The Dandy – Grade II
1 1/8 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $600.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

The advantage of more than one entry was never more obvious than in this race where the owner of one of the best three year old in the game had to watch that horse get stuck on the rail whilst the other one got the trip and won. With just Admiration in the race Mb Stables may have been disappointed but as his other runner won then i am sure that disappointment was alleviated. This is how they finished in yet another twist and change of the guard saw the TC horses beaten by yet another new bunch of three year olds.

1st Unfold Mb Stables Hernandez R M

After his third in the TAM Derby he looked like he may end up a TC horse but at that time he didn’t prove good enough. Wind the clock on a few months and here he is with a OH Derby and The Dandy to his name and victory over his stable mate who was formerly the best three year old in training. Where does this put him in the lead up to the BC Classic? Well its likely the winner will be a three year old so why not this one.
Whilst his stable mate didn’t get much of a trip he didn’t have an easy trip either being trapped behind the wall as they hit the stretch. He managed to muscle himself out though and ran on really strongly to grab the leader on the line.

2nd Tongariro John Henry Talamo J

Beaten a length by the winner in the OH Derby after making the running he was only beaten a head today using the same tactics. One of those who always seems to get a wide draw he seems to have worked out how to use that to his advantage and ran a cracker today to very nearly win.

3rd Brady Is A Lady Sharis Stables Velazquez J R

The two wide draws went up and worked together to form a wall and with this one in the stalk and some good form i fully expected him to go past Tongariro in the stretch. In the end though he just kept on at the one pace and may have just been short of a run after not having raced since the BEL.
4th Admiration Mb Stables Sanchez M J

Found a good position and for a while it looked like he may get a gap to run through but though there seemed enough space on the rail it obviously wasn’t big enough as he moved out to challenge when the race was all over. I don’t think this race hurt his BC Classic chances much but with HRP being all about the trip you get and on another day with a different race you still cant write off his chances of getting his own back on his stable mate.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES