Desert Stormer (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
March 25, 2023
There was much to like about the horses that made up the field in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer at SA. They were plenty accomplished over their careers, making you feel that if they were to all run against one another, that it should be for at least double the $100.000 purse that the race offered. We would end up with the competitive race, and in the end it is Threshold who will enjoy the victory with his red hot mare, Terra Command. It is her fourth win in her last five starts and puts her just five bucks shy of $1,000.000 for her career. It’s the first win in the race for both Threshold, and winning rider Ef Hernandez. Congratulations to them! The winning time 1:09.34, which is right in line with past winning times of the race. Let’s take a look at it:
(1/4 Mile- :22.43)- Three horses vie for the early lead, and winning that early battle is First Flight Stable’s That Which Is Seen. We see her running in the middle of these front three, and to her inside is Ace Racing Stable’s Peppermint Angel. In the third lane, and initially looking like she would prevail as the race’s early leader, is Mo Mentum Farm’s Canary For One. The eventual winner, Threshold’s Terra Command did not push for the early lead, but she is within a length of the second and third place horses after a quarter mile, while running in the second lane. Not surprisingly then, the one on her inside is Secrether, the Ekli Stable trained entry who started on the rail. The next three are running side by side by side, and even they are within two lengths of the front. This group would be Sinful By Nature (D J C Racing Stables), Lassitude (TwinTowersRacing), and Juilliard (Mo Mentum Farm). Slckmoment Laga (Night Rider Stables) sees them all in front of her early on.
(1/2 Mile- :45.57, Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- That Which Is Seen continues to lead in the turn, and pulls away by a full length early on in the turn before Terra Command starts closing in. For Threshold’s mare, she was able to hold her position in the second lane comfortably within the turn, without having any obstruction. Approaching the top of the stretch, she took over the second spot and as a hot racehorse coming into this, you had to like where she was at. Secrether was also gaining a little bit while Canary For One tried to hang tough on the outside. Peppermint Angel was unable to keep up, and if anyone further back was going to make a push, it was time to begin!
(Finish- 1:09.34)- That Which Is Seen tries to hang on the best she can, but Terra Command was way too much for her at this point. Once that one got by her, the pacesetter was content to call it a day. Now, the race would be set between Terra Command and Secrether, but only if Terra Command was not able to maintain her stride. And that would not be a problem for this mare, running gamely all the way to wire to score the half length win, and move her hot streak to four wins in five races. Secrether does get second, by a half-length over the Mo Mentum Farm pair of Canary For One, then Julliard. That Which Is Seen is fifth, besting Slckmoment Laga, Sinful By Nature, Peppermint Angel, and Lassitude.
About the Winner- Terra Command, trained by Threshold and ridden to victory by Ef Hernandez, is a six-year-old mare by Lest Ye Command, and is out of El Gran Terra. She was bred in Florida by Night Mare Racing as a first quarter two-year-old and was acquired by Threshold with a $20.000 claim in March 2021, close to two years to the day, from Smokey Stover. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her eleventh in 31 starts, her fourth stake win, and second graded win. Her career earnings are now $995.090.
Track: Fast
Time: :222 :452 :572 1:091
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 2 – 1 Paid 39.80
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 1 – 8 Paid 115.80
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
