The More Nay
Seven graded stakes are carded in Deauville this week, headlined by the grade one More Nay Stakes. Eight babies are contesting six furlongs over a firm turf course for a purse of $500,000. The odds are very close with co-favorites Yeah I Said It and The Fijian bookending the field as co-favorites at 7/2 while the longest shot is a paltry 8/1 on Pepsi Gimlet. Half of the field has already won a stakes and the two favorites are both graded winners. The Fijian is the only filly in the field but she is one of three runners who started the year on dirt. The other two are making their turf debuts in this spot adding an element of the unknown to the race. Let’s take a look at the field.
#1 Yeah I Said It 7/2 biggredd stables D Owens rides
Yeah I Said It is a scratch-bred son of Dansili x Tale of the Cat x Machiavellian. Dansili is off to a very strong year with his babies getting 45.6% winners, 3.5% stakes winners and 3.5% graded winners. Overall his two year olds have gathered five stakes wins already this year. Yeah I Said It scored one of those graded wins in his most recent start, the Grade Three Railaway Stakes. In that race he went six furlongs sitting just off the pace before taking over and battling his way to the wire to win by a nose. He earned an 87sp in that start, a solid increase off the 74 he earned in his debut maiden victory previously.
#2 Pepsi Gimlet 8/1 jkj2 stables L Woodard rides
Pepsi Gimlet is a son of Tanino Gimlet out of the d-grade El Prado x Seeking the Gold mare Aurum Prado. This is her fourth foal and first stakes winner. Interestingly she did not start until her three year old season. Tanino Gimlet is having a solid year with early runners, getting 29.6% winners and 3.7% stakes winners accomplished by two horses each winning one stakes. Pepsi Gimlet took one of those stakes races in his last start, the five and one half furlong Gone East Again Turf Juvenile in which he rallied from midpack to get up late for a ¼ length victory with a 71sp. His previous start was at the same distance, his debut maiden where he won by a nose with a 63sp.
#3 Pato Especial 6/1 psyduck stables R Truitt rides
Pato Especial is a son of Special Week out of the f-grade Tiznow x Sadler’s Wells mare Tiz Bud’s For You. He is her first foal. Second dam Goingtothewell was a c-grade mare but failed to produce a stakes winner from six foals. Special Week has sired 30.9% winners from his two year old crop but no stakes winners. Pato Especial is coming off a win in maiden company in his second start. He tracked the leaders in that five furlong contest before taking over late. He earned a 72sp in that start. His previous effort was at six furlongs. He finished second with a 66sp.
#4 Johantal 5/1 pisanor stables M Springer rides
Johantal is a son of Pivotal out of the e-grade Johannesburg x Gone West mare Johan’s Matriarch. This is her third foal and second to achieve stakes placing. Pivotal is looking for his first stakes winner from his two year old crop but he has gotten 38.2% winners so far this year. Johantal won his debut in April winning by four lengths at six furlongs with a 62sp. He started twice in stakes races with his best finish coming in the five and one half furlong Smooth With Cuvee Turf Juvenile which he lost by ¼ length with a 78sp. Last out he ran six furlongs in the Grade Two July Stakes, finishing fifth.
#5 Vive Le Rongeur 7/1 cmd4 stables W Moss rides
Vive Le Rongeur is a son of Fan the Flame out of the e-grade A.P. Indy x Mr. Prospector mare A.P. Goodbye. He is her eighth foal; she has a stakes winner by Fusaichi Pegasus and a graded winner by Maria’s Mon. Fan the Flame’s two year olds have been on fire with 51.0% winners from starters and one stakes winner. Vive Le Rongeur is making his turf debut in this spot. He broke his maiden in his third start going six furlongs with a 75sp. He contested the pace that day but has sat just off it to mid-pack in his other three starts. Most recently he ran fourth in a restricted allowance at seven furlongs with a 76sp.
#6 Art of a Curlin 5/1 shagsnags stables J Stivers rides
Art of a Curlin is a son of Curlin out of the g-grade Excellent Art x Sadler’s Wells mare Try Harder. He is her first foal. Second dam Ah Via Musicom produced two stakes winners and one stakes placed runner from four foals to race. Curlin has sired 41.1% winners from two year old starters, 5.4% stakes winners (accounting for five stakes races) and 1.8% graded winners. Art of a Curlin won his debut in March going wire to wire at six furlongs with a 72sp. He came back to run second in an allowance after contesting the early pace. Held off the pace in his next start he was an easy winner of a first level allowance with another 72sp. He was more eager in his last start, contesting the early pace before fading to third in the Grade Two July Stakes with an 81sp.
#7 Mogard Dresden 6/1 pastrax stables K Champ rides
Mogard Dresden is a son of Teofilo out of the e-grade Pollard’s Vision x Night Shift mare Urko’s Vision. He is her first foal. Second dam Nitey Nite Neriah was a stakes winner. Teofilo has sired 32.7% winners from two year old starters and 4.1% stakes winners. Mogard Dresden is also making his turf debut. He won his first two starts on the dirt including the Phone Dan Dirt Juvenile Stakes. He finished off the board in a Grade Two attempt before rebounding to a solid third place finish last time out in the Grade Three Faber College Juvenile Stakes with an 81sp.
#8 The Fijian 7/2 surf4bass1 stables D Caufield rides
The Fijian is a daughter of Zabeel out of the d-grade Elusive Quality x Pivotal mare Wabi Sabi. This is her second foal. Zabeel has sired 31.1% winners from two year old starters, 4.4% stakes winners and 4.4% graded winners, which includes three individual graded stakes wins. The Fijian, undefeated in three starts accounts for two of those graded victories. Starting her career on dirt she broke her maiden first time out in March going six furlongs with a 74sp. She shortened up to five furlongs for her next two starts, winning the Grade Three Television Stakes by a head with a 79sp against the males and then switching to turf to beat up the girls in the Grade Two Why You Buggin Stakes, again by a head this time earning an 81sp. The Fijian likes to hold back and come running late, but her talent for finding the wire first is not in doubt.
Good luck to all!