Shakertown – Grade II
KEE Race #1 5 1/2f Turf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward.
1 Moving Cloud RNP Stables Lanerie C J
The older horses are in tough with the weights in this race but this honest seven year old will do his best as he always does. He missed the entire 2017 season but showed in 2018 that he was a real good sort who had lost none of his sparkle. He managed to win two last year including the Gravesend Handicap but was close up in a couple of grade three’s so is happy enough in this grade. He has done well enough in his two runs this year to suggest he isnt far away from another win but faces turf today for only the third time in his career which makes him an interesting runner. His turf work suggests he is no better on this surface so despite a good draw i am not sure he can see off the younger brigade.
2 Levi Sneaky Estero Farms Hernandez R M
Getting 13Lb’s from the older horses should see this filly about ten lengths in front of them but whilst weight is everything in handicaps it doesnt seem to work the same for the fillies at HRP. Having said that she ran 1.08 and 4 in a race and worked a 1.10 flat for six furlongs with 120Lbs so with 8 Lbs less she should be far too quick for these with a perfect draw. If she doesnt get very close to winning it will just prove once again that fillies against colts are given too much to do by the HRP algorithms something which will be far more interesting than the result. She is my pick purely on speed figures and weight but i do worry about the trends.
3 Great Bounty Drabfantasy Lezcano J
Here we have the scenario that adds all the interest in this race. Here we have the BC Sprint winner from last year running over his championship winning trip. He won the grade two Nearctic Stakes in 1.08 flat with 120Lbs and has to give 13Lbs to a filly that won a stakes race over the same trip in 1.08 and 4. Add to that his last turf work over 6 furlongs was 1.09 and 2 and he shouldnt be able to give the filly 13Lbs in this race. As i have said earlier though fillies get roughly treated by the Algorithms at HRP and even 13Lbs may not be enough to get this one beat. He was beaten on seasonal debut on his hated soft ground so i wouldnt worry about that too much so on paper he should be winning but three year olds are starting to run all over older horses and we may be seeing the same old story in this race.
4 Desmond Sharis Stables Ortiz J L
Only just behind Great Bounty in the BC Sprint last year he gets 2Lb back now that horse has turned four which will put these two very close. The winner of this race last year as a four year old all the things i just said about the weight when writing about Great Bounty apply to him as well. On paper it looks like a match between two of the best sprinters from last year but in reality it could be so different.
5 Great And Prudent Drabfantasy Colon L H
And here we have another scenario to add to the intrigue of this race. A maiden three year old working quick enough that with an 8Lb pull on the BC Sprint winner he could easily break his maiden today. His two races so far have been over longer trips but his very sharp work last time says that he can sprint with the best of them.
6 Rampart Clutch D J C Racing Stables Maragh Ro
A pretty good three year old he hasnt shown the form or the speed of most of these but with the weights as they are who knows what will happen. I think ultimately this trip will be too short for him which is probably the main reason i can see him getting beaten.
7 Magne Bern Gdp Inc Beschizza A
Proved he can sprint by winning a two year old allowance just half a second slower than Great Bounty won the BC Sprint last year. That very fact makes very hard reading and the fact that he gets enough weight to win today keeps the intrigue in this race at almost biblical levels. Good enough to win the grade three Dania Beach last time over a mile he must be among the best in the race if he can overcome the draw.
8 Defunct Things Mb Stables Pennington F
A real consistent three year old from the champion trainer who has already dabbled with younger against older and will be hitting these types of races hard with his three year olds. Beaten a head in the BC Juvenile Sprint last year in a time just outside the BC Turf Sprint winners he is right in this despite an unfavorable draw.
SUMMARY
Wow, this race really has everything and the result will echo throughout the community in the next few months. We have a three year old filly who is running and working quick enough to win with the huge weight allowance. We have a maiden who is working as fast as anything else and is getting weight from the BC Sprint winner. We have wide drawn three year olds who are quick enough to win this and we have two of the best sprinters from last year trying to cope with the three year old weight allowance.
This is a HRP humdinger and i just cant wait to write about the result!!
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
