Sycamore – Grade III
KEE Race #5 1 1/2m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $150.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward.
With just the one three year old and he doesn’t look anywhere near good enough this will be an interesting test for the three year old weight allowance. Here is how they line up with the older horses seemingly holding all the aces.
1 Invercargill Gdp Inc Hernandez B J Jr
This four year old has been good in overnights and ungraded stakes but failed the time he did dabble in a higher grade when tenth from a wide draw in the Gold Cup. He is worth another chance and gets a nice draw to get a decent trip today and as we all know that is key to success here at HRP. The surface is the mystery but as we know turf or dirt does not make much difference here and the 1.34 and 3 mile turf work suggests he will be at least as good on the grass.
2 Higher Limit John Henry Gaffalione T
Another that has been running on dirt for a vast majority of his career but as i said before it is pretty safe to ignore that as a negative as his recent work suggests the surface wont make much difference. At six he could be considered past his best and looked pretty tired of the game in his last start. The draw may give him a better chance than he looks to have on paper.
3 Timebox Pan Farms Santana R Jr
A very lightly raced four year old with only four starts he runs as a maiden and again normally that would be a problem but not so here at HRP. He put in a huge effort last time when flying home for a close second in an ELP Maiden and whilst common sense says write him off his works and the draw says give him a big chance.
4 General Ferro Mb Stables Beschizza A
A dual grade three winner he has been close up in his last four races and looks as usual a winning chance for the huge Mb outfit. Works, draw, trainer, form, the obvious favorite to win.
5 Stallsome Maxmillion Farm Saez L
It is a long distance turf race and this stable has a great record in this type of race so you have to take the five year olds chances very seriously. I liked his run from a similar draw in the DMR Handicap last time and there is no reason the turf king can’t take this to the bank.
6 Bayou Quartier Invicta Group Llc Bejarano R
This seven year old has been a regular in these big races for a long time now and whilst he looks to have slowed down a bit recently it would be no surprise to see him teach the youngsters a lesson in this.
7 Wodao Witeout Stables Rosario J
The only three year old in the race makes his entry an intriguing one. Claimed from the free track in May he hasn’t done much since but has showed some improvement in his last two. His draw isn’t great, his form not close to some of these and his works are slower. So how much will the 3Lbs help?
8 Edging In Nakamura Stables Mena M
Nakamura Stables is having possibly their best season and this five year old has good enough form to be a big chance. He has run some good races this year winning the San Gabriel and being a close third in the Whittingham and looks the biggest danger to the Mb Stables runner as Nakamura runners have all season.
9 Man Childe Our Athletes Geroux F
A son of Commanding they are not normally known for their turf prowess but this one has run some nice races and doesn’t look out of place. I think the draw will be his biggest issue here as he hasn’t handled wide draws so well this year.
10 Maybe Tonight Alydar Stables Bridgmohan S X
A progressive four year old he has plenty of ticks in boxes but will need the race engine to be kind as he likes to run up on the pace and he may be sacrificed. A tough winner last time in The Lure his works put him right in this and he is so consistent that he may be a good bet of the odds are long.
SUMMARY
An interesting race but it looks between General Ferro and Edging In but there are plenty of fringe horses here and it may pay to look for each way odds. I think Timebox may go well and Stallsome will have plenty of support with of course the three year old if history is anything to go by.
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
