Grace Hall, who finished a dismal fifth last time out in the Abalama Stakes (gr. I), rebounded to her winning ways this afternoon when she coasted to an easy victory in the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (gr. III) at Hoosier Park.
With Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, Grace Hall showed speed from the start and soon found herself in the second position, just a head behind Eden's Moon as that one led the way through fractions of :23.67 and :47.31. Wine Princess, Uptown Bertie, and Holiday Soiree trailed the very compact field, with Holiday Soiree racing only about 1 1/2 lengths behind Eden's Moon.
Following three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.62, Grace Hall moved ahead of Eden's Moon and blew the race wide open with a strong run. Four lengths in front passing the eighth pole, the filly coasted home under a hand ride to win by 5 3/4 lengths while stopping the clock for 1 1/16th miles in the very sharp time of 1:41.85 seconds over a track labeled good.
Wine Princess rallied mildly to secure second over Eden's Moon, while Holiday Soiree and Uptown Bertie trailed the field.
The winner is trained by Anthony Dutrow and owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Stuart Grant. A daughter of Empire Maker out of the Ezzoud mare Season's Greetings, Grace Hall has now won six of her ten starts and earned $1,281,360.
-Keelerman
Showing posts with label Wine Princess. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wine Princess. Show all posts
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Indiana Oaks Entries: Grace Hall looks to rebound
Grade I winners Grace Hall and Eden's Moon are among the nine fillies entered in an exceptional edition of the $200,000 Indiana Oaks (gr. II), which will be held on Saturday at Hoosier Park.
Grace Hall will likely be favored thanks to overall record, which includes victories in the Spinaway Stakes (gr. II) and Delaware Oaks (gr. II), but she is coming off of a dismal showing in the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga and must rebound. Eden's Moon is in a similar boat, having won the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr. I) and San Clemente Handicap (gr. II) earlier this year before finishing a poor fifth in the Del Mar Oaks (gr. I) last time out.
Other prominent entries in the 1 1/16th miles race include Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) winner Wine Princess, Iowa Oaks (gr. III) winner Uptown Bertie, and the multiple graded stakes-placed Amie's Dini.
-Keelerman
Grace Hall will likely be favored thanks to overall record, which includes victories in the Spinaway Stakes (gr. II) and Delaware Oaks (gr. II), but she is coming off of a dismal showing in the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga and must rebound. Eden's Moon is in a similar boat, having won the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr. I) and San Clemente Handicap (gr. II) earlier this year before finishing a poor fifth in the Del Mar Oaks (gr. I) last time out.
Other prominent entries in the 1 1/16th miles race include Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) winner Wine Princess, Iowa Oaks (gr. III) winner Uptown Bertie, and the multiple graded stakes-placed Amie's Dini.
| PP | Horse | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | Confession | 115 | Orlando Mojica | Victoria Oliver |
| 2 | Wine Princess | 121 | Shaun Bridgmohan | Steve Margolis |
| 3 | Eden's Moon | 121 | Rafael Bejarano | Bob Baffert |
| 4 | Uptown Bertie | 121 | Corey Lanerie | Steve Margolis |
| 5 | Amie's Dini | 119 | Leandro Goncalves | Ron Moquett |
| 6 | Grace Hall | 121 | Ramon Dominguez | Anthony Dutrow |
| 7 | Holiday Soiree | 117 | Terry Thompson | D. Michael Smithwick, Jr. |
| 8 | Grace for Grace | 115 | Victor Lebron | Tevis McCauley |
| 9 | Chernomorochka | 117 | Federico Mata | Robert Fiesman |
-Keelerman
Saturday, August 11, 2012
BREEDERS' CUP COUNTDOWN -- August 11th, 2012
This weekend is a little weak in terms of grade I races -- there are none, actually -- but nevertheless, there are a number of intriguing races to analyze. We shall begin with the La Jolla Handicap (gr. II) at Del Mar.
La Jolla Handicap (gr. II)
1 1/16th miles on the Del Mar turf course
Entries:
This field wasn't particularly large to begin with, and the scratch of Facoltoso has left only four horses scheduled to run. The morning line favorite is My Best Brother, who has won each of his last three races, including a gate-to-wire victory in the faster division of Del Mar's Oceanside Stakes. In this small field, his tactical speed gives him a major edge, one which may prove to be insurmountable.
Old Time Hockey is also coming out of the faster division of the Oceanside, where he finished a strong third, two lengths behind My Best Brother. While no match for the winner, or even the runner-up, he was gaining ground in the stretch and will surely appreciate the additional sixteenth of a mile. The only question is whether there will be enough pace to set up his run.
The other two runners, Blingo and Chips All In, are both coming off of strong efforts in the slower division of the Oceanside. Chips All In ran particularly well that day, leading by a length passing the eighth pole before getting nailed in the final strides for a neck defeat. Blingo also turned in a good effort, rallying to finish fourth, and just 1 3/4 lengths behind Chips All In. Of the two, Chips All In holds a tactical advantage thanks to his superior early speed, but Blingo is a talented colt that seems to be improving with age, much like his sire Artie Schiller.
You would think that a field of this size would make handicapping easier, but picking the winner of this race will not be an easy task. I'm going to side with My Best Brother, my feeling being that his early speed is going to enable him to grab the early lead and never relinquish it en route to a fourth consecutive victory.
Other Races of Note
At Saratoga . . .
The feature of the card is the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. II) on the turf. You can view my analysis here: http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/08/saratoga-stakes-analysis-august-11th.html
At Monmouth Park . . .
Race 10: The $100,000 Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) has drawn an intriguing field of six, with Seran's Song Stakes winner Morrow Cove the favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. She possesses some good tactical speed, and is certainly a deserving favorite, but Churchill allowance winner Wine Princess and former Baffert-trainee Jemima's Pearl also deserve a great deal of respect, with Wine Princess especially looming a serious threat for the win.
At Remington Park . . .
Race 8: Alternation and Prayer for Relief loom as the main contenders in the $200,000 Governor's Cup Stakes, and it would surprise no one if they finished 1-2. Both are coming off of dull efforts -- Alternation in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), and Prayer for Relief in the San Diego Handicap (gr. II) -- but both have established back-class, and anything near their best would put them in contention. Stachys is probably the best of the remaining entrants, but he is stepping up in class and would likely need a career-best performance in order to defeat the top two.
-Keelerman
La Jolla Handicap (gr. II)
1 1/16th miles on the Del Mar turf course
Entries:
| PP | Horse | Jockey |
| 1 | Blingo | Mike Smith |
| 2 | Old Time Hockey | Joe Talamo |
| 3 | Facoltoso | (Scratched) |
| 4 | Chips All In | Garrett Gomez |
| 5 | My Best Brother | Martin Garcia |
This field wasn't particularly large to begin with, and the scratch of Facoltoso has left only four horses scheduled to run. The morning line favorite is My Best Brother, who has won each of his last three races, including a gate-to-wire victory in the faster division of Del Mar's Oceanside Stakes. In this small field, his tactical speed gives him a major edge, one which may prove to be insurmountable.
Old Time Hockey is also coming out of the faster division of the Oceanside, where he finished a strong third, two lengths behind My Best Brother. While no match for the winner, or even the runner-up, he was gaining ground in the stretch and will surely appreciate the additional sixteenth of a mile. The only question is whether there will be enough pace to set up his run.
The other two runners, Blingo and Chips All In, are both coming off of strong efforts in the slower division of the Oceanside. Chips All In ran particularly well that day, leading by a length passing the eighth pole before getting nailed in the final strides for a neck defeat. Blingo also turned in a good effort, rallying to finish fourth, and just 1 3/4 lengths behind Chips All In. Of the two, Chips All In holds a tactical advantage thanks to his superior early speed, but Blingo is a talented colt that seems to be improving with age, much like his sire Artie Schiller.
You would think that a field of this size would make handicapping easier, but picking the winner of this race will not be an easy task. I'm going to side with My Best Brother, my feeling being that his early speed is going to enable him to grab the early lead and never relinquish it en route to a fourth consecutive victory.
Other Races of Note
At Saratoga . . .
The feature of the card is the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. II) on the turf. You can view my analysis here: http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/08/saratoga-stakes-analysis-august-11th.html
At Monmouth Park . . .
Race 10: The $100,000 Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) has drawn an intriguing field of six, with Seran's Song Stakes winner Morrow Cove the favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. She possesses some good tactical speed, and is certainly a deserving favorite, but Churchill allowance winner Wine Princess and former Baffert-trainee Jemima's Pearl also deserve a great deal of respect, with Wine Princess especially looming a serious threat for the win.
At Remington Park . . .
Race 8: Alternation and Prayer for Relief loom as the main contenders in the $200,000 Governor's Cup Stakes, and it would surprise no one if they finished 1-2. Both are coming off of dull efforts -- Alternation in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), and Prayer for Relief in the San Diego Handicap (gr. II) -- but both have established back-class, and anything near their best would put them in contention. Stachys is probably the best of the remaining entrants, but he is stepping up in class and would likely need a career-best performance in order to defeat the top two.
-Keelerman
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