King Edward BC Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
WO- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
June 21, 2015
North of the border this weekend, we will have the tenth running of the King Edward BC Stakes, a grade 2 event on the turf for older horses that never seems to draw the biggest fields. This year, there will be only five going to gate, but it will be a competitive race amongst them. While we expect some northeastern tracks in the United States to be wet on Sunday, WO seems to be on the fringes of the storm’s projected path, and there is just a 60% chance of rain affecting our race. Thinken Stables is the only trainer to win this race more then once, having taken it in 2009 with Greek Fighter and in 2010 with Trading Punches. Last year, it was Seven Years, we recently saw is still going strong with a game 3rd in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at SA last week. There has been a lot of variation in the purse for this race, having peaked at $300.000, and once at a low of $166.000. This will be the third year in a row now that the contenders have raced for $200.000. It may be a small field, but it’s a good field, so now let’s look at our runners!
#1- Uncle Charlie (Nakamura Stables, ridden by D Moran)- This four year old gelding by Charley Farley has found the winners circle in a quarter of his career races, winning four of sixteen. His most recent win came at SA in an optional claimer, but his best career victory goes back to last summer when he won the ON-bred $125.000 Regent Stakes right here at WO. That race was the same mile distance on the turf that he will see today. Most recently we saw him in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes, and he did not seem to be at his best, running fourth. In that race, he was on good turf, one of two races he has been on with off tracks, and he hasn’t looked as good as when it’s dry, so he’ll be hoping the rain stays in the US.
#2- Bridal General (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by E Wilson)- The trainer looks to break out of a recent slump, and Bridal General may be the one that does it for him. Like Uncle Charlie, he comes out of the Red Bank States, which was on good turf, and was only fifth in that one. That result broke a string of graded stake seconditis he had shown, but not in the way the trainer was hoping. I do like the consistency in his SRF that he displayed earlier this year with three consecutive 99’s. The General Assembly gelding is working quite well, and he should be able to duplicate that 99 or maybe more if the track remains dry. In the event of rain, he has four career starts, and only one third place to show for it.
#3- All Together (Mb Stables, ridden by Alan Garcia)- One of two three-year olds in this race and he seems to have everything going for him here. He’s lightly raced so far, being patiently brought along by his trainer, and that has paid off with wins in three of his four career starts. Most recently, he was victorious in The Kingston, a $125.000 race for NY-breds that is also run a mile on turf. In that race, he earned a 100 SRF figure. It shouldn’t be overlooked either that he will have a significant five pound weight advantage over every horse in this field that is not his stablemate, and that can play a big role here. Considering he is on top form, and he has that advantage, and that he knows how to win this kind of race, I do think he will be the horse to beat on a dry track. If it rains? Well bring it on, because this horse actually looks like he will thrive on a wet track. At AQU on good turf, he destroyed a maiden field winning by six lengths. Sure, this is a better field, but I’ll take him and his short ilium regardless of the weather.
#4- Tiberius Claudius (Sanny Village, ridden by E L Olguin)- The trainer will try a different path with his four year old Zeus gelding, putting him on the turf for just the second time, and first time in over a year and a half. So far in 2015, Sanny Village hasn’t gotten the results he wanted from a horse that ran 3rd in the most recent BC Sprint, with a couple of very competitive though off the board finishes in the G3 MD Sprint Handicap and the G2 San Carlos Stakes. He had a strong work on the AQU turf back in April and off of that, we will get to see if the trainer has found the perfect solution for Tiberius Claudius. Very early in his career, he raced on a couple sloppy tracks, and did get a win in one of them. This is a beautifully conformed horse so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
#5- Twisted Flyer (Mb Stables, ridden by G Boulanger)- Winner of four of nine career races, it is possible that Mb Stables has added the biggest challenger in the race to All Together. Like his stablemate, he will carry five less pounds then everyone else. He showed potential early in his career, winning his first two races, but soon became overshadowed within his stable by other Mb three-year olds. After a geld shortly after the new year, Twisted Flyer has won two of four races, both being in optional claimers, and one of the non-wins being a 4th in the $200.000 Pennine Ridge at BEL. If the track is dry, then a like a couple others in here a little more to be threaten All Together. But if its wet, Mb Stables has another short ilium for the race, and Twisted Flyer is 1-for-1 on off tracks with the win in a SA optional claimer.
Prediction (Dry Track): 3-4-2-5
Prediction (Off Track): 3-5-4-1
Categories: Grade II
