Transylvania Stakes (Grade 3)- $600.000 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
April 4, 2025

With last weekend behind us, we can start looking ahead into racing in April, and before we get into the big Saturday preps, we have this nice $600.000 turf race from KEE on Friday in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes. That purse amount is a new high for the race, and a considerable increase from the $150.000 that it was at as recently as 2021. For the last three years, it was run at $400.000, and now it increases even more! It’s for three-year-old turf horses, making this a race that we will probably be looking back to for the rest of the year. Fanatical Empire, then for Smokey Stover, got the win in 2024, which was one of his four wins on the year. He did appear in the BC Turf and continues to run well now in the silks of Bigchief Stables. We’ll have ten heading to the starting gate this year, let’s meet them now:

1- Big Blue (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Has made four starts for Mb Stables after being picked up in the auction for $15.500 in September. The trainer would enter him into the $100.000 Speakeasy Stakes, which he won, and that would be enough to get him into the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint, where he ran fourth. To this point, all of his races have been sprints, but based on his works at AQU, there is no concern at all about him stretching out.

2- Man In A Box (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Before he was gelded, Man In A Box did have a couple of ungraded stake appearances which simply did not go well. He’s made three starts since then, all in optional claimers, and you can go either way as to whether or not you are impressed by them. He did go wire to wire last month at TUP, but his runs at higher tracks are not as exciting.

3- Extravagant (Bigchief Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- If Fanatical Empire had gone directly from Smokey Stover to Bigchief Stables, it would be an interesting parallel with Extravagant. With this one, a $375.000 payment to another wasn’t required in the middle of things. A month after Extravagant made his way to Bigchief Stables, he broke his maiden at SA then stayed there for the $100.000 Pasadena, which was a narrow miss for him. I’m surprised he’s the only one in this field that comes out of that race and do feel that he has a good shot.

4- Like A Hurricane (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Made his turf debut in his sixth career start and scored a nice win against NY-Breds at AQU. However, he has not been able to build on that, either in a return to the dirt for the RP Springboard Mile, or in a couple of overnight turf races that followed. For me to pick him, I would have to be convinced that he has had significant improvement from where he was in SA two months ago, and I am not sure if he has done so enough.

5- Bear Head (Martyparty, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Continues to show improvement race after race, and after a good-looking win down at GP for the $215.000 Colonel Liam, where he earned a 99 SRF, this is a natural spot for him to end up and take yet another step forward. Bear Head knows how to win, with four wins in seven starts, and was third on two other occasions. Looks like a star in the making in this division, with impressive yet consistent works at a mile. Certainly, one of the top choices here, if not the one to beat.

6- Avignon (Riggins Racing, ridden by P Lopez)- Also a horse that knows how to get it done, winning four times in six starts. His first three wins will not intimidate his rivals here, and it would not be until February where Avignon had the opportunity to showcase his talents against stronger opposition. It was then he won the Baffle Stakes at SA, and took that into $125.000 Columbia Stakes, his first try at going long, where he was third and within a length of the winner.

7- Western Knight (Our Athletes, ridden by F Geroux)- When running long on turf, this gelding has thrived, being a part of the exacta in all four of those races. Only one of those were wins, but he was right there with the winner in all of them. However, up to this point, his only stake attempt came on the main track, when he was entered into the Grade 2 Remsen in December. That did not go well, though rebounded effectively after two months. Won’t jump out at you as a favorite in this field, but he figures to be a contender.

8- Minding Q (Mb Stables, ridden by W T Buick)- The trainer brings three into this race, and while the other two are proven, Minding Q comes into this race off a maiden win. He was acquired by Mb Stables for $23.000 in the September auction, and has only made two starts since then, showing the trainer’s patience. About six weeks ago is when Minding Q got that maiden win, and now the gelding faces his toughest test yet.

9- Fourth Estate (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- Won his final two races for Barcelona Farms, and was then sold by that one to High Voltage for $30.000. His new trainer wanted to see what Fourth Estate could do on the main track after that success, and entered him into the $175.000 Battaglia Memorial Stakes, and that went badly. That leads to the Transylvania Stakes, where it’s back to the turf, but the confidence in the horse has not gone away.

10- Full Access (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- Coming from the outside, Full Access will be making his fifth career start here. He’s won twice so far, with one of them coming last month at FG in the $100.000 Black Gold Stakes. He earned a 95 SRF in that and should only be getting better. Hasn’t publicly been worked a mile on the turf since December, but if he’s progressed just a little since that, he’s every bit as good as his stablemate when it comes to that.

Prediction: 5-6-1-10

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES