Kent Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
DEL- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
July 4, 2020

Ever since arriving at Maxmillion Farm, Show Shocker has been running very well but still had not picked up a stake victory. He had a few second and third place finishes and appeared poised to break through very soon. That would be right here, where he was made our pick to win and would end up as the second choice on the board. The gelding by Caleb had a strong trip throughout, and would be able to put the field away in the stretch. It is the biggest win in his career thus far, but Show Shocker may be on the verge of even better wins down the road. He’s in a great stable to do this as a turf horse, as Maxmillion Farm earns his second Kent Stakes win, and first that he’s won outright. Aboard the winner was D Davis, his first such win. Congratulations to them! The race was won in a time of 1:45.14, and that is your new stake record! Let’s take a look!

(½ Mile- :47.15)- The opening half mile sees this field of seven running in very tight proximity, almost as if it was one of our jumbo finishes at the end of a race. The quickest starter was Hamburglar, out of Mb Stables, who would lead the field onto the frontstretch. He would get a challenge soon after from Kowloon City, from Nakamura Stables, and they would be almost side by side into the first turn. Everyone else was close by, including our eventual winner, Maxmillion Farm’s Show Shocker who stalked the leader in the fourth position. A half length ahead of him, with a great start on the rail would be Creepy Return, from Aer Stables, and two his outside would be Cp Ruler El Gran, from Winning Link Stables. Next was Rhossili (Asgar), and the trailer is Raleigh In Doubt (Ekli Stable), but he was only three and a half lengths from the front.

(3/4 Mile- 1:10.20)- We see a little more separation in the field over the backstretch, but not too much. At the front, it is still Hamburglar and Kowloon City leading the way, but Show Shocker begins to have a little more interest, setting his sights on splitting these two once in the turn. He had passed Creepy Return, who seemed to just be waiting for his time on the rail. Cp Ruler El Gran lost some ground. Rhossili was three back, but with horses on each side of him now as Raleigh In Doubt began to come forward.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Hamburglar continues to run well and leads into the top of the stretch, but that was in jeopardy now. Show Shocker handled the turn very well, and his job was made easier by Kowloon City backing out of it. At the top of the stretch, he was only a head or so off the lead and while Hamburglar still was in good stride, it didn’t seem as though he could fend off Show Shocker here. As Kowloon City retreated, both Rhossili and Raleigh In Doubt began coming forward, but would have a lot of work to do in order to win the race. Creepy Return was lacking response, and Cp Ruler El Gran was looking flat.

(Finish- 1:45.14)- In the stretch, Show Shocker takes over the lead and begins to pull away from the field with every stride, making it look like he could just keep running and running. This resulting time ends up as a stake record, and it is going to be very interesting to see where he is nominated next. Hamburglar tired just a bit in the stretch, but remains second, holding on over Raleigh In Doubt, who was at his best late. Rhossili takes the final piece of the purse, defeating Creepy Return, Kowloon City, and Cp Ruler El Gran.

About The Winner- Show Shocker, trained by Maxmillion Farm, and ridden to victory by D Davis, is a three year old gelding by Caleb, and is out of For A Second. He was bred in Ontario by LionKing Stables as a yearling, and acquired by Maxmillion in an October 2019 private sale for $20.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in eleven starts, and his first stake win of any kind. His career earnings are now $350.300.

Track: Firm
Time: :47   1:10¹  1:33²  1:45

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 4 Paid 5.50
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 4 – 6 Paid 46.70

Scratched: None

Winner Picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES