Grade II M-Class
Welcome to Germany where we have an exciting race here in the Grade II M-Class. Just like the M-Class vehicles we have some of the finest luxury horses around. We have a field of 7 extremely talented horses and a firm turf course for running. These horses will be running 11 furlongs for the winner’s share of a $250,000 purse. I have rarely seen such an evenly matched field as the morning line favorite is 3-1 IRON ISLANDS(ENG) and the longest shot in the field is ABANDON SHIP(IRE) who is going off at 6-1. Let’s take a look at our field.
ABANDON SHIP(IRE) is going off at 6-1 and this son of Sadler’s Wells has an impressive record, finishing off the board only twice in 13 starts on the grass. Unfortunately both of those times have been in graded stakes; with a 3rd place finish the only other time this colt has met graded competition. This will be the first time that ABANDON SHIP(IRE) has run 11 furlongs, but the colt has run at both 10 and 12 so it shouldn’t make much of a difference.
GRAB(IRE) will be running from the #2 post and this will be the first time that this son of Danehill Dancer will be racing at the mile and 3/8ths. This distance may be exactly what this colt needs as GRAB(IRE) has been fading late at 12-14 furlongs. GRAB(IRE) is no stranger to graded competition and already has a Grade II and two Grade III stakes wins on his resume. Expect this 4/1 colt to take the lead early.
IRON ISLANDS(ENG) from the confessor stable is the favorite at 3-1. This son of Pivotal is coming off a fantastic 114 speed figure last time out. This colt has placed in a Grade I and has finished no lower than 2nd in his last five starts. This will be a step up in class from the allowance and stakes that IRON ISLANDS(ENG) has been running in so far this season, but the colt should be up for it.
GALIESIS(IRE) comes to us from the goldsmith stable and is coming out 5/1 from the #4 hole. This 5 year old horse was sired by Galileo and has seen the stars. GALIESIS(IRE) is the highest earning horse in this race with career winnings totaling more than 1.2 million dollars. This horse knows how to win in graded company with two Grade I victories as a 3 year old. This could be a real hit or miss pick because this horse is a proven winner but has been somewhat inconsistent recently and is still looking for his first victory of the year.
INVENTOR(AUS) from the majorbear stable is a 9/2 son of Lonhro. This Aussie horse is fresh off a victory in the Grade III Johnny Porter. INVENTOR(AUS)’s connections have decided to drop this horse back to 11 furlongs for this race. This horse is a very nice stalker who seems to like to come just off the pace and make a move at the end. I think the M-Class may be a bit too short but this horse has won at this distance before against stakes company.
DARKDOUN(IRE) from the peepsclaim stable is the veteran of the group with 54 races to this point with 11 victories. This 7 year old son of Galileo hasn’t come in the money against graded company since 2008, but has been tearing up the allowance ranks recently, with two consecutive victories with nice speeds heading into this race. This horse has the experience and seems to love the distance but will the step up in class from the allowance ranks be too much at this point in his career? The oddsmakers don’t seem to think so as DARKDOUN(IRE) goes off at a respectable 5-1
There doesn’t seem to be a hotter horse in the field than 5/1 HELL WYRM(ENG). This 5 year old horse from the tripwire stable has won 3 straight races at this distance while winning 4 of his last 5 and finishing no worse than 2nd in his last 7 races. HELL WYRM(ENG) comes from Medicean and has posted figures higher than 101 in his last 5 starts. The only question is will this horse be able to stand the step up in class as the only other two graded races that HELL WYRM(ENG) has been in have been very forgettable. It is hard to stop a horse on as good of a roll as this one though.
I believe that the race will start out with GRAB(IRE) and DARKDOUN(IRE) setting the pace with IRON ISLANDS(ENG) , HELL WYRM(ENG) , and ABANDON SHIP(IRE) stalking just off the pace with INVENTOR(AUS) and GALIESIS(IRE) falling way back early and trying to make a run at the end. I see IRON ISLANDS(ENG) making a move for the win,followed shortly by HELL WYRM(ENG) and a hard charging INVENTOR(AUS) for third, just running out of time.
Good Luck to all the connections!