MTH Cup – Grade III
MTH Race #3 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $400.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward.

1 Figured The Storm Arindel Jaramillo E

We enter into that time of year when the four year olds get a boost but unfortunately so do the three year olds so it is important to find a four year old that has been beating both the three year olds and the older horses and this is exactly the type. Really consistent he had dabbled in stakes races but was just a bit behind for his first two seasons of racing and instead made his mark on the overnight circuits winning a variety of races from claimers to Allowances. This year he certainly started climbing his improvement curve from that good base and in his last start won the Salvator Mile on this track. He certainly needs to improve again but gets a good draw and his works are going in the right direction so is certainly one of the main contenders.

2 Eclipse My Knowledge Nakamura Stables Murrill M

These grade three’s without weight penalties certainly tend to attract plenty of top horses and this 13 race winner of nearly 2K certainly falls into that bracket. A seven year old now he has shown he hasn’t lost his zest for racing in winning the OP Mile back in April and most recently finishing a nose second in the grade two Eclipse. His speed figures and form says he looks to be a winning chance from this perfect draw.

3 Party Wagon Martyparty Franco M

The three year olds get 5Lbs here and we all know that 5Lbs at HRP can turn a claimer into a grade one winner so their chances have to be taken very seriously. A good second in the Winn last time his works are on a par with the best in this field and the 5Lbs is a huge advantage. Second or third best on form the weight allowance makes him a very attractive betting proposition and a winning chance. As a side note it will be very interesting to see how he and the other three’s go in this race because last year we saw a shift to the older horses but this year the crunch races are happening now so we will find out a lot more about where we stand in the run up to the BC. Will it be back to business as usual or will we see the older horses holding their own again?

4 Napa Mo Mentum Farm Gaffalione T

Another stakes winning three year old but a very different one to the horse inside him. A winner of five from ten it is interesting that he has a 0 from 3 record in routes and yet the owner has still chose to come here. On performance to date i can’t see him having the stamina to beat this level of horses but he must have shown the trainer something to be here and it will be interesting to see how he runs.

5 Penalty Shot Maxmillion Farm Velazquez J R

Another four year old who looks to be on the improve he ran in the BC Dirt Mile last year so has already performed at this level. He ran a cracker in the Alysheba last time beaten a nose so is in good form and recent works say that he is ready for a big run. My only question about him comes in his 50% record in finishing second, that either means he is consistent and tough or a bit of a bridesmaid and i guess today we will find out which with no real excuses from the draw or the trip.

6 Crimson Dragon TwinTowersRacing Gonzalez Ru

Another four year old and this one from teh stable that knows how to get horses to perform on the day. He ended last year on a bit of a high and started this year with a promising and close fourth in the Razorback Handicap but has gone off the boil since and looks to get his mojo back today. There are some excuses, two off tracks and a 12 furlong trip last time that may have stretched his stamina may have contributed to his rather average efforts and i do rather like his recent work suggesting there is better to come. An outsider but a lively one.

7 Fifty Lucky D J C Racing Stables Saez L

A three year old that was recently gelded he represents the dark horse in the race. He was looking pretty promising as a two year old but has been largely disappointing as a three year old leading to the gelding operation recently which saw a decent win in allowance company last time. His works do not suggest massive improvement but if this is a funnily run race and he can work with the outside gate then he may just pop into the top three at big odds.

8 Boardwalk Nakamura Stables Wilson E J

it s hard to call the grade one winner the stable second string but this five year old is struggling to recapture the form that saw him win the Cigar Mile Handicap and he gets a tough draw to beat his accomplished stable mate. Having said all that he is a consistent sort and no doubt has plenty of ability and his works suggest he is right in this so the stable will be hoping for a one two here.

SUMMARY

An interesting race on a few fronts. Firstly there are some decent three year olds here, not as good as the olders but lets see how they fare against them to work out how the big races and the BC may turn out with the weight allowances. The best of the three’s may be Party Wagon so going with recent history he may be the one here but Figured The Storm and Eclipse My Knowledge are both better horses with decent draws so lets see how it turns out.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES