BC Turf (Grade 1)- $4,000.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Half on the Turf
November 5, 2016
In regards to purse, the BC Turf is the second biggest race of the weekend and lead us in to the BC Classic. Naturally, the greatest turf horses have run here, but the most successful one is the great Bronze Sabre. He would win this race two straight years for two different trainers, coming in 2009 and 2010 and would not be too far off from pulling off a three-peat in 2011. It was around that time that I was just getting into HRP and there was no horse that impressed me more then that one. Sure, there were a lot of others having success, but I enjoyed watching Sabre and his battles with Charming Behrens back then quite a bit. In 2016, we will see an increase in the BC Turf purse, as it has been at $3,000.000 over the last few years, so that is good news. Australia Wide became the first trainer last year to win this race more then once, with Tundra Kenny. Unfortunately, that one has not won a race since. Before looking at the field, let’s check out the trainers that are running in this race and what they have done in it, in the past.
AER STABLES- BC Turf Debut
AUSTRALIA WIDE
2003: The only stable in this year’s race that also had a runner in the first edition. Moonee Valley fared well, running second.
2004: No one else dated back to the second race either, and in it, Australia Wide had another second place finish, thanks to Royal Randwick. His second entry, Turn The Page, was 7th.
2005: Just the veteran Australia Wide in this one as well. (Where’s Jerry Garcia’s entry when you need it? He could offer a lot to this section!). Not as good of a year this time out with Sandpiper running 7th and The Last Straw 12th.
2006: Just you know who again, but a shout out to Alabarda and 7th place Canadian Silver! Good to get your name in one of these articles! Finished better then Australia Wide’s Disco Force and Jagged Account, who were 12th and 13th.
2007: Victory! Australia Wide still the only one running in this! Xray Eyes defeated second place Dogma by 12-lengths. Will 12-lengths separate first and last in 2016?
2008: Xray Eyes was back and wanting more, and still would get a check for the trainer, running third.
2009: Two entries for Australia Wide in this one, highlighted by Another Idol running fourth. Maestro Cat was a few spots further back, running 7th.
2011: After taking a year off in the race, Gurgling nearly brought AW back to the winner’s circle as well, running second.
2015: In his return to the race, Australia Wide made it count with Tundra Kenny as he would pick up the victory!
BLUSHING MEADOWS
2008: The first entry for Blushing Meadows in the BC Turf would come during this season, but it was not one of Eviction Notice’s best races, as he ran 11th.
2012: June Jumper just missed a check, finishing 5th.
2014: A strong year for the trainer in this race, as Stormy Kg ran very well and made it interesting, but would end up running second. A second entry, Battleship Gneisenau, was 8th.
BRAVE- BC Turf Debut
CANADIAN RACING
2014: The longtime trainer did not have an entry in this race until this season, and Turon Warrior seemed to be one of the favorites coming into the race. He would finish 5th.
2015: Turon Warrior was back. And back in fifth.
DRABFANTASY
2008: Optimus Darling nearly made Drabfantasy’s BC Turf debut a huge success, and was the runner up to Siberian Rhythm.
GRIMLEY- BC Turf Debut
MAXMILLION FARM- BC Turf Debut
MB STABLES
2012: The year that Mb Stables debuted in the race, and he brought the 2011 winner Loooking Goood (who won with Team Furey) with him. He would finish 7th here.
2013: Had two entries during this season with Russian Whiskey and Flip A Chip, and they would finish 7th and 8th, respectively.
2014: Three entries would hit the starting gate for Mb Stables this year, and it would be highlighted by Bald And Beautiful’s fourth place run. Spanish Showboat, who is returning this year, was 7th, and Calling The Gods would run 10th.
2015: Mb Stables did everything but win last year. No, really, he did. He would saddle second-place Desolation Island, third-place War Scent, and fourth-place Stormy Kg!
SERENITY STABLES- BC Turf Debut
Note: Apologies in advance if I missed a prior entry or two of a trainer listed above.
The 2016 Field:
#1- Steel Kelp (Serenity Stables, ridden by K J Desormeaux)- The seven year old gelding just keeps on ticking and had the best year of his career so far. There’s only one win to look at in 2016, the San Luis Rey Stakes, but second place finishes in both the Man O War and the United Nations made it a special year. Even the fifth place run in his last start, the Sword Dancer at beautiful SAR is better then it seems because that was one of our vintage HRP blanket finishes. He is well rested, having not race since that day, and his recent mile turf work shows that even though this will be career start #51, he can still make it a great one. Always have to like the horse on the rail in a big race like this. He should make an impact.
#2- Cju (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Maldonado)- In his first BC Turf, the trainer will have two going to the starting gate, and this autogen is the one that I feel gives him the better shot. Cju hasn’t always raced long on the grass, and in fact only started doing the recently. After being competitive on the main track, Cju went to the Grade 2 Sky Classic on the grass at WO and picked up the win! He’s hit a couple of off tracks up north in the two races that followed, but still hit the board in each of them. One thing that appeals to me about Cju here is his style in regards to his post position. He likes to get out to the lead, and should have no problem doing that from here. Odds are that he can keep himself out of traffic trouble, though you never really know.
#3- Spanish Showboat (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz)- Two years ago, Spanish Showboat came to the BC Turf and would be one of the favorites. He would never end up being a factor in this race, but it is not too often that one gets a chance to redeem himself in the BC. Last year, he went to the BC Mile and picked up a fourth place check, and let’s not forget that he ran in the 2013 BC Marathon as well, and finished second. 2016 saw three wins, the biggest of which was the Northern Dancer BC Turf in his most recent start, at about six weeks ago. In the win, he ran a 102 SRF on the course listed as good. So now, in his fourth BC race, will it finally be Spanish Showboat time?
#4- Lunar Blaze (Australia Wide, ridden by J R Velazquez)– If you ask around HRP for picks on who will win this race, I would imagine that a large portion are going to point to Lunar Blaze. We’ll probably see that in the Pick ‘em. How can you not love this horse? Well, other then Pan Farms, who wanted to do away with him after his five race winning streak and sold him to Australia Wide for a large amount of money. During that five race stretch, just two were on the grass but they were undoubtedly the biggest ones: the BEL Derby and the Arlington Million, earning SRF numbers of 103 and 104. That was for Pan, and in the one race in the Australia Wide silks, the Shadwell Turf, he ran a 104 again but was second to Eastern Townships (who is in the BC Mile). When everything points the way of one horse for a BC race in our virtual world, how often does that horse win? I’m gonna look elsewhere, if for nothing else, to beat the favorite.
#5- Grande Sournoise (Drabfantasy, ridden by J L Ortiz)– This will be the third race in five weeks for the colt, and while we often see horses bounce back fine with a short layover between races, it is often that third race often in quick succession that’s the tough one. Drabfantasy will be hoping that is not true here. You can even say four races in eight weeks here. Of those four, three have seen him finish off the board. The other, well, that’s what got him here as he pulled off a big win in the Grade 3 KY Cup Turf. I can certainly see him being near the front, and getting a check of some sort for the trainer, but feel he is quite a longshot for a victory.
#6- Sir Tom (Brave, ridden by R Alvarado Jr)- Last year, Sir Tom became a BC Champion when he topped the field in the BC Mile. A win here would put him on a short list of horses that have won two different BC races in their careers, and he should have a decent shot. Since that glorious Halloween day at KEE, Sir Tom has won three of six, and I particularly liked the way that he won the Dixie in May. The race after that was another great one, and where he proved the could beat the best when going longer at the Grade 1 United Nations at MTH in July. If the past performances ended there, I could feel good about putting him on top. The last two races though? A bit of a concerning trend.
#7- Gallivant (Australia Wide, ridden by F Pennington)- Another one in this field that Australia Wide recently acquired in private sales, but Joshua Stables got no where the kind of money that Pan Farms was able to get for Lunar Blaze. The gelding has raced eight times this year and has been able to hit the board all but once. There are two wins to speak of, one of which is graded, coming in the Grade 3 PEN Mile. Other then that, he simply ran competitively for his prior trainer before he was shipped out to Australia Wide. The new trainer has had just one race with him, coming three weeks ago in the Pattison, where he was beaten by a nose by Exactly As Planned. He can get revenge on that one, and a bunch of others here.
