La Troienne (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
April 30, 2021

It’s one of the two biggest weekends in virtual horse racing this weekend, as all eyes have descended onto CD for the running of the KYO on Friday and the KYD on Saturday. Those big races headline days where plenty of great racing exist on their respective undercards. Prior to the KYO, one of those races will be the 18th running of the Grade 1 La Troienne. This is a race for older females, sending them a little more than a mile on the main track, for a $500.000 purse. That purse level was achieved in 2019, and has remained there since then. Darling Harbour and Halfbaked are a couple of the older females that have won this race, but looking at past winners, we see some names that may have become forgotten about a little bit but were great in their day. Lullaby Maker Tf and A Class Angie certainly got it in done in their day. Still getting it done is Z Command, last year’s winner who is continuing to win graded races, and hopes to become to do something none of those prior winners have ever done: win the La Troienne in back to back years. She’s one of eight going to post for this race, so let’s take a run through the field!

#1- Forever Phooey Party (Night Rider Stables, ridden by E Cancel)- Picked up at the beginning of 2020 in a $16.000 claimer, and the filly has gone on to grow and develop under the guidance of Night Rider Stables since then. She won an allowance at SA on this date in 2020, and went on later in the year to take the Grade 2 Beldame, that being in October. The knock on her could be that she does not win enough, so she is not talked about as much as others in this division. After a couple tough races earlier this year, she ran two weeks ago in the Doubledogdare, and was second in that Grade 3. She has not raced for two months, so the quick turnaround here is something that I think will be a non-issue.

#2- Fashionable (Mb Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Since a win here in mid-June, this filly has been fashionably first at the wire in four out of her six races. Among those are three Grade 3 wins, which were the IA Oaks, the RP Oaks, and the Maple Leaf Stakes. If you want to see something against stronger competition, she did run in the Grade 1 Hirsch at DMR in August, and placed third. Never had a chance to build off of that, probably because of the general strength of the stable in which she is in. Fashionable was second in an open allowance at HAW in her last start, but ran into Speedy Ginger there, also a graded winner, so don’t worry about that one.

#3- Gravel And Wine (Iolaus Racing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Picked up in private sales for $80.000 in May 2020, and has won three of her seven races since then. Those have all come in overnights, and Gravel And Wine has struggled a bit to make an impact at the stake level. A runner up at the Grade 2 Bessarabian last fall got the hopes up that she should be productive in these races, but that is still her best finish in one. Fizzled out in the Inside Information early this year, and was dropped into an open allowance, a race she won. Is she ready to step back up into this?

#4- Ete Creek (Gdp Inc, ridden by G Saez)- On the grass, Ete Creek has proven herself quite well, winning the Grade 1 DMR Oaks in August last year, as well as a Grade 3 earlier this year. When you see her name pop up in a turf race, you can expect her to be a strong contender. But this is not on the turf, and that is where the questions will lie with Ete Creek. She has only run once on the main track since April 2020, and that was in an optional claimer at PRX in late November, and she was just third there. The trainer has been getting her ready for this, and the works say we need to look out for her. Is she about to show the world that she is a force on the dirt as well? If so, she might not see the grass again for a while.

#5- Laffy Crack (Night Rider Stables, ridden by M E Smith)- Here is the second entry in the race from Night Rider Stables as the trainer hopes to win the race for the second time. He also won in 2015 with A Class Angie. Over her 23-race career, Laffy Crack has been consistent in finishing in the money over her career, with second place showings in the Grade 1 Spinster and the Grade 1 Beholder just two starts ago. Her signature win would be the DMR Handicap from 2020. You may remember her having run in the La Troienne last year, but no worries if you forgot, since she was a non-factor in the race, placing sixth.

#6- Z Command (Smokey Stover, ridden by J R Velazquez)- In the virtual racing world, we come across many good horses, such as everyone in this field. Then, there are those who become so good that all you have to do is say their name, and any trainer who pays closer attention knows you are talking about a special one. Z Command has reached that next level in this world, and has now made over $3,700.000 in her career. A win here would see her eclipse $4,000.000 in earnings, and that is a special number for a filly or mare since there is always the temptation to move them into the shed. That will come one day for Z Command, but there is plenty more for her to do on the track, and the 2020 La Troienne winner is the one to beat here. She is still running well, with wins in two of her last three races, the Grade 3 Royal Delta and the Grade 2 Azeri. Her last race was at the beginning of this month, in the Vinery Madison at KEE, and that seven furlong event was too short for her. She was coming on late, but the wire was too quick to show up, and she ended up fourth. A mile and a sixteenth, over her career, has been much better for her. This is a strong field, and Z Command must be at her best here, but I don’t have reason to think that she would not be. All seems well with her still, and I think she can get it done.

#7- Starship Twister (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Davis)- Over her career, this filly has won five out of 19, and has had her chance to run against the best in the division at times. Up to this point, she has not really been able to step up into the stake level. She cashed a check in the Royal Delta two starts ago, placing fourth, but was five lengths behind the winner there. That winner is starting right next to her in the gate. Much more encouraging was her last start, running second in an open allowance, to Gravel And Wine. TwinTowersRacing does a great job in getting surprise wins from horses when you don’t expect it, so never rule him out, but he will have to work his magic to do that again.

#8- Argana (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- On the outside, this filly by Knox Landing has been good for finishing in the money, doing so in 12 of her 17 career races. This includes finishing second in the Grade 1 La Brea and third in the Grade 2 Bessarabian, which has come within her last four starts. Looking for a signature win is a little more difficult, but that would be the $100.000 ungraded Duchess Stakes. She’s close to getting a much more exciting win than that, and I would find her much more intriguing if not for her last start. What in the world happened there? Because of that, I can’t pick her over several others here.

Prediction: 6-2-4-5

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES