Triangular Star Stakes
Welcome to the 10th running of the Triangular Star Stakes in Hong Kong. Historically this grade 3 race has attracted a larger field; we only have 6 fillies running today. They will run 8.5 furlongs over the turf for their share in the $100,000 prize money. The stakes record is held by the 2004 winner Little Miss Thunder. She was a long shot, but wired the field putting up a 103sp. I don’t think the stakes record is going to be broken, but this is their first race as three years olds, so they are unpredictable. Let’s look at the fillies:
PP 1 QUEEN OF THE BUDAS (KY) (KINGMAMBO x STORM CAT x SADLER’S WELLS) bred and trained by vicki (Twoofus Stables, 14%) Odds: 9 to 5
We start off with the morning line favorite Queen Of The Budas. She is a daughter of Kingmambo and is the fourth graded winner out of game dam Vicki’s Gal. After breaking her maiden first out, Queen of the Budas went on to win the G3-TheDormello, wiring both fields. She then took her chances in the Breeders’ Bowl Filly Juvy Turf. She struggled there, but came back a month later and hit the board at the G1-DPCD VIII Dancing Blade Handicap. She has the highest speed factor last out in the field with a 92. She also has top jockey T Brewer who has won this race the last two years and she’ll need a good start out of the gate to win because there is a lot of early speed in the field.
PP 2 COURTING AFFAIR (KY) (POWERSCOURT (GB) x FANTASTIC LIGHT x STORM BIRD) bred and trained by sunline (Fabman Farms, 17%) Odds: 8 to 1
Courting Affair, a daughter of Powerscourt, will start out of gate 2 in her fourth career start. One of the first horses I bred that was actually competitive is a Powerscourt, so I like him a sire. Courting Affair is out of game dam Sun’s Affair and would be the first offspring to win at the graded level with a win here. She is also a stablemate of current HOTY Basketball Jones, whose reign will end this week. She is taking a big step up in class today. Courting Affair won her maiden and her first try against winners, and finished second last out in an owner restricted allowance race. That last race was a sprint, albeit a long one at 7.5 furlongs, and like most in the field this is her first try at 8.5 furlongs. She likes the lead and there is going to be a lot of competition for it in this race.
PP 3 MIND YOUR BIZNESS (KY) (NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ x VINDICATION X MR. PROSPECTOR) bred and trained by krusty (Krusty Stables, 11%) Odds: 8 to 1
Mind your Bizness will make her 9th career start today in her graded debut. She struggled in her first 5 races, but hasn’t lost since her trainer at Krusty Stables made the switch to dirt. She has won three straight, her maiden and 2 allowance tries. This will be a big step up in class, her last win was an allowance N3L. She is one of only two late runners in the field and that could be a huge advantage for her. If the early speedsters wear themselves out she could make a run for it in the stretch. She is the only horse in the field that has been tested at 8.5 furlongs and she won both times.
PP 4 BECKINSALE (IRE) (GALILEO (IRE ) x RAINBOW QUEST x NORTHERN DANCER) bred and trained by rohan (Galileo Stables, 18%) Odds: 3 to 1
Next we have Beckinsale making her 6th career start. She is the only offspring to win at the graded level out of grade C game dam Tess Carlisle, who was also a turf router. It is not surprising with her sire being Galileo that she likes turf routing as well. She won her first graded try on an off track and then finished second to Queen of the Budas in the G3-Dormello. Her last out was 7 weeks ago, a third place finish in a residency race, although it was with her career high speed of 89. You can add Beckinsale to the list of fillies in the field who like the early lead.
PP 5 TALLREDHEAD (AUS) (RED RANSOM x JOHANNESBURG x DIXIE UNION) bred and trained by italst3 (East Coast Racing, 17%) Odds: 5 to 1
Tallredhead is in post position 5 and is making her graded debut here today. This will also be her first try at a route. Her sire is Red Ransom, who produces a lot of turf routers, but the backend looks a little sprinty to me. (Am I allowed to call It “sprinty”?) She has raced 7 times and has 6 checks in the win column. Her only loss was in her first stakes try back in July. She is coming off 7 weeks rest and her career best speed last out with an 86. All of her wins have come wire to wire except her last where she didn’t have the lead at the beginning, but held it the rest of the race.
PP 6 SLEEPLESS (JPN) (DEEP IMPACT x DYNAFORMER x A.P. INDY) bred and trained by masterab (Masterab Stables, 24%) Odds: 5/2
Last, but not least, we have the second favorite in post position 6. Sleepless is a daughter of Deep Impact out of a Dynaformer x A.P. Indy mare. This will be her 7th career start and her third graded try. She won the G3-Park Place Stakes in October and finished second in her last two races. In both of those races she was closing, so the extra ½ furlong might just enough to put her in the winner’s circle. In her six races she hasn’t finished worse than second and I think that record can definitely stand here.
I don’t know when I have seen a race with so many horses who need the lead. There are 4 early speed horses here and between them they have raced 19 times. They won a total of 13 of those races, 9 of them wire to wire. And in the vast majority of their races they have had the lead the entire time, except in a few cases at first call. With so many horses in the field wanting the lead, a good start out of the gates is going to be critical. With that in mind, I will pick a late runner for the win. Sleepless to win, Queen of the Budas to place, and Beckinsale to show. Good luck and happy racing. J