Brilliant Speed to head the Appleton Stakes
The Grade 3, $100,000 Appleton Stakes has reeled in a solid field of 8, 4-year-old and above colts and geldings to run over a distance of 1 mile on turf at Gulfstream Park on 31 March, 2012.
However, the likely horse to head the Appleton Stakes field is the Live Oak Plantation owned 4-year-old colt, Brilliant Speed, who is the only Grade 1 winner in the field. Thomas Albertrani trained colt finished third to winner St Nicholas Abbey in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf over at 1 ½ miles last fall at Churchill Downs will be cut back to a mile for the Appleton Stakes.
Last year the Florida bred son of Dynaformer, out of mare Speed Succeeds by Gone West, Brilliant Speed participated in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, when in the former he finished seventh to winner, Animal Kingdom, and at Belmont Park he improved massively to finish third to winner Ruler on Ice.
Back then, Brilliant Speed was sent to compete in the Triple Crown after a win in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes over synthetic surface, going over a distance of 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland, where he defeated Twinspired in second and King Congie in third, while he covered the distance in 1 minute and 50.92 seconds.
Since then Brilliant Speed has run on grass thrice, and each time he managed a finish on the money, and winning the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes also at 1 1/8 miles in last year’s Saratoga meet on 4 September, 2011.
The only other graded stakes winner in the Appleton Stakes field is Street Game. The Street Cry colt could be the only one, who could give Brilliant Speed a run for his money if he is in top form.
The Tampa Bay Stakes runner up, El Commodore, is also a bright prospect, and along with another horse, who is exiting a second place finish is, Trend.
He was too close to winning the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes, but was off the mark by a mere three quarters of a length.
Brilliant Speed along with his regular rider, John Velazquez, will take the field in the Appleton Stakes, and the pair will break from post number 4 in a field of 8.
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