October 27, 2023
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
One-upmanship
Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García is the talk of the town after a legendary performance in this year’s American League Championship Series.
Going 6-for-13 in the final three games is special, but it falls just short of the mark set in this Saturday’s Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.
The 12-horse field features seven group/graded winners, including 5-1 O’Connor (CHI), a Group 1 champion in Chile, Law Professor (8-1), victor of the 2021 Santa Anita Mathis Mile (G2), and five more Grade 3 titleholders.
If that wasn’t enough, the opening line favorite for the $350,000 affair doesn’t even hail from the group of seven. At 9-2, Kentucky-bred Trademark leads the field despite 10 winless attempts at the graded level.
That said, the gelding has begun to heat up, running to a 1-2-1 line in his last four starts, three of which were graded.
Riches to Riches
Naming a stakes race the Rags to Riches seems pretty fitting when all the competitors are rookies.
After all, they’ve only raced so much and haven’t had the time to build up their career earnings.
While that’s the case for most runners in this Sunday’s $200,000 contest for 2-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs, it certainly isn’t for 6-5 opening line favorite V V’s Dream. In just four career starts, the filly has already amassed over $400,000 in earnings thanks to a sharp 2-2-0 line.
She recently graduated to the graded-stakes level last month, winning her first graded attempt, the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) on Sept. 13. Most recently, the Kenneth McPeek trainee finished second in the $600,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1).
For comparison’s sake, V V’s Dream is more than $300,000 ahead of the Rags to Riches’ next closest earner, Shimmering Allure (6-1).
Open Road
The other headliner on Churchill Down’s scintillating Sunday card is the $200,000 Street Sense (G3).
Set to go off as race 10, the 1 1/6-mile competition for 2-year-olds is headlined by a sharp group of young runners, namely 5-2 opening line favorite Moonlight. Heading into Sunday lightly raced, the Luis Saez mount has fared well in two career starts, going 1-1-0.
The Street Sense will be Moonlight’s first-ever graded dash and by far his toughest battle to date. At 7-2 and 4-1, respectively, Generous Tipper and Northern Flame are considered next in line to take home the top spot.
The two colts squared off in their most recent run, the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1). There, Generous Tipper had the slight edge, finishing one spot ahead of Northern Flame in third.
In a race so wide open, don’t shy away from betting based on value.
Red (and Gold) Carpet
The last time we saw a 49er become a film star, Vernon Davis starred alongside Morgan Freeman in “The Ritual Killer”… well, based on its Tomatometer and audience scores of 10 and 19 percent, nobody would blame you for skipping this one.
Luckily, that 49er and film star is in no way related to this Saturday’s Forty Niner Stakes (G2) and 4-year-old Film Star. Set at Aqueduct, the colt enters this $300,000 thriller having finished second or better in nine consecutive starts (3-6-0).
The Forty Niner’s star-studded cast also features slight 2-1 favorite Accretive, Qatar Racing’s stakes-winner Everso Mischievous (5-2), and multiple-stakes victor Dr Ardito (6-1).
This year’s edition of the 1-mile dash has all the makings of a box-office hit.
Young Guns
Some of the finest Ontario-sired 2-year-olds will converge on Woodbine Racetrack for this Saturday’s $100,000 Frost King.
The seven-horse field features a strong group of competitors, highlighted by Olivia Rose (9-5), Junior Hot Shot (2-1), and Siesta Beach (9-2).
Michael Doyle trainee Siesta Beach is the most experienced of the three runners, with five career starts under his belt. Coming off back-to-back triumphs, the gelding owns a 2-0-2 line. Olivia Rose is right behind Siesta Beach at four career starts. The filly improved her lifetime line to 1-2-0 after a second in the Victorian Queen Stakes on Sept. 24.
Junior Hot Shot is a perfect 1-0-0 to start his young career thanks to a 6 ½-length victory in a Tapeta maiden optional claiming race on Oct.1. The Justin Stein mount will put his perfect record to the test at the same 6 ½-furlong distance.
