Penny Memorial Stakes – Grade III
PRX Race #2 1 1/16m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $200.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Natasha Badenough TwinTowersRacing Prat F
The three year olds gets a useful looking 5 Lbs here so that brings this winner of three races into it even though she has not been near a race of this class in her eight race career. Her three wins have come at FL, TAM and TUP so it is hard to see how she can turn that into stakes winning form but this trainer knows a thing or two about winning when it is least expected and i wouldn’t be writing her off. Her works are better than her form and i wonder with this inside draw whether she may try and make all and use the weight advantage to its maximum.
2 Hawaii County Mb Stables Pennington F
The winner of the grade one QE II last year and a winner of her last two by a combined 8 lengths she looks very well in here at grade three level. The trainer will love the fact that they have a decent draw at last and she looks to me like she is ready to make her move back into the top grade.
3 Classic Princess Maxmillion Farm Laprida J
It never pays to write off anything from the turf king when they are on the grass and this one certainly has the credentials to run a big race. The winner of the grade one Taylor last year she is certainly well treated at grade three level but there are few others that fall into that catagorey and she may just find this trip a shade short of her best.
4 Pure Motor Night Rider Stables Gomez J A
An eleven race winner she has been effective over five furlongs right up to this trip and certainly this year looks to have stepped up to a competitive black type runner who may just be under the radar. This is a tough grade three however and though she was under a length back in the grade one Wiley recently i do feel she has a bit to find with one or two in this race.
5 Ihaveasecret Nakamura Stables Hiraldo J
Only just touched off in the grade one American Oaks last year she has found it harder as a four year old but may have just clicked up on the improvement curve as most four year olds do at this time of year. Her recent works tell us that she may just be ready for a big race here.
6 Control It Bigchief Stables Adorno A
Just five races for two wins it is hard to imagine her coping with some of the big names here but with the three year old allowance we have learned that those sorts of things happen all too often so we must take her chances seriously. She did pretty well in her first stakes race in the OB Distaff last time but will have to take a big leap to match the older horses here.
7 Crabby D J C Racing Stables Carmouche K
I think we can safely say this one REALLY hates the wet but outside her poor runs in the rain she is an OK sort who looks dangerous with the weight advantage on her work times. Like all the three year olds she shouldn’t get near some of the established older horses in this race but we all know the weight allowance can be like jet propulsion at times.
8 Hallowed Halls Rock Creek Wolfsont A
A solid type but it has been a while since she has performed at this level and she gets no favors from the draw monster in this race. If the pace goes mad then she could be coming late with her customary powerful finish but in my mind it would have to be a career best performance to win.
9 My Girl Makita Smokey Stover Silvera Ru
The star of the show gets the ultimate HRP handicap of the wide gate. A versatile sort she can sprint or route (not uncommon at HRP) and she certainly has the sort of form that makes her very attractive. She ran very well in the BEL Oaks and won the Canadian from a wide draw both times coming from a mile behind so like the mare inside her if the pace is strong and she doesn’t get too far behind she could well swoop late, whether on this new engine that will be too late only the race engine will know.
SUMMARY
Things have to go right for My Girl Makita to win and they may well do but i feel a safer bet is the perfectly drawn Hawaii County. The three year olds should be outclassed here but that has probably been the case in most three year old wins in all aged stakes at this time of year so it wouldn’t be impossible, after all the works as usual are all much of a muchness. I will go with Hawaii County to beat Classic Princess with My Girl Makita flying through for a close third.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
