Nownownow Stakes ($500.000 Purse)
MTH- For Two Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
September 26, 2021

Distinctive Edge did not do much in his first two races, so he was dropped into a MSW at FP that he would end up dominating. Off of that effort, and with improving works, Nakamura Stables moved the colt to the grass for this large test in the inaugural Nownownow Stakes. He would be the longest shot on the board, although we did have him as our second choice. He’d go wire to wire once again, much like he did at FP to get the big win. Nakamura Stables and jockey J C Ferrer will go down as the first winners of the race. Congratulations! It was run in a time of 1:33.45. Here’s a look at it!

(¼ Mile- :23.24)- Distinctive Edge, our eventual winner from Nakamura Stables, starts strongly and quickly leads the field by about two lengths right out of the starting gate. Behind them, we have a group of three who were lined up so perfectly for the first quarter mile that it probably would have been a three way dead heat for the entire opening portion. The Great Beyond has the left wing for Smokey Stover, with Jive Inc.’s Wiggling Road playing the center and Arindel’s Fedorov on right wing. The defensemen, a length or so behind them were Crazy Ivan (Acber Farms) and Panic (Mb Stables).

(½ Mile- :46.30)- At the front, we continue to watch as Distinctive Edge holds a distinctive edge over the rest of the field. It’s still two lengths back to the rest of the field, but Wiggling Road has at least poked a head in front of his two wingers, The Greay Beyond and Fedorov. Crazy Ivan and Panic continue to trail the field together.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F to go)- Down the backstretch, and around the turn, it is still Distinctive Edge out in front and he is not being challenged. Behind him, approaching the stretch, both Wiggling Road and The Great Beyond cut into their deficit, but still have a length and a half to make up. Fedorov, however, began to back out, and perhaps he would be faster on ice. Neither Crazy Ivan nor Panic were making a move from the back.

(Finish- 1:33.45)- In the stretch, it’s all Distinctive Edge. He continued to hold a length advantage throughout the stretch though Wiggling Road took a delayed last gasp effort at him late to make it pretty close in the wire. He’ll need to do that sooner next time, as Distinctive Edge goes wire to wire. The Great Beyond is third, and everyone else was an afterthought. Crazy Ivan gets the fourth place check though, ahead of Panic and Fedorov.

About The Winner- Distinctive Edge, trained by Nakamura Stables and ridden to victory by J C Ferrer, is a two year old colt by Distinctive Property and is out of She Said So. He was bred in California as a yearling by Nakamura Stables, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in four starts, and his first stake win. His career earnings improve to $313.200.

Track: Firm
Time: :23¹  :46¹  1:09¹  1:33²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 3 Paid 169.50
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 3 – 1 Paid 237.90

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded