The Very One Stakes (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and Three Sixteenths on the Turf
March 2, 2019
On Saturday, older females that like to keep on running on the grass will get a chance to put their talent on display in the 16th running of the Grade 3 Very One Stakes. This is a smaller stake race on the schedule at GP that will culminate with the Fountain Of Youth. A field of eight will go to post, and it will include some well accomplished runners, so it could have the excitement of a Grade 1 wrapped into a Grade 3. Let’s meet the field!
#1- Light The Fuse (Diablo Diablo, ridden by J J Castellano)- Has won a graded stake in her past, going back to November 2017, but has mainly been a consistent performer at the allowance level, before winning a $75.000 ungraded stake with similar conditions otherwise, right here at GP. However, this field is much tougher. Worth keeping tabs on her on the odds board, because she really does seem to step it up when facing bigger challenge, and with bigger names here, she could become a good value pick.
#2- Wednesday (Fractious, ridden by C Landeros)- Had been running well going into the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, but struggled in that race. While that can be forgiven, her follow up race, the Grade 1 Matriarch was also quite a disappointment. To get a confidence reboot, she was sent to GG for an open allowance but was only second there. May have ran out of time there, and this will be a longer race.
#3- Free Sunset (Smokey Stover, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- This is now the one horse that I can’t ever seem to escape, she always appears in a race that I am writing up. Sure I have written a book about her by this point. Things were a little different for her in her last start, though, running in the Smokey Stover silks in the Grade 3 Suwannee River after winning the BC Fillies and Mares Turf and being sold the next day. There is no reason to think she can’t win this race, and she should be the favorite, on paper.
#4- Chai Mission (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Four of her last six starts have been on off tracks, so when you think a horse of yours can get no luck with that, think about her! Three of those races have been on soft turf, as well. If you are looking for a reason to get excited about her winning this race other then her trainer being an expert on the grass, look at her effort in the Grade 1 American Oaks at the end of 2018. She also tends to be a closer, and it looks like there may be a good amount of early speed here, so perhaps that works in her favor.
#5- Agenda (Mb Stables, ridden by L H Colon)- Having the unstoppable L H Colon in the saddle on the grass she a great chance to win on that basis alone. He’s become so good that he doesn’t even need to race on other days anymore, and can focus on races like this. Agenda is a two time winner of ungraded stakes, and that was even enough to get her into th BC Juvenile Turf, but she is still looking for her first graded win. She has been on the verge of one, and I like the momentum she has coming into this race. Can she beat Free Sunset, though, that is the main question?
#6- A Fine Seamstress (Dandy Dan Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Nice to see Dandy Dan in a race that I can write up, and A Fine Seamstress comes into the race hot, having won four in a row. It started on a rainy November day at AQU for an optional claimer, and carried on into winning the Grade 3 Megahertz in her last start. Because of that, she has to carry two more pounds then every one else in the field. She’s earned her shot at this type of field, so it will be interesting to watch her.
#7- Maggie Greene (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J R Velazquez)- A successful three year old season was highlighted by her winning the Grade 1 QE II Challenge Cup, over the likes of Nancy Broom Moytoy and Alligator. At the time, it was her third win and four starts, and she went into the BC Fillies and Mares Turf looking good, but would disappoint that day. Finished third in the Suwannee River after that, a race that could have gone either way as to whether or not the trainer was happy with it. Should contend here.
#8- Hide n Seek Pup (Gdp Inc, ridden by F Pennington)- This six year old mare has won her last two, each coming on soft turf. So, perhaps the trainer is a little disappointed that as of press time, it is unlikely that we will have an off track for this race. All kidding aside, she is just as good on firm turf as well. She had not taken on the Grade 1 crowd of this division until relatively recently, with appearances in the Beverly D and the Flower Bowl. As I look at her, I wonder what win the trainer considers a “signature win”, though.
Prediction: 3-5-7-8
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
