Rags to Riches [KYO]
1 1/16 miles Dirt Stake Purse $200.000 Two-Year-Old Fillies At AQU
Rags to Riches was first run in 2014 as a $60.000 1-mile event. Purse value gradually until in 2019 it reached $120.000, then the following year the race changed to 1 1/16 miles and the purse value dropped to $90.000 but only for a year, the following it was upped to today’s value of $200.000. That’s that. The race history: the race certainly has never lived up to its name, but then how could it with those paltry early purses? The winner of the first race Mwn Racing’s Blessed Children won a grand total of $65.160 in her career. Second year winner Paradise Stable’s Crooked Road fared a bit better winning a couple more stakes races in her five-win career. There were some that reached more lofty levels as purses increased. Of the players, Team 7 Illusions won this race last year and is back with Thematic Element and a very good chance to win. The Sidley Stud won in 2018 and returns with my choice to win Spring Ginger. Here’s the field:
Horse Owner Odds SRF
Spring Ginger The Sidley Stud 5-1 84
Call Me First Crocker Ggs *3-1 87
She Is Into It Jerry Garcia Racing 7-2 90
Thematic Element Team 7 Illusions 5-1 93
Madame Masque Riggins Racing 5-1 93
Queen Comanche LionKing Stables 5-1 91
El Gran Clock Rock Creek 8-1 86
Three Sixes Pan Farms 10-1 86
Trickyster Williams9 20-1 84
Trickyster broke her maiden at WO and immediately jumped into stakes racing with a decent run in the $150.000 Astoria at SAR, but that’s where the fun ended as the net two races went badly. All of her racing has been sprinting, but she has works that say routing will be just fine.
2 She Is Into It Jerry Garcia Racing 90
She Is Into It could well be the favourite when the gates open. There is a lot of heartbreak to owning a deep closer, but incredible excitement when they click. This lass has run a couple of heartbreakers and stretching out to this distance is time to get the timing right.
3 El Gran Clock Rock Creek 91
After running second twice at CT El Gran Clock traveled down to MNR to grab a victory then came right back up to PID where she ran out for the first time in the $100.000 PID Debutante Stakes. All of her races thus far have been sprints, but her works say she will be OK at the route.
4 Call Me First Crocker Ggs 87
Call Me First is coming off a maiden win, but it was a very impressive victory from off the pace at AQU. In addition, getting to the score she made a spectacular late ran to fourth in the $200.000 ELP Debutante. I think in spite of her low SRF’s, I suspect she may catch favourtism.
5 Spring Ginger The Sidley Stud 92
In a field of mostly untested lasses, Spring Ginger seems to have the most experience and I have the feeling she is ready to spring a mild upset. I like the way she was plodding along in the grade one Alcibiades where she made up a lot of ground but fell short. I’m betting she can get her timing right this time.
6 Thematic Element Team 7 Illusions 93
Thematic Element is so lightly raced that it’s hard to tell what to expect, but from what we’ve seen so far, it looks very promising. Winning her debut by four lengths is pretty spectacular, even if it was at lowly BTP, and then coming within a length in grade three Pocahontas is beyond impressive.
7 Queen Comanche LionKing Stables 91
Queen Comanche broke her maiden at SA back in May and has been trying the big time since with no success. She did show some speed into the stretch before tiring on the grass in the grade one Natalma Stakes.
8 Madame Masque Riggins Racing 93
Madame Masque is another that won at first asking at BTP by a very wide margin and then performed well in a stakes by running second in the $100.000 CTBA Stakes at DMR. Problem here is those were very short sprints and now we’re asking her to perform at 1 1/16 miles. Her works say she won’t mind at all.
9 Three Sixes Pan Farms 86
It took Three Sixes five races to break her maiden, but every race was at a high-level track, and she placed in every race. As a result, she is the richest horse in this race. She graduated at a mile at SA very easily making it look like those sprints were just tune-ups I like her running style, and she seems classy. This is the race dark horse.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded