year’s edition was won by Demon, for Wood Duck Stables, and he went on to have a strong four-year-old season, which included running fourth in the BC Sprint. Now, here’s a look at the field:

1- Fionas Miracle (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by D Davis)- A winner of over $900.000 for his career, and he comes here fresh off a near miss in the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes out at SA last month. In that, he did earn an impressive 102 SRF. He’s mostly been a runner in overnights recently, however, he did win a stake here last November, taking the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap.

2- Queens Commander (Angelos Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Speaking of the Fall Highweight Handicap, Queens Commander got his picture taken with Fionas Miracle that day, running second to him. Since then, he’s won three of five, with the highlight being the Fool Handicap, run here, in March. Last time out saw him dropped into an optional claimer after a rare poor start, and he won the race.

3- Surprise Authority (Riggins Racing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Ran competitively, but without cashing a check in a couple races you expect to see top sprinters in: the Crosby and the Phoenix, last year. He also won the Forty Niner Handicap and was second in the Bold Venture late last year, but all that led to a $100.000 claimer in February where he was picked up by Riggins. He’s one of three since then, with the win being the Grade 3 Kona Stakes at SA.

4- Indiscretion (John Henry, ridden by Ru Silvera)- After a string of LA-Bred stakes that saw two wins and two other in the money finishes, Indiscretion struggled in the Palos Verdes, and was sent to the auction. John Henry added him on St. Patrick’s Day for $241.000, but has not found much luck since then in either start. Did not run happy six weeks ago in the Runhappy here but continues to work too well to ever count out.

5- More Twist (Mb Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- The last time we saw him in a stake, it was the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, and he did not get the job there. Since that point, it has only been open allowances for him, however, those were all strong fields that could rival at least, any ungraded stake. More Twist won two out of three of them and will return to the track after a couple months of rest. Perhaps that will do him good.

6- Fox Final Time (Spankys Barn, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Out of twenty starts, this gelding has five wins, but none of them have come in any of the stakes that he was entered into. That almost changed in a big way last month, however, when he was second in the Grade 1, $1,000.000 Metropolitan Handicap up at SAR. It was his first triple digit SRF, and now we will see if he can build on that. I would probably like him a little more at a mile.

7- Retaliate (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- After a dominant summer last year, he was the one everyone was looking at as the favorite for the BC Sprint. It never worked out for him there, running seventh, a finishing position he then duplicated in the Malibu right after it. Was there a problem brewing for Retaliate. Fortunately for Fractious, the gelding is back on track with two wins in his last three races, taking both the San Carlos and Triple Bend at SA. If he likes the summertime again, everyone needs to watch out.

8- Quiet Return (Allinthegate, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The Nerud will be blessed with the presence of the 2023 KYD winner, and it is hard to believe that he could go so long without winning another race. After close call after close call, results that were still finishing in the money, so Allinthegate was not completely shut out of making money with his superstar, Quiet Return finally returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since that KYD win, a six-furlong race at CD in late May. This is his first race since then.

9- Natural Instinct (Mb Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- Not a horse that has won a lot, doing so only twice in 13 starts, and in this barn, you need to have a better winning percentage than that. The bright side has been a couple of strong looking second place finishes, in both the Fleet Sprint Handicap and the Runhappy. After fatiguing sharply in the Metropolitan Handicap, Natural Instinct will run happier having a little less distance here.

10- On Schedule (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- The gelding by Worst Case Scenario ran in the Nerud last year, but did not cash a check in the race. He had won the True North right before that race, but afterwards, he went into a bit of a slump. Broke out of that with a win in the SA Sprint Championship, though did not run well in the BC Sprint. He enters this edition of the Nerud just like he did last year: off a win. This time, it was the Grade 3 Sexton Mile at LS and will hope for a better race here than in 2023.

11- Gorogue Laga (Fractious, ridden by F Prat)- It’s been a few weeks now since stables across HRP tried to get a piece of the Arindel liquidation. Gorogue Laga was one of the better horses up for auction, and Fractious would be the high bidder, acquiring the gelding for $885.010. Now, it is time for Gorogue Laga’s debut in Fractious silks and it is going to be very interesting to see how he does with him. Last time out, he was fourth in the Grade 1 CD, so he is still running very well. And yes, this means we have both the KYD and PRK winners from 2023 in this race.

12- Categorical Maybe (Asgar, ridden by F Geroux)- In his last seven races, Categorical Maybe has hit the board every time, with two wins. However, with a little more luck at the wire, we really could be talking about a seven-race winning streak with him. The races that he did win were the Grade 3 Bold Ruler here, as well as the Grade 3 General George at LRL. Otherwise, he keeps getting involved in photo finishes at the wire except for his last race where he was beaten by a full length. That was the True North at SAR, which is slightly shorter than his typical distance, and he was coming on, so probably would have been in a photo finish at seven furlongs there as well.

Prediction: 7-12-11-4

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES