The Bed O Roses Handicap, Purse $150, Grade 3, 7 Furlongs, Dirt for Fillies and Mares 4+
This is a nice Grade 3 longer sprint race for older fillies and mares that has some nice talent in the race. There are some nice former graded stakes winning horses that are lined up to do battle. Let’s take a look at the field:
1-Hieratic (Night Rider Stables)- Comes into the race winning 7 of 15 career starts with 5 of those wins coming on the turf. She was a participant in last years BC filly and mare sprint and has also won a Grade 2 race and is Grade 1 placed. She won her first start of 2015 going down the hill on the turf at SA in a state bred ungraded stakes, and has started three times since with the best result being a second at Kee in April at todays distance. The last race was a clunker for her, but I don’t think that is a sign of things to come, and was just a fluke. I look at her to have some sort of a say so at the end of this race.
2-Secret Sector (Hawaiian Shirt Guy)- Has won 7 out of 20 career starts with the most recent win coming in February 2015 in an allowance race going long on the dirt. In a deeper look at her stats 5 out of her 7 wins have come going long on the dirt. In order to find a win sprinting you have to go back to the horses second and third lifetime starts. Her recent 5 and 6 furlong public works shows that she may have enough speed to be successful at sprinting. If the pace goes crazy early on this one will have a look to run them down at the end.
3-T S Devil (Triple K)- Comes into the race on a 2 race win streak with the most recent win being a victory in the Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes at WO in May 2015. That win was going 6.5 furlongs and the horse was pulling away at the end so the extra half furlong shouldn’t bother her at all. She appeared to come out of that victory with some nice 6 furlong dirt works that show that she should be up for the challenge in this race. This is another horse that you have to look at to be there right in the end.
4-Clutch Situation (D J C Racing Stables)- This horse has won 8 of 15 races and the most impressive thing is that all eight of those wins were in a row. 3 of those wins also came in ungraded stakes races on the dirt including one at today’s distance. The bad with this horse is that she has not won in her last 4 starts which have all been this year, albeit 3 of the 4 have been in graded stakes races. The horse has been working well in the mornings coming into the race, can she turn her recent form back into the start of a new win streak? We will find out on Saturday.
5-Smoocher (MB Stables) Has won 2 of the last 3 races with a 2nd place finish. The 2 wins came in allowance races and the 2nd place finish was a nice run in the Grade 3 Hendrie stakes. Smoocher is going to try and turn the table on TS Devil who won that race. Since that race Smoocher has been working well and is showing me that she is ready to roll in this race. The question is has she improved enough from the last race to turn the table on TS Devil? We will find out this weekend. But the small weight break she gets from TS Devil should help.
6-Don’t Stop (Spankys Barn)-Is riding a 3 race win streak entering this race……but they have all been on the turf. In fact 10 of the 13 wins by this horse have been on the turf. Owner Spankys Barn must have really liked the 7f dirt work from her in May of 2105 and decided to give her a shot back on the dirt. She is also stepping up in class as her most recent races were in allowance races and ungraded stakes. Can she successfully transfer back to dirt and claim a graded stakes win? This is a good field but she may have a shot.
7-Sonoma (Alabarda Stable)-Has won half of her career starts winning 8 out of 16. The last time this horse was sprinting was April of 2014 and she won in an allowance race. Since that time she has won 3 stakes races with 2 of them being graded stakes races all going long on the dirt. The bullet work on May 15th going 6 furlongs on dirt has to by why Sonoma is being shortened up to the sprint distance today. She has some class but can she carry it back to the shorter distance….we will find out on Saturday.
I am looking forward to this year’s edition of the Bed O Roses Handicap. There are some nice horses lined up sprinting on the dirt and there could be a BC Filly and Mare participant or 2 that come from this race. Here is my prediction. 5-4-3-1
Warbucks
Categories: Grade III
