Fittingly, the Allied Forces Stakes highlights the Belmont Park card on September 11, and 6 brave warriors will show their speed. A talented group of sophomores will be going 6 furlongs on grass in the $100,000 stakes. The very fact that the Allied Forces Stakes is scheduled reinforces the strong feelings for people throughout America and throughout the world of what happened on that fateful day in 2001.
Fans of Ready for Rye remember the Allied Forces Stakes in 2015 when the quick son of City Zip was coming off a winning 95 Beyer Speed Figure. He handled the sealed muddy surface with ease and won the Allied Forces last year by nearly 5 lengths.
This year Conquest Enforcer will be trying to walk in the shoes of Ready for Rye. Conquest Enforcer comes into the Allied Forces Stakes also off a 95 Beyer than he earned when beaten a length in the Grade 2 Play King at Woodbine on August 20. Conquest Stables owns this racer and they thought enough of this runner to put him into a stakes in his very first start. He was off slowly that day but then won three straight stakes.
Conquest Enforcer may have needed his last race. The racer set career fractions in his first turf sprint last time and the shorter trip could be just what the good doctor ordered.
Too Discreet has won half of his 6 starts including a $100,000 stakes at Belmont Park. His trainer Christophe Clement did not have a stellar Saratoga meeting so his barn has a shot to turn it around here. Love the series of drills since the last race accentuated by the 3-furlong blowout a week ago and there is class on the bottom side as Too Discreet’s dam won a couple of stakes and earned nearly $200,000. Too Discreet’s full sister Discreet Marq was also a monster. That runner took several stakes including a Grade 1 and earned over $1.2 million.
Bust Another is a reformed Empire-bred claimer that only beat 2 horses home last time. He has always shown a penchant for finding the winner’s circle but the feeling is he may need state-breds to show his top talent.
Rated R Superstar has the class to make some noise. He was Grade 1 placed last year in a muddy stakes at Keeneland and he showed he belongs with the Grade 3 win in the Carry Back in July at Gulfstream. He had to come from second to last that day and will again have to invent a trip to succeed here.
Front Pocket Money has only run one poor race and in that Oaklawn Park contest he was compromised since there was a ton of speed in the cast. He is 3 for 4 since and the loss was by a scant neck. Proven on grass, this racer has a beautiful stalk and pounce style and he was game in victory last time. In that Monmouth Park Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes, Front Pocket Money opened the wallet in the drive and edged away to win while earning an 82 Beyer.
Don’t Be So Salty seems a bit overmatched. He has won on grass but dropped into an action spot last time in a $25,000 claimer and could not close the deal. His coming out party was in the Display Stakes at Woodbine last year when he won by a neck but that was on the synthetic surface.
The way the race unfolds is key and there are three runners in here that should vie for the lead. They are Front Pocket Money, Too Discreet and Conquest Enforcer.
The horse that beat Front Pocket Money in June has lost 2 of his 3 races since and that does not bode well for the Money Man.
The horse that won the July 4 contest that Too Discreet raced in, Giant Run, was only beaten a length in his next race in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame and then was best in the $206,000 Centaur Stakes at Indiana Grand on September 7.
Conquest Enforcer has been keeping good company too. Four runners exited his last race, the Charley Barley, to win next out.
With that said, the call goes to Too Discreet. His only poor efforts have been routes, he projects to be on the lead for jockey Joel Rosario flashing sub :45 speed and could very well get brave if he can get a lonely lead.
No matter what the outcome, salute the winner of the Allied Forces Stakes when the youngster enters the winner’s circle.
Good luck.
