Nownownow Stakes ($500.000 Purse)
MTH- For Two Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
September 17, 2022

In classification, the Nownownow Stakes is ungraded, but there is nothing ungraded about the $500.000 purse that is at stake. This is just the second time that the race has been run, and it is a welcome addition to the schedule as it provides a great opportunity for two year old horses who have shown an early liking to running on the grass. It hasn’t drawn the big field yet, as both last year and this year, only six horses are entered, but I imagine that will only increase in time. That race last year was won by the late Distinctive Edge, who went wire to wire for Nakamura Stables. He would finish fifth in the BC Juvenile Turf before being moved to the main track and not having a lot of success. In the spring, he began to decline, and was deactivated following a win at FE in late July. The Nak attack will be back in this year’s version, so let’s meet his entry as well as the five others!

#1- Shaman (Threshold, ridden by F Pennington)- This Cherokee Sunset gelding won his debut race at SRP, and then got some time off as the trainer likely did his share of testing. He would reappear last month at the Graduation Stakes, for CA-breds, at DMR, and struggled, so that’s not an encouraging sign for this race. What you have to like is a turf breeze up at WO before heading here. That has to translate onto the track, as well as to running a mile, something he has not done before. Others will seem more appealing, and while I am not going to pick Shaman, I can see it happening if it all comes together. Could warrant a shot if his odds get too high, though.

#2- Sweet And Innocent (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Won on debut at PRX in mid April, but has not returned to the winner’s circle in any of his three races that followed. That’s not to say that the gelding has struggled, because he was within a length in triple digit allowances at both CD and SAR. You would probably have to watch his effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation closely to get a feel for it. He was third, so that’s promising, but he was also beaten by five lengths. He’s the only one coming here off of running in that race at the Spa.

#3- Whisky Tango (Nakamura Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- Broke his maiden in his last start, coming at PID, in the mud, on the main track. That was his fourth start, and if you look at the previous three races you’re not going to be as impressed with where he was in running in comparison to others in this field. I do like that he is consistent in hitting the board every time out, but his last turf mile work was close to a second slower than a couple others here.

#4- Tom Kha Gai (Acber Farms, ridden by D E Centeno)- When looking at this horse, there is one thing that reaches out and grabs your intention immediately, and that is his work right here on the fourth. A couple of works previous, he was similar, so there is no reason to think it was a fluke and it will be all about whether or not he can translate that time on the race track. He’s one for three so far in his career, and his last start was a respectable fourth last month at the $125.000 Soaring Free Stakes at WO. Hasn’t gone long yet, but obviously, he can. Therefore, I feel real good about him in here.

#5- Man A Yard (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- After his first two races were a struggle, Man A Yard put it together last month at ELP to break his maiden. That was done in a $14.000 maiden claimer, so certainly when talking about the caliber of the field, he comes up short against all of his rivals here, even Whisky Tango. That doesn’t have to mean anything of course, because we’re still talking about horses growing and improving, but I would have to take my virtual wagering dollars elsewhere.

#6- Pink Shark (Arindel, ridden by P Lopez)- It’s easy to say that a particular horse is a maiden, so we should disregard them. Naturally, a race like this is tough for a horse that has not won yet, but these are also the types of race that a maiden can steal the show in. And let’s face it, if the headbob went his way on July 8th (to Niagra Highland, a horse that ran in the Soaring Free Stakes in his next race), we’re not even talking about this. Been second thrice in five starts, and his work on the eighth right here was every bit as good as Tom Kha Gai. May be looking at another second, but just maybe, gets the win. Regardless, when considering him, pretend he got the headbob for the win on July 8.

Prediction: 4-6-2-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded