Should you’ve landed on this story, likelihood is you might be both planning to guess or attend the 2024 Far Hills Race Assembly Oct. 19. You may even be there proper now attempting to determine how, who, and what to guess on the races. By no means worry, we have got you coated.
(All grades referred to within the evaluation under discuss with Nationwide Steeplechase Affiliation grades.)
Far Hills Race Evaluation
Far Hills, Race 1, $50,000 Harry E. Davis Hurdle Stakes, put up time 12:50 p.m. ET
The primary race of the day has drawn a subject of eight jumpers able to go 2 1/8 miles on the Far Hills course. #5 Hidden Path has but to complete worse than third since starting his leaping profession earlier this 12 months, together with his maiden win and a pair of in-the-money finishes in stakes races at Saratoga and final time at Belmont on the Huge A. His final race was a third-place end by three lengths within the grade 1 Lonesome Glory Handicap and the second-place finisher, L’Imperator, will compete within the grade 1 American Grand Nationwide Stakes later at this time. A repeat of his Lonesome Glory effort would make him very powerful to beat on this spot. #2 Good Uncle retains ending second in a wide range of races this 12 months and looks as if a good selection to spherical out the exacta containers. He completed second in a race over the hurdles again in April and has since returned to the flat to run second a pair extra occasions, together with final trip in a $180,000 race at Kentucky Downs for coach Jack Fisher. Jockey Graham Watters, who leads the steeplechase circuit with 19 wins this season, has the mount. The opposite horse to think about on your bets is #3 Little Trilby, who flopped at Saratoga in his first U.S. race final time however had gained two in a row in Eire earlier than that and will rebound at this time with first-time Lasix.
The Play: Guess on #5 Hidden Path (2-1) to win and play him in exacta and trifecta containers with #2 Good Uncle (8-1) and #3 Little Trilby (4-1).
Far Hills, Race 2, $70,000 McDynamo Maiden Stakes, put up time 1:32 p.m. ET
A subject of 10 will race 2 1/8 miles searching for their first profession win. The coach/jockey combo of Jack Fisher and Graham Watters group up once more on this race with #3 Minella Juke, who gained floor and handed horses all through to complete a stable second final time in a 10-horse subject in his profession debut. That effort alongside together with his high-percentage successful connections makes him the horse to beat. #6 Harrenhal additionally exits a second-place end in his profession debut in a race the place he beat a few at this time’s similar rivals in a superb effort. Jockey Jack Kennedy was one of many stars of the Far Hills races final 12 months when he had three wins and a second in his 5 races that day. There additionally might be a reside first-time starter on this race, and that is #2 Rucker Street for coach Leslie Younger, whose barn has gained with 5 of its final 17 first-time starters relationship again to final 12 months.
The Play: Guess #3 Minella Juke (2-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta containers with #2 Rucker Street (8-1) and #6 Harrenhal (6-1).
Far Hills, Race 3, $100,000 Peapack Stakes, put up time 2:11 p.m. ET
The Peapack Stakes contains a subject of eight fillies and mares going 2 1/8 miles. The runner-up on this race final 12 months, #1 Proper Tempo, returns to Far Hills because the horse to beat on this 12 months’s subject. Since final 12 months’s Peapack, Proper Tempo has raced twice and has gained each occasions together with an 11 1/2-length victory final trip in a $50,000 stakes. Proper Tempo has traded wins and losses prior to now with #8 Gold Appeal and that pair has a superb probability to comprise the exacta in at this time’s race. Gold Appeal exits a win in a $102,000 stakes race at Colonial Downs final time in a race the place she defeated one other of at this time’s rivals, #3 Exculpate, by 2 3/4 lengths. Exculpate got here into that race on a two-race successful streak that included a 15 1/2-length win in an earlier Colonial Downs stakes race. Exculpate turned in her typical stable effort final time however couldn’t sustain with Gold Appeal, who earned her third profession win over the jumps.
The Play: Guess on #1 Proper Tempo (2-1) to win and play her in exacta and trifecta containers with #3 Exculpate (4-1) and #8 Gold Appeal (3-1).
Far Hills, Race 4, $100,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle Stakes, put up time 2:57 p.m. ET
A subject of 10 has been entered to race 2 1/2 miles on this stakes race for a $100,000 purse. #6 Jimmy Dan has been a steeplechase win machine this season with 4 wins in 5 outings to this point for the aforementioned Watters/Fisher jockey/coach combo. This will likely be a barely more durable task, however he is proven no indicators of slowing down and may cap off an incredible 12 months with yet one more victory. One other horse on this subject that might be categorized as a “win machine” is #1 Evie’s Prince, who has gained three of six outings to this point this season together with a $100k stakes win at Saratoga two races in the past. The ten-1 morning-line odds on him characterize main worth. Additionally, there’s a international invader on this subject that should not be ignored, and that’s #4 Saint Riquier, a stayer who has put collectively an excellent 12 months in 2024 in Nice Britain the place he has gained 4 of his six outings. He looks as if a major candidate to efficiently convert to the jumps at this time.
The Play: Guess #6 Jimmy Dan (6-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta containers with #1 Evie’s Prince (10-1) and #4 Saint Riquier (6-1).
Far Hills, Race 5, $250,000 American Grand Nationwide Stakes, put up time 3:42 p.m. ET
The grade 1 American Grand Nationwide has drawn a terrific nine-horse subject in 2024 for what will likely be maybe the premier American soar race of the 12 months. The race is loaded prime to backside with contenders and a powerful case might be made for six or seven of those horses to win. The headline matchup many will come to see at this time will likely be between probably favourite #5 Snap Determination and the defending winner of this race in 2023, #3 Noah and the Ark. Whereas Noah and the Ark has struggled in two outings to this point this 12 months, Snap Determination gained twice in high-profile races this season, together with an eight-length victory over Noah and the Ark again in April. The primary factor lessening enthusiasm for Snap Determination at this time is his final race, which was a sub-par third-place end behind #4 Sebastopol. One of many tales of final 12 months’s 2023 Far Hills race day was coach Gordon Elliott, who gained three of the seven races on the cardboard. Clearly, he gears up for this meet and he’s sending out an under-the-radar contender right here with #8 Galvin with jockey Kennedy aboard, who rode all three of Elliott’s winners final 12 months. Galvin exits a fourth-place end in a 32-horse subject going 4 5/16 miles final time on this planet’s most well-known steeplechase race, the $1.25 million Grand Nationwide Handicap at Aintree in England. If at this time’s 2 5/8-mile journey provides him sufficient floor to work with, Galvin ought to be the sleeper horse to beat.
The Play: Guess on #8 Galvin (8-1) to win and play him in exacta and trifecta containers with #4 Sebastopol (6-1) and #5 Snap Determination (8-5).
Far Hills, Race 6, $150,000 John Forbes Stakes, put up time 4:32 p.m. ET
The six-race Far Hills 2024 card wraps up with this 14-horse subject working two miles on the flat for a handbag of $150,000. With a handbag like that, it isn’t shocking that this race has drawn such a big and standout subject of long-distance turf runners. The contenders on this subject final raced at all kinds of venues together with Saratoga, Kentucky Downs, Belmont on the Huge A, Laurel Park, Colonial Downs, Monmouth Park, and Woodbine, and they’re going to carry weights between 140 and 148 kilos for this two-mile journey. The standout within the subject is #13 The Gray Wizard, a confirmed distance specialist from the barn of coach Graham Movement who owns stakes wins this 12 months at 1 1/2 miles and two miles and exits a stable second within the $440,000 Blackwood Distilling Nashville Gold Cup at Kentucky Downs going 2 1/16 miles. If there’s any horse on this subject that had this race circled on his calendar all alongside, it is this man. The horse on this race that may add worth in your wagers together with the favourite is #3 Acquainted Desires from the jockey/coach duo of Kennedy and Elliott, who, as talked about above, teamed as much as win three races at this meet final 12 months. Acquainted Desires flopped final time in his U.S. debut within the Nashville Gold Cup however deserves an opportunity to rebound right here based mostly on the connections and based mostly on 5 wins in Eire this 12 months in races starting from 1 7/8 miles to 2 miles in distance. The opposite horse to think about is #9 Too Pleasant, one other international longshot that exhibits a number of profession wins in England going two miles.
The Play: Guess #3 Acquainted Desires (20-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta containers with #9 Too Pleasant (20-1) and #13 The Gray Wizard (8-5).
