The Amsterdam (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Dirt
July 28, 2023
On Friday, the highlight of the day at SAR will be the 21st running of the Grade 3 Amsterdam, sending a full field of twelve a total of six and a half furlongs on the main track. This race provides a great opportunity for trainers to give their horses a race to prepare for the BC Sprint, while keeping them away from older horses if they felt that is best. Over the years, the Amsterdam has gone back and forth between six and six and a half furlongs, with purses either being $150.000 or the current $200.000 offering. Some of the more recent winners of this race include Trench Admiral, the late Kill Command, as well as Carnoustie. Last year’s race was won by Iron Mine, for Fractious, and we are continuing to see that horse perform at a high level. He did run in the BC Sprint and has been productive in 2023 even if there has not been a trip to the winner’s circle this year for him yet. Perhaps that will come on Saturday, when he runs in the Crosby at DMR. Let’s take a look at this field!
#1- Loko Moko (South Shore Stables, ridden by F Geroux)- Showed some promise for the TC trail as a two-year-old, including a fourth-place finish in the BC Juvenile, as well as placing third in the RP Springboard Mile. But things have not gone as smoothly this year, with multiple poor performances in KYD preps, though kudos to the trainer for trying to stick with him there. Even the seven-furlong Barrera did not go well, but that did not stop in from running in the Grade 1 Stephens at BEL last month. There, he reminded everyone that he is still the same horse that he was as a two-year-old, placing second. Is everything better now, or is that race the fluke? The Amsterdam will give us the answer.
#2- Prince George (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Started off 2023 by running in ungraded stakes, including two with the NY-bred designation. He would end up winning the Runyon, a six-furlong race at AQU, and that encouraged Mb Stables to see what he could do in the Grade 3 Lexington at KEE.. He had one of those agonizing finishes that we all groan about. Yes, it was good and close to the winner, but no, it did not earn anything. Recovered with an impressive win at the Grade 3 Lang Stakes at PIM and ran fourth in the Stephens last month. Always seems to be in the mix late, and we should not expect anything less here.
#3- Prevent (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- For the first time in his life, Prevent will be running in a sprint. After breaking his maiden in December, he was quickly put on the KYD trail, and that was a decision that paid off. Strong results in a couple of preps would culminate with a win in the SA Derby, and then he would be chosen by his trainer amongst several options to run in the KYD. He’d be in the middle field in both that race, as well as the BEL, and those are results that most would be happy with but when you have as loaded of a stable as Mb does, it’s time to consider another option. And that brings him here, to his first sprint ever. Worked well at PRX coming into this, so he may like the shorter distance.
#4- King Noah (Arindel, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The last time we saw King Noah in a race, he was getting his picture taken at the wire with Prince George at the Grade 3 Lang Stakes. For King Noah, that meant a second-place finish but still a 101 SRF. He is winless as a three-year-old but did score a couple of nice victories as a juvenile, including an allowance right here. He followed that up by running third in the Hopeful at the conclusion of the meet. His effort in the Lang suggests that he is on the brink of getting another win, and maybe a return to this track will put him over the top.
#5- Twin Rackets (Alydar Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Here is another horse that showed plenty of potential as a two-year-old that has not really gotten done thus far this year. After all, this is a horse that finished second in the Grade 1 Hopeful last year, and then ran in the BC Juvenile. So, while he does have a win in the $125.000 Woodstock Stakes at WO from April, that is the only result in 2023 that has seen him earn anything. You can make the argument that post draws never did him any favors, though. Placed fifth in the Stephens in his last start and needs to build on that here.
#6- Encore (Mb Stables, ridden by D Davis)- The trainer picked this one up in the September 2022 auction for $20.200, and Encore has since done everything he has been asked of. He is 4-for-4 while running in the silks of Mb Stables, but interestingly they have all been in a tight photo at the wire so we know he has plenty of stretch desire. His last start was the only stake race of that group (he did run in the Funny Cide here for Fractious before the sale, and was ineffective). He was the best in a five horse field at the $150.000 Gold Fever at BEL in May. Other than for one other horse there, that was a rather soft field. This will be a biggest challenge, for sure.
#7- Terabyte (Fractious, ridden by J J Castellano)- Check out that sale price! This one switch hands in private sales in late May for $2,325.000 and while I know that’s not a record, that’s one of the highest such sales I have seen in a while. Now, that money has been spent, and it is time for Terabyte to head to the track for Fractious! The horse has only won once in ten starts, but hit the board in the Fountain Of Youth, Holy Bull, and AR Derby. However, he ran poorly in the KYD and the PRK. Maybe sprinting will get him going again, and certainly sire prospects played a part in that price, but he has a lot to live up to. Now, it begins!
#8- Freed Up (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by T Gaffalione)- A winner of about half of his thirteen starts up to this point, including five out of his last six. That’s highlighted by a win in the $200.000 Times Square at AQU, and the other victories were all in overnights. The one race that he did not win was a spot where he ran into both Prince George and King Noah and placed as the best non-royalty named runner. Each of those horses should have a great shot here, so it is promising that Freed Up proved he can run with them. He’s not going to be the first name to stand out with this field, but he is capable of getting the win if he runs his best.
#9- Shoo Fly (Lazy Eye, ridden by M Franco)- We are seeing a few of these horses that showed promise as two-year-olds and ran in the preps now look to get settled into sprints after the TC season is over. Shoo Fly certainly had a great year last year, winning the BC Juvenile at KEE, and even topped that off by taking the Grade 2 Remsen at AQU. However, he has not even earned a penny this year, struggling though the preps, although he was still able to run in the KYD. He did not run well in it, and that is the last time that we have seen him on the track. We will see now if sprinting is the answer, but I do have to note that his six-furlong works are a couple tenths slower than others here.
#10- Crack The Party (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by K Carmouche)- After breaking his maiden in early January, Crack The Party was placed into graded races along the KYD trail, and the results were hit and miss. The positive was a runner up in the Grade 3 Southwest, but he was a non-factor in both the San Felipe and the SA Derby thereafter. He would be sent back to sprints after, and in his last start, he was third in the Grade 1 Stephens at BEL, a race that a lot of these come out of. Can we trust him to be a consistent horse, though? That could be a fair question, but we could also dismiss those two tough races as throw outs pretty easily as well.
#11- Regal Hero (Fractious, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Fractious didn’t have to spend any money to get this one, other than the breeding fee, since this is these starts. He may also be a better option in this race than his more publicized stablemate. We can probably still call him an up and comer, as most of these starts were in overnights, but when the trainer wanted a little more, Regal Hero delivered a fourth-place effort at the Lang Stakes, and he will get a chance to get redemption at the three who finished ahead of him. Three weeks after that, he went to WO and won the $125.000 Queenston. This is not a horse that has been in routes most of his career that is sprinting as a Plan B, and that could be a very good thing.
#12- Deep State (Sccj Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- After being gelded, Deep State went on a three-race winning streak that lasted until the end of 2022, culminating by taking the RP Springboard Mile. Unfortunately for the trainer, he has not been back to the winner’s circle, but did run well in both the San Felipe and the BG Stakes. Those efforts were enough to get him into the KYD, where he finished in the middle of the field, and it would be the same story when he tried the BEL a month later. Now, he’s one of those in this field that is cutting back to a sprint for the first time in a while. Had a nice work here on Sunday in preparation of the race.
Prediction: 2-4-6-11
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
