Empire Reef Tops Stellar Field In Demona

Empire Reef Tops Stellar Field In Demona

California – There is something to be said for California weather – it can be just perfect!  Such a forecast is expected for this coming Saturday afternoon when a great card will be presented to the racing fans with three stakes events on the schedule.  The fourteenth race of the afternoon is the Grade I, Demona Handicap.  Nine fillies and mares three years old and up will race nine panels over the turf course for a purse of $450,000.  Some of the top ranked stars of the division will be on hand for what promises to be a very competitive race.  Here is the field from the rail out.

Breaking on the inside is Meatball Hero (7/2), a 5 YO mare by Trempolino.  She is ranked # 16 and has won 14 of her 41 starts and over $500,000 in purse monies.  Conditioner, Bigted2 has taken this mare to a win streak of three including The Long Way Home, the Grade II Empire State, and That Goat Just Fainted, another Grade II.  She will be trying to increase her streak to four and just might do it as she is at the top of her game.  She has been running longer distances but shows some tactical speed which her high percentage rider should be able to take advantage of.

Hard Knocks (6/1) is a 4 YO daughter of Hawk Wing and is trained by Roundtable.  She is a former claimer but after being claimed, rattled off another three wins for a total of four in a row.  She has won seven of her 17 starts and finished second last time out in The Warm Warning.  She seems to like a mile so the extra distance plus the class may be hard for her to overcome.

Pinerivers will send out Ultra Cat (9/2) a 5 YO mare by Fusiachi Pegasus and the 29^th ranked mare in her division.  She is a winner of eight and is shipping in from Germany where she won the Grade II, Dollplayer Price at longer.  She will need to get in gear sooner than she likes but has the talent to do so.

Storm Cat will be represented by Misty (8/1) a 5 YO mare ranked #21.  She is ranked # 21 and has won seven of 32 starts.  She is another at the top of her game and comes in to Saturday’s race off a win in the Grade I, Black Gold.  She will ship in from Australia for this race and is another that seems to prefer longer but again, a good rider should help.  Topicount5 will saddle this nice mare.

Post five will hold Sinndee Slew (11/1) a big 4 YO filly by Sinndar.  Trained by Spain, she has won five of 21 starts and is one in the field that will definitely need some racing luck.  Her last win was at the allowance level but it was at a mile and an eighth so she likes the distance.  She finished fourth behind Ultra Cat in the Dollplayer Price last time out and was closing, so she could surprise.

The top ranked mare in the field is from the Lenny Empire and is trained by Lenny13.  She’s not at all unlucky and Empire Reef (7/2) has won eight of her 34 starts and holds the number five ranking in her division.  A win on Saturday would put her close to $3 million in earnings.  She hasn’t won since early June but this is a class horse that just needs to find her way again.  She doesn’t avoid top company and after her win in the Grade I, Ugly Breeder’s Bowl Distaff she finished a good second in the Grade I Rich And Famous three back.  She is still a class act and the one to beat.

Ck2stable will saddle Living Will (12/1) a 4 YO daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar.  Her last two wins were at the allowance level but she did finish second in The Early Boulder at 10 1/2 furlongs last time out.  She is stepping up and will need her best but backside rumors say she has been working well and may surprise.

The only 3 YO in the field is Given2’s nice filly Skullcrusher (13/1).  A well-made filly she is one of two in this race by Awesome Again and is the least experienced of the field.  She has won four of her nine starts and she had an easy win at nine furlongs in an allowance race but then only just hung on to win two back in The Killing Fields at the same distance, although she did post a 103 speed figure.  At this stage of her career nine furlongs may be the high end of her stamina as she finished a dismal, 14 lengths back in The Iron Axe Special at a mile and a quarter last time out. Or it just may have been a bounce.  A lot of questions with this one, however, she is young and bound to improve so don’t write her off.

The outside post will hold Change My Mind (5/1) a 4 YO Sdmforlife trainee.  Also by Awesome Again, she has a very pretty form with only one start in her last eight races where she finished worse than third.  She won The Sota De Basto II and followed that with a second place finish last time out in an owner restricted stake, The Diana Handicap.  She has improving speed figures and is trained by one of the best but the distance is a question.

That is the field for The Demona.  There are several horses in the race that prefer longer and just as many that are stretching out.  Some young up and comers are trying to take on the older establishment and all in all it should be a super race with some great betting opportunities.