Clark (Grade 2)- $600.000 Purse
CD- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
November 29, 2024

Three horses that we saw at the start of the month in the BC Classic, including runner up Wahpekute Sioux, will be in action this Friday for the 21st running of the Grade 2 Clark. This race had been a Grade 1 for a while and was a Handicap until 2022. A year later, the race was downgraded to a Grade 2 but still has attracted a strong field. The purse has been at $500.000 for the majority of its history, but did have a peak of $750.000. It was reduced from that, to $600.000, in 2023. Hangry Commander got the win in that race for Night Rider Stables, but the gelding has not been able to retain that form this year. We have eleven in the gate this time around. Let’s meet them now:

1- Colombia (Night Rider Stables, ridden by K Carmouche)- Looks to give the trainer his second straight win in the race, and will need to build on his performance last month in the ALB Handicap. He ran second in that, and after being beaten by five lengths in his prior two races, it was a needed result. It seems as though he does his best running in the state of New Mexico, so the trainer will have to pretend as though he is there for this race.

2- Investment Center (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by R M Hernandez)- In eight starts this year, Investment Center has hit the board six times, but the lone win came back in January in an open allowance. Otherwise, he is a consistent horse as long as the track is dry and that figures to be the case here. Last month, he earned a 101 SRF in his second-place performance at AQU in the Forty Niner Handicap and did not miss by much in that.

3- All Take (Alydar Stables, ridden by F S Valdez)- The 2022 PRK winner did not win at all in 2023, but has been able to win three times this year. Last month, he got that third win in the ALB Handicap, with an impressive wire to wire effort. His other two victories came at the start of the year. Unfortunately, when he has not won, he has not done much else and was flat two back in the Pacific Classic. He’s been a bit of an inconsistent horse his whole career, however.

4- Master And Commander (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- After finishing second in both the Dwyer and the Travers, and then winning the Grade 1 California Crown with a 103 SRF, Master And Commander looked great heading into the BC Classic. For some reason, he just never fired in that race. He’s known for being a closer, but that is a run that never came in the big race, and he lost by seven lengths. We can forgive that, but he must at least look better here even if he doesn’t hit the board. I am optimistic that he will.

5- Doc Rivers (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- Over his last five races, he has either been really good, or really bad. The positives are his win in the LA Derby, and his second place in the Haskell. However, the other three races, although against elite company, saw him be a five-length loser each time, coming nowhere near a check. Prior to that, he was very consistent, so hopefully we can start to see that Haskell side of him more often.

6- Officer Chaimura (Asgar, ridden by P Lopez)- Looking to extend his winning streak to four here in the Clark, as he has been responding well to each time that the trainer has asked to do a little more. Last month was his graded debut, although a smaller one in the Grade 3 ONT Derby, but he answered the call and will now be sent on his toughest assignment to date. Naturally, he has earned the chance, and he should not look out of place.

7- Wahpekute Sioux (Mb Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- Ran in the BC Classic last month, and ended up finishing second, losing only to Spankersville. It’s been a great year for the four-year-old, with four victories, including one that came right here in the Grade 1 Foster. On that June day, he did get the better of Spankersville. Another victory on this track came two back in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic, so it’s safe to say that he likes running here. Ran fourth in the Clark last year but should do better than that now.

8- Power Grid (Fractious, ridden by F Prat)- You never really know what you are going to get from Power Grid, as he has showing flickers of greatness but can never find the consistency that is needed. He’s still only three, so that is something that could come in time for him. Back in July at AQU, he got a big victory, coming in the Grade 3 Dwyer, but that never got involved in the Travers. Sure, there is a big difference between the two, but he also struggled here in the Grade 3 Winn. Maybe it can be his day, but he is hard to trust.

9- Hiei (Fractious, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Etched his name into the history books last year by winning the BEL, and then followed that up by winning the Haskell a month later. Later on, he would win the Awesome Again and finished third in the BC Classic. This year, he has not been quite as dominant but has still managed to win a pair of graded races, highlighted by the Pacific Classic over the summer. Unfortunately, like his stablemate Master And Commander, Hiei never got going in the BC Classic and is poised to rebound here.

10- China Syndrome (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Spent most this year with Night Rider Stables, and did get three wins with the trainer. They all came in overnights, and none were in the stakes that he attempted. He would be sent to the September auction, where Mb Stables paid $70.000 to pick him up. Under the guidance of Mb, we have seen improvement with China Syndrome, winning an ungraded stake on debut with him, and then the Grade 2 Fayette at KEE last month. Can he stay hot here?

11- Living In The Matrix (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- This will be the 32nd start for the veteran five-year-old, a horse that has been very inconsistent over his career. He’s managed six wins but has only hit the board on two other occasions, so he is certainly feast or famine. His lone win of 2024 was a great one, taking the Grade 2 Suburban at SAR in June, and even though he has not hit the board since, he has competitive in three Grade 1’s. He’ll probably be competitive again here, but this field is too deep to put in my top four.

Prediction: 7-4-3-10

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES