San Luis Rey Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
March 13, 2016

Steel Kelp is a consistent racehorse, and recently had a stretch of 22 races where he never finished outside of the top three, that was snapped in his last start. He was not our first pick to win the race, but he was amongst our top picks. We expected Steel Kelp to have a good race. Evidently, most of those who bet on this race fell asleep at the wheel on him. 66/1? Sixty. Six. To One. Those were the odds on Steel Kelp, with the next longest shot on the board being at 7/1.  How does that even happen on such a consistent horse on hitting the board? Then I remember, I am living in a virtual world where for some reason a computer program made him 50/1 in the morning line. At least now, it starts to make sense. For Steel Kelp, this is the 11th victory in his now 47-race career.    It is, however, his first graded stake win.   Let’s also give a shout out to trainer Serenity Stables, who with the win, is 4-for-10 in 2016.   It is the first win in the stake for the trainer, as well as for jockey K J Desormeaux. The time of the victory was 2:24.02, an impressive time, but a second off the stake record.   Let’s take a more in-depth look now at this result.

1st- 5- Steel Kelp (66/1)- Our eventual race winner wasted no time getting out to the front for Serenity Stables.  He was sharp out of the gate, and was leading from the get-go.  During the downhill portion, The Machine was running alongside of him, but Steel Kelp just kept his graceful stride, and began to pull away from the only horse in this field who ever seemed to be close to him at any stage of the race.  The opening half mile time was :49.10, and for six furlongs it was 1:13.29.   During the run down the backstretch, Steel Kelp simply did not let up, and those with a wager on this longshot were beginning to plan on where they might be going for dinner tonight.  Heading into the final turn, the advantage had increased to two lengths as The Machine could not keep up with his pace, and there was no one making a move from behind.  At the top of the stretch, he would set the 1 1/4 mile time impressively in 2:00.20 with still the same lead to the competition.  In the stretch, it was simply follow the leader.  Steel Cup was not going to be caught, running the final quarter mile in :23.82, showing there was no let up in him.  He would cruise on home, winning the race by two lengths.  This was an eye opening win, and I look forward to seeing where he goes next.  Congrats to Serenity on his fine-looking win.  Steel Kelp is a seven year old gelding by Steel Ball and out of the late Kelpie.  He was bred in California by Mb Stables as a third quarter foal, and has passed through a few different stables before arriving at Serenity Stables in July 2015 via a $30.000 claim from Pjr Farms.  Congratulations to all the connections!

2nd- 7- The Machine (3/1)- In what was his graded stakes debut, the Guidry Jr gelding got off to a pretty good start, and was matching strides with Steel Kelp throughout the downhill portion of the race. As they moved into the front stretch, The Machine had stayed with him throughout this segment and the two of them had opened up about two lengths on their competition as they moved around the turn. At the top of the backstretch, T C Baze may have been hoping that there was no way this 66/1 longshot would keep pouring it on like this and tucked in behind him. Dropped about two lengths from the lead as they moved into the final turn, doing well to hold off those behind him, as he continued to hope Steel Kelp would begin to wear down. At the top of the stretch, The Machine did all he could to hold the other challengers at bay, and he was never in jeopardy of falling out the exacta.   Steel Kelp simply never let up and was in a league of his own today. For his graded stake debut, Guidry Jr should be thrilled about this performance.

3rd- 2- Finding Faith (7/1)- The Emerald Racing Inc entry was initially the slowest out of the gate, but had advanced in the downhill segment to pull even with Officer Outcast for fourth, about four lengths from the leaders, as they marched down the homestretch to start things off. This is where he would remain for most of the middle portion of the race, but unlike Officer Outcast and Desolation Island, who he had been racing beside, Finding Faith looked to move forward heading into the final turn, and would quickly be up to third. He would pull to within about a length and a half of second place The Machine at the top of the stretch, but could never get closer to make a run at that position.

4th- 4- Desolation Island (2/1)- The post time favorite from Mb Stables started well and was stalking the pace setters during the downhill portion and into the frontstretch for the first time. He would back off from that pursuit a bit, and would be two lengths back the first time they hit the start/finish line. He lost some ground heading into the backstretch, falling into the clutches of Officer Outcast and Finding Faith. As the race continued into the far turn, Desolation Island was gradually falling out of contention. R Bejarano tried to look for a lane in the stretch, but did not have the horse underneath him to make a run.

5th- 1- Officer Outcast (3/1)- The Downwind Stables entry found himself towards the back of the pack at the start of the race. At the top of the frontstretch for the first time, Officer Outcast was fourth, and about three lengths from the lead. He would hold firm in this position over the course of the backstretch, and did not show the same interest to move forward, as did Finding Faith, who had been behind him. In the stretch, he still had no response to move forward and finished the race much where he was all the way around the track; four lengths out.

6th- 6- Donnybrook (3/1)- Got off to an average for trainer Grimley, initially assuming a midpack position before becoming content to trail the field towards the end of the downhill portion. He would be 6th, and five lengths off the lead the first they hit the start/finish line. The backstretch trip would only see him lose more ground, falling about nine lengths off the lead as they moved into the final turn, and there would be no closing effort.

Track: Firm
Time: :49   1:13¹  2:00¹  2:24

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 5 – 7 Paid 187.00
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 7 – 2 Paid 1,688.10

Scratched: Vegas Viper

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES