BC Juvenile Turf Sprint – Grade II
SA Race #8 5f InTurf Graded Stake
Purse $1,000.000 For Two Year Olds.
1 Kimura Mb Stables Velazquez J
Form: 121
Breeding: Most of the sires best have been routers but one of his early success’s was Sweep The Event who was a successful sprinter running well enough in the Bc Sprint. On the mares side of her 4 foals High Five Oh is a good enough sprinter as is her other winning foal in Mobeetie. So more than enough speed in her pedigree although she isnt classically bred.
Form: Bought for just $8.000 he certainly isnt one of the trainers normal purchases but since the breeding limits were put in place Mb Stables has been buying pretty much any two year old with a pulse so its not surprising that one came up good. A good winner on debut he took on a couple of ungraded stakes in his next two just being touched off in the Tyro Stakes and then winning the Ontario Racing Stakes in a better time. A real speedy type who is improving with racing he should use this draw to get a nice run and i would fully expect him to be there at the end.
2 Grandstand Jockey Night Rider Stables Lopez P
Form: 0121
Breeding: His sire Aggravation, a son of Commanding was better known as a router finishing fourth in the BC Mile as a three year old. His list of offspring includes BC Classic hopeful Admiration but a look of some of his other fringe foals includes a few with speed including the BEL Turf Sprint winner Starling. The mare, Bronzed Bombshell was more of a sprinter even though she was by Bronze Sabre but she has yet to produce anything much with this being her most successful foal so far.
Form: An easy winner of a maiden claimer second up he won the Speakeasy Stakes over this course and distance in his last start showing plenty of speed and i am sure he will use this perfect draw to his advantage today. This race is going to be a cavalry charge and a good start will be essential and if things go his way he could be involved at the end.
3 Embark Mb Stables Gutierrez
Form: 1100
Breeding: By the Preakness winner Indistinguishable she is the first of his first crop that is showing speed with his other two BC bound offspring being better over longer trips. Her mare, Talent Quest was also a dirt router although she did show speed as a two year old and has some speed showing in her 9 foals so far.
Form: Scrambled home in her first two races winning by a nose and a head but the second of those was The Bolton Landing Stakes over five and a half furlongs. She ran fifth in the Matron last time beaten just a length which was a good effort. She gets another cracking draw today, what a lucky filly she has been, but i do worry that they may run her off her feet early on and she may find it hard to come into it down the stretch. Certainly has a chance but she will need to get a good start to be in it.
4 Argumentative La Canada Racehorses Beschizza A
Form: 0111
Breeding: Her sire Brutal was a good sprinter and has had a good start to his career in the shed producing the likes of Brittle and Awaiting as well as this successful filly. Her mare has had more success in the paddock than she did on the track and many of her better offspring have shown speed rather than stamina so that is a big plus.
Form: Won a maiden claimer second up and was claimed for twenty dollars by her current owner. Straight after that win on the dirt she was put to grass and took the Colleen Stakes by a neck before following up with an allowance win by a head. There are a lot of plus’s in her pedigree and her form and she gets a nice draw to work with as well as the same jockey that rode her to black type success in the past. Again if things go her way and the gaps open up she will be a danger with her fillies allowance over the boys.
5 Big City Kitty Our Athletes Ortiz I Jr
Form: 30212
Breeding: Her sire Growl did nothing on the track but has had success in the shed producing some fair sprinters although nothing that has had huge success in stakes races. Her dam was also pretty useless on the track and this is her best foal yet although she does look to have a speed influence too.
Form: She took a while to break maidens but did so pretty impressively in a statebred at SAR and then followed that up with a massive effort in the Matron where she very nearly made all to win. Just touched off in the end she was beaten a neck but considering the speed she had to go early on from her wide draw she did very well to last that long in front. A much better draw today see’s her with a big chance and she is working very well too and she would be among the favorites in this very tight race.
6 Onion Ring Northern Acre Stable Centeno D
Form: 02132
Breeding: His sire King Farlow was a consistent sort but at a claiming level and has only produced 4 foals none of which apart from this one has shown anything. The dam too was a claimer but equally consistent but she too has yet to produce anything better than this one. As far as breeding goes this one is a gold coin in a pile of pennies.
Form: Considering the breeding and his first three races it is a surprise to see him in the field today. However in his last two when switched to turf he has done a complete about turn and very nearly won the grade three Futurity last time out. That race was over six furlongs and he was pwoering home so he may find it hard to stay up with them early on but he certainly looks like he will be coming hard at the end. His works are a tad off the best of them which again makes me worry over this trip but with a jockey that knows him and a decent draw a win is entirely possible.
7 Czechoslovakia Nj Vets Carmouche K
Form: 01010
Breeding: The sire Doctor Nemisis was pretty poor on the track but has produced some nice ones since retiring. One of his sons, Sacred Brave won the Queens Plate in 2018 and another, Homme de Guerre won the DMR Derby last time out. There definitely seems to be a routing influence from the sire where as the dam did nothing on the track and little so far in the shed so its hard to see if there is any speed there apart from this one.
Form: A bit of a chequered career so far he won his maiden on dirt but then performed so badly in the Sanford that he was switched to turf straight after that. He looked very good in The Skidmore, his first run on turf, winning by a handy length and on the strength of that run alone was bought for an expensive looking $350.000. His new owner then went to the Pilgrim where he ended up sixth but was making up ground at the end and went into a black book or two for his effort. Back to sprinting today he has been coming from off the pace and will need plenty of luck if he is going to do that today although his very fast works suggest he has the pace if he can get the start.
8 Dawning Drei Oquinn Farm Bejarano R
Form: 212121
Breeding: The sire Dawning didnt do much before an early retirement but has been quite promising in the shed so far although it is early days for him. There is certainly some pace from the sire but the dam too was better known for sprinting on the track although she hasnt produced anything of note so far apart from this one.
Form: A model of consistency on either surface he is certainly one of the most accomplished in the field even if he isnt the fastest worker. He won a little maiden with ease second up and then went onto win the Clarendon Stakes on the dirt before being switched to turf. His first effort on grass saw him second to Kimura in the Ontario Racing Stakes and then he improved on that effort with some moisture in the ground in the Indian Summer winning by just under a length. The draw isnt great but Bejarano should be good enough to help with that and he should be in the mix.
9 Holy Grass Estero Farms Tunon M
Form: 321
Breeding: His sire Local Hero, a son of Niagra certainly had a stamina influence on the track and apart from this one the best of his first crop look to have some stamina too. It looks like this one gets the speed from her dam who was a sprint stakes winner and also close up in the grade one Test.
Form: There arent many maidens that win graded stakes but this filly achieved that when she too the grade three Matron by a neck last time out. That win after two narrow maiden defeats caused Estero Farms to shell out $275 to bring her to the BC and although that seems steep enough it looks a better price than Czechoslovakia was at $350.000. My big fear for her is that she raced from the desirable two gate that day but goes from gate nine today and as we have seen many times the draw can completely change a result at HRP. Not a bad sort but she will need to improve again to take this one.
10 Inflation Jokerjoes Prat F
Form: 311
Breeding: Another by Dawning she is another great advert for the first season sire. Her dam had some speed but it was a the lowest level on the track and with this as her only foal so far its hard to get a line on the breeding front beyond her sire.
Form: The form figures sure look pretty for this one but i do worry that this five furlongs and a wide draw may see him getting too far back to make up ground late. He won his maiden over a mile and was then bought for just $60 which looked a bargain when he flew late to capture the grade three Futrity next time out. Just a look at his races so far spell out his biggest problem here which will be a poor start may see him stuck too far back to make a winning run. He has the ability of his trainer, jockey and the race engine can wangle him a spot to win from.
11 Assertive Mb Stables Maldonado
Form: 311
Breeding: By All Out Blitz a son of Commanding he was campaigned early as a TC hope but when he failed he found success in turf sprints winning the Play The King before a fair effort in the BC Turf sprint. His foals so far have been fair but this one is probably one of the more accomplished and its clear he gets some speed from his father. There’s not much on the dams side to go by.
Form: Close up on debut she won her maiden second up over this trip. She qualified for this in her third and last start when taking the WO Cares Stakes by a comfortable length but that was a small field and doesnt tell us much about her chances here. She certainly has speed but this wide draw will test her and i would be more comfortable tipping the chances of her two stable mates.
12 Cheviots The Sidley Stud Talamo J
Form: 100110
Breeding: By the great Ginger Haggis its clear there isnt much turf speed on that side and to be honest there are no clues through his dam either who did nothing on the track and has only had 3 foals with this one being the only winner.
Form: Another with roller coaster form he started off nicely with a win on debut way back in April but as usually happens with debut winners he took a while to get back to winning ways. That came when switched to turf in a little allowance at LAD but he stepped up on that to take the Proud Man next up over seven and a half furlongs. He failed from a wide draw in the Pilgrim last time which maybe why he finds himself in this race but i do worry that the five furlongs will be too short for him. The trainer knows how to win big races but they may need to pull some magic out of the hat for this one.
13 Crescent All Age Night Rider Stables Jaramillo E
Form: 120100
Breeding: By Copper Beast who was a good router on the dirt but surprisingly he looks to be throwing some speed into his foals with the good sprinter Sizzla Kalonji and this one in his first crop. The dam did nothing on the track and hasnt shown any turf sprint influence yet either so on breeding you would have to say this trip is not ideal for Crescent All Age.
Form: Another that won on debut and then struggled a little. He next win came fourth up in the Soaring Free Stakes where he made all to win by a half length but he has failed since being stepped up to graded company in his next two. His last effort in the Futurity wasnt too bad when forced to make the running frm his wide draw he was still in front at this trip before weakening into seventh. I guess the wide gate speed push will put him up there again today and he will need some luck to get across without expending too much energy. Not a forlorn hope but has an uphill struggle.
14 Ullswater The Sidley Stud Hernandez
Form: 211214
Breeding: The sire is now a ten year old and has just the one star to his name, that being the great Ginger Haggis. Thats a pretty big name to have on your list and whilst he has generally struggled to get another one like him he does have some fair types and is not a complete flash in the pan. The dam didnt do too much on the track but has produced a couple of good ones although its hard to find a speed influence.
Form: The trainer didnt have much luck with the draw monster in this race and gets the car park with this filly who would have been a chance from an inside draw. Consistent form figures do look more stamina influenced with a good fourth in the Miss Grillo last time out suggesting that this trip on this track from this draw may be too much to ask. She certainly has the ability to run well but will need some help from the race engine fairies.
SUMMARY
As usual with so few sprint races to qualify them for this race we are looking at a tough field to pick an outstanding horse from. The filly’s normally do well with the weight allowance but the way HRP seems to favor colts it doesnt really have the influence it has on age based weight allowance. The draw will be huge over this trip so its tempting to stick to the inside few when looking for a winner and with that in mind Kimura looks a good pick. Outside that i dont mind Argumentative and Big City Kitty to get in on the action. Of the wider drawn horses Inflation may be suited by a fast early pace but will have to make up plenty at the end and Dawning Drei and Holy Grass may be able to get into it.
Categories: BC 2018-20, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
