Racing Dudes Three Stars of the Week: Demarchelier Shines in Pennine Ridge

Penn National headlined last weekend’s action with the running of the Penn Mile Stakes (G2), as well as several other solid stakes events. Belmont Park also gave us a solid weekend of racing, and Santa Anita had a pair of its own stakes events. In the end, we had a lot of horses to choose from for this week’s Three Stars. Let’s see who made the top 3:

1. Demarchelier

He wasn’t the “flashy” Chad Brown entry in Saturday’s Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3), but he did end up being the best horse in the race. His stablemate, Value Proposition, was supposedly a freakish-type horse, but instead, he ran rank up front early. That set up a swift pace battle with Clint Maroon, which benefited Demarchelier, who sat towards the back of the pack. On the far turn, Demarcheiler tipped out three wide and easily passed the front runners. From there, he was able to just hold off a late run from Seismic Wave to win by a neck. This sets the horse up for a try at the Belmont Derby (G1), which appears to be well within his wheelhouse.

2. Moon Colony

Trainer Mark Casse told the media all week long that he really liked his entry in the Penn Mile Stakes (G2). It turns out he was right, as his colt Moon Colony made short work of the field with a big closing move up the rail to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Turning for home, you could tell that the front runners were starting to get tired, but Moon Colony was flying along the inside right behind them. Jockey Julien Leparoux was able to easily find room and the colt swept to the lead. From that point, the race was over, thanks to Leparoux saving all the ground. Like Demarchelier, Moon Colony now has his sights set on the Belmont Derby (G1), where he could play a major factor.

3. Regal Glory

Trainer Chad Brown did not have an entry in the Penn Mile Stakes (G2) this year, but he did have a runner in the $200,000 Penn Oaks. That filly was Regal Glory, and she absolutely demolished her competition to win the race by nearly 3 lengths. After stalking the pace nicely up the backside, Regal Glory kicked clear of her rivals at the top of the stretch and turned the race into a laugher. She was also under only slight urging as well, so she should have a lot more left in the tank. The Belmont Oaks (G1) could be next, where she would be stepping up in competition quite a bit, though based on this race, she could be ready for that challenge.