Friday, June 7th, 2024
Post Time 2:20pm EDT
4 SAR The Just A Game (GI) 
Purse $500.000 4yo&Up F&M 1m InTurf 123lbs
So, what are we calling this? BEL at AQU at SAR? Either way, it’s BEL weekend and we have a ton of big races, now in up-state NY, so we take a look at the field for The Just A Game (GI), a flat mile stakes for the older fillies and mares, and we get a nice field of seven for this one. Big purses, big horses, I’m going with Mb Stables and will give Demanding Commander the nod. What can you say bad about this horse? She had a rough day at the BC, but she has five wins surrounding that race so I think we can forgive her. She was third in the Diana (GI) over this course, and won on the dirt here… I just don’t see a down-side. Let’s go right next door and put More Interest in the middle of this… she was claimed for a mere $20.000 back in Nov of last season, and has steadily moved up the chain, and won a out… at SA last out… that was Cal-bred types, but she was quick, at this distance and I think she will be right in the middle of things. The Green Card has been hot, and sees things a bit different, so choose wisely… ignore me.
Here’s The Field –
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Liberty Lake | D J C Racing Stables | Pennington F | 123 | 12/1 |
Back-to-back last place finishes are somewhat alarming for this very consistent filly. I do like that AQU work and I think they’ve tightened her up a big, so she could be a horse ready to pull and upset, but I do think the public will ignore her at the windows and that could be a mistake, as she’s ran fairly well over the surface.
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Stinky Rene | TwinTowersRacing | Hernandez R M | 123 | 5/1 |
Her two-race win streak came to an end when fourth in the Modeesto at CD, and I’d like to write that off to the soft turf, but she won the Buena Vista at SA on the same type of surface. No starts here at SAR, so we can’t pickup any readings from that… still, I’d give her a good chance to bounce back.
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Nakamura Stables | SCR |
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More Interest | Mo Mentum Farm | Maldonado E | 123 | 7/2 |
Cal-bred stakes company got her off of the seconditis, as she got home in quick time taking the Valentine at SA last out. And don’t get me wrong, the seconds certainly put cash in the bank, and there is nothing wrong with that. On the board in ten of eleven starts, she is a force.
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Demanding Commander | Mb Stables | Velazquez J R | 123 | 7/2 |
She’s won five of her last six starts, the other was an eleventh on BC Day, so draw a line through that and check this nice mare out. She won the Wilshire (GIII) and Modesto (GIII), both on soggy sod, but don’t be fooled – she’s just as capable on the solid going… and she won the Spinaway here as a 2yo, so she could be very very tough to get past.
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Perfect Class | Sccj Stables | Gutierrez Mario | 123 | 8/1 |
Won the Goldikova (GII) and Matriarch (GI) to close out her ’23 season, but this year has been a struggle… fifth in the Pegasus F&M Turf (GIII) then back-to-back ninth place finishes in the Hillsboro (GII) at TAM and again in the WIley (GI) at KEE). Can she recapture that old form?
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Villeneuve | Mo Mentum Farm | Lopez P | 123 | 6/1 |
Looked good winning the Wayward Lass at TAM and has two other on-the-board finishes this season in the Hensen Hcp at SUN and a third in the Modesto (GIII) at CD on that soft sod that a few of these were on… obviously she ran with them there, so she should fit here, although they may be hoping for rain.
COZMAN 5 / 4 Willie’s Green Card 5 / 2 / 7
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
