San Vicente Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
January 29, 2022

A field of nine will be going to post for the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes, a seven furlong race that has been run every year since 2004 within our virtual world. In would initially be run for $150.000, and in 2014 it would see the increase to its current level of $200.000. Last year, the race was won by Mo Mentum Farm’s Counterintelligence, and it would seem as though it was the last stand for the gelding, as his career took a sharp turn south after he surprisingly won the race as a maiden. Everyone in this race has won at least one race in their careers, so we will not see that story play out again. Here’s a quick look at the race.

#1- Bronze Slayer (The Sidley Stud, ridden by U Rispoli)- The last time this horse slayed the competition and got a win, it was in June, in the $75.000 FT Futurity. He would be sent to the graded ranks afterward and did not hit the board in any of those four starts. Placed second in an optional claimer in his last start, in mid-November, and gets another chance at a big purse here.

#2- Burnsuwhenitshot (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M E Smith)- A two-time winner in his six career starts, with one begin a stake victory, that the $75.000 Gold Rush at GG. Off of that, the trainer tried the Smarty Jones and the horse fizzled in the stretch. For the most part, the colt has been running a mile. We have not seen a public work out of him since the end of November.

#3- Fifty Lucky (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- Still a lightly raced horse, with just four starts thus far, and one has resulted in victory. After breaking his maiden, he did run very well in the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club and was second in a photo to Spiced. Unfortunately, he did not follow that up well in the Gun Runner.

#4- Demon (Wood Duck Stables, ridden by E Maldonado)- Picked up in private sales for $150.000 just two weeks after making his debut, Demon has run well for Wood Duck Stables. He’s won two of three, including one stake, the $100.000 Inaugural Stakes at WO, and I think he will build off of that well here.

#5- Sweep The Soviet (Arindel, ridden by A Centeno)- While Arindel may have sold off Demon, he had repeatedly been sending Sweep The Soviet out there, as with nine starts, no one has been involved in more races thus far. Though others have one more than him, with Sweep The Soviet not having anything other than his maiden triumph from July. He hasn’t hit the board since then, either.

#6- Levante (Threshold, ridden by T C Baze)- The trainer is off to a hot start for 2022 thus far, with six wins in fifteen starts as of press time. For Levante, this will be his seventh career start, and he will also look to add to his maiden win. That came against CA-breds in July, and he has done a better job at getting part of the purse since then. His last start saw him run third at the $50.000 IL Futurity.

#7- Storming Home (Mb Stables, ridden by J J Hernandez)- There will be three in the field from Mb Stables, and they will be starting together on the outside of the gate. Storming Home has won half of his four starts up to this point. His last start came in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at FG a couple days after Christmas, and he lived up to his name in the stretch to earn the win.

#8- Aladdins Genie (Mb Stables, ridden by K Frey)- This is the only one of the Mb trio that has been in a graded stake, and the gelding has made a handful of them. After winning the $100.000 Smoke Glacken Stakes at MTH, Aladdins Genie ran third in the Hope Stakes, then second in the Grade 2 LA Futurity with a highly impressive stretch run. He’ll be hoping for more of that and less like the Sham, his last start.

#9- Rogue Commando (Mb Stables, ridden by D Fukumoto)- One of the newer arrivals with the trainer, as he picked him up in private sales for $150.000 at the beginning of the month and will make his debut with Mb here. He’s four for seven in his career right now, with most of those raes being optional claimers. The last two races for him have been wins at TUP, and now we’ll see if he can make htis jump forward.

Prediction: 7-8-4-3

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES