Allison Derby ($100.000 Purse)
SUN- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Dirt
January 19, 2024

It’s time to take a look at the eighth running of the Allison Derby, held at SUN for three-year-olds at a distance of a mile. It’s attracted a full field of horses, most of which have won less than $100.000 in their careers to this point. Therefore, the race is another chance for a young horse to get a big win that could potentially catapult themselves into much bigger races down the road. For 2023 winner Lunar Eclipse, the victory moved him onto the KYD trail for his owner at the time, Dmc Racing, but he was unable to do much in those races. Perhaps our winner this year, or any of the horses here, can fare better because while the KYD is getting closer, it’s still far enough away for a star to be born now. Here’s the field of twelve!

#1- California Class (Fractious, ridden by F S Valdes)- One of only two horses in the field that have made over $100.000, though he is not yet at $101.000. This will be his first race for Fractious, as the trainer put a lot of confidence in him, picking him up in private sales for $300.000. He’s run in a couple of top races already, trying the turf in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes, and the dirt in the Grade 1 Breeders Futurity, but did not cash a check. It’ll also be interesting to see how Fractious handles this horse from a tactical standpoint.

#2- Telegraph Road (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by L A Fuentes)- A winner of only one race over five starts, but he always has been able to be in the mix, no matter what the conditions of the race have been. The most challenging race that he has been in, going by purse, was the $100.000 Notebook for NY-Breds at AQU, where he had the most frustrating finish known to HRP trainers: fifth by a length. Handled his first race at a mile well after that, also at AQU, and will hope to build on that here.

#3- Chocolate Cherokee (Night Rider Stables, ridden by G Vera)- So far, this one has exclusively raced against ON-Breds north of the border, but he has been in all kinds of races. He started in a maiden claimer, then prior to breaking his maiden, he was entered into the $200.000 Simcoe where he was fifth. He then broke his maiden conventionally before running in the $250.000 Coronation Futurity. That race shows his potential, but it is certainly an unusual path. First unrestricted race here, too.

#4- Walk Em Down (Mb Stables, ridden by K S Tohill)- If Chocolate Cherokee can run in a take as a maiden, so can Walk Em Down. Mb Stables will be hoping for a better performance, however. This colt has only raced once, finishing third on debut just two weeks ago at HOU though the trainer clearly has seen something to take this shot. He is out of Power Walk, who won the AR Derby in 2021 and ran fourth in the KYD that year, so the pedigree part of it is certainly very good.

#5- Smith N Wesson (Nakamura Stables, ridden by A Medellin)- While this horse did debut on the dirt, he’s been firing on the grass ever since and did look good back in November at the $150.000 Golden Miles Stakes at SA, where he ran third. Unfortunately, he was not able to back that up a month later in the Grade 3 DeMille Stakes, where he ran in the middle of the field. That’s enough to have the trainer send him back to the main track, at least for now, to see what Smith N Wesson can do. I’m not wowed by his recent work, but there can be a reason for it.

#6- Backroad Bounty (Aer Stables, ridden by T J Hebert)- Similar to Smith N Wesson in that following a dirt debut, he has been running on the turf ever since. However, Backroad Bounty has been spending his time running in maidens at FE, needing three cracks at that before ultimately getting that win. It’s been three months, and he’s gotten a lot better since then, at least according to a work at SA on Monday. If he can run equally as well to back to that up, he’s one of the top choices here and a name to watch over the coming months.

#7- Reverberate (Mb Stables, ridden by M T Fuentes Jr)- The gelding by Rumble has won two of five starts to this point, handling yielding turf at SAR well in victory and then showing he can run long on the main track with an allowance win at FG a couple of days before Christmas. Now, Reverberate is going to get a chance to take on stake company for the second time. Perhaps he was just not ready when he struggled in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes, but it shows that Mb Stables believes in him. And why shouldn’t he? The gelding’s working well and is well bred.

#8- Redeemer (Avenue Z, ridden by K Purcell)- So far, Redeemer has raced three times and won once, which came in his last start at DED, at a mile. It was his first time with Lasix, and he did well to come from near the back to win that one, but on Sunday the trainer would get more exciting news with a strong work at SA. The word for him is potential at this point, and a lot of what was said about Backroad Bounty can also apply to him.

#9- Transformer (Oquinn Farm, ridden by A J Juarez)- A winner of two out of his first three races, and that would send him into stakes company which he has fared well in. We just missed being able to call him a stake winner as he was beaten in a photo at the Grade 3 Street Sense at CD in the slop. Unfortunately, he would only disappoint after that, with a fifth place run at the $75.000 Gold Rush. He had run so well in the Street Sense while on the lead, but in the Gold Rush, he looked to come from well off the pace, which was his style in other races. I’m interested to see how he runs out of the gate.

#10- Bold Zionist (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by A Centeno)- The highest earner in the field, with a little over $150.000 to his name as of now. He began his career hot, with two wins in his first three races, then followed that up with a third-place effort in the Grade 1 DMR Futurity. He’s the favorite here if that’s where his story ends, but his next three races are highly inconsistent. He still has it, as was shown in the $100.000 Lafitte, and I can forgive the Champagne. I wish he would have been better in the $100.000 Gun Runner but I do think he’s going to fire off a good one here.

#11- Steamin Demon (Acber Farms, ridden by E P Gomez)- Comes into the race after breaking his maiden at GG after a wire-to-wire victory and will get his chance to prove himself here. Nothing wrong with taking the shot, but I would have liked to have seen a better work when he last did so at a mile. But that was a while ago, and with the shorter works being good, perhaps he’s really working better at a mile, too.

#12- Saddle Battle (Riggins Racing, ridden by O F Ceballos)- Starting from the outside will be one of the race’s most experienced runners, as Saddle Battle has raced six times, winning two of them. He was picked in private sales by Riggins for $45.000 and won his first race in his new silks and that sent him into the stake level. After not showing a ton in his first two, he looked good in the $100.000 Sugar Bowl at FG last month. That’s a sprint, so can he run that well at a mile? We’ll find out soon!

Prediction: 5-2-1-8

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded