The Fritchie Stakes (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
LRL- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
February 18, 2023
This time of year, the races that will grab your attention right away are the preps for the KYD or the KYO, or Grade 1’s with high purses. Hopefully that will not keep anyone from checking out a fascinating edition of The Grade 3 Fritchie Stakes at LRL on Saturday, as all but two runners in the field were runners in a BC race just a few months ago. The two that weren’t have plenty of graded experience, too, giving us a tremendous field. This is a race that first appeared on the calendar in 2006, for a $300.000 purse, but it would not be run the year after. Purses have historically been between $150.000 and $300.000 and have been constant at $250.000 since 2019. Past winners of this race include Millionaire Heiress, Distant Cousin, and Sports Creek. In 2022, it was won by Starting Over, for TwinTowersRacing. That filly is still active, and after some struggles, had a great bounce back race for herself earlier this month. TwinTowersRacing won’t be joking with his entry this year, either so let’s meet that one and the rest of this field!
#1- Christina G (Mb Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- It will be the first race for this one since finishing second in the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint three months ago. Impressively, she has now run in that BC event for three straight years but had never finished as well as she did last year. She won twice in 2022 but was consistent throughout the season. Now, it is time for the six-year-old to try and get back into the BC again and it’s not the first time she’s had a layoff since running in the BC. She won’t be able to show even the slightest sign of rust if she wants a chance here, but I don’t see why we should doubt her.
#2- Curlina (Arindel, ridden by D Moran)- This one ran in the BC Distaff last year, but it will not go down as a race to remember for her. As a three-year-old, she also ran in the KYO but that too was a struggle. Since a win at GP last March, Curlina has only hit the board once, which was in the RP Oaks that she ended up winning. In that, she went wire to wire but lately has been well off the pace early. Cut her distance back to seven furlongs for her last race, the Grade 1 La Brea, and finished in the middle of the field though never got involved with the leaders. I won’t be surprised to see a tactic used like we saw in the RP Oaks.
#3- Theres No Doubt (Angelos Stable, ridden by A R Rodriguez)- One of the two in the field that did not go BC racing last year, but that has not stopped her from earning just a few bucks shy of $900.000 for her career so far. There’s No Doubt was a KYO runner last year and finished in the middle of the field. Over the summer, she won three head bob, including the Grade 3 CT Oaks. In December, she was strong in the La Brea, finishing second while losing the head bob at the wire for the win. Ran a few weeks ago at GP for the Grade 2 Inside Information and was second there as well.
#4- Ifyerworkyerajoke (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- It took this one a little while to get going, but she began to get hot in July out at PRM for the Grade 3 Oaks, and took that momentum to SAR and won the Grade 1 Test. Those wins were part of a four-victory campaign that saw her earn over $700.000 for the year and make it to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. By finishing fourth there, she got something for her efforts. Was sent long last month in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes, something that she had done from time to time, but it did not go well. It’s a tough crowd, but she should bounce back well from that.
#5- Last Lady (Lindeman Prairie, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- A few weeks ago, you could call her the first lady as she took the victory in the Grade 2 Inside Information, which was her second consecutive win. Prior to that, she was victorious in the $300.000 Dream Supreme at CD. Didn’t run in the BC last year but raced in several graded races. She was a bit inconsistent in them, but it is promising to see her on good form right now as she takes on a loaded field.
#6- Slckmoment Laga (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- In 2021, Slckmoment Laga won the BC Fillies and Mare Sprint and ended up coming here to the Fritchie a couple of months later. She’d be fourth in that race, although was within a length of Starting Over. In her next start, she scored a big win in the Grade 1 Vinery Madison but has not been back to the winner’s circle since. She did still get to the BC last year but did not have anywhere near as good of a performance as she did in 2021. Had an underwhelming run when she placed fourth in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl, one of the smaller purses for a Grade 3 that will be seen.
#7- Canary For One (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Finally, we get another horse in the field that came out of the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint. Canary For One was third in the race, missing by a length. Surprisingly, she didn’t win any races over the course of 2022, but did a good job of finishing either second or third in Grade 2’s or Grade 3’s, and that’s what earned her the right to get into the BC. Since then, she’s been on the track twice and finally got back to the winner’s circle last month in the $100.000 Interborough at AQU.
Prediction: 3-4-7-1
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
