The ELKHORN
KEE Race #2 1 1/2m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $350.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.
1 Cinnamon Strike Smokey Stover Gutierrez Mario
This is a real solid five year old and proved last time out in the Diarmida that he has a touch of class beating a good field of older stayers. That was his fourth win in a row which included the Seabiscuit Handicap last year so he is clearly a horse that has found his upward improvement curve and coming from the ace draw and from a leading stable you have to think that this race comes at the right time in his progress to the top.
2 Devil Made Me Doit Maxmillion Farm Pereira T J
When this one took the American Turf and The BEL Derby last year he looked a superstar in the making but he has failed to win since despite a brilliant third in the BC Turf at the end of the year. His works are still strong so i don’t think it was just a matter of being a three year old catching weight breaks but more a case of the division being so inconsistent that there are a group of about twenty who beat and get beaten by each other and just have to wait their turns to win. he gets a great chance today from the perfect draw and if indeed it is his turn there is no reason why he can’t take it.
3 Cossack Maxmillion Farm Murrill M
The turf king persists with the turf after this one ran a great race when second in the SA Handicap on the dirt. Lightly raced he was a TC type early on in his career and the jury is still out as to whether he can make his mark on the turf. The random draw has again strangely put two horses from the same stable next to each other, another one of those glitches that isn’t a glitch so he too gets every chance in this small field.
4 Jakarta Nakamura Stables Court J K
Bought for $450 in January that looked a big price for a two race winner but when you look at what this horse has achieved in just 14 starts you start to see the valuation a little clearer. Third in the American Turf, The BEL Derby and the JC Derby he was also second in the DMR Derby before finally getting his second win at the end of the year in the Mathew Brothers Mile.
It has been 4 months since his last start and although his works say he is fit and ready to go we wont really know until the whips come out in the stretch. If he is ready to go he should just about win.
5 Afterburner Arindel Rocco J S Jr
A well tried four year old he has been a busy boy in his two years of racing but has performed consistently well. A couple of nice placings at graded level over this trip this year suggest he is on the cusp of a big win so it wouldn’t surprise but i just have a feeling that he is a shade one paced and one or two may end up finishing stronger than him.
6 Two In The Chamber TwinTowersRacing Sanchez M J
His form is a bit all over the place but when a horse from this stable runs a 1.34 and 1 work time you have to sit up and take notice. His last run over this trip saw him win the Point Of Entry so i think he may turn out to be the value bet here to turn in a big performance.
SUMMARY
An open looking race so it may pay to go with some decent odds and then may be on offer around Two In the Chamber. Beyond a gamble Jakarta looks the form choice if he is fit and Devil Made Me Doit is sure to be a force under the turf kings guidance.
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
