The Davis Stakes (KYD) (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
TAM- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
February 9, 2019
On Saturday, The Davis Stakes is set to run at TAM, and provide 10 valuable KYD points for its winner. When the point races start to pick up next month, I’ll start to take into consideration more the current KYD points table, as right now we’re still looking to see who some of our biggest contenders will end up being. We got a good glimpse of that last week, and this week the Davis Stakes is the only such KYD point race. The winner of the race will be hoping for better fortune then Storming Cobra, who won the Davis, but never won again. He would not even make it to the KYD. Interestingly, after 2014 Davis winner Laffin To Mia won the KYD, just two of the four winners afterwards even made it to the KYD. Let’s see what happens this time!
#1- Born To Laff (Joshua Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Has won just one of four so far in his career, and was last seen in a $12.500 claiming race, where we ran second. Joshua Stables put in the claim, and began working him long with more regularity, and he has put in some good times. The shadow roll has been removed, as of press time, so perhaps that will help. This is a big leap of faith from a $12.500 claimer, but based on the mile works you can see why the trainer believes in him. Definitely a great claim.
#2- Ranger (Aer Stables, ridden by E Esquivel)- Raced here three weeks ago at the ungraded $125.000 Pasco Stakes, overcoming his outside post, and picking up the win at seven furlongs. It would be the second victory of his young career. He has not worked publicly in 2019 just yet, but his last work of 2018 is an definite eye-opener. The official time was 1:36.11 was the fastest on record in 2018 (with no wics filtered), and two tenths faster then the second fastest work. That time was equaled this year by a horse not in the field. He’s been able to show that he knows how to win and be near the front, so the trainer should have a strong contender on his hands for the KYD Chase, and has one of the top two favorites in this race, in my opinion.
#3- Chiozza (Estero Farms, ridden by C J Lanerie)- Purchased in private sales for $150.000 from Jive Inc, the day of finishing dead last at the Grade 3 Iroquois in September. He’s gone to the track twice for Estero since then, and while it would be nice to have said the trainer has completely turned him around, that has not been the case. He’s been much better, but did not hit the board in either of the races. We know the trainer believes in him, and he has had a little more then a month to get him to improve.
#4- Traffic Trouble (Joshua Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- Rescued from the free track in early December after picking up his third straight victory. It was $30.000 purchase from Spinetingling, who is a legend of free track, but who does not compete on the pay side, especially high end pay side, much any more. Adapting to this level will be tough, but anyone who has won three of four deserves respect. Worked well at PRX on Sunday.
#5- Nav Man (Aml Racing, ridden by B J Hernandez Jr)- Started out his 2019 about as good as a TC hopeful can do, by winning the Jerome on New Years Day. In his five race career thus far, he has been very consistent, picking up some sort of check for the trainer in every race. Besides winning the Jerome, he ran third in the Nashua, and third in the $400.000 In Reality but of the FL Sire Stakes. Perhaps he has gotten this from his dam, Google Maps, of whom Aml Racing also enjoyed a ton of success with. That must make Nav Man’s early form extra exciting for him.
#6- Brazen Deception (Nakamura Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Comes out of the Pasco Stakes, the same race won by Ranger, where he was rather disappointing, finishing a distant 8th in the race. His works are excellent, but he has not been backing them up on the track, so the day after the Pasco, Nakamura went for the snip, and now he is a gelding. How much of a difference will this make? We’ve seen it work real well before. Bet accordingly, since the work out times show it could pay huge dividends.
#7- Not To Be Denied (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- The Niagra gelding was great over the summer, running off four consecutive wins. This streak included the Grade 2 SAR Special, and the Grade 3 Iroquois, and ultimately led into the BC Juvenile. He ran well there, though did not collect a check with his fifth place performance. A month later, he underachieved in the mud at the Grade 2 Remsen. Was that only because of the off track? The trainer certainly hopes so. Looks like there is another add change with him, with blinkers scheduled to be added, as of post time.
#8- Courageous Tantra (Paradise Stable, ridden by E S Prado)- Good to see Paradise back in the TC hunt, and no, he didn’t tell me that I had to say that! Courageous Tantra has been a regular feature in CA-bred stakes, even running in one before he broke his maiden. Eventually, the trainer did go back and break his horse’s maiden the conventional way, and that is still the only race he has won. I’m not really impressed by his last race, but there can be reasons for that, and let’s hope the trainer knows why that happened. According to the works, he is a lot better then that.
#9- Topside (Mb Stables, ridden by D Van Dyke)- The trainer had a good Sunday in regards to watching his favorite football team, and now he hopes to continue his own dynasty in the virtual TC Chase. Topside is his only entry in this field, and one that he picked up in a $40.000 claimer from D J C Racing Stables in November. Last month, he made his debut for Mb, and in a $35.000 claimer, and ran second in a four horse field. Now, he’s here. Something must have been discovered or improvement behind the scenes shown since then.
#10- Undisputed (John Henry, ridden by A A Gallardo)- The Snakie colt has two wins in nine starts thus far. That is highlighted by winning the $140.000 Prather Stakes for NM-breds, wiring the field last December. He has raced five times with the NM bred condition, and I am not sure if I should be concerned that he has only won one of them. He’s tried a couple graded events, and they are ugly lines in the past performances, but they are also a long time. Admittedly, I am having a tough time getting a read on him. I’ll settle for being an observer for now.
#11- Diddy Doodat (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Returns to stake level competition after not having a pleasant go of it as a two year old. He ran in both the $150.000 Tremont at BEL and Grade 3 Sanford at SAR, and finished dead last in each of those races, losing by seven each time. He was here at TAM in late November and won an optional claimer, so the confidence should be coming back. Did not like the mud in his last outing. It’s a chance for redemption now, and he has to prove himself worthy of the TC Chase here.
Prediction: 2-7-6-5
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
