The Troy – Grade III
SAR Race #7 5 1/2f Turf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.
1 The Grandmaster John Henry Velazquez J R
Well there is no doubting how good this six year old has been over the years, he is one of those great sprinters and got a deserved BC title last year in the BC Turf Sprint. With 14 wins from 36 starts and nearly 2.5K in prize money he is the class of this field and even though he is advancing in years his last two runs say he is as good as ever. Must be a winning chance from this draw.
2 First Sargeant High Voltage Lezcano J
With only 11 starts for 2 wins and only one graded stakes effort it is hard to see on bare form how this one could even be in the same race as The Grandmaster. However this is good old HRP and form isn’t always the way to judge ability, sometimes it comes down to the old improvement curve. The trainer has done very nicely with this one, not overdoing it through his short career but rather letting him find his feet and find the upward motion in his improvement. He has a solid start to the year but really answered the call in the Daytona last time running right to the line to be beaten just a head into second place. Whilst his form is nowhere near The Grandmasters his work times are basically the same so i would be taking his chances very seriously.
3 Invercargill Gdp Inc Franco M
Known more as a router than a sprinter that may be an issue in real life but at HRP it doesn’t seem to make much difference. He is working the same time as the sprinters so that’s clue enough on the trip and he did manage a half length second in the Connaught Cup over seven furlongs. A consistent five year old he is another that has looked a bit improved this year and if they go very fast early he may have the stamina to run over them late.
4 Autumn Blitz Mb Stables Gaffalione T
The winner of five from nine you could have picked this one up in a claimer last year and today here he is contesting his first graded stakes. Of course he is working the same times as a BC Sprint winner which gives us zero idea of how good he is apart from the fact that can be the thing we latch onto if he gets his nose in front. Now having said that he is a very fast horse with lots of scope and a light career so i guess today we will find out whether he can live with this level or not.
5 Purple Star Black N Gold Stable Ortiz I Jr
Went from $7 claimer to stakes placed in a few months so is another that is clearly finding his feet later in life. He had Autumn Blitz well behind in the Umphrey Turf Sprint last time a remarkable effort when you consider he was being beaten in that $7 claimer over the same trip two races ago. The big question i guess is just how steep is that improvement curve and that is a question we will only know the answer to after this race.
6 Mystery Fractious Davis D
This four year old has had a busy career compared to some in this field but he has done pretty well for the most part and guess what? Yes, he is working the same sort of times as everything else. He has only raced once on the turf and that was in a route so you have to take on trust that he can match his best form on dirt in this race but if he does then he would be in the mix.
7 Ghost From The North Maxmillion Farm Carmouche K
He has been on the dirt recently and most of his turf form has been over route trips but wouldn’t you know it his turf sprint work times are the same as everything else ! What a shocker. It is pretty hard to work out his chances here other than the turf king is at the steering wheel and this is a turf race so maybe we need look no further.
8 Flesh Wound Spankys Barn Saez L
A three race winner who is guess what….working the same as everything else LOL. Forgetting work times which seem to be about as useful as a chocolate fireguard this one hasn’t got a stack of form for this but he has been pretty consistent recently and is a solid sprinter. The draw will pose problems and that may be his undoing before any lack of ability. Chances if things go his way but he will need favors from the race engine.
9 One Man Show Maxmillion Farm Cohen D
The second entry from the turf king and this one is a more traditional sprinter. A couple of lengths behind The Grandmaster in the turf Sprint last year and getting weight he shouldn’t be able to turn that form around from the wide draw but he is actually working a bit faster so with luck he may be the biggest threat. He tends to come from the back so the draw may not be such a big problem as long as the race engine doesn’t put him 10 lengths back after a half furlong.
SUMMARY
Well on paper at least this one looks a formality for The Grandmaster. But in the paperless world of HRP that doesn’t mean much so i wouldn’t be staking my house on something that looks this obvious. The whole field is pretty much working the same and the form of the others isn’t much different either so picking anything else is difficult. I suppose Maxmillion Farms two will be dangers just because of who owns them and of course Mb Stables who seems to have got to grips with the new race engine will be in to too.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
