Swingtime Stakes
1 mile Turf Stake Purse $80.000 Fillies and Mares Three-Year-Old And Upward. At SA
Swingtime Stakes was initiated in 2010 as a HOL $55.000 stakes race, was taken over by SA in 2011 when they tore down Paradise and put up a parking lot, then a $65.000 stakes race and it has worked its way up to today’s purse over the years. First winner was Barcelona Farms with then five-year-old Sweet Chimes which went on to a successful race career with earnings of $637.300. The next two editions were won by Simmer Down Stable and last year’s race went to Lagastable who returns this year looking for a repeat win with a different filly. This year’s race looks like a speed duel between Asgar’s Class Command and Paradise Stable’s Outrageous Nevada as those two seem to have the most stakes experience with Class Command having the class edge, although should the speed get too hot First Flight Stable’s Hollow Promises will by flying down the lane late to pick up any faltering fillies. Here’s the field:
Horse Owner Odds SRF
Class Command Asgar *9-5 95
Outrageous Nevada Paradise Stable 2-1 96
Hollow Promises First Flight Stable 4-1 91
Control It Bears Stable 5-1 86
Pelayo Bears Stable 10-1 93
Smokey Cold Laga Lagastable 20-1
1 Class Command Asgar 95
Class Command has been handling herself fairly well in graded and high-priced stakes races and a mile is much to her liking. She led a top caliber field into the stretch last out in the grade three KD Ladies Turf before tiring and finished a close second in the $250.000 KD Preview Ladies Turf Mile at ELP the race before, both at a mile. Looks like the class of the race.
2 Hollow Promises First Flight Stable 91
First Flight Stable picked up Hollow Promises for a scant $7.500 from Nakamura Stables and has big plans for the three-year-old after a couple of good runs at high-level tracks with a switch to turf. Trainer gave her her first mile race in the grade two San Clemente Handicap at DMR, and it proved a bit too much. But, with those decent turf works, he’s not going to give up on stakes racing and with a three pound allowance and a potential speed duel for his deep closer to take advantage of, she could well upset the race.
3 Control It Bigchief Stables 86
Control It was second in this race back in ’22 before taking a lot of time off. She stopped racing at the end of ’22 and returned in October of last year and has tried picking back up in well-priced stakes races with limited success. This looks like a spot to get back in the money.
4 Outrageous Nevada Paradise Stable 96
Outrageous Nevada finished second in this race last year and looks to avenge that loss today. Her recent form has been sharp since stepping away from graded stakes racing for a while. The race looks like a speed duel between her and Class Command and she is not one to shy away from a fight. Her strong second at long odds in the $150.000 Perfect Sting at SAR says she’s ready for that fight.
5 Smokey Cold Laga Lagastable
A $1.000 Smokey Stover buy, Smokey Cold Laga is a maiden which has run second in all three free-level races she tried but had one shot in a pay-level maiden and got smoked. I can’t tell anything from these seven-furlong in-company works either. So, I’ll just say that this is one heck of a step up.
6 Pelayo Bears Stable 93
Winner of 7 of 9, Pelayo would seem like a real threat, and certainly a filly that is that accustomed to winning is always a threat, but this is her first real test as a racehorse. Most of her wins before leaving Maxmillion Farm for $5.000 were in claiming races. Now, with Bears Stable she is undefeated in three tries, but in BTP, FE and LAD allowance races. She has works that say she belongs right here, so she can’t be overlooked. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the odds machine made her the favourite.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded