The Sands Point (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
AQU- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Inner Turf
October 15, 2022

A field of seven will be going to post for the 18th running of the Grade 2 Sands Point, a race that has seen it’s purse level bounce around a lot more than other races. It would initially debut as a $100.000 race, but gradual increases saw it go as high as $500.000 in 2015 and 2016. Then, just as it made progressive increases, it has been begun to decrease, and today runs for just $200.000. It will be the second time that race is run at AQU, having also been there in 2019. The field is primarily up and comers, which will make it pretty hard to predict while providing a great opportunity for one of these to pick up a signature victory. In 2021, the race was won by Buckingham Palace, for Smokey Stover. The well bred filly raced into March, and not surprisingly was retired pretty quickly to serve as a broodmare. So far, she has three foals but none have hit the track, or even been named. Here’s a look at this year’s entries!

#1- Fusion Baby (Nakamura Stables, ridden by Be Hernandez)- This filly has made fourteen career starts, but has only found the winner’s circle twice. She has been much better hitting the board, though, doing so eleven times. Over those starts, she has done a little bit of everything in terms of condition showing ability in each but perhaps not showing a preference to any of it. Her last turf route came in March in an allowance, and it was also type of race where her only stake attempt to this point came.

#2- Shrupp (Royalty Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- Has only made four starts up to this point, and she has won half of them. This includes the $100.000 Neshaminy Stakes at PRX on a four month layoff. It has now been another three months since her last race, an uninspired appearing third place in an allowance. It should be noted that Shrupp has not really faced big fields for her career, making this a good test for her.

#3- Ginger Witch (Allinthegate, ridden by T Howell)- There’s not much that can be said for a horse that has only made $33.240 in her career. Most of that came in her last outing, when she won an optional claimer at FE. It’s been three and a half months since then, so we’ll see what kind of benefit that gives Ginger Witch. Her optional claiming win did only earn an 85 SRF but was the first time she could run on firm turf.

#4- The Nation (Arindel, ridden by G G Hernandez)- She is the highest earner in the field, making ten times more than Ginger Witch has for her career. In fifteen starts, she has won four times, but after moving to the grass, those numbers look a lot better with three wins in eight starts. She’s run in a few stakes, and managed to win the $200.000 CACup Oaks in January. Up to this point, The Nation has not been able to take the next step into graded company, but this field is very favorable for her to do so in terms of getting a strong result.

#5- Toxins (London Racing, ridden by E Cancel)- This filly has done a good job collecting a paycheck for her trainer, with six finishes in the money out of eight starts, and they are all top two finishes. Most recently, she scored an impressive four length win in a $115.000 allowance at SAR, which was on soft turf. At the stake level, she has had a couple tries, and did run second in the $75.000 Campanile but was a non factor in the Grade 3 Lake George.

#6- Lady Hilltopper (Black N Gold Stable, ridden by D Davis)- Had a productive early career with Our Athletes before Black N Gold claimed her in February for $14.000. The new trainer was not content to keep doing what the old trainer was doing, and moved to her to turf routes. This was immediately successful, winning an allowance, before turning in a respectable third place in the $100.000 Memories of Silver. The positive trend continued after that, with a victory in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes. In her last start, she won another Grade 3, taking the Pebbles right here. The BEL Oaks between them can be thrown out, she’s not meeting that type of field here. I think she gets the job done here.

#7- Tessas Star (Glorify Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- Early in her career, Tessas Star has stepped up and done everything that her trainer has asked her to do. She did not race as a two year old, and won on debut in April at MNR. After that, she was idle until August where she won again, doing so in a FE optional claimer. Then, at last, she was truly tested, being entered into the $250.000 Wonder Where for Canadians at WO, and she’d win that as well, beating the likes of Wander and Low Budget Java. Very possible that she goes 4-for-4 here.

Prediction: 6-7-4-1

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES