Edgewood (Grade 2)- $500.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
May 6, 2022

Like the Eight Belles, the Edgewood has grown quite a bit since it first appeared on the schedule. In 2004, the race appeared as an ungraded stake for $100.000 and would become graded for the first time in 2015. It’s purse was gradually increased around that time, but now for the first time the Edgewood will run for $500.000! That certainly makes the race attractive for the games top turf fillies. A couple horses in this field were trying the KYO preps, but most of these opted to forego that route and stay on the turf. In 2021, the race was won by Arindel and Fangs Of The Storm. She hasn’t won since, but has had several good runs in strong races in the meantime. He’ll have a couple in this field as he tries to defend his crown. Let’s meet the horses!

#1- Tropical Mama (John Henry, ridden by A Cedillo)- Won three times as a two year old, including the $200.000 Surfer Girl Stakes that sent her to the BC. She would not be a factor in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and that was her last race for Allinthegate, who sold her to Fractious for $250.000. She would only make two starts in those silks before recently being sold again, this time to John Henry for $300.000. This will be their first race together.

#2- Perfect Class (Sccj Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Figures to be one of the top choices in here, given her excellent record on the turf. Overall, she has won four out of five on the green, including a pair of Grade 3’s. Her last two races saw her running for the KYO, and she actually looked very good in the Davona Dale, placing third, but that would not be enough to get her into the race. Unfortunately, the elements did her no favors in the GP Oaks. Perfect Class will be ready to bounce back from that and is one of the ones to beat here.

#3- My Imagination (Arindel, ridden by J R Velazquez)- There will be three in the race from Arindel here, and I probably like his other two entries more than I like My Imagination. That’s not to say that this filly does not have a shot, because she is one that knows how to win, doing so three of seven times. Looked good on soft turf last month in the Sanibel Island, where over half of the field were Arindel runners.

#4- Impact The Party (South Shore Stables, ridden by M Franco)- The Impactful filly has won just one of her six career starts, with that coming on soft turf at KEE last October. Since then, the trainer has tried to get her going in ungraded stakes and at this time, she has not really stepped up. Two months ago, her last race, which saw her transition from the grass to the main track, was a flop, but she was not impacting the races before that much, either.

#5- Ifyerwokeyerajoke (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- She has been anything but a joke on the race track, with two wins and three second place efforts in seven career starts. It took her a few tries to ultimately break her maiden, but once she did, she would follow it up with an allowance win right away, coming at GP. That sent her to the Grade 1 Ashland, where she ran well and picked up points, running fourth, but time had run out on her to have a chance at the KYO. Now, she will go back to the grass.

#6- Tequa (Arindel, ridden by J C Ferrer)- This is the one horse in the field that could be a formidable matchup for Perfect Class, and vice versa also being true. Tequa has simply excelled for her career, winning five of her seven career starts, and also having the same “four for five on the grass” record that Perfect Class has. She has won back to back graded races, including last month in the Grade 2 Appalachian, winning its $400.000 purse. Never tried the KYO preps, probably because Arindel was well accounted for with other on the main track.

#7- Chance 2 Ask (Threshold, ridden by J Lezcano)- A lightly raced filly, with just four starts at this point in her career. They’ve all come on the grass, but as of now she is still looking to add to her maiden victory. Did have a strong effort in her last outing, getting her picture taken with the winner at the end of the $110.000 Turf Distaff. While I would need to see another big win to pick her over a couple of the others in this field, she’s an improving sort. I just hope that Turf Distaff effort wasn’t a product of her low carried weight, which won’t be a factor now.

#8- State Caviar (Smokey Stover, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Won the $200.000 Texas Turf Mile in late January, which was her second career win. Despite that, she was dropped into an optional claimer for her next start, and she did not handle the soft turf well at all. The trainer was not concerned about that, and got much better weather last month in the Appalachian. Prior to that, she liked to come from off the pace, so it was unexpected to see her jump to the lead. She’d win up third.

#9- Bonnie (Arindel, ridden by C J Hernandez)- Here is the final horse in the field from Arindel, and another that comes out of the Sanibel Island last month. She would win that race on soft turf for her second career win. The race represented the first time that she ran more than five furlongs in the race, so certainly the trainer was thrilled with the immediate result that the filly provided. This is a much more difficult task, however.

#10- Exclusive Native W9 (Williams9, ridden by Ru Silvera)- This is an inconsistent filly, but when she has been on her game, she’s run exceptionally well. She still only has one race win, but has a pair of second place efforts this year, including the Providencia Stakes, a Grade 3, last month. Then, you have races like the Ginger Brew where she doesn’t show up, and that race doesn’t mean I can disregard the Santa Ysabel for being against a tough crowd, on the dirt. If the right Exclusive Native W9 shows up, she could be a factor.

Prediction: 2-6-1-8

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES