The Equinics Pyramids – 3yo Fillies Go 6f on Turf

The Pyramids are an ancient achievement like none other. The race The Pyramids may be unlike other because there is a horse who has the opportunity to enter the Hall of Fame with a win here. That horse is last year’s Champion Two Year Old Filly Turf Melanie. She is a super fast turf sprinter and the conditions here are six furlongs on the lawn for three year old fillies. Even though Melanie is a standout in terms of accomplishments she does not own the highest last out speed of those in this race and a number of the entrants are up and comers who could pop an upset. There is a ton of early speed here which may open things up for a late runner to come from the clouds and take it all. Let’s take a look at the field.

Sophie Hohenberg – Representing Universal Racing Club

Sophie Hohenberg is certainly a turf sprint specialist. She’s got five wins and two seconds from eight starts in that vein with her only off the board finish coming on an off track. She started the year off with three straight wins, the last two of which were listed stakes races. The first came at five and a half furlongs, the second at seven furlongs. She jumped up to a grade one in April and that is where she hit the off track. She got back on track in her most recent start, finishing a strong second in a six and a half furlong listed stakes with a 93 speed. Her career best is a 95 which she ran in that seven furlong listed but the feeling here is that it wasn’t the distance that helped her most and the cutback to six furlongs is within her range. Part of that feeling is that she is pretty versatile. She can win on the lead or let the front runners go and pounce late. She’s a daughter of Almanzor out of a grade three winning Sadler’s Wells x Mr. Prospector mare. She did her best running in turf sprints and hasn’t been too shabby a producer either. She’s got five older foals, one a grade two winner and two listed winners.

Voter – Representing Blazing Saddles

Scratchbred Fastnet Rock x Sadler’s Wells x Blushing Groom filly Voter is another with a fine record. She’s got four wins and a third from five sprint starts with one of those races coming on the dirt in her first race of the year. That race came in a local bred allowance. Her connections decided to stretch her out to a mile and she won an open allowance with an 89 speed but only by a head. It probably dashed any Bluegrass Derby dreams they may have had. She’s made three other starts this year, all on turf. Her first two came at six furlongs and included a listed win with a 97 speed. Most recently she dropped back to five and a half in a listed and was third with a 93 speed. She’s a confirmed front runner but she can battle on the early lead and put away her opponents so she’s got grit.

Melanie – Representing Empire State Racing

The big filly in this race is Melanie. Last season she took the Champion Two Year Old Filly Turf honors by winning three grade ones and a grade three, all sprinting. She got a ten week break between her two and three year old seasons and returned in a grade one at six furlongs. In that start she battled for the early lead before falling short late, losing by a length while second. Her next start was simply spectacular. She again battled for the early lead but easily put away her rivals and won by a length and a quarter with a massive 107 speed. That was the Grade One Remy Special and it came over seven furlongs on a good dirt course. Her most recent start was at the end of May and was another grade one at seven furlongs. She followed her typical racing style but her margin of victory was less than a length and she only ran a 103 speed. If Melanie wins here she will earn a place in the Hall of Fame. But there’s a few questions looming. Is she better at seven furlongs and does she prefer some moisture on the track? She will have some company early on although she’s been able to shrug off other fillies in the past (some of whom she will face here). There’s also the question of when a great two year old hits ‘the wall’ as a three year old and begins to fade in form. All of that said Melanie could meet all three of those qualifications and still demolish this field. She really is that good. She’s a daughter of Declaration of War out of a grade one winner by Rip Van Winkle x Distorted Humor. Her two year old younger brother is also representing Empire State Racing in the Equinics, he’s a four for four listed winner by War Front.

Traviata – Representing Elite Racing Club

With sixteen starts under her belt Traviata has the most experience of any horse in this field. She’s also the only filly who was available for a claiming tag. Her second and third starts saw her run in maiden claimers for $150,000 and $100,000. She won that second maiden claimer but by July her connections had given up on her and she was put in auction. That turned out to be a lucky break for her new connections who believed in her. Since changing hands she has won two listeds and finished second in three others. Three of those five listeds were in turf sprints. Problematically her most recent start – and easily her best race – came at a mile and an eighth. She went into that race off a second place finish in a five and a half furlong listed where she sat about three lengths off the early lead before closing to lose by a length. She ran a 91 speed in that race, which isn’t bad for the distance. She followed a similar style in the next race but moved much earlier, taking the lead around the turn and opening up on the field while running a 106 speed. In her two route runs she has a win and a second in listeds, while she is only in the money in ten of fourteen sprint runs (with just four wins). She’s a daughter of Ribchester who was a crack miler out of a New Approach x Theatrical mare and is her dam’s only stakes winner. That backend gives the impression of a router as well. So can she replicate her last race while dropping back three furlongs? Maybe.

Heart of Dubai – Representing East-West Connection

Heart of Dubai has made five starts this year with two wins and two seconds. She was second in her first two races, both listeds including one at a mile before winning two listeds in April and June. The first listed win saw her sit in second but two lengths off the front runner before taking the lead around the turn and drawing off. That race came at seven furlongs and she ran a 99 speed. She was second again in the next race but closer to the frontrunner, sitting less than a length off the leader before again taking the lead around the turn and then holding off the closers. She ran a strong 102 speed in that seven and a half furlong race. Those two wins gave her connections the confidence to enter a grade one at seven and a half furlongs and that race did not turn out as planned. Heart of Dubai was in sixth early on, dropping back to eighth at the finish line. So what to make of that race? Certainly many horses struggle in their graded debuts only to find them a great learning experience and bounce back to run well in their next. A more urgent concern is that she hasn’t run shorter than seven furlongs all year. She is a scratchbred daughter of Caravaggio x Dubai Millenium x Awesome Again.

Machado the Padre – Representing GR Simsters

The sixth stakes winner from the Storm Cat x Danzig mare Raging Fire Storm is the Curlin filly Machado the Padre. Two of those were graded winners. Macho the Padre started her career on dirt and was moderately successful but since switching to turf she has been quite good. She’s had five starts on the surface beginning in December and has three wins and a second in those races. Two of those wins came in listed stakes races and those came in her three most recent starts. She took a six and a half furlong listed in March with a 92 speed. That was enough for her connections to try a grade one at seven furlongs but that race came up over a good track – her first and only try on the off going – and she finished fourth. Even though she was off the board it was not a bad race. She pressed the early pace from third with the champion Melanie just in front of her in second. Melanie went on to win the race but the horse who set the pace faded badly. Machado the Padre was only three lengths off the winner and was just nosed out of third. She ran a 102 speed that day, a number she improved upon in her most recent start. That came in another six and a half furlong listed which saw her sit in fourth, well off the front runners early on before making her move and winning going away by over a length. In that race she ran a 106 speed which fits well with the favorites here.

Blachernae – Representing All-Stars Racing

The grade one winning and multiple graded winning horse Pirogue was one of those unique sim horses who was a good two year old that went on to be a very good older horse. As a two year old he was second in a grade one at seven furlongs on the turf, a distance that proved to be his sweet spot as he was a multiple graded winner there. He was a son of Pivotal x Pulpit and upon his retirement he was sent to Frankel and produced Blachernae. Blachernae follows in his footsteps as a good turf sprinter but she seems to prefer shorter distances. In her last three starts she has two listed wins at six and six and a half furlongs. Her career best speed, a 99, came in that six and a half furlong race. The confirmed frontrunner stretched out to seven and a half furlongs in her most recent start and even though she had an uncontested lead and opened up by over five lengths she tired in the stretch, finishing fourth. She did run a 97 speed there but the feeling here is that she would much prefer the six furlongs she’ll run in this spot. That said she’s going to have to fight for that early lead and with no triple digit speeds in her record she may not be fast enough to get it.

I Am Charming – Representing Midas

Another filly with a great record in turf sprints is I Am Charming. The scratchbred daughter of I Am Invincible x Danehill x Lope de Vega has five wins and two seconds from eight turf sprints. Starting in January she won five straight races including three listed stakes races before trying a graded stakes for the first time in her most recent start and finishing off the board. Her three stakes wins came at seven or seven and a half furlongs. At that latter distance she ran her career best speed of 108 after closing from last to win by three quarters of a length. That most recent start was at that same distance and she faced a full field where she was last again. At the top of the stretch she was nine lengths back but she closed to be less than three lengths behind the winner in sixth. Her speed was good also, only dropping down to a 100. It may be that she had traffic trouble in that field or that the jump to a grade one was too big a jump from a listed. She may also have bounced off that big 108 speed. The bigger question in this race is can she close from last while shortening up to six furlongs? She will have a good pace to run at but the shorter stretch run may work against her.

Orb of Fusing – Representing Hispano Parlente

Never off the board in nine career starts (all in turf sprints) is Orb of Fusing. She’s got five wins there and three seconds, which includes two listed stakes wins in her two most recent starts. Those were her only starts this year, making her a very well rested filly for this race. Indeed often that third start off a layoff sees a horse improve well and it may be enough to get Orb of Fusing across the finish line first in this race. She began 2020 in April with a seven furlong run. She took the early lead there and opened up on the field, leading by just over four lengths around the far turn. She tired late but was only beaten by three quarters of a length and ran a 96 speed. In her two year old starts she was always on or near the lead early on and again she was very successful doing that. Her most recent start saw her show a much different dimension. It was only a four horse field but she was fourth early on, over seven lengths behind the early leader. She unleashed a strong late run to lose by only three quarters of a length and ran a career best 103 speed. The scratchbred daughter of Exceed and Excel x Woodman x Northern Dancer filly has not run shorter than seven furlongs in over a year. She’s not the only filly in this race who has been running in longer sprints but it will be interesting to see whom that helps or hurts.

