The PID Masters Stakes – Grade II
PID Race #8 6 1/2f Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $300.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.

1 Racing Tipster Fractious Velazquez J R 119 —

A lightly raced three-year-old boasting four wins from six starts and a second at grade one level last time, her chances are obvious although this race won’t be easy to win. An on-speed type she is suited by this draw and this race engine so you would expect to see her lead or stalk and then it will be all down to who can finish the best. She was very good in the Test, sticking on really well but this is her first time against older fillies and mares, so she does have a little bit still to prove. The weight, the gate, and the trainer are all huge pluses.

2 Queen Mother Smokey Stover Centeno D E 121 —

I am pretty sure she would be winning more but for her running style which sees her coming from off the pace. She was tried closer to the speed in the La Troinne but that resulted in a pretty one-paced effort and probably her best efforts seem to be in coming from behind. That of course leaves a lot up to the AI, but she can win this if things go right. A five-year-old, she is only giving the three-year-olds 2 Lbs which may tip the balance her way.

3 Esprezzo Gdp Inc Van Dyke D 121 —

A solid sprinting type she has some solid form at this level, most notably when beaten just a head in the Bed O Roses Handicap but it is not her form that makes me sit up and look it is her recent work of 1.10 and 1. That work was sizzling for a mare and isn’t even the fastest in this field but it does show she is ready to run a big race here. A winner over this trip she looks ideally suited by it which can be a big advantage when these odd distances crop up in stakes races.

4 Beta Centauri Riggins Racing Hernandez R M 119 —

A three-year-old filly working 1.10 and 2, it makes you wonder just where we are heading especially when you consider she hasn’t won a race since February. So, her work with the weight allowance put her right in this but her form doesn’t, we have seen this rodeo before at HRP, so it is a leap of faith to tip her. I am not sure she has shown enough on the track to earn my backing, but the trainer is in great form and that can seem to count for a lot, so I am not saying she cannot win.

5 Chica Lugo Mb Stables Lopez P 121 —

This four-year-old was bought for $425.000 back in April and went straight to the grade one Derby City to run a close second after leading around this trip. That run came off her win in the grade one Apple Blossom Handicap, so she was looking good for her new owner but since that excellent first effort, she has been just a little disappointing. Her run last time in the Ballerina was just one of those we have to forget because it was too bad to be true, but I do wonder whether this trip may prove just a little sharp for her. She is a very good filly and there is no doubt she can win this, but I do worry about this trip, of course, I am more than ready to have those doubts proven wrong.

6 Adrift At Sea Threshold Lezcano J 121 —

A solid consistent mare. She didn’t go so well over this trip in the Garden Lady M Stakes which is the main worry, that and the wider draw which may see her get too far back. A winning chance and a sure thing for the top four.

7 Guilt Free TwinTowersRacing Geroux F 119 —

She has looked really good when going to the lead or a close stalk so she may use this gate to get ahead and will be tough to beat if she sets up a break on the home turn. A decent enough filly but the weights are against the three’s here and she will have to do something a little extra to get the win.

8 Grandest Lady La Canada Racehorses Bridgmohan S X 121 —

Got a horrible draw in the Ballerina last time but is probably better judged on her good third in the Garden Lady M where she beat Adrift At Sea fairly comfortably. I spoke of work earlier and here we have a mare doing a 1.10 flat work for the dirt six and if you handicapped the female weight allowance that would make her one of the best workers in most of the colts and geldings BC races, so she has to be given a very serious chance in this. The wide draw can be a race killer as it was last time out for her, but she coped with it in the Desert Stormer to win that grade three from wide so as long as the race engine is kind to her it may not be a problem. She needs to get up on pace, but the wide gate speed push will help her at the start so maybe she can win this.

SUMMARY

Well, if you like looking at works then Grandest Lady wins this and that may well happen despite her wide draw. There doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of pace here so she may be able to get away and cross them and if it works out is a serious winning chance. The threes are all nice fillies but I am not keen on the 2LB they get here so though they could all win I won’t be picking one of them today. Esprezzo worked super last time and may be one to spice up the exacta, but you can never write off Mb especially when they have one with the quality of Chica Lugo. An open-looking race with 8 good chances.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES