The Pan American – Grade II
GP Race #11 1 1/2m InTurf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

1 Micheal Sobaz D J C Racing Stables Pennington F 124 —

The trainer is having a run of great form and when you are in that sort of streak as a trainer anything can look possible, so why not try a grade two with a horse whose last win came in a little race at LAD. As always at HRP we have a horse that can’t win an allowance at HOU working pretty much the same times as grade one stakes winners so why not have a go in these days of rather incoherent form. In truth this isn’t a bad sort and on a busy weekend this race isn’t packed to the rafters with superstars, but at the end of the day, can he win on what we have seen so far, no, will he win? Well, these days it is hard to know.

2 Tolerance Winning Link Stables Gaffalione T 124 —

Another working like a grade one winner and running like a run of the mill overnighter. Worth a crack and gets a good draw for his entry fee and very much like the horse inside him is a decent enough sort. The questions remain the same, can he win on form, no, will he win, well you can never say no these days.

3 The Hook Fractious Centeno D E 124 —

He has always run like he needs this sort of trip and unless the gaming buttons are clicked, he is woefully slow through the first part of a race. These longer distance races are either won by a front runner or by a deep closer and this one will have plenty of time to play catch up should he run his normal closing style today. His run in the Canadian Turf was a great dress rehearsal for this and the trainer who has worked his magic here with an ex-claimer would be hopeful of his chances.

4 Grand Opening Riggins Racing Husbands P 124 —

On recent form alone this one is clearly top of the pile and that is the only thing we can go on these days as his works are pretty much the same as everything else. The winner of the WO Mile last year and then a close fourth in the BC Mile he opened his account this year with a brilliant run in the stacked Pegasus World Turf Cup running a strong second. He had Killer Instinct about a length behind him that day and that one may well start favorite for this, so his chances are pretty obvious. I guess the trip may be the only real question mark, but I can see him settling up on the speed and proving too much for most, if not all of his rivals.

5 Prince Ferro Maxmillion Farm Jaramillo E 124 —

The turf king brings this improving five-year-old here off a fairly light campaign in recent times. Second in the HOL Turf Cup last year he hasn’t often taken the trip into this grade but proved that day that he is more than capable. Proven at this trip he is my dark horse here and will be carrying a couple of my Disney Dollars if the odds monkeys miss him.

6 Zakouski One Smokey Stover Rodriguez Jam 124 —

After a solid three-year-old season saw him win the Breeders Stakes over this trip he returned as a four-year-old with a great effort in the Connolly BC Turf when making all and just getting beaten in the last half furlong. This race has all the trainers we expect to see in graded races and this one certainly comes here with every chance and being lightly raced and still only four is entitled to be on the up.

7 Killer Instinct Mb Stables Prat F 124 —

The probable favorite not only because he is owned by Mb Stables but carries some good form for a race like this. The winner of 8 he very nearly won the BC Turf last year going down by a neck in the end and as a winner of the KY Turf Cup over this trip you don’t have to look far into his form to put him at the top of this pile. Whether it was a click of the gaming button or just a race engine anomaly he turned into a closer in the Pegasus World Turf Cup last time and it didn’t work out very well, so I expect the trainer to go back to his old instructions or the race engine to perform better today and see him close up throughout.

8 Martinez Royalty Stables Elliott S 124 —

He was a very good three-year-old winning the SAR Derby and finishing close up in the BEL Derby, so this seems a natural progression as he turns into a four-year-old. I am a bit worried about his effort in the BC Turf and more recently the McKnight, but this is probably down to his closing style which can produce some odd results. I am not sure the trainer has too many options other than watching him go all the way back today and hoping the pace or the race engine is kind to him, but I would be interested to see the gaming buttons come into play here.

9 Wayward Prince Angelos Stable Gallardo A A 124 —

Not out of this at all despite being drawn wide as it does give the trainer some options. Use the wide gate speed push and go for the front or come from off the pace as is his usual style, either way he is a good sort who likes these long trips. On form for sure he has a bit to find with a couple of these but there is no doubt that on his day there are scenario’s here that see him winning.

SUMMARY

These 12-furlong races can sometimes turn into a never changing procession with the front pair going to the line whilst everything else tries to make up ten lengths in the last furlong. It will be tactical for sure and because of that it is hard to settle on a first choice. The obvious and probably safest bet would be Killer Instinct with Grand Opening chasing him home, but I think this may be a race to check out the odds beforehand and take big odds if they are on offer for anything outside the two inside draws.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES