QE II Challenge Cup – Grade I
KEE Race #4 1 1/8m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $600.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.
Well the best i can say about this race is that at least the filly that ran 44 and 3 for a half mile didn’t last home and win by a head. The worst i can say is unprintable.
I am not sure why Smokey Stover sent The Intouchables out in crazy fractions, i am guessing that the outside draw forced them into the click and play game but after a similar run in The Wonder Again it was clearly never going to work. What happened was we got one of ‘those’ races. The only one to try and chase the pace was Tellcharlieitsforyou who had previously chased a similar stupid pace in the SAR Oaks and weakened that day too. So the race was left to all the others and it was just a matter of who got blocked in making their run and who didn’t.
This race, as much as i shouldn’t say it, was decided by instructions and though you could indeed say that the two winners were deserving winners you couldn’t in all honesty say that this race wouldn’t have looked very different in every way had instructions had been different.
I hate to say it but my predictions for this race came true in the worst way possible but whilst it wasn’t the sort of race most people want to see it was an exciting finish with only a neck covering half the field, here is who got through and who didn’t:
1st= Coconut Milk Wood Duck Stables Cedillo A
This consistent filly was bred by the owner and has always displayed talent both over sprint trips and routes, on turf and dirt and that very often is a telling factor here at HRP, having that ability to compete in any discipline. Out-finished by Love Of The People in the Mabee Stakes over this trip last time she was one of the winners in the instructions lottery today and managed to pick a path from the back to eventually dead heat for the win. It is pointless talking about this race as any sort of form guide but this filly looked a good chance before the off and would’ve been there at the end regardless of the race engine. Congratulations to the breeder and owner on this big grade one win.
1st= Time And Again TwinTowersRacing Franco M
Another that benefited from the instructions lottery she found the gaps like Coconut Milk and shared the win. Normally an on pace runner she has shown huge improvement since dead heating for a one win allowance at TAM in April and is building a really nice record as she marches towards what i am sure will be a successful four year old career.
3rd Wander Mb Stables Saez L
Well she headed the chasing pack and was the one that had to pull the field to the leaders so she was always susceptible to being caught at the end. In the lead with a furlong to run it was just a matter of others finding gaps as to whether she would last home, in the end she was only beaten a neck into third in a brave effort.
4th= Tabitha Stephens Mb Stables Hernandez R M
Just behind her stable companion she led the chasing group and suffered a similar fate to Wander in the rush to the line.
4th= Love Is Free Iolaus Racing Leparoux J R
Trailed the field but in this race of course that wasn’t a bad thing, it was just a matter of finding gaps at the end. She had run well in the SAR Oaks when the race engine farted out a result similar to this so it was no surprise to see her run better than she did in the JC oaks last time.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
