Narayan No Llama
This is the time of year when some three-year-olds start getting very good indeed, and eternity‘s homebred Narayan used last Saturday’s Grade III Llama Enforcer Stakes to prove that his win in the Grade III LordPye’s EWX Tipping Stakes was no fluke at all.
The chocolate-brown colt was cool and collected in the post parade and loaded professionally into the gate. He’s been pressing the pace recently, but relaxed under A. Quirk, settling in sixth, a few lengths behind front-running Mount St. Helens. He was in position as they turned for home and demonstrated the same courage and grit that won him the Tipping Stakes, matching strides with Ermington Prado while Red Vise loomed large on the outside. ‘Prado stuck his nose in front at one point, but Narayan was having none of it and battled back to to win by a head over a late closing Red Vise.
Narayan is one of three graded stakes winners from Forestry’s three-year-old class, out of allowance-winner Gulch mare. He’s the second of Panthera’s two foals and her first graded stakes winner. Big brother Fractal, by Pulpit, is a stakes-winning earner of better than $100,000.
The Llama Enforcer was his fourth win and seventh top-three finish in nine career starts. The lion’s share of the $125,000 purse pushed his lifetime earnings over $200,000 and catapaulted him into the top twenty five on the three year old dirt sprinter’s list. He covered the seven furlongs in 1:22 and 4/5 and recorded a 96 speed rating.
Morning line favorite Red Vise came charging late on the outside and notched a 96 as well while passing third-place Ermington in the final strides. Mount St. Helens burned rubber early but was outpaced by the closers down the stretch and Zababa(Aus) ran evenly for the last small check.
Nimrod’s Fortress and longshot Azroc on Chorus(Ire) dwadled early but quickened up late, while Stonybrook Lake chased the pace and tired. Future Dancer and Luigi Di Biagio were off their game, Nebakanezer looked a bit wobbly-legged in the stretch, and Terrordega was eased.