The Carry Back Stakes pits sophomore sprinters searching for the winner’s share of the $150,000 purse at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Eleven fast and furious runners will be engaged in the Grade 3 event at seven furlongs.
The Carry Back Stakes is one of three Graded stakes Saturday on the Summit of Speed program, along with the Grade 2 Princess Rooney for fillies and mares and the Grade 3 Smile Sprint.
The Carry Back Stakes was first run in 1975 when carded for 2-year-old performers. In 1980, it was changed so that only 3-year-olds horses were eligible.
The race is named for champion 3-year-old Carry Back, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with his patented come-from-behind style. Carry Back was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
In 1985 Smile won the Carry Back Stakes and was eventually named the Eclipse Award champion as the top sprinter in the nation. Twenty five years later Lost in the Fog won the Carryback Stakes and was also named the Eclipse champion sprinter.
Of the eleven runners in the Carry Back Stakes Saturday, none have won a Graded stakes. Several have won stakes and the most accomplished is Three Rules.
Wonder if Three Rules’ connections had this race in mind all the time? They gave the racer a run in Maryland in the $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes and he was getting to the winner late. He has trained forwardly for this and love the spacing of the drills coming to this race. He set the pace in the Florida Derby early in the year and he was boosted a bit when the winner of the Florida Derby took the Kentucky Derby next out. Trained by Jose Pinchin, he will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez and figures to be a handful.
Hunka Burning Love will break from the rail in the Carryback Stakes. The colt had to stretch out and run for a claiming tag to graduate but he is going great guns now. The horse he beat last time by over three lengths had just won a pair of Oaklawn Park races with the top Beyer Speed Figure of 77. The Mike Maker student is looking at a stalk and kick trip. Elvis fans have a vehicle here but this runner probably needs the race of his life to win.
Aberdeen Way has some things to iron out. He was handled easily by one of his rivals today Blind Ambition and he was totally expended last time to graduate. We really don’t know how much it may have taken out of him.
Mo Cash must be respected for his consistency. The Ron Spatz student has never run a poor race and tasted defeat for the first time in his career on May 20. He won his first two races including a stakes at Gulfstream and he seems to be coming to this race on the top of his game. On June 18 this runner posted a best of morning workout.
If one gets the erasers out and tosses the routes by Sweetontheladies his form brightens. He was bothered at the break in his 2017 debut but would have to expect his rider to be offensively minded today. The son of Twirling Candy was impressive in last when beating only three rivals. Versatile enough to handle any kind of going, this runner has already shown he can retain his form once he wins.
Stevie Wonders fanatics have a vehicle in Blind Ambition. Options opened up for this son of Tapit when trainer Todd Pletcher got the turf win last time. The $400,000 purchase had legit trouble in the debut and he’s trained steadily for this. Favored every time, he very well could be looking at the same fate and the feeling is this racer has plenty of room to grow. One angle to think about is the fact that Blind Ambition’s rider Tyler Gaffalione is 37% when riding for Pletcher in the last year.
Gregory Sun ran second in this debut and then graduated at this demanding distance on June 18. It is never easy to beat winners’ right back and this runner is speed challenged. Things will have to unfold just right for him to cash today.
Mr Atila has been handled by some of today’s foes and it’s never simple to graduate in a stakes. The runner needs help up front but even though there is speed in here, it’s hard to see this racer running down proven stakes runners.
Crocodile Charlie has been off slowly a couple of times and that must be addressed. Rider E. J. Zayas got a chance to gauge the talent level last time but the racer needs to invent a way to turn the tables on his arch rival Classic Rock.
Classic Rock exits the best race and must be given a look off of that fact alone. The horse this race beat by over five lengths on April 21won next out in a $40,000 optional and then took a restricted $126,000 stakes at Woodbine with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure. The June 24 workout, which was the second best of 94 at the distance, screams off the page.
Benefactor is another horse trained by Pletcher in this race and he’s drawn right. Being outside is an advantage often times sprinting because the rider does not have to be super aggressive from the get go but can assess how the race is unfolding and then adapt. This racer figures to have the stalking duties of the Pletcher pair. If you toss the grass race, the form looks much better. He can’t be discounted and backers are looking at a valid price of about 6 or 8-1.
When trying to visualize how this race sets up, the first thing to look at is the speed. Mo Cash should be forwardly placed. Sweetontheladies, Blind Ambition, Benefactor and Classic Rock also should be in the first flight.
Granted Three Rules may hold the class edge but Blind Ambition seems to be the now horse. Three Rules has not won since October of last year while Blind Ambition was troubled in his first two starts but has not made a mistake since. He has trained like the proverbial Swiss clock for this race and he showed last time that he doesn’t need the lead to win.
Fans can walk to the betting windows with confidence and call out number six, Blind Ambition to win the Carry Back Stakes.
