Summer ends early with the Grade 3 Autumn Stakes

Summer unofficially came to a close earlier this week with the celebration of Labor Day, but officially there is still about two weeks to go until we reach autumn. Trees are changing colors early this year, so the G3 Autumn Stakes has been slotted to run this week in Surrey. The Autumn Stakes is for three year olds and up that are willing to run a mile and a half on the firm turf course for a purse of $150,000. A short field of six has been entered, undoubtedly due to two Breeder’s Bowl bound entrants being present today, using this race as their last tune up before the first weekend in November back in Kentucky. Although those two may have the proven class of the field, it doesn’t mean someone else can’t step up.

Drawing the rail will be crowbar’s Gold Doors. Gold Doors is a seven year old son of Touch Gold out of Jacque’s Doors, a daughter of Once Wild. On the track Jacque’s Doors was stakes placed, but won fourteen times in her career, all route wins. Gold Doors is her only progeny, she may not have been superbly bred but producing a horse that has won over $1.1 million and is a stakes winner would usually get a mare sent back to the breeding shed. Gold Doors comes into this race of an allowance win going a mile and three quarters, posting a nice speed figure of 103. A few problems I see with that race are, it was for non winners of two in six months, so all horses slightly off form, and it was the beginning of July. Gold Doors was given two months off before coming back to the races, did that effort take too much out of him? At 9/1 I do like his running style for this type of race, he is a closer, which means he can save his energy until the end, rather than try to stretch his speed along and hold off the late runners. He is the one that the front runners will be worried about.

Desperado3’s Proud Souls, is one of the two Breeder Bowl bounded entrants, and draws post two. Proud Souls is a five year old son of Awesome Again, out of an unraced A.P. Indy mare. Proud Souls is a grade one winner at this distance, and finished third last year in the Breeders Bowl out in California. As of late Proud Souls has been slightly off form without a win in the past three months. In May he won a grade three with an impressive 112 speed figure and has had two poor showings since then, well if you can call running a 110 poor that is. However in that 110 he failed to hit the board. Proud Souls has a front end running style, if he doesn’t make the lead he doesn’t seem to fire. In his last two races he didn’t make the lead which could be why he didn’t win, he doesn’t like seeing the other horses near him. At 6/5 hopefully the blinkers go back on and the jock sends him to the lead. On the lead he’s dangerous, if the competition lets him get away early, good luck catching him.

Drawing the middle post of the field is daniel2’s Grand Dragon. Grand Dragon is a four year old son of Dalakhani out of Son of a Dragon who was by Pine Bluff. Son Of A Dragon was nothing special on the track with only one win in fourteen starts, which was a sprint as a two year old. At least his son Grand Dragon has been much better on the track winning six times in eighteen starts. Grand Dragon is having a fabulous year with five wins in the past twelve months, but will get a class check here today. All of his wins have been allowance races between the mile and a quarter and mile and a half distance. He has tried listed stakes and graded stakes before but has yet to hit the board in any of those races. He comes into this race off a non winners of one in three month allowance race, posting just a 98 for the victory. I know as the races get longer high speed figures are far and few between, but the rest of the field typically wins in the 100s. The last time he posted a 104 was back in March, six months ago. At 8/1 I think he has some more improving to do before being competitive with this field. He will be coming off the pace trying to run down Proud Souls, or whoever may be up on the lead.

Picking up the fourth stall in the starting gate is skunkbred3’s A Skunk Vice. A Skunk Vice is a four year old son of Alkaased out of an unraced Vice Regent mare. Vice is a grade three winner at this distance, coming into this race off an allowance win going ten furlongs, which was restricted to non winners of one in six months. A Skunk Vice has a similar running style to Proud Souls, by liking the front end. However Vice does not need to be on the lead to win, but he will be fairly close to the pace. He however has never been able to wire a field going twelve furlongs. It would not surprise me to see him breathing fire down Proud Souls neck throughout the race. But at 9/2 can he press the pace and still be there at the end? I think Proud Souls could be in for some trouble having A Skunk Vice pressing him the entire way around, but I think it will also be to A Skunk Vice’s detriment pushing the pace too much. Vice has the speed to surprise, and should be in the money at the end at the very least.

Sangster’s Passelande will break from the five hole. Passelande is a four year old son of Teofilo, out of an unraced Blushing Groom mare. Passeland is grade one placed at this distance, but his last win at this distance came in June of 2009 in an owner restricted stake. His last win was in an open stake at the end of January this year going a mile and a quarter. Although he has not been winning, he has still been producing good speed figures, back in July he posted a 113 to finish third in a grade 3 going ten. I am concerned however with his last performance, finishing last in a field of five only producing a 95 speed figure. Typically Passelande will be only a few lengths off the front runners, in his last race he was never closer than eight lengths to the lead. That race was about four weeks ago, so he must not have come out of the race injured, but it certainly raises questions of whether he’s ready for this race or not. At 7/2 he stretches out to twelve furlongs for the first time in over a year and steps back into graded competition. To be a factor in this race he’s going to have to be a lot sharper than he has been in his last several races.

Drawing the outside post is elcheapo’s Not So Cheap, the other Breeders Bowl bound entrant of the field. Not So Cheap is a five year old son of Forestry out of an unraced Pulpit mare. Not So Cheap is a grade two winner at this distance as well as at two miles. So obviously distance will not be a problem for him. Getting back into the winner’s circle may be the trouble though, he comes into this race without a win in three months. His last victory was in a grade two going two miles. Although he seems to be slightly off form, he is a scary entrant as he’s proven to not be afraid of massive distances, and does it by running close to the lead, just a handful of lengths off the pace. Each race he gets a heart check with a running style like that. In Not So Cheap’s last start either he didn’t have the speed to stay close, or the jock decided to try to rate him more, because he was over half a dozen lengths behind for most of the race, but managed to show a good closing kick two finish second by just under three lengths in a grade two going a mile and three quarters posting a 108. At 7/2 if he keeps that running style for this race he could be very dangerous as I believe there will be a heated duel between Proud Souls and A Skunk Vice on the lead, a good closing kick by Not So Cheap could make for an exciting stretch run.

There is your compact field of six for this mile and a half marathon. The majority of the field is off form, just winning allowances, or trying to hang tough in stakes races and just not getting it done. It really could be anyone’s race, but I think Proud Souls will enjoy the class break and be able to wire the field. A Skunk Vice may press the pace too much though and hurt both of their chances, in that casre I think Not So Cheap could be there in the end to pick up the pieces. My choices are Proud Souls, Not So Cheap and A Skunk Vice. Good luck to all may your horses run fast and return safely to their barns.