BC Juvenile – Grade I [KYD]
1 1/16 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $2,000.000 Colt & Gelding 2 Year Olds.

1st Pocantico

Smokey Stover

Bejarano R

There is no doubt that this gelding carried some blood into this race being by the great sire Decima and out of the graded stakes winning mare Happy Clapper. With his breeding and conformation i had this one tagged as a turf runner and he may even turn out to win a few on that surface but HRP doesn’t have the division between surfaces that we see in real life and there is certainly a future for him on the dirt. He has run in three grade ones in a row now and won two of them with excuses in the other one so he must be a contender for two year old of the year now. He tracked a little wide but was never far off the pace but when he challenged i thought he was vulnerable and may have gone too soon. He was very game though and nothing really looked like getting past him hanging on by a fairly comfortable half length at the post.

2nd Sports Page Aer Stables Saez G

This super consistent son of the great Charley Farley ran in his third grade one and once again took home some nice reward with a battling second place finish. In the stalk throughout he stuck on really well getting the nice trip from his lovely draw. there is no doubt he will be one of the leading hopes from the stable that has had some huge success with their juveniles in the past couple of seasons.

3rd Smokin Luka Mb Stables Juarez N

There will be mixed feelings for Night Rider Stables as they sold this one prior to its grade one Champagne win and now a BC third, sure there will be a few dollars in breeders bonus but Mb Stables has made their purchase price back in two races. I must admit as this one closed in coming into the stretch i thought he was going to sweep past the leading two but he just came to the end of his run short of the post and couldn’t finish the job. I wonder, like the winner whether this one will have some grass in its future but for now i am sure he will be pointed towards a TC challenge.

4th Creepy Havoc Estero Farms Hernandez R M

Stalked throughout and moved up strongly after halfway but just couldn’t quicken in the closing stages and may have needed a stronger early pace. Plenty to like about his effort going forward but he had the perfect draw today and that may have forced him closer to the pace than he wanted to be.

The rest

It was just four lengths first to last so in true HRP style no-one will go away with anything in their mind other than that they could’ve won and maybe next time. Locamotive started favorite and looked like he didn’t stay the trip but i think he found the front early and he probably didn’t want it. TKO went back then forwards then back again in an odd run from the wide gate but with a fifth straight wide gate i think he is much better than even the good form he has shown so far. Crack Danz got too far back on the rail and made nice ground but i think there was a click made that may have been regretted after the race. Cheesy went way back from the wide draw and made a ton of ground in the race for home, he too ran better than his placing suggests. The same could be said for Jinxed Authority who never got in a serious blow from being taken back.

Categories: BC 2018-20, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP