08/17 The Alabama – Grade I
SAR Race #8 1 1/4m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $600.000 For Fillies Three Years Old.
1 Google Command Team 7 Illusions Carmouche K
This nicely bred filly had only won a maiden and an allowance when she was bought for $350.000 a few weeks back. That price looked like it was based on breeding potential and that certainly looked the case when she trailed in a pretty poor sixth in her first attempt at black type last time out. i cant see any miracle changes on the horizon although she did work a sub 1.37 mile a while back. She’s a good sort but needs to prove herself today a bit more than that.
2 Ishtar Viking Nakamura Stables Cancel E
Won a maiden claimer in her only win on turf but has improved a lot since then winning the ONT Matron last time by a game nose on a dirt track. Her SRF numbers look a bit crazy when you consider that last win against her previous form so she may have gone through the magic rainbow that can suddenly improve HRP horses . Could well win but its hard to say that with any confidence on the basis of one run.
3 Red Lucy The Sidley Stud Ortiz I Jr
She has been competing at a decent level all year and has been consistent. Her win came in the Allaire Distaff Stakes where she only beat one other three year old but did win well enough albeit against the older horses. She did very well when fourth in both the Golden Rod and the Alexander and those efforts certainly put her in the mix for this. Her late running style will be suited by this good gate if circumstances allow her to run her race.
4 Totally Baroque Fractious Wilson E J
Bought by Mb Stables for just $30.000 she went on to win a maiden and then the grade two Gazelle for that owner in a remarkable display of improvement. Mb Stables then got an offer big enough to let her go and Fractious bought her for $400.000 for a go at the KYO. She ran a huge race in that prestigious race finishing second on a very testing track and at that stage with only four lifetime starts looked pretty cheap even at $400.000. In her next start she took on the Acorn and after getting back from a bad draw flew home for second beaten under a length behind Cannolo who to be fair wasnt drawn any better. In her last start she was pretty average in the Mother Goose but it pays to be lenient with HRP form and she should be allowed one effort like that if only because its hard to run two races the same here. The worry of course is that some dazzling efforts have left her jaded but she gets a great draw to get back to her best today.
5 Book Of Aggravation Estero Farms Lanerie C J
Since her allowance win in the mud at the start of the year this filly has always been competitive and has been full of potential winning just one more but running some great race in between. That win came in the Black Eyed Susan from her usual wide draw and she was certainly due some luck after a string of wide draws made it very hard for her to string her results together. She ran a good third in the Mother Goose last time again from a worse than central draw but today she finally gets a chance to shine from a fair draw at last. If things click she could be hard to beat.
6 Elegant Mb Stables Sanchez M J
This filly has been improving all year if you ignore a poor run on an off track and capped off a lovely form line with a strong win in the CCA Oaks last time beating Cannolo. She seems to like being up on the speed and that may be more difficult from this draw and in a bigger field but of she gets some luck and a fair pace she will be the one they have to beat on a dry track.
7 Deliberate Miss Mb Stables Beschizza A
The stable companion to the probable favorite she has some good form in her own right but also suffers from wet trackitus but in true HRP inconsistency, it seems not all the time. After a good win in the SUN oaks she was terrible on an off track in the KYO but then made all to win in a similar time in the AP Matron on an off track next time out. Make of that what you will, positioning, early pace or just the player hitting the buttons quicker when she ran. Whatever it was that Matron win was much more like the filly we know and she backed that up with a close second in the Iowa Oaks last time out. Another that seems to like being on the speed it will be interesting to see how the stable plays the tactics with these two.
8 Sweet Sauce Rampage Stable Rosario J
Behind Deliberate Miss in the SUN Oaks she has ony won a maiden and an allowance and whilst she looks a nice sort this may be one of those hail mary entries.
9 Cannolo D J C Racing Stables Contreras L
This horse has actually run some of her best races from a wide draw, whether its because she likes it for some reason or she is just good enough to overcome it we will know today. Close up in the Ashland and the KYO when fourth she was a mighty impressive winner of the Acorn next out from a rotten draw and i thought she may do the same again when drawn wide in the CCA oaks last time. Going up on the speed she dueled with Elegant the whole trip going down by a small enough margin to make them pretty much equal favorites today. I think this filly may benefit from being taken a little further back today as there seems to be a few on pace runners and being drawn so wide she may find it tough to find a good position near the speed.
10 Z Command Smokey Stover Alvarado J.
The form spiders web between Cannolo, Elegant and this one should mean something but alas i doubt it does. Bought recently for a hefty $575.000 she looks held on her form in the Acorn and the Ashland but was very strong in the IND oaks last time from a good draw and may be ready to turn the form book upside down if her trainer can get some luck with the race engine today.
11 High On Haggis Winning Link Stables Lezcano J
This one has had a good run of nice draws and capitalized on that with a great win in the Mothers Goose last time. She has come a long way from her optional claimer win just 5 months ago but this draw may halt her progress today. She will be wanting a midpack position and sometimes it can happen that they can travel wide and midpack off a strong pace and still win but she will have to have improved again to do that.
12 Harsh Mistress Team 7 Illusions Van Dyke D
It wouldnt be a stakes race without a Cherokee Sunset offspring in the field but this one isnt one of the best and faces a very tough test from this nasty draw.
13 Blue Caviar Waldo Lermyte J
There isn’t much between this one and the best in the race and with any draw but 13 I would’ve been confident about this one upsetting some apple carts. Of course she still may but the odds are against that from out here in the car park draw. Only beaten a length in the KYO when sixth and third in the CCA oaks last time not more than a length behind Elegant and Cannolo she is a very good filly but she will need things to go her way today to get into the winners enclosure.
SUMMARY
A great field of fillies here and on recent form it should be Elegant that comes out on top. There are a queue of fillies within a length of her though and with the way the form seems to go here at HRP any of them could win today with some luck in running. If you are looking for a trifecta box her up with Blue Caviar, Cannolo and Z Command and you wont be far out.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
