The Empire Distaff
BEL Race #10 1 1/16m Dirt Stake
statebred.gif Purse $250.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward Foaled In NY.
1 Stellar, trained by M.b.o Racing Stable
This three year old has had a great season. A daughter of Charley Farley, she capped off the Spring by winning three in a row, culminating in the Critical Eye. Primed for the summer, she ran a decent third in both the IA Oaks and the Shuvee Handicap at grade three before her toughest test to date in the grade one Cottilion last time out. She got no favours with the draw being hung out in gate ten and never really got into the race after being taken to the back of the pack early on. She made a little ground to be beaten only four lengths in the end, but was never in the race. She is working nicely, and that race apart, has been improving all year. This race is certainly in her scope, and I would imagine she will have plenty of support.
2 On The Straight, trained by Mb Stables
A prolific winner, and like a good few of the stables horses, she has been mopping up at all levels. Its difficult to assess her against stakes horses with her only run in black type being in the ungraded Niagara Stakes and resulting in a facile win against a fairly soft field. The trickier thing is that she hasn’t run over this sort of trip either, so there are a good few unknowns, if you are thinking of investing your HRP dollars in her. On the plus side, she has been finishing strongly at the end of her sprint races, she has some fast works to her name and she comes from a stable that just has to turn up to win at times.
3 Call Me Up, trained by D J C Racing Stables
She hadn’t done much until she ran third to On The Straight in the Niagara, but she exploded on the scene when taking the grade three Groupie Doll in her next start. She certainly had the advantage of being a three year old in that race, but I think the main factor was the trip as she has won two of her three races when tested over route trips. Despite her success, she was put back into a sprint last time, taking on the grade two Prioress but could never live with the pace and ended up eighth. Her works are pretty inconsistent, but the fact that she comes back up in trip is a big plus.
4 Prundent Diademe, trained by Drabfantasy
Another who has been all over the place as far as trips are concerned, she also has some good form and is in here with a shout. A good winner of the ungraded Bouwerie, she wasn’t tested after that for a while running in a couple of overnights before coming back to black type racing in the NY Stallion Series. She ended up third on the turf that day and then went back to the dirt to finish a decent fifth in the PID Masters and then third in the Arctic Queen. She is hard to weigh up because she has flitted around trips and surfaces, but her recent mile work was pretty good, so whilst she wouldnt be my first choice, she should be in the race.
5 Love Me Two Times, trained by Night Mare Racing
Behind Prundent Diademe in The Bouwerie, she is yet another who hasn’t settled on a best trip. On the plus side, one of her best runs of the season came in the NY Oaks over a mile and sixteenth when she finished fast and just failed to haul back the winner. She won her last start over a trip in the mud, so I am pretty sure the mile and eighth will suit her, and with works in the right ball park, all she has to do is overcome the draw to run a good race.
SUMMARY
This is a tough race to read with so many that are unproven over this trip. I think Stellar may be the one in the end, as she is the accomplished at the trip and has a nice draw. Of the others, it will just be a matter of who gets the trip, and it is hard to rule any of them out.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
