Alexandra Stakes – Grade II [KYO]
1 1/16 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $300.000 Filly 3 Year Olds.

It seems all i write about these days is horses improving from pretty humble beginning to take on BC winners and beat them. Well in this race we didn’t only see a BC winner but we saw the unbeaten horse of the year with 4 straight grade one victories go down to a horse who took 4 goes to win a maiden and only did that with a scramble at the end. I am not knocking the winner, clearly she is an improving filly but i am starting to feel that prior form really has no importance against improvement curves as more and more horses seem to be coming out of the blue.

Maybe its just and old mans ramblings, maybe its the closeness of racing these days that throws up these kinds of form lines but i am finding it harder and harder to take anything but the latest work or the last race as any sort of guideline as to who may win and even then it seems pretty much anything can.

Anyway onto a race that has served up a very nice filly who looks every inch the type that will go on to KYO victory. Here is how they ran:

1st Mercy Smokey Stover Desormeaux K J

Stalking the horse of the year from a wide draw i kept expecting this filly to fade away but she didnt and in the end ran out about as comfortable a winner as you get at HRP on a dry track. Clearly the 1.36 and 3 work was the key here and despite having a good few things against her she won like a very good filly indeed.

2nd How Trait Gdp Inc Bridgmohan S X

Flew from the back for a very good second and must now go down as a leading hope for the KYO. The way she was finishing suggests further will suit and she certainly went in my and a good few other black books with this run.

3rd Rebel Genie Tiratzo Lanerie C J

Another that flew home from the back this was a much better effort than she managed in the Starlet last year and she is clearly moving in the right direction.

4th Winegum Wishes Crocker Ggs Hernandez R M

Beat the horse of the year but came away with a net loss in the race, go figure. He came late with the closers for fourth and will encourage her trainer to have another go at getting into the KYO.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES