The FRUGAL LOIS(GB) Bonanza Stakes
Here we are at the Queensland Racecourse Home of the Flying Horses on this calm sunny Saturday, temperatures are in the low 80’s. The main event of the day is the FRUGAL LOIS(GB) Bonanza Stakes run over a mile and a half on the good turf.. There will be seven fillies and mares ranging from 4yo to 8yo vying for the purse of $50,000. Should be a close fought contest.
1 THIS IS LOVE 5yo Chestnut Mare by Exploit out of an Irish River(ire) mare is owned by dancer4 and goes off at odds of 8/1. 54th ranked in the long turf division she has a 25% strike rate with 7 wins out of 28 races. Has been running mostly at longer distances than this being thereabouts without winning. Long overdue a win with a losing streak of 9 races, her last win was in Argentina in the MY ISLAND HOME Memorial Stakes over this distance.
2 MINTIANO 6yo Brown Mare by Danzig out of an A.P.Indy mare is owned by dreaming and goes off at odds of 5/1. Hasn’t won a stakes in 9 attempts which is surprising when you consider she’s only once finished out of the first 5 (2 nd 4 times) and can be forgiven that as it was over 16f. She will probably try to lead from start to finish but may well run out of gas in the stretch. Solid place prospects.
3 UNETHICAL(IRE) 6yo Chestnut Mare by Theatrical(ire) out of an Unbridled mare is owned by lazysranch and goes off at odds of 6/1. 87th ranked in the long turf division with 6 wins from 40 runs, She won her last race a 10f conditions turf allowance and would seem that her connections have been trying to give her confidence a boost as she had previously gone 8 runs without a win.
4 MAMBO DANZIG 8yo Chestnut Mare by Kingmambo out of a Danzig mare is owned by triano and goes off at odds of 9/2. Started her racing career as a 3yo and for four years ran in allowances mostly conditions. Then in her first race as a 7yo she is entered into the ROPE BLUSH Challenge Stakes over 13f turf in New South Wales, she duly obliged that day at 24/1 winning by over 5 lengths. In last 8 races since then has won only once and that was a 13f conditions allowance.
5 GRIZABELLA 5yo Brown Mare by Storm Cat out of an Unbridled mare is owned by sirivor and goes off at odds of 5/2. She is 94th ranked in the long turf division and has a 33% strike rate with 9 wins out of 27 races. Hasn’t won in two tries over this distance but it is well within her capabilities as she has ran an sp# 101 when runner up at North Florida in the MACH II Memorial Stakes. Dissapointed connections with a poor run on her second try over this distance though, finishing third in a conditions allowance with an sp# 79. That run was after a 10week lay off so can be forgiven.
6 LOWLANDS LUNATIC(IRE) 4yo Brown Filly by Barathea(ire) out of an El Gran Senor mare is owned by zeco and goes off at odds of 3/1. 1st attempt at this distance although has run in the BART’S ERA Stakes which was only one furlong shorter. That was midway through last year and she will have strengthened up a bit by now. Breeding would suggest that she has a decent chance of getting the distance and has possibilities.
7 KATIMA 4yo Brown Filly by Kingmambo out of a Seattle Slew mare is owned by walshy and goes off at odds of 5/1. She was the 19th ranked in the long turf division as a 3yo so it would appear she could be a force to be reckoned with if she has trained on. Her last victory came 7 races back and that was over this distance in the OUTSHINED Challenge Stakes in Spain.
Betting would suggest they all have their chance with no more than five and half points covering them. If I were pushed to pick a winner I’d plump for the lightly raced 4yo KATIMA at reasonable odds and hope that she has trained on. As for the places tough to choose and it’s anybody’s guess.