The Pelican Stakes ($125.000 Purse)
TAM- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
February 8, 2025

Older sprinters that may not be considered to be among the elites of their division will get a chance to run for a good purse in the 19th running of the Pelican Stakes. The race debuted in 2005 for a $60.000 purse and has not been held every year. It has been a mainstay on the schedule since 2016, which would be the first time it ran for triple digits. The $125.000 this yar represents a new high for the race. Speaking of high, 2024’s race was won by High Time, for Maxmillion Farm. It was a big win for the gelding, as it set off a four-race winning streak that culminated in winning the Crosby, and he would later run in the BC Sprint. Those are big shoes to live up to, and here are the eleven that will try to do just that:

1- Jim Thorpe (Marimba Racing Inc, ridden by Ru Silvera)- Since May 2023, Jim Thorpe has always managed to pick up at least some portion of the purse, and has been in the top three in all but one race out of thirteen. In his last two, he was entered in a pair of handicaps at AQU and showed he could take on the improved competition. In fact, he comes here off a win in the $150.000 Gravesend Handicap against some pretty good foes. Continues to work well and should continue his great form.

2- Roemantic (Riggins Racing, ridden by P Lopez)- He may be four, but compared to the rest of these, he is just a baby. After all, this is only Roemantic’s fifth career start. He’s won two out of four and was last seen winning an allowance at TUP. While a race at that track will not intimidate his rivals here, his winning race time and wire to wire performance should not be overlooked just because he is a bit more inexperienced. Who knows just how far he may climb this year.

3- Smack (Sheffler Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Picked up by the trainer in private sales for $100.000, and will run for Sheffler Stables for the first time here. The gelding was successful as a three-year-old, winning over $300.000, and getting three wins, which is highlighted by the $175.000 Maxfield at CD. He also hit the board in both the Amsterdam and Jerkens Memorial over the summer and will now look to flourish in this barn.

4- Bronze Sunset (Arindel, ridden by Sa Camacho)- Welcome back to Arindel, becoming the latest trainer to be unable to stay away. Bronze Sunset was claimed here last month for $12.500 and overall has won six of 14. He’s not a rookie to stakes competition, as there was an attempt at the Grade 2 Day Mile Stakes in 2023, but he has mostly been a runner in claimers. His works show he is capable of running in bigger races, and that can include the Pelican Stakes.

5- Tetris (Ajm Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- Was claimed by Ajm Stables around this time last year for $16.000, and has proven to be a great addition to the barn. He’s hit the board in seven of nine races and earned a piece of the purse in all but one of them. Rose through the ranks in starter allowances on the grass but would transition nicely to the main track. In October, he earned his career highlight, even though it was not a win, by running second in the Grade 2 Phoenix. Hasn’t run graded since then but continues to do well in ungraded races such as this.

6- Nutmeg (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- Primarily ran in graded races last year, but his starts were hit and miss in them. Distance and surface changes were regular, so either the horse is extremely versatile, or the trainer is still looking for his ideal conditions. The generally inconsistency can hint at the latter to an outsider. He’s won three times in 31 starts, but none of those wins were at the stake level. Maybe he’s peaking now, with two triple digit SRF’s in his last race, and a very strong second in the Grade 3 Mr Prospector last time out.

7- Crowned Sunrise (Savos, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- The new trainer is still looking for their first career win, as of press time, and perhaps that can come here in the Pelican Stakes with Crowned Sunrise. However, this horse will be considered a longshot due to mostly running in claimers. That’s not a deal breaker, it’s the fact that he has not run on the dirt in a year or been worked publicly on the dirt in that time. Also, he only ran ten days or so ago. There may be some great support for his entry here in private works, but I have to see it on race day before picking him.

8- Stolen Thunder (Night Rider Stables, ridden by H VillGomez)- It was not his stake debut last month, but when he ran in the $75.000 Sams Town at DED, it was his first stake appearance since 2022. The six-year-old simply has not seen much action since then, though he is presently running a stretch with two wins and a second in three races. Stolen Thunder could be a great example of patience paying off, and he may be peaking right now. Don’t rule him out here, and he may go graded next time out with a win here.

9- Italian Captain (Avenue Z, ridden by R M Hernandez)- When you get off to a slow start to a year as a trainer, those numbers are on blast for all to see. If you have the same stretch in August, no one will really notice. I say that because I can relate to Avenue Z’s slow 2025 start. This is a much better trainer than that. Winning the right races can help, and Italian Captain getting the job done in the Pelican would really help that. He did run in this race last year, but was a non-factor in it. Had two solid wins over the summer, and this barn is due for a big win.

10- Formidable Man (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Something went right for this horse between July and August of last year, as ever since a State bred N1X allowance at the Spa, he’s been running really well. I hope those numbers are not just skewed by small field sizes, however. Ran second three times in a row before making a trip to the winner’s circle last month at HOU. Appears to run his best when out on, or very close to, the lead early.

11- Max Party (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by J C Ferrer)- Holds a slight edge over Tetris to be the highest earner in the race coming into it, with a little more than half of it coming last year. You can dig back further in his past performances to get a reminder that he did run in the BC Juvenile once, but he remained a steady runner in overnights as a three-year-old before being gelded in September. Since the geld, he’s remained competitive though had a true head scratcher last time out in the Gravesend Handicap. Perhaps we can just blame the mud for that.

Prediction: 1-6-4-8

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded