State of Play will find it easy in the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland
The Grade 3, $100,000 Transylvania Stakes has reeled in a field of runners, who usually fill the allowance/optional claimers fields, but among this time is a graded stakes winner, State of Play, who will likely head the field.
The Transylvania Stakes is to be run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland race course’s turf track on 6 April, 2012, exclusive for 3-year-old colts and geldings.
Team Valor International owned and trained by Graham Motion, State of Play kicked off his 2012 campaign with a dismal display at Tampa Bay Downs when he wilted to finish seventh in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes to winner, Battle Hardened, on 4 February,
2012, on dirt at about 1 1/16 miles.
The versatile horse, State of Play, switched to synthetic at John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park and downed the 1 1/16 mile race on 3 March, 2012, where he held up and defeated Ill Conceived by second and Dynamical in third, with the winning time of
1 minute and 46.55 seconds.
Last year the Kentucky bred son of War Front, out of mare Valeta by Procida, State of Play as a juvenile started his racing career on turf, and in his debut race the 3-year-old colt downed his maiden special weight race at first asking at Saratoga over a
distance of five and a half furlongs.
Staying at Saratoga, State of Play stretched out in distance to 1 1/16 miles to win the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes over two seriously tough runners, Optimizer and Dullahan, who finished second and third respective, as State of Play topped the distance
in 1 minute and 43.97 seconds on 1 September, 2011.
The Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes Saturday Launch, who is coming off a victory in a Gulfstream Park allowance /optional claimer, and likewise Silver Max, who will break from post number six for trainer Dale Romans, is coming off a victory in the Gulfstream
Park’s claimers race.
State of Play got the rail, and will be ridden by John Velazquez, as the colt will carry the top weight of 123 pounds in a standard carry of 118 pounds field. A. Garcia will ride, Wayward Sailor, and the pair will break from post number 2.
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