#8- Chrystal Pip (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Acquired in private sales for $600.000 from Chili King Stables, Chrystal Pip has been on top form since the sale, even though there was nothing really wrong with how he was running before that. He has won three of four, and the race that he did not win, which is a dud, was the Pacific Classic, so it’s not really that important to us here. His two biggest wins are the Man O War, which he accomplished less then a week after moving on to his new trainer, and the Hirsch Turf Classic (dead heat), where he defeated Grande Sournoise and drew level with Admirals Aces. You can always count on a super Pip Boy turf runner this time of year, and Chrystal Pip has the ability to make his sire proud here!
#9- Rare Coincidence (Mb Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- The third of the Mb Stables entries for this race, Rare Coincidence will also provide a particularly strong chance for the trainer to get that BC Turf win. This is a Chai Latte gelding who knows how to get the job done, winning six of nine races during this season. Some of the early races might not be as impressive, but what Rare Coincidence has done is to continue to respond to the challenges he has been faced with. Recent wins include the Grade 3 AP St Leger in August and Grade 2 Henry Championship last month right here on this race track.
#10- Admirals Aces (Grimley, ridden by M Franco)- I have run into this horse many times now when writing these articles, and I just have to say that Admirals Aces always impresses me with the level of heart that he has. What he did in the FL Derby was a pre-cursor to more success this year. This is worth mentioning, because Admirals Aces is in that boat again where he’s not going to seem to be the favorite in the race, but he can surprise and run big. In his last race, he did run big, taking the Hirsch Turf Classic in a dead heat with Chrystal Pip. He has loved his move to the grass, by the way, with three wins in his four career starts. Watch the odds board on him, and if it climbs, take a shot.
#11- Exactly As Planned (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by F Prat)- Looking to join some elusive company that includes only Siberian Rhythm and Bronze Sabre. That is, to win the Pattison and the BC Turf during the same season, an accomplishment that will usually mean a shorter rest period then most for the BC Turf. Maxmillion Farm has done an amazing job with this gelding, buying him from Australia Wide for $75.000 in August, or less then 10% that Australia Wide paid out to get Lunar Blaze from Pan Farms to get to this same race. He has shown the ability to win while coming from behind, or while on the lead, but I would be looking for him to make a late charge for the win here. It could be some concern that his two big scores since the sale were on off tracks, but I am not worried and he’s going to get my nod here.
#12- Curious Kierrnan (Canadian Racing, ridden by V Espinoza)- Always nice to see a horse that was once in your stable come out of no where and be part of champions bloodlines. That could be a good omen for Canadian Racing, as last year the exact same thing happened with Tundra Kenny in that I had connections to the dam! As for Curious Kierrnan, he really only has one big win to speak of, but it was a nice one as he took the DMR Handicap (Grade 2) in August, which won him the right to run here. He’s always run well, and is consistently near the front, he just has not made it a career or running against the elite of the division.
#13- Tucson (Aer Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- I wish that Tucson was not starting all the way out here, as I may have been inclined to declare him the horse to beat. Make no mistake, this seven year old gelding has never been better in his career, and he will be a factor regardless of where he starts. He has two wins to speak of this year, with the biggest one coming at SAR in the Sword Dancer. This was a very competitive race that saw one of our extra-classic HRP blanket finishes, so in it Tucson may have proven that he has an exceptionally high stretch desire. That is his most recent race relevant to this one. Last time out, he tried the main track and will be glad to see grass again.
#14- Spotted Cat (Blushing Meadows, ridden by D Moran)- There is no shortage of talent on the extreme outside, as Spotted Cat will look to overcome this post. He is going to be known and associated with his accolades as a three year old where he earned over $1,000.000, but this year has also been great for him. There’s only been one win in 2016, but when you look at the Sword Dancer and see his second place run there in a tight photo, he has certainly done what it takes to have won that race as well as others. Spotted Cat is still consistently making his presence felt, and his running style of wanting to come from behind might make this post not too bad, but we’ll have to see.
Enjoy the race everyone!
Prediction: 11-4-13-3
— NS
Categories: BC 2015-17, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP
