Field of 5 set for Grade 3 Las Vegas
| 11th edition of the Las Vegas Handicap, a grade 3 from California takes place this weekend. A small but competitive field takes to the track to try and slay the dragon. The dragon’s name is Haack’s Mom, the #1 ranked horse in this division.
Let’s get on to the field… |
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| PP #1 – N WELLS RC(IRE) | Owner: keeprite |
| Odds: 6-1 | (SADLER’S WELLS x WEEKEND GUEST x FULL POCKET) |
| Div Rank: 653 | Career: 10-3-2-3 $84,588 |
| Comments: What a way to kick off a stakes career jumping up to a G3 for this filly and her connections. Coming off back-to-back wins, while posting a career-high 106 SP last out. Has not run this short of a distance since her debut 10 races back and with closing kick it makes you wonder if this is a mistake. However, with only 5 horses in the field, anything can happen. |
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| PP #2 PP #2 – MERCURY DAWN(IRE) | Owner: vindy |
| Odds: 4-1 | (SADLER’S WELLS x THEATRICAL(IRE) x ROO ART) |
| Div Rank: 351 | Career: 19-4-5-3 $90,878 |
| Comments: Another making a big jump from Allowance to graded stakes level, but does have prior experience at this level, albeit the experience was not great. Lone speed in the race is hopeful to get out front and never get caught, but previous indications are that won’t happen considering she has won only once at this distance, which was against Allowance horses. 2 of 4 wins have come on off-tracks as well, which is not in the forecast this weekend. |
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| PP #3 – CRUEL SUMMER(KY) | Owner: mtkplaz2 |
| Odds: 9/2 | (STORM CAT x MR. PROSPECTOR x NIJINSKY II) |
| Div Rank: 946 | Career: 18-4-2-4 $109,209 |
| Comments: The trend continues with first-time graded runners as this mare comes in with one of the fastest SP in the field. Posting a 109 to win an open Allowance. Sprinting is what the doctor orders for this one as going 2-turns has not yielded good results. So posting a career best SP at today’s distance is a big plus. |
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| PP #4 – FLYING ON BY(KY) | Owner: randy2 |
| Odds: 2-1 | (ANY GIVEN SATURDAY x BROAD BRUSH x STORM CAT) |
| Div Rank: 183 | Career: 17-7-5-3 $243,099 |
| Comments: A horse with some stakes experience compared to the first 3 in this field and has posted 100+ SP’s in 6 of last 7 races. With this mare’s closing kick, you’d think dropping in distance would not be to her liking, but in fact at this distance she is 2 for 2 on the turf. Flying on By is a model of consistency having finished on the board 15 of 17 career, 9 of 10 on the turf. Nothing negative to say about her. Just needs to hope the lone speedster doesn’t get too far ahead. |
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| PP #5 – HAACK’S MOM(KY) | Owner: mrhaack |
| Odds: 7/5 | (MARIA’S MON x EASY GOER x NIJINSKY II) |
| Div Rank: 1 | Career: 22-11-1-3 $791,978 |
| Comments: The “old” lady of field is the lone 5yo and has the most career races and wins. Coming off a G1 win last out while posting a 109 SP, which is higher than any other in this race. Oh yeah, this filly is also currently ranked #1 in the division. Also a winner of 5 of 6 coming in and distance is right up her ally. |
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| My Selections:
When I try to pick winners when writing articles, I try to find ways to not make the trendy pick and look for some value by not picking the favorite. But sometimes, that can’t happen and this is one of those times. Haack’s Mom is the clear cut, in my opinion, class of this race. In a small field, it’s hard to find value, but to round out the exacta i’m going with Cruel Summer, who will be closing along side Haack’s Mom, but Cruel Summer tends to be a little further behind early on, and I think that will kill her chance of winning this with there being very little speed. If you are looking for a triple, play the field for third as the remaining horses are pretty close. |
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