2022 Snow Chief Stakes Cheatsheet

By TwinSpires Editorial Team, Sponsored Content

By Vance Hanson (TwinSpires.com)

1. ROYAL ‘N RANDO (4-1) – Although he failed to fire from off the pace in his turf debut, matters were different in the Silky Sullivan S. at Golden Gate last out; despite chasing a more moderate tempo, he turned in a solid kick in the final furlong to win the photo, while earning a 95 Brisnet Late Pace rating; ex-claimer has yet to run outside the friendly confines of the Bay Area, and that perhaps the primary concern.

2. SO I’M TOLD (12-1) – Fired at first asking going a mile at Del Mar last summer, though displayed some greenness late; follow-up was a full three months later, in a stakes at Los Alamitos, and he retreated rather badly; return to the turf here is a positive, and workout pattern has emphasized fitness with drills over seven panels and one mile, followed by a recent five-furlong move; remains with upside, though wouldn’t be surprised if he proved short off such a long break.

3. VINCERO GRANDE (8-1) – The only filly in the lineup had a positive intro to racing on turf, finishing a clear second in the Campanile S. at Golden Gate; however, that race was slower than the Silky Sullivan for males contested on the same card, so she’ll need to step up her game quite a bit to make an impact against this more imposing group of rivals.

4. BALLY’S CHARM (5-2) – Form in Cal-bred company has been strong, though he did fail to see out the trip two back after setting a rather modest pace; rebounded last month to edge his rivals in an entry-level allowance with an ideal press-and-pounce trip, though Worse Read Sanchez might have made more impact late with a little more ground; undoubtedly one of the likely pacesetters in the field and perhaps the one to run down in deep stretch.

5. WORSE READ SANCHEZ (5-2) – Along with his more lightly-raced stablemate, So I’m Told, he remains eligible for the N1X allowance condition, that despite a number of cracks at it; he’s far from embarrassed himself lately, though he was a big disappointment to bettors both here and up at Golden Gate for the Silky Sullivan; interesting that Gutierrez lands here among the two, and 9f perhaps will suit him far more than a mile as he missed by a nose the first time at the trip and then was hard to settle in his second attempt.

6. SMUGGLER’S RUN (2-1) – Comfortable winner of the Echo Eddie S. on dirt last time, but turf form prior to that was decent, and note he didn’t get the cleanest of journeys in a couple of them; this is a pretty significant step up in distance, however, from 6 1/2f to nine panels; might get the perfect stalking trip behind Bally’s Charm, and we’ll see how much he has left to give in that final quarter-mile.