Taylor Stakes – Grade I
WO Race #6 1 1/4m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $750.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Poetic Panther Maletto Rodriguez Jam 123 —
A small but very select field for this grade one and it will be interesting to see how this one bounces back after her defeat in the KD Ladies Turf just a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that the four-year-old had been in brilliant form taking four in a row culminating in the grade one Diana. It could have been the off track that stopped her winning streak at KD, but she still ran a nice race to be third and if she can work with the quick back up is a strong chance here.
2 Tokushima Nakamura Stables Gallardo A A 120 —
Capped off some consistent form with a game win in the Lake Placid last time but as a three-year-old taking on older horses for the first time she may find it tough with only a three-pound advantage. Having said that we all remember the days when a three-year-old claimer could beat a BC winner with the same weight advantage so maybe the timing of this entry is good enough to give her a chance.
3 Ponzi Scheme TwinTowersRacing Geroux F 123 —
Like Poetic Panther, this one was in great form rattling off a picket fence form line, but that winning streak has suffered two defeats recently. When this six-year-old went from winning a five-furlong stakes race to a nine-furlong grade two I was all over her as a wonder horse but in her very next race she was punished with the outside gate in the grade one Riley and suffered defeat. In all fairness she ran a great race to be fourth beaten less than a length so I was more than expecting a return to winning form last time out in the Eatontown, but she ended up inexplicably last of the seven runners. Who knows what we will see today but if she is at her best then I really think she is a bit special.
4 Sweet Feet Mb Stables Velazquez J R 123 —
Whilst a few of the runners in this race have fallen off a winning streak this four-year-old is right in the midst of one and topped off some useful overnight form with a win in the grade two Yellow Ribbon Handicap last time. An on-pace type so perfectly suited to this engine she was a very easy winner last time out and will be strongly fancied to make it three in a row today.
5 All By Myself TwinTowersRacing Bridgmohan S X 123 —
The trainer has a strong hand in this race with this top class and consistent seven-year-old. The winner of the Bewitch back in April, she rarely goes a bad race these days and will once again be running her heart out today. Her regular jockey jumps back on today and she certainly deserves a win in this type of race having been around the scene for a good while now.
6 Extreme Metal Blazin D Pennington F 120 —
Out on the outside we find the second three-year-old who also has to cope with just the three-pound advantage that her age group is given in this race. I am not sure it is enough but as I said before the threes can jump up the improvement curve at this time of year and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them one-two. She has been a consistent sort, winning five from twelve but she has got a bit to find with Tokushima which beat her fairly comprehensively in the Lake Placid last time and does have a much more favorable draw. I have thrown the form book out more than once after a race however, and she has a fairly good chance of getting something out of this race.
SUMMARY
Two nice three-year-olds compete here, but I am just not sure 3 pounds is quite enough these days. So, looking at the older horses the obvious in form horse is Sweet Feat, but there is plenty of talent here and she will be pushed by some game old warriors. I think Poetic Panther and All By Myself will push her the hardest, but there are seven runners here and all seven have a chance to win.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
