Connaught Cup Stakes (Grade 2)- $175.000 Purse
WO- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Turf
June 1, 2019

The Connaught Cup Stakes will be held north of the border this week, and is run as a seven furlong Grade 2 event on the grass. That has not always been the case, however, in its history, as it originated with a mile and a sixteenth distance. After a couple of races at that distance, it was cut to the current seven furlong distance. Last year, Smokey Stover won the race with his gelding, Bella Moon. He still has not run another race. He was sold a couple weeks after the race to Canadian Racing, a no longer active, though missed, trainer. 2017 winner Tokyo Secret did more then just race again after winning, as he went on to win the BC Turf Sprint that season. Which path will our winner most closely take? Let’s see who will be battling for that title now!

#1- Lucky Phooey (Estero Farms, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Since winning the BC Mile last fall, Lucky Phooey has not done much. He’s made two starts in 2019, each being a race where he only defeated one horse. In those races, he even had the great L H Colon in the saddle. Something needs to give for this one, because he still seems to be working fine, and he was not beaten badly in either of those races. A little luck, perhaps, or did he use up his luck in the BC?

#2- Quarter King (Gdp Inc, ridden by J Lermyte)- He made me starting between a couple of BC winners from last fall, but Quarter King was only beaten by a neck in the BC Turf Sprint, himself. His 2019 has been better then either of them, too, with two wins and seeing all four of his starts finish in the money. The Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes is his biggest score of the year so far, so he’d like to add this one to it.

#3- Great Bounty (Drabfantasy, ridden by Alan Garcia)- The reigning BC Turf Sprint champion will see a familiar foe right to his inside, as he defeated him in a photo to grab that honor. They have not raced one another since that point. Great Bounty has only hit the track twice this season, and despite the services of the great L H Colon, he was unable to finish in the top three in both of them. Might take a liking to this distance as it may allow him to run with a tactic that worked well in the BC.

#4- Forbidden City (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by E J Wilson)- Now, we move on from there who cashed checks in the BC to one making their graded debut. The Niagra colt has won two of eleven, both coming just prior to his sale from Smokey Stover to D J C Racing Stables. He has not been to the winners circle wearing the black and gold. Something has to have clicked for this one since his last race, because if you were to judge on form alone, this would seem to be too tough of an assignment.

#5- No Childe Of Mine (Our Athletes, ridden by E R Da Silva)- After a stunning performance last month at the $125.000 Elusive Quality, No Childe Of Mine returns to graded competition for the first time since trying a couple as a two year old. A lot has changed since then, mainly that No Childe Of Mine has figured out how to win, and how to do it consistently. He enters this race on a four race winning streak, and five out of his last six. In his last seven, he has been either first or second every time. Critics might point to the competition level, but the Elusive Quality effort erased that concern for me.

#6- Its True (YME Stable, ridden by J M Campbell)- Here’s another one that knows how to find the winners circle after a race, with five wins in 12 starts. He never seems to have a bad race, as he is always able to get in the mix. That has earned him a chance to make his first graded stake appearance here. There have been a few ungraded attempts for him, and he did win one, the $100.000 Roanoke last September.

#7- Roger That (Mb Stables, ridden by G Boulanger)- Naturally, we can expect Mb Stables to have a good contender in this type of race. The Commanding colt has only recently been running on the grass, but had a successful dirt career, highlighted by running second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh last fall. None of his three turf starts has been in a stake, but they do point to him liking this distance. Might not be the favorite, but cannot be overlooked.

#8- Controlled Power (Spankys Barn, ridden by P Husbands)- The five year old gelding has been consistent throughout his career at this level, winning nearly $1,000.000 without the luxury of having a BC win help for a large portion of their earnings. A four race tear that he went on last year is still pretty memorable, but he has not been back to the winners circle since. There have been a couple close calls, and one was pretty recent, coming in the Kilroe Mile, where he was third by half a length. That was one of the races that was a part of his 2018 streak. He is working well, and looks like is about to run a big one.

Prediction: 2-8-5-7

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES