Plate Trial Stakes- $150.000
WO- For Three Year Olds and Upward Foaled in Canada
One Mile and an Eighth on The Dirt
June 14, 2015

We believed in him.   Coming off a good third place run in the $125.000 Steady Growth Stakes at this very track last weekend at odds of 43/1, Owain was right back at it for the Plate Trial Stakes. For trainer Sarah Stables to put him right back out there in this short stretch of time, you had to have a positive feeling about how Owain came out of that race. After all, Sarah Stables is known as one of the most patient trainers in the game, not one of the most aggressive.   We put him second, behind President Ebola. Unfortunately that one raced like he had, no nevermind, that pun is too easy.   Despite all this, Owain still went off at 34/1, the longest shot on the board.   That would not matter today, as this up and coming colt by Phuneios made Sarah Stables and jockey Alan Garcia winners. Congratulations to the connections on the victory! It is the first time that both jockey and trainer have won this stake. The time of the win was 1:48.40, breaking the stake record set last year by Augustus, so certainly Owain was not tired in this one.   While I doubt we’ll see him race again here next weekend, it’s a good bet to see him in the Queen’s Plate. If he does, you won’t get 34/1 again. This was your chance! Let us take a deeper look at how this unfolded.

1st- 4- Owain (34/1)- Those freshly raced legs were ready to run early for Sarah Stables, taking the lead right from the start. This allowed Alan Garcia to move Owain over to rail without much trouble for the opening turn, and he handled it without much difficulty, setting the 1/2-mie  mark in :47.63 while leading by a length. Over the backstretch, Owain never let up and maintained his length advantage over second. Continued to be able to hug the rail for the final turn, setting a 3/4 mark in 1:11.28, with no signs of tiring at the mile mark, set in 1:35.69.   The betting public who ignored this horse at the window again this weekend could only watch in amazement and regret.  Stride for stride, there was only a graceful and powerful kick to him today. He made it look easy in the stretch, and cruised to a two length win. Usually the winner of this race going to the Queens Plate is a formality, but would a third race in a four week period of time be too much? Looking at Owain today, we say go for it! The winner is a three year colt owned, trained, and bred by Sarah Stables. He is by Phuenios (who dates back to Black Moon) and out of Anticipation. Congrats again to all of the connections!

2nd- 3- Cool Guy Twist (5/1)- The outside horse of a three wide group that was midpack at the start, the Running Farms trained colt did well to keep the leaders in sight early. Lost about a length during the backstretch trip, but soon became very impressive in the turn despite being four wide and made that back up, and then some. His progress stabilized at the top of the stretch, and while it did allow him to get by Mr Relko and take second, he never posed that much of a threat to get to Owain.

3rd- 2- Mr Relko (3/2)- An average start for the BomBay Stables trained entry, though he showed some feistiness in the opening turn and got himself within a length. Looked good during the backstretch, maintaining the same 1-2 length gap to Owain as they entered the turn. Kept a steady stride in the turn and in the stretch, but Owain was just not going to let up today. Lost second late in the stretch. Note that he was a slight betting favorite over Inspector Woof.

4th- 1- Fear The Tree (14/1)- Midpack early along the rail for Alydar Stables, keeping himself about 2-3 lengths from the early pace. Began to lose some ground over the course of the backstretch run. In the stretch, he never made a move but never really seemed to tire, either. It would be a rather uneventful day for him, and the trainer at least gets a little something back in the 4th place check.

5th- 5- Inspector Woof (3/2)- The Inspector got off to a good start for Saratoga Stud, opting to trail the pacesetter Owain by about a length as they moved into the opening turn. Running with Owain started to take its toll on him, and as they approached the final turn, he began to lose touch. Tried to keep touch with the others, but in the stretch, he backed well out of contention. It’s a disappointing result that will have more people wondering if the FL Derby was a one day shot of greatness.

6th- 6- President Ebola (7/1)- Our pre-race selection was sluggish out of the gate early, but since he is often one to come from off the pace, there was not an initial cause for concern. That concern would start to grow in the backstretch, as he dropped five lengths back behind his next closest competitor. There would never be a closing attempt.

Track: Fast
Time: :47³  1:11¹  1:35³  1:48²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 3 Paid 112.70
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 3 – 2 Paid 343.10

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Ungraded