The Man o War – Grade I
1 3/8 Mile Inner Turf Stake Purse $700.000 Open 4 Year Olds And Up.
1st Techfluence The Sidley Stud Husbands P
Could this be the year that this great horse finally lasts through to the BC or will it be just another year when the three year olds dominate all the stakes racing from now on? Lets hope that this six year old who is by a stallion that has a record as good as any of those ‘stylish’ stallions can finally get that elusive BC win which he so thoroughly deserves. Drawn perfectly for his running style he stalked the leaders as usual and strode away for a win that never really looked in doubt. Is he better this year than he has been in previous years? Well the signals are pretty good and it would take a brave man to bet against him going forward.
2nd The Joker D J C Racing Stables Bejarano R
I said in the preview for this race that this horse has always had a touch of class but his form has been so bad that his trainer must be pulling their hair out. Well today for no particular reason he ran right up to his best keeping on strongly for second, his best race for almost a year. I have no idea why he ran so much better today, it may have been the draw, it may have been a touch of inspiration from his trainer or it may just be something beyond anyones control. Whatever it was it seems this former grade one winner is back and i would think his trainer will now be thinking of a repeat win in the Manhattan which was the last race he won.
3rd Call Me Spanish Maxmillion Farm Gutierrez Mario
When this one started to pick up from mid pack i thought here we go, the magic man has pulled another turf grade one win out of the bag but in the end he just couldnt catch the first two and ended up whacking away for third. This was a good effort, after all he beat the BC Turf winner from last year and i suspect that there will be a big race in him before the end of the year.
4th Early Retirement Mb Stables Colon L H
Last time out and drawn one this horse went to the lead and won the San Luis Rey by an easy length and was never headed. This time, drawn nine, he went to the back and ran on too late. Was this the HRP race engine doing its thing or was it two vastly different tactics from the champion trainer? I guess we will never truly know the answer to that but it remains that the easiest winner of the BC Turf i have seen in a while toiled out the back only to make ground late into a never dangerous fourth. He has been known to throw a clunker before so i wouldnt be too worried about this run and of course if the draws were reversed we would probably see a different result. I dont think he will be copying his name just yet.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
