The Runyon ($100.000 Purse)
AQU- For Three Year Olds Foaled In NY
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
March 14, 2021

The gate will nearly be full for the 17th running of the ungraded Runyon, which runs at seven furlongs for just the second time. On first look of this field, you will not really be able to find that one headliner, making this race wide open between eleven horses who would love to take the next step in their racing career. At this time, no one here has won more than $90.000 in their career, so some could see this race as not much more than a glorified allowance, so due to some lack of storylines, we won’t take that much time to go over the field. This race was won by D J C Racing Stables and Bodemeister last year, a win that saw him get upgraded into the graded ranks, but the still active horse has not won one of them. Here are the runners.

#1- Hard To Believe (Night Mare Stables, ridden by D Fukumoto)- One career win for him thus far, coming at PRX last November. With the turn of the calendar into 2021, he’s been second in an allowance at TAM. Cuts back on his distance just a tad here.

#2- Ten Furlongs (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J A Vargas Jr)- Has not tried to live up to his name yet, and he also has not lived up to the $125.000 private sales purchase price from December. He was dismal in a similar race last time out, but the trainer puts him right back out there, so he is probably confident of better here.

#3- Round Them Up (Williams9, ridden by D Davis)- Ran two weeks ago across the country at SA, and could only manage seventh in an optional claimer. Was better when he tried the Pasco Stakes two back. Only has his maiden win to show for right now.

#4- Defiantly (Night Rider Stables, ridden by M Franco)- Claimed for just $2.500 in October, and broke his maiden at the end of January in a $30.000 maiden claimer. I imagine he has been coming into his own of late for his entry here. Has as good of a shot as anyone.

#5- Ginger Sand (The Sidley Stud, ridden by T McCarthy)- After being gelded in November, he would break his maiden in his fourth career start a month later. He followed that up well by running second in the Rego Park, but did not do well against unrestricted opposition in the El Camino.

#6- Patriot (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by J Lezcano) The second horse in this race that Mo Mentum bought from Aer Stables in private sales for $125.000. This one was a few weeks later, and has only run once in his new silks. That was the Swale, and he ran sixth throughout, and was similar in the race before that. Now, wearing that number, he hopes for better.

#7- Absolution (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by L Cardenas)- This one has not shown much after breaking his maiden back in October. His last two starts have been optional claimers at SA, with the longer race going better than the seven furlong race. Perhaps he’ll take what was learned in the last race to run seven better.

#8- Absolute Soul (Grimley, ridden by K Carmouche)- There is no similar pedigree between him and Absolution (because apparently no great sires named Absolute Command or Absolute Sunset are out there). Their race careers are similar too, similar in that they have managed just one win, and have inconsistency showing otherwise. If he runs as he did in the Winkfield, he can have a good shot.

#9- Neo (Arindel, ridden by P Morales)- The only horse in the field with at least nine starts, so you would have hoped he would have more than his maiden win to speak of. But he does not. Neo has been on the grass recently with a runner up finish to boast, but not much else. Though, we see a lot of that in this field.

#10- Raunchy Bay (Estero Farms, ridden by E Cancel)- This is a horse that is working well, but has just one win in his seven starts. He is able to be competitive more often than not, and I have to say, in a field without a horse to be excited about, that’s enough for me.

#11- Fifty Cent (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by S R Bahen)- Broke his maiden here a few days after the New Year in his fifth start, and was sent to the $100.000 Gander afterwards. He was fifth throughout in that race, and never made an impact. Improvement is a must if the trainer is to win this race two years in a row.

Prediction: 10-5-7-8

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded