The Gamely Stakes – Grade I
SA Race #4 1 1/8m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Sweetness High Voltage Van Dyke D
Just the three three year olds in this race as they only get three pounds in the weight for age scale. Up against some of the best older turf routers 3Lbs shouldn’t be enough but inevitably at HRP it is so we have to try and figure out who will win the race of the three’s before we work out the winner of this race. This filly is a very nice sort with stakes winning form and running from the same gate that she won the CAC Oaks from there is no good reason why it couldn’t be her. This trip certainly suits as her last win in the Providencia Stakes came on this course and distance and with the weights her 1.46 winning time gives her the edge over her older rivals. She was only just behind Pirate Petronella last time in the Edgewood and with this good draw the two of them will be very close again.
2 Rules Are Madness Angelos Stable Court J K
It feels wrong to write off ay of these great older fillies just because of three pounds but that is the reality we play by. This four year old does have a great draw which will certainly help and won the Hillsborough in 1.45 and 4 over this trip so should be very competitive. She runs mostly as a stalker when the engine allows it and that too could be an advantage from this gate and if the pace isn’t too strong.
3 Hopewell Tradition Team 7 Illusions Bejarano R
She has always promised a lot but doesn’t always deliver but her last three starts have seen terrible draws which wont have helped her form lines. Going back to the last time she had a half decent draw she finished second in the grade one Taylor and before that had won the Canadian over this trip in 1.45 and 2 and carries just 4Lbs more today. If she is on song she has the right draw to cause a little bit of an upset.
4 Trippi Tip Toe Estero Farms Tunon M
The winner of the Taylor last year she went on to finish a neck second in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, that was all as a three year old though and now she finds the shoe on the other hoof as she takes on the three year olds for the first time. She hasn’t slipped much from that great success she had last year as she proved with a dead heat win in the Santa Ana Stakes last time so hopefully she can continue here and deal a defeat to the three year olds.
5 Shes A Native Mb Stables Garcia Mar
The second of the three year olds she is working close enough to the best older horses for the three pounds to make enough of a difference to give her a big chance. The winner of her last three including the grade three Senorita Stakes last time she is in good form even if it is nowhere near the form of her older rivals.
6 Credit The Cat Nakamura Stables Cedillo A
This tough six year old snuck in a lifetime best performance last time to win the grade one Wiley, form that is good enough to see her following up here. I would be all over her if Nakamura Stables was in the same form they were in a few weeks a go but it seems their golden spell has dried up at the moment and sometimes that s enough for a horse to run below par. A great older filly who is as tough as nails i would be surprised if she didn’t get in at the finish.
7 Pirate Petranella Diablo Diablo Davis D
The last of the three year olds she may be the best too. The brilliant winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf last year from a terrible gate she would be a show in on that but hasn’t been so dominant so far this year. A battling third in the Edgewood last time proved she was coming back and it would be no surprise today to see her in the winners circle.
8 Wolfslayer Maxmillion Farm Gutierrez Mario
As we get out to the cheaper seats we have to look at whether a horse is suited bya wide gate or not and this one proved she is up to it by taking the grade one Apple Blossom Handicap from the same gate she has today. The problem with these grade one handicaps though is the huge difference a little bit pf weight can make and this filly was off 117 that day so may find things a lot harder with 124 today. Switching to turf may be a genius move by the turf king but we wont know that till after the race.
9 Fomalhaut John Henry Gaffalione T
A real honest six year old who has amassed over 1K in purse winnings she retains plenty of ability but i just wonder whether she is up to this level from this sticky draw. The winner of the Fox the time before last she was brave in defeat in the Royal Heroine Stakes last time but i just don’t think that form measures up to the best of these.
10 Low Key Desires Aer Stables Bridgmohan S X
She was brought along pretty steadily last year and it took her to fairly late in the year to start showing her best form. She has started this year off well enough winning the Suwanee River over this trip in February but she struggled with the wide draw in the Santa Ana last time and has before so she will need a bit of luck from this nasty gate.
11 High Ended Fractious Beschizza A
This filly is a bit of a late bloomer and has done well since changing hands last summer. She won the Buena Vista very impressively on soft ground back in February and ran very well from a wide gate in the Wiley last time when a close fourth. She is not out of it and proved she can work with a wide draw but i think her biggest chance of winning may come with some precipitation.
12 Grand Dragonville Smokey Stover Velazquez J R
This filly could be one of the best in the field if she runs her best race and proved in the grade one Flower Bowl last year that she can handle a wide draw. She dead heated with Tripi Tip Toe in the Santa Ana Stakes last time but had a better draw that day so may struggle to confirm that run. If the pace is strong and the race engine allows her to go back i can see her coming on the scene late and wide.
SUMMARY
This is a great race filled with talent and though the three year olds in the race only get 3 pounds they are all good enough to compete with these classy older fillies and mares. Its hard to pick a stand out here as you can make a pretty strong case for any of them but Pirate Petronella and Shes A Native look the best of the three’s and i suspect Trippi Tip Toe may do well from her decent draw.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