Barren County – Representing Hoosier Racing

One filly who has been racing at shorter distances is Barren County. Six of her eight starts have come at six furlongs or less. She was stakes placed in four of those races but her big break through came in her most recent start going six and a half furlongs. That was a listed run over a good turf course, her first time on an off track. She sat in fourth of a five horse field before taking the lead down the stretch and winning by almost two lengths. She ran a 94 speed, a career best. Barren County is a daughter of Gio Ponti based on a graded placed stakes winning hemare named Pierre. He was by Toorak Toff x Redoute’s Choice. He was best at six furlongs on the grass where he was grade one placed. He also ran in the male version of this race way back in 2014, although he didn’t lift his feet and finished ninth. Barren County’s connections are hoping she can outshine her “dam”.

Never Ever Wrong – Representing Minnesota Testbarn Residency

Never Ever Wrong started her career on the turf and was stakes placed as an early two year old. Switched to dirt in October she was quite consistent, finishing first or second in five straight starts. All of those races were allowances with the shortest coming at six and a half furlongs. The daughter of Not A Single Doubt out of a No Nay Never x Dansili mare certainly has a pedigree that screams turf and so her connections decided to make another surface switch for her most recent start. The risk paid off with her first listed win going five furlongs on the lawn. She sat midpack early before making a bold move around the turn and winning by a quarter length. She ran a 96 speed in that start which is obviously her best on the turf but she did run a 98 in the race prior on the dirt. It’s concerning that she hasn’t hit that triple digit number but obviously she has found her preferred surface and I would not be surprised if she becomes a force in this division at some point this year. Whether that is Sunday is a big question.

Moonlight Winner – Representing Only Stayers

Moonlight Vision has only two wins from nine starts but both came in turf sprints. She’s the only filly in this race that has not yet won a stakes raced, although she is stakes placed. She earned that stakes placing back in January when she was second in a seven and a half furlong listed. In that race she lead from the start and opened up an over six length lead before tiring late. Her last two starts have come in allowances, the first on dirt where she was a distance third in a race where she battled for the early lead but never was in front. She did get the lead in her most recent start, a seven furlong allowance and did open up early on but again was run down late. She was second by a length and three quarters with a 94 speed, a career best. I don’t think this filly has enough early speed to run away from this field which is full of fillies who want to be first the whole way around. She’ll have to show a different dimension to be competitive here. She’s a daughter of Dortmund out of a Union Rags x Forest Wildcat mare. Her second dam is Hollywood Catfight, a grade one winning dirt sprinter.

Dawn Wind – Representing North West Racing Circuit

At 15/1 Dawn Wind is a tempting prospect. She has the second most starts in the field with thirteen but she’s won nine of them and has never been off the board. Eight of those wins have come in listeds, all turf sprints. Seven of them have been at five or five and a half furlongs but she does have one win at six and a half furlongs. That race was in her second start, back in March of 2019. She was third in a grade three last year going six and a half furlongs as well. The scratchbred daughter of Dawn Approach x Explodent x Caerleon is another filly who wants the lead from the get go. She has won when running second early on but even then she was battling for the early lead. She has never run a triple digit speed with her best being a 94 which she ran in her most recent start. So what to make of her? Will she improve going six furlongs? Where will she be early on? Can she overcome a trip where she isn’t in front early? Again at her odds and with her record a punter may be interested in taking a flyer on this classy filly.

La Estancia – Representing Hispanos Del Mundo

What to make of a filly who has won three straight races at the same distance? Has she found her sweet spot or does she have the capability to change things up. That’s the story of La Estancia. She has three wins at six and a half furlongs, her last two wins coming in listed stakes races. In fact she has never raced at six furlongs. Her first two wins as a two year old came under that distance and after a third at five and a half furlongs all of her other races have been at six and a half. She’s a daughter of Gleneagles out of a Seeking the Gold x Northern Dancer mare named Dayana Mendoza. Dayana Mendoza won twelve starts in turf sprints and was a stakes winner but this is her first stakes winning foal after seven older ones. La Estancia is yet another filly who wants to lead wire to wire. Her highest career speed came three starts back in a February allowance when she ran a 100 but she did run a 99 in her most recent start.

Good luck to all!