PEARL RICK Special Stakes
Seven 3-year-old colts are entered for Saturday’s featured race in South Dakota, the $45,000 PEARL RICK (IRE) Special Stakes to be contested on the turf at a mile and 3/16.
The early betting favorite at 5/2 is END OF THE TUNNEL (15 4-3-3 $115,746), bred and raced by the simond stable. This horse has been hot as of late, running its best speed figure two races ago in an allowance win and following that up by winning his first stakes at The Squire Flirt Memorial in Wyoming last time out. END OF THE TUNNEL is sired by MOTIVATOR, who has sired 5 other stakes winning three year olds, including one graded stakes winner.
WHY MARRY (19 3-3-2 $294,536) is a homebred colt out of the graywolf stable. This horse looks to bounce back after a very disappointing last outing where he finished last in the Corkscrew Stakes (G1 Derby Lock Prep) in KY. Sired by MEDALLIST, the colt looks to return to his form of a year ago, when he hit the board in back to back G1 stakes as a two year old.
EXCLUSIVE REASON (11 3-1-0 $74,935) makes his first attempt at the stakes level after back to back allowance wins his last two times out. This colt is sired by BELONG TO ME, who has produced winners of nearly $20 million. After rallying from mid-pack in both of his recent wins, look for him to try the same here as he makes his first attempt at 9.5 furlongs.
At 4/1 TEXAS FLOOD (END) (6 2-2-2) goes off as the fourth betting choice. Bred by his current owner, grouchy, this colt has hit the board in all six of his outings. His best finish came last time out when he finished second to END OF THE TUNNEL in the Squire Flirt Memorial by 3 ¼ lengths. This nicely bred RAINBOW QUEST sired colt should love the surface and the distance.
After enjoying some success at the allowance level, DYNACITY (14 3-0-3 $38,729) has struggled lately in his attempts to step up in class, finishing disappointingly in his last three outings all at the stakes level. Bred by lawyerron and currently owned by kona, this colt is sired by DYNAFORMER, who has sired 30 stakes winner, but has none so far from his crop of 29 three year olds.
Another colt making his first attempt at stakes competition and first run at this distance is CHEVAL POINT (13 2-3-2 $21,072). Bred by lacorrone, the horse was recently claimed by current owner lgbost8 for $3,500 and immediately responded with a lifetime best speed rating of 90 over a mile on turf. However, making a big step up in class this outing from starter allowance to stakes company.
Out of Washington, UNBREAKABLE X (5 3-1-1 $106,500) is three for three this year for owner/breeder mbarnes in Northwest Racing Circuit Bargain Baby Challenge allowance races, winning on both dirt and turf. This lightly raced son of HIGH DEMAND posted his lifetime best speed rating of 83 in Spain last time out and returns to the States for his first run with stakes company.
This authors humble predictions: Look for END OF THE TUNNEL and EXCLUSIVE REMEDY to both come from midpack to duel it out down the stretch, with END OF TUNNEL winning it at the wire and TEXAS FLOOD a game third.