First Lady – Grade I
KEE Race #4 1m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $800.000 For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward.
1 Beach Towel Winning Link Stables Curtis B 124 —
This four-year-old seems to have been around forever but she still only has 21 starts. She has been far more consistent since moving to the turf winning the grade two Nassau and then running a fine third in the Ballston and then a close fourth in the KD Ladies Turf last time. Those efforts put her right in this as does her draw which certainly defies the odds that the draw monster works by. This is her fourth run in a row in gate one and I wouldn’t mind a dollar on the odds of that happening! A solid, honest filly that will be in it at the end.
2 Anoushka Titan Maxmillion Farm Gaskin D Z 124 —
Finished about a neck in front of Beach Towel in the KD Ladies Turf and a half-length behind Poetic Panther which goes to show just how close these fillies and mares are in this race. She ran from a wide gate that day and got back which is unusual for her as she is usually an on-pace runner. Well, nothing is unusual on this race engine so you might expect her to be right back on pace in this great gate, but who knows what will happen. She is certainly a progressive sort and improving quickly and if the draw wins races, then her better draw today is a huge plus.
3 One Spirit Nakamura Stables Bejarano R 124 —
Whilst the KD Ladies Turf form looks like the prevalent factor in this race there is plenty of other form to consider, not least this four-year-old’s. Last time out she powered home with a late slashing run to take the $2,000.000 Ladies Marathon after taking the KD Ladies Turf Preview over the mile before that. The fun fact is that in the mile race she made all the running and just lasted home but, in the Marathon, she was last for much of the race and flew home for a last gasp win. To a real-life racing lover those contrasting running styles may look a bit odd but here at HRP it is not unusual to see a few different scenarios provide vastly different running styles. Of course, there are instructions, but I think in this case it was probably something to do with the off track in the Marathon which completely throws the form book out of the window. Anyway, the fact is she has run her two lifetime best races in her last two runs which is very encouraging as she tries for another big prize.
4 Poetic Panther Maletto Rodriguez Jam 124 —
On balance this is probably the best horse in the race although she isn’t unbeatable. Already a dual grade one winner this year she took the KD Ladies Turf last time with a typically game run and the great thing about her is that you know exactly what you are going to get. Obvious winning chance and probably the favorite for this race there is plenty to like about this tough as iron five-year-old.
5 Blakeney Royalty Stables Gaffalione T 121 —
The three-year-olds only get the three pounds here so it won’t be easy for them, but their age group has been given the seasonal push and are certainly more competitive with the olders coming into October. A close third in the BEL Oaks, she followed that up with a fourth in the SAR Oaks so certainly has class on her side, but she was pretty poor in the DG Oaks last time. Looking at her form I would say this mile is far more suitable and the trip may have found her out at KD so I suspect we will see her back to her best today.
6 Secret Of A Lady Mb Stables Velazquez J R 124 —
She has been very good but seems to have been off the boil since her good win in the CD Distaff Mile where she beat Poetic Panther pretty easily. The draw monster hasn’t been kind to her and she gets a bit better gate today so we may see the best of her and if anyone comes to the fore in these big races it is Mb Stables.
7 Ailin Royalty Stables Geroux F 121 —
Another three-year-old from the stable and another progressive type that burst into the big time by following up a maiden win with a grade three win against her elders in the Matchmaker. That was a huge win for a three-year-old in July and she proved that was no fluke with a very close third in the DMR Oaks last time out making her, for me at least, one of the most promising and improved three-year-old fillies around. I think if there is an upset in this race it will be her.
8 Bronxbabesarebest Big Jd Racing Castillo I 124 —
A nice filly for sure but comes up against a tough field here to try and follow up her handicap win last time. An on-pace type she will be a speed influence here but the gate will make it tough for her to stay up front all the way to the line.
9 Lille Mo Mentum Farm Franco M 124 —
From top to bottom this is a very nice field and this filly who was bought for $1.000 from the Smokey Stover giveaway was then given away again when she went to Mo Mentum Farm for a hundred times that only to bag two grade twos and a grade one second in four starts after that. Proven over a variety of distances and surfaces that is often a mark of a very good filly, and I think she is another that could cause the more established names in this race to falter. The trip will suit and her running style is suited by the race engine as long as there isn’t a speed battle so this nasty draw shouldn’t be too much of a drawback. She is another cog in a very impressive race.
10 Categorical Destiny Mb Stables Lopez P 124 —
She went from sprinting at the low tracks to routing and then just appeared from nowhere to win her last two races at grade two level. It is once again the sign of the times that she could be third in an LS allowance and then take two big, graded stakes races in her stride. The five-year-old has been with the champion trainer since birth, and she is the sort of reason that they remain pretty much untouchable in their GOAT status as they have plotted her career perfectly to peak at exactly the right time. She is pretty pliable in her running style so the draw may not be too much of the kiss of death it can be, but she will still need some luck from out here.
11 Ruths House TwinTowersRacing Gutierrez Mario 121 —
She has been all over the top races, just beaten in the BEL Oaks then a fine third in the SAR Oaks she is certainly right in this with a chance if the car park ends up working for her and not against her. On speed when beaten a head in the BEL Oaks she may use the wide gate speed push here and if she can cross to the rail quick enough could well give them something to think about.
SUMMARY
What a race this is with some very good three-year-olds taking on some very good four-year-olds and making it very hard to pick who will win today. The pace the race engine decides will be key to this, so it is even harder to predict with a good few on pace runners likely to be jockeying for the early lead. I say it with no confidence but maybe a breakneck early pace will end up suiting something like Ailin or One Spirit but I can’t be sure of much in this race which is more of a spectacle than a betting race.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES