Eddie D Stakes– Grade II
1 1/4 Mile Turf Graded Stake Purse $200.00 Three-Year-Olds And Upward. At SA

1st       Street Magician                        Angelos Stable                      5-1 HRP 20-1 SRF

Nineteen races and Street Magician had never run on turf. He must have been shocked when he looked down at his feet and saw that green stuff, not nearly as shocked as I was when he won the Eddie D. I had him at 20-1, next to last. HRP had him at 5-1, third favourite. Why? Not only had the horse never run on grass before, but he hadn’t seen a stakes race in six races. What does HRP know?  Anywayyy… Street Magician’s race was gorgeous: fifth out of the gate, first at the wire by a neck… crackerjack! Got a SRF 102 for the effort.

2nd      Penal Hockey Party             Maxmillion Farm            9-1 HRP 4-1 SRF

Seven-year-old Penal Hockey Party had been running nothing but route races, but I suspected he had been running at such high levels, he might have a shot here, hence the low odds, and shot he had; he came out of the starting gate in a lunge and quickly had a one-length lead and simply got run down by Street Magician at the wire.

3rd       Douda            Spankys Barn        7-1 HRP 4-1 SRF

It wasn’t the distance of the race that got Douda, it was the timing. I was afraid the extra 1 1/2 furlongs would be too long for the speedster, but he played it deep closer coming from eighth at the start to fifth at the top of the stretch but third at the wire a half-length off.

4th      The Mercy                  Waldo            16-1 HRP 10-1 SRF

The Mercy ran his entire career in dirt and in his last race won a turf sprint, mostly on the lead. He came here and ran a stalker’s race closing from sixth to fourth only a half-length back.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES