Kent Stakes- Grade III

                    Saturday September 24, 2011

                                Delaware Park

                               1 1/8th Over Turf

                               Three-Year-Olds

                               Purse:  $250.000

Saturday, the sixth running of the Grade III Kent Stakes will be

contested at Delaware Park. This year the 1 1/8th race over the 

turf attracted quite a crowd. Nine trainers and ten three-year-olds

will head to the post, hoping to win the $250.000 race.

Plucky Mach, sent out by trainer Ken Allan looks like he will be

sent off as the favorite, and for good reason. The lightly raced

colt will be making just his 10th career start, and this will already

be his 9th stakes race, and he has three stakes wins, two of those

graded. Plucky Mach has excelled on the turf and the distance

should be perfect for him, so he looks very tough here, and his

jockey M C Berry won last year's Kent Stakes aboard Stealth

Fighter, for trainer Angelos Stable.

Diamond Cut who is trained by Captinj, will be making just his

3rd stakes start here, and is looking for his first stakes win, but

this gelding is coming into the race in fine form and looks up to

the task of challenging Plucky Mach. Diamond Cut has earned

the highest speed figure of any in the race, which was 100, and

came in a 1 1/4th turf race. The distance was just a bit to long

for this front runner, so the slight cut back should be perfect for

him, making him look dangerous here on Saturday.

And looking to take down these two, will be the Diablo Diablo

trained colt Z Cars, whose morning works have been lightning

fast, recently working a mile over the turf at PHA on 9/8/11 in

a time of 1:34.79. He earned a career high speed figure of 99

at this distance on turf in the $100.000 Tropical Park Derby at

Calder, where he finished 2nd, just missing the win, so he is

not one to dismiss here.

But these three must first get past the other seven horses in

the field. Some have been improving of late, some have not

fared so well in recent stakes attempts, and for several, the

distance looks like it could be a challenge, making the 2011

running of the Grade III Kent Stakes look like it should be a

very exciting horse race.

The Field:

1   Funny Smile: Trained by Nakamura Stables, this

     gelding by Spf Thirty will be making his 3rd stakes

     start, and is looking for his first stakes win.

     In his last race on 8/11/11, Funny Smile finished

     4th in a one mile turf $100.000 Optional Claiming

     race at Del Mar. He has one prior Graded Stakes

     start, in the Grade III Hill Prince, run at 1 mile on

     the Belmont turf on 6/18/11, where he finished an

     impressive 2nd.

    -Has never run longer than one mile over the grass

     but with his closing style, and having just missed

     at one mile on turf, the 1 1/8th here Saturday looks

     like a good distance for him. Not as much stakes

     experience as some in the field, but did well in his

     only other graded stakes race, so he could run a

     big race here.

2   Z Cars: Trained by Diablo Diablo, this colt is a son

     of Laffin Policeman who will be starting in his 10th

     stakes race, and he has two ungraded stakes wins.

     Coming into the race off of a win last time out on

     7/30/11 in the $50.000 Horizon Stakes, at 1 1/16th

     over the River Downs turf. Has a 2nd place finish at

     this distance on grass in the $100.000 Tropical Park

     Derby on 1/1/11, where he earned a career best 99

     speed figure. Last worked a mile on turf in a very

     sharp time of 1:34.79.

    -Has struggled a bit in his previous Graded Stakes

     attempts, but works have been fantastic, and he is

     coming off of a stakes win. Think Z Cars could be

     very dangerous here.

3   Long Time: This colt is by Baby Making Time and

     is trained by Maverick Racing. This will be his 12th

     stakes start, and he has six ungraded stakes wins.

     In his last start, Long Time won the $75.000 Naked

     Greed, run at 7 1/2 furlongs over the Calder turf for

     FL State Breds on 8/20/11. That race was his first

     start on turf, and he has two wins on the dirt going

     longer than a mile, but not sure how he will handle

     the 1 1/8th on grass here.

    -Most of Long Time's stakes wins have come against

     state bred competition and he has struggled in recent

     graded stakes starts. Since this will be only his 2nd

     start on turf, and he does not have any recent one mile

     turf works, not sure if he can get the distance here or not,

     making him a bit of an unknown.

4   Driveitlikeyastoleit: Trained by Night Rider Stables,

     this AG colt by HRP-Bahram will be making his 10th

     stakes start, and he has one Graded stakes win, that

     came last year at age two.

     Won the Grade III Generous Stakes last November at

     Hollywood Park, which was run at one mile on the turf,

     but has not won a race since then, and looks for his

     first win as a three-year-old here. In his last start on

     7/29/11 at Del Mar, he finished 3rd in the Grade III
     Cougar Handicap, run at 1 1/2 over dirt. He does have

     on start at 1 1/8th on turf, which was in the Tropical

     Park Derby this past January, where he was 5th and

     the distance was a bit too long for him then.

    -Has not won since last year, and as a three-year-old

     this year, Driveitlikeyastoleit has finished in the money

     just twice in six starts. Might be hard for him to beat

     some in this field, but he ran well in his last race, which

     was for three-year-olds and up.

5   Decaf Again: This gelding by Yukon Jack is making

     his first start for trainer Running Farms, who purchased

     him in the 9/17/11 auction for $75.000 from Pumpkin

     Racing. This will be his 6th stakes race, and he will be

     looking for his first stakes win here.

     This will be the first race on turf for Decaf Again, and he

     has never won at a distance longer than 6 Furlongs. In

     his last start on 8/7/11, he finished 2nd in a 6 Furlong

     $57.000 Allowance race over the dirt at Del Mar. Last

     win was almost a year ago, in October of 2010 as a

     two-year-old in a $32.000 Claiming race at Hollywood.

     He just missed winning the Grade III Derby Trial this

     spring at Churchill, finishing 2nd by a neck in the one

     mile dirt race, and he followed that with a 3rd place

     in the Grade I Preakness Stakes at 1 3/16 on dirt.

    -Although he has not posted a win in almost a year,

     he has finished in the money in three of four graded

     stakes. Just not sure about how he will do at 1 1/8th

     on turf, since this will be his first race on the grass,

     and he has no recent one mile turf works. A bit of a

     question mark here. 

6   Trilling Star: This colt by Kingofthebrost is the first

     entry of two in the field for Chili King Stables. This will

     be his 10th stakes race, and he has two ungraded wins.

     This will be the first time racing on turf for Trilling Star,

     and in his last five races, he has not been able to finish

     better than 4th. He has one win this year at age three,

     which came in the $100.000 Whirlaway on 2/5/11 at

     AQU, run at 1 1/16th over the muddy dirt track. In his

     last start on 8/14/11, he was 4th in a $40.000 Optional

     Claimer, run at 6 furlongs over the ELP dirt.

    -Has not run very well as of late, and the last time he

     finished in the money was in February of this year. No

     recent one mile turf works, but on 9/11/11, he worked

     6 furlongs Handily over the turf here at Delaware Park

     in a relatively slow 1:12.76. His speed figures are a

     bit slower than most in the field, and having never run

     on turf, think he is in over his head here.

7   Vini Vidi Vinci: This gelding by HRP-Kyllachy is the

     second entry in the race for trainer Chili King Stables,

     and this will be his 8th stakes race, and he is still

     looking for his first stakes win.

     In his last race on 8/20/11, Vini Vidi Vinci was 4th in

     the $100.000 LA Turf Classic for LA State Breds, run

     at 1 1/16th on turf, and the distance was too long for

     him. Best Stakes finish was 2nd, one year ago as a

     two-year-old in the 7 Furlong dirt LA Stallion Stakes

     for LA State Breds. He has run in two previous graded

     stakes, with a 7th place his best finish.

    -In his last race at 1 1/16th on turf, he faded before the

     end, and that was against State Bred company, so it

     looks like the 1 1/8th of the Kent could be too long for

     him. Has not fared well in his two prior graded stakes

     races, and his last win came as a two-year-old, last

     December in a $39.000 Allowance for State Bred LA
     horses, run at 5 1/2 Furlongs on turf. Think this will be

     just too tough for Vini Vidi Vinci, with the horses he will

     face here.

8   Diamond Cut: Trained by Captinj, this AG gelding by

     HRP-Equipoise will be making his 3rd start in stakes

     company, and he is looking for his first stakes win here.

     Comes into the race after finishing 3rd, just half a length

     back in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes, run at 1 1/4th on

     the turf on 8/13/11. He led the entire race until he was

     just passed at the end. Prior to that, on 6/16/11, he was

     2nd, by half a length in the Grade II VA Derby, also run

     at 1 1/4th over turf, and in that race he also led for the

     whole race, and just got nipped at the wire, and earned

     a career high 100 speed figure. Diamond Cut does have

     a win at this distance on turf, in a $51.000 Allowance at

     Churchill Downs on 6/2/11.

    -Has not finished off the board in his last six races, and

     has just missed the win in two graded stakes races. In

     both graded stakes races he led almost the whole race

     and was just beat, and they were both at 1 1/4th on turf,

     so the slight cut back in distance here looks perfect for

     Diamond Cut. Think he is a very live one here and could

     run a huge race Saturday.

9   Fall Of Man: Trained by The Freakshow, this gelding

     by Devil will be making his 6th stakes start, and he has

     one ungraded stakes win, which came on 5/14/11 in the

     $100.000 TX Stallion Stakes Stymie, for TX State Breds,

     run at 1 1/16th over the dirt at Lone Star Park.

     Coming into the race after finishing 4th in the Grade II

     La Jolla Stakes, run at 1 1/16th over the Del Mar turf

     on 8/13/11. In that race he was closing very hard at the

     end, and finished strong, so the added distance here

     could really benefit Fall Of Man. His 4th place finish in

     the La Jolla was his only off the board finish in all five

     of his career stakes races.

    -Making a bit of a step up here, but with the way he has

     run in his previous stakes races, Fall Of Man could run

     a big race Saturday. With his powerful closing kick and

     running style, the 1 1/8th distance here looks perfect for

     him and think he has a good chance at finishing in the

     money if he runs like he has been doing lately.

10  Plucky Mach: This colt by Machiavellian Boy is trained

      by Ken Allan, and is making just his 10th lifetime start,

      and already his 9th start in stakes company. He has

      three stakes wins, two of them graded, and has only

      finished off the board once in his career.

     Comes off of a win in the Grade II DMR Handicap, run

     at 1 3/8ths over the turf at Del Mar on 8/28/11, where

     he defeated older horses and equaled his career high

     speed figure of 99. Prior to that, Plucky Mach was 2nd

     in the $500.000 Breeders Stakes at Woodbine, run at

     1 1/2 on the turf for Canadian Bred Horses, on 8/7/11.

     In that race, the 1 1/2 distance was just a bit too long

     for him, as he led the entire race, before just getting

     passed at the wire as he tired a bit. M C Berry will ride

     and he won the Kent Stakes last year.

    -Plucky Mach may be lightly raced, but this is one very

     talented colt. He comes in off of a Grade II win against

     older horses, and has been running fantastic. Has never

     won at 1 1/8th on turf, but has wins at both 1 3/8th and

     1 1/16th on grass, and should have no problem here. As

     the only multiple graded stakes winner in the Kent field,

     he looks very tough to beat here and is one to definitely 

     watch out for Saturday.

                        Cyn's Picks: 10-8-2