Remember Stakes
Welcome to the 9th running of the Remember Stakes in New Hampshire. Fillies and mares 3 years and older will be racing 9 furlongs on the firm turf for their share in the $125,000 purse. This year we mostly have 4 and 5 year olds, but also 2 three year olds racing against older horses for the first time. Historically this race has been won by early speed, many times wire to wire and the majority of the time it has been won by the favorite. This year we have co-favorites and co-second favorites and a lot of early speed. It should be an interesting race. Let’s look at the field:
PP 1 MONSUN JR CB (GER) (MONSUN (GER) x FASLIYEV (IRE) x DIXIE BRASS)) bred and trained by themole (Bizalls Stables, 10%) Odds: 8 to 1
Out of post position one we have Monsun Jr CB. This 4 year old daughter of Monsun out of turf sprinting game dam Jack’s Fas CB has found her groove in turf routes. All but one of her wins were routes and she has won almost 50% of her races on off tracks. She won’t get the off track here, the weatherman is calling for a firm turf track. Her last wins came last summer in a 5 race win streak, the last three on off tracks. Those we all allowance and overnight stakes. She has been trying graded company since then, but her best finish was fourth and quite a few fifths. She is coming off 7 weeks rest, so maybe that will get her back on form and she will be able win her first graded stakes. She is coming off her career high speed factor of 104 last time out.
PP 2 LEAD ACTRESS (KY) (THEATRICAL (IRE) x ROBERTO x LYPHARD) bred and trained by peeps11 (Conquest Farms, 15%) Odds: 4 to 1
Lead Actress is one of our co-favorites today. She is a 5 year old home bred daughter of Theatrical. In her 16 career starts she has only finished out of the money 3 times. She likes the lead and only two of her wins were not wire to wire victories. She has tried graded company twice before. Once was a great effort at the G1-Cedora D Stakes where she just missed. Next time out she tried another G1, but with horrible results. After two more overnight victories she is again trying to get her first graded victory. This is an easier field than her last graded try and she should do well here. She is also coming off her career best with a speed factor of 113, highest in the field.
PP 3 FOUR OH ONE K (AUS) (VALIXIR (IRE) x GRAUSTARK x DR. FAGER) bred and trained by maltese (Maltese Stables, 7%) Odds: 99 to 1
Interesting entry here from Maltese Stables. This 3 year old daughter of freshman sire Valizir is making her graded debut and her first try at routing in today. Since her trainer tried her on turf in her third race she hasn’t finished worse than second and she won 6 of those 8 races! Like most trainers Maltese is hoping for an increase in speed as their horses turn 3 and Four Oh One K will definitely need that to compete with these older mares. If she is able to capture the win here it will be the first graded victory for Valixir’s offspring.
PP 4 URBAN QUEST (ENG) (RAINBOW QUEST x KRIS S. x VAGUELY NOBLE) bred and trained by battlers (Ozsteve Stables , 15%) Odds: 9 to 2
After a very successful 2 year old campaign (including a 6 win streak) it took Urban Quest quite a while to get into winning form again. After not winning at all in 2007, she has 5 for 2008 and four of those were in her last 6 races. She is looking for her first graded win since her 2 year old season. She came very close in the G2-Red Bird Handicap finishing only just out of the lead. She is another horse that likes to run just off the pace, so lining up next to Four Oh One K and Lead Actress should be to her advantage. Her most decisive victory game at this distance last time out where she won by over 4 lengths. She is one of the co-second favorites here and should definitely be in the mix.
PP 5 WARSAW WITCH (ENG) (MEDICEAN (GB) x DANZIG x FORTY NINER) bred by bm4 and trained by gbnorthern (Blacksoxuk Stables, 6%) Odds: 99 to 1
Warsaw Witch is the second filly making her first try as a 3yo and also making her first try at routes. This is only here 6 career start. She broke her maiden at second asking (her first try on turf), but hasn’t been able to do better than third since then. She should do well at a route, her sire produces more routers than sprinters. Since breaking her maiden she has been racing in stakes and graded stakes and the back end of her pedigree says she should be successful at this level. Her sire, Medicean has only produced 2 graded winners and she is hoping to be the third.
PP 6 TUPUNGATO (KY) (RAHY x PULPIT x DANZIG) bred by chile and trained by hipica (Hipica Stables, 11%) Odds: 9 to 2
Next we have a 5 year old daughter of Rahy out of game dam Damage Control who won most of her races on dirt. Tupungato has been successful on both dirt and turf, but lately has been running mostly turf routes at the overnight and graded level. She won her first graded race two back at the G3-Bickerknocker Handicap, also at this distance. She is proven at the distance and surface and also in this class and deserves her co-second favorite status. She is another in the field who likes the early lead and most of her races have been won wire to wire. There will be quite a battle out of the gates to see who gets the early lead
PP 7 PAZJAZZ PRAYER (KY) (A.P. INDY x SADLER’S WELLS x BUCKPASSER) bred and trained by bongo (PazJazz Music City Stables, 12%) Odds: 9 to 1
Pazjazz Prayer will start out of gate 7. She is a 4 year old home bred daughter of A.P. Indy. She is the highest ranked horse in the field at 13 in the turf classic division. She is the first late running horse in this field of early speed. After PazJazz switched her from dirt to turf early in her 3 year old season she had a streak of wins and in the money finishes, culminating with a G1 win at the Equinics. There she faced very tough competition, but was still able to pull off the victory. Since then she has struggled, only finishing in the money once. She is back at 9 furlongs which seems to be her preferred distance and being a late runner in this field should definitely work to her advantage.
PP 8 JUMRON’S MEMORY (GB) (JUMRON (GB) x NOTHERN DANCER x MR. PROSPECTOR) bred and trained by bigblueone (Kaif Stables, 19%) Odds: 4 to 1
Next is Jumron’s Memory, a 6 year old scratch bred. She is the co-favorite here. In 2005, the last year Jumron was a sim sire, Kaif Stables breed 6 of the 7 offspring from him. Of those 6, three are graded placed (two of those are stakes winners as well) and 1 is stakes placed. Jumron’s Memory is trying to become Jumron’s first graded winner, which would be very apropos considering the name. She has only finished out of the money twice on turf, once in a G3 attempt and the other last time out at the G2-Mrs. Cleaver Stakes. She faced Tupungato in her last two races and finished ahead of her last time out.
PP 9 DEATH AWAITS YOU (AUS) (REDOUTE’S CHOICE (AUS) x BLACK TIE AFFAIR (IRE) x CLEVER TRICK) bred by jimdscott and trained by ih8u (Kaif Stables, 19%) Odds: 13 to 1
Death Awaits You is the second entry by Kaif Stables. She is a 4 year old daughter of Redoutes Choice who is progressing nicely. The only time she finished out of the money in her 12 career starts was at the G1-Sydney Oaks. After that race Kaif sent her back to allowance races where she won two in a row and then followed that with 2 stakes wins. Her last out was her second attempt against graded company and she just missed. She is another horse in the field who likes the early lead. The oddsmakers put her at 13 to 1, probably due to some lower speeds a few races back, but her last time out speed is in the mix with some of the top horses in the race and she would pay out a nice profit if she wins.
PP 10 OTTO CAPTIAL (EMPIRE MAKER x ELA-MANA-MOU (IRE) x RIVERMAN) bred and trained by nocalbred (Pierchinski Stables, 17%) Odds: 8 to 1
Out of post position 10 we find the oldest mare in the race. Otto Capital is a 7 year old scratch bred daughter of Empire Maker. She has had a successful career winning 11 of her 35 starts and earning almost three quarters of a million dollars. She also has won numerous stakes and two graded races. It looks as though the best of her career has past though. She has been struggling recently and hasn’t won since August in a listed stakes. She has won at this distance, but most of her wins have come over longer routes. All of her wins have come wire to wire and this a definitely a tough field to be an early speed horse in.
PP 11 BRABASONG (KY) (UNBRIDLED’S SONG x SADLER’S WELLS x MILL REEF) bred and trained by brabant (Rafa Stables, 15%) Odds: 8 to 1
Brabasong is coming off her career high speed last time out in a listed stakes of 111. She is closing in on the million dollar mark in her 34th career start. She is a 5 year old daughter of Unbridled’s Song out of game dam Brabata who was a turf router. Brabasong has won twice a 8.5 furlongs, but her worst career races came at 8.5 or longer, so the distance might be an issue for her here. She seems to prefer the even mile. Add that to the fact the she is yet another early speed horse in the field, I can’t see her getting the job done here.
There are so many in the field wanting the early lead, the start out of the gates should be interesting. I am going to put my money on Tupungato to get the early lead and hold it for the rest of the race. Pazjazz Prayer, the lone late runner in the race will make a run for the lead in the stretch, but I don’t think she will take it. I will pick Tupungato for the win, PazJazz Prayer to place and Jumron’s Memory to show. Good luck and happy racing. 🙂