The Carter Handicap – Grade I
7 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $300.00 Open 4 Year Olds And Up.

1st On The Turning Away           Gdp Inc             Moran D

This five year old took 8 races to break his maiden and when he did he had to switch to turf to do it. Since then he has won a claimer and an allowance and in his only stakes appearance finished eighth in an ungraded stakes. Fast forward to today and here he is taking a grade one victory, a pretty stunning turn around in form. It must be the works that have shown this remarkable improvement and yet his recent 1.11 and 2 B work was repeated in July last year and his recent 1.10 and 2 H work was only marginally better than his 1.10 and 3 H work back in 2019.
So what is it that today saw him good enough to win a grade one? A change in adds, no not that, a change to dirt, not that either considering he hadn’t managed to win on dirt in nine other attempts. I guess it could have been some magical change in tactics but it didn’t look too dissimilar to his other starts so i can only put it down to that invisible and illusive improvement curve and his looks to have found a very steep incline.    

Whatever magical formula Gdp Inc found worked a treat as he took on a terrible draw to find a comfortable loose stalk and eventually go on for a game half length win. Could this be the start of a stellar run of graded stakes victories, well i guess we will just have to wait and see.

2nd Personal Beliefs            Maxmillion Farm          Carrasco V R

This one made all to win the Ruby Stakes this time last year and it looked as if the same tactics were going to pay off today as he went to the lead and held it all the way into the final furlong. He got run down in the end but lost nothing in defeat, the only question now being whether he will stick to the dirt for a while or go back to the turf.

3rd Expert Eye            TwinTowersRacing            Franco M

The top weight ran a cracker using his draw to track the leader on the inside but in the end the huge burden of the extra three pounds too its toll and he couldn’t quicken down the stretch. He kept on very gamely though and ran out the race really well to finish a creditable third.

4th Twilight Flame           Mb Stables            Ortiz J L

Closing too late for the second time in a row this consistent gelding ran another good race to be beaten just a length in the end.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES