Sycamore – Grade III
 KEE Race #1 1 1/2m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $150.000 For Three Year Olds And Upward.

1 Great Bounty Drabfantasy Ortiz J L

At first glance you may think a BC Turf Sprint winner running in a 12 furlong stakes race would be just a bit crazy. However this is HRP, and as we know trip means very little and horses can switch between surfaces and trips with apparent ease. So here we have a BC winner who has raced over this trip three times. The first resulted in a one length win in the Breeders Stakes the second and third resulted in very bad losses in a grade three and a grade one. You must remember that he went from a 12 furlong stakes race to winning the Nearctic and the BC Sprint so doing it in reverse probably isnt as impossible as it first looks.
He likes this gate and sillier things very often happen so he must be a winning chance.

2 The Monkii Man The Sidley Stud Lanerie C J

A pretty ordinary three year old but like many the weight for age allowance makes him look much better than he actually is. A win in an ungraded stakes race and then a close fifth in the grade two Henry Championship are far better than his form prior and whilst he is undoubtedly improving i am not sure he is quite there yet. The draw certainly brings him into the reckoning but i think place money is the best he will manage.

3 Laffin Jamie High Voltage Rosario J

This is far more the sort of three year old you would expect to win a race like this and yet according to their runs in the Henry Championship he is only a half length better than The Monkii Man. Such is HRP form but if you look through his efforts this year there are some excellent efforts against very good turfers. He was impressive in winning the Palm Beach at the beginning of the year and although he hasnt won again since he has been in most of the big turf races. Although he ran on nicely late in the BEL Derby over ten furlongs my biggest fear is that he may struggle at this trip. I feel the only way he gets home today is if he is left out the back early on and whilst thats not a bad thing it does leave him vulnerable to traffic.

4 Purely Perfect Night Rider Stables Leparoux J

This admirably consistent seven year old is still capable as he proved when only just beaten in the Pan American where he had the turf legend Techfluence behind him. The stable is in good form and with only 4 races this year he comes here a fresh horse which can be an advantage at this time of year.

5 Taniwha Aml Racing Gaffalione T

Well i guess its which Taniwha turns up today as to what will happen in this race. He can be a little monster at times living up to his name although water is his enemy. If we see the Taniwha that won the BEL Gold Cup then he wins if we see the Taniwha that ran seventh in the Sword Dancer then we dont its as simple as that. To be fair to him his results seem pretty dependent on draw and weather as he often gets a visitors draw so although his form looks pretty inconsistent there is usually a reason for it. Todays draw is a bit in between so he should have every chance.

6 Its True YME Stable Beschizza A

This one is one of those strong workers who just cant seem to bring it to the track. An ungraded stakes winner he looked like he may be ready to break through at graded level when third in the Connaught Cup but he didnt go on with that form and has disappointed since. On works he could win on form he couldn’t so take your pick.

7 Choctaw Bingo Arindel Bravo J

This one has always run like he would lap up an extreme trip like this running home strongly in all of his races. Beaten in a $5 claimer at the start of the year and then just scraping home in another cheap claimer he was bought cheaply by the new stable of the moment in Arindel and has shown improved form under the new handler. He doesnt win on works and form but this trip looks made for him and the trainer does seem to have a magic touch.

8 Stallsome Maxmillion Farm Geroux F

Another cheap maiden claimer that proves once again that Maxmillion is the turf king as he switched to turf from dirt and became a stakes winner. The fact that he has won over this trip and in a stakes race is a great advantage but to think that he could win this from a wide draw is just too much even for the turf king.

SUMMARY

Well there are all sorts of miracle fairy dust results possible here but as those happenings are something impossible to predict with a normal brain i have to go with form. For me this looks like Laffin Jamie’s race and i wouldnt be at all surprised to see the BC Sprint champ make his presence felt too.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES