The Ice Luge Stakes
This weekend in New York there are two graded stakes on the tab, the later of the two will be our focus here. The Ice Luge Stakes (G3) will go off this Sunday at 3:00 PM EST. The race will be open to four-year-olds and up and will be run on the main dirt track at seven furlongs. There was a good chance of rain leading up to this race, but it looks like we will have dodged that by post time on Saturday leaving us with a fast dirt track and a total of eight horses going to the gate. The race has offered up a total purse of $150,000. Let’s take a look through the contenders.
- Bonus Bugle – oakridge – C. Gerhke – 5/1
Taking a step up in class for this race, the five-year-old chestnut horse is by Midshipman and will be making his fifteenth career start on Sunday. His most recent race was last month during a listed stakes race over six furlongs across the country in California. He would be sent out of the gate at the start to set just off the pace of a few front runners in fourth. He was let lose at about the four-furlong mark and found his way to the front in the stretch, winning the listed race by a length and a quarter with a speed figure of one hundred four. This will be the horse’s first start against graded company.
2. Bucaegor (SKOR) – johnkarczewski – B. Cecil – 23/1
Returning to graded company with this start, this four-year-old colt was bred in South Korea and is sired by Bayern. The brown colt is a listed stakes winner and will be seeking out his first graded win with this start. His most recent race came here in New York this past November during an allowance race over nine furlongs. The colt was placed towards the middle of the field out of the starting gate but began to lose steam at the midway point of the contest and fell back to cross the wire in eighth despite equaling a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred for the race. The colt has made two graded starts, the most recent of which was The Lazaro (G3) at seven furlongs across the country in California in which he would finish sixth after running a similar race. The most recent win for the colt came in January of last year during a listed stakes race over seven and a half furlongs in Maryland. The colt stalked just behind the pacesetter every step of the way right up to the final furlongs where he would take over to win by two and a quarter lengths. He will be off as the longshot of Sunday’s race.
3. Mystic Pharoah – millerfarm – Z. Ayya – 5/2
By the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, this five-year-old brown horse will be making his twenty-third career start this Sunday. The horse most recently raced in November of last year during the Sterile Mile (G1) at a mile here in New York. The horse was well off the pace at the start, trailing early in tenth out of the gate. He wouldn’t be asked to make his move in the stretch, but this may have come too late as he came home eighth across the wire while setting a speed figure of one hundred seven. His most recent win came in his prior start in October during the Padrebri Stakes (G2) at seven and a half furlongs across the country in California. He was sent out towards the middle of the field in this start, made his move earlier in the race, and eventually went on to win by two and a half lengths.
4. Stormy War Front – dkstables28 – J. Piotrowski – 5/1
Lightly raced with just fourteen career starts, the five-year-old bay horse is stakes placed and will be making his second graded start this weekend. The most recent start for the horse came in November of last year during the Never Gonna Stop Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs. Held just off the pace of the front runners in third, the horse dropped off to fourth midway through the race and finished there while setting a speed figure of one hundred seven. His most recent win came in July during an allowance race over seven furlongs here in New York. Running in a similar fashion, the horse was asked to make his move midway through the race where he went on to win by three-quarters of a length while setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred seventeen.
5. Mesachee – asgard – F. Head – 13/1
Traveling across the country for the race, this California-bred four-year-old is the only gelding in Sunday’s field. His most recent start came last month in his home state during The Malibu Sprint (G1) at seven furlongs. The gelding was sent out straight to the lead out of the gate but faded in the final furlongs to cross the wire in sixth while setting a speed figure of one hundred six. His most recent win came in January of last year before being gelding. This race came in a listed start over five furlongs in West Virginia. Again, sent out to the front early out of the gate, the then colt led the field from gate to wire to win by three-quarters of a length and set a speed figure of ninety-three.
6. Calaharis – oakridge10 – N. Painter – 3/1
Returning to graded stakes competition for this out, this six-year-old will be the oldest to go to the gate on Sunday as well as the most experienced with twenty-three career starts. His most recent start came last month across the country in California during a listed stakes race over a mile. The horse shot out of the gate in third, middle of the pack for the six-horse field. In the stretch he would fade back to cross the wire in fourth while setting a speed figure of one hundred six. His most recent graded start came overseas in Japan during the Mister Bill Sprint (G1) at five and a half furlongs in which he would finish fifth. He last won in September of 2023 during an allowance race over a mile in West Virginia. Placed towards the rear of the eight-horse field, the horse made his move towards the midway point of the race and went on to win by two and a half lengths, setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred sixteen.
7. Cronenworthy – allfrankel – J. Hernandez – 4/1
Certainly one that was sent out to look for an off track, this five-year-old is by Candy Ride. The light grey horse will be returning to graded company with this start after a brief step down in class. His most recent race came in November of last year during a listed stakes race over six furlongs on New Jersey. Run over a sloppy track, the horse, against a field of six other contenders, was placed towards the back of the field at the start of the sprint and was urged to start making a slight move midway through the race. He would go on to cross the wire in second, setting a speed figure of one hundred six. His most recent graded start was his prior race in The Iceberg (G1) here in New York over six furlongs and also on a sloppy track. The horse would come home third in this start, off the pace by only half a length. His most recent win was in August of last year during a listed stakes race in Arizona over seven and a half furlongs on a track rated as good in which he would win by one and three-quarter lengths with a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred sixteen.
8. Mo’s Hope – littlefrog – B. Scott – 6/1
Making his fourteenth career start this weekend, the four-year-old bay colt is by the late Uncle Mo. The colt is seeking the so far elusive graded win, though has placed in several graded starts. The most recent race for the bay colt was in the Sterile Mile (G1) here in New York last November. The colt broke sharply out of the gate and was held just off the pace in third off the front runners. He maintained this position throughout, up until the stretch where he would fade back to cross the wire in eighth. His most recent win was this past August in a listed stakes over a mile in Indiana. He was out of the gate in second but took command of the race at the midway point and went on to win by one and three-quarter lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen, which is a lifetime best for the colt.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Mystic Pharoah
Place: Stormy War Front
Show: Bonus Bugle