Senor Grits Could Spice Up Swale

Senor Grits, pictured winning at Tampa Bay Downs, will try graded company in the Swale Stakes on Saturday. (Photo by SV Photography)
The 31st running of the Grade 2 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park features Daredevil, who won the first two starts of his career last summer and fall including the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes but was last of 11 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile then took four months off.
Among his six challengers, recent Texas Glitter Stakes winner Souper Colossal and Grade 3 Hutcheson Stakes runner-up X Y Jet warrant a good deal of consideration. Ready for Rye finished second in the Spectacular Bid Stakes when last seen and gives the field more depth, as do recent sharp winners Senor Grits and Grand Bili. Twotwentyfive A rounds out the field.
Senor Grits may be the horse in the best current form, having returned from a two-and-a-half month layoff on January 31 to rally from seventh and win going away. That win came at Tampa Bay Downs with jockey Julien Leparoux aboard for the first time, and Leparoux will be in the saddle for the Swale. Having earned a career-best and field-high last-race 100 Equibase Speed Figure in his victory last month and with logical improvement in his second start off a layoff, Senor Grits looks very capable of winning this year's Swale Stakes.
X Y Jet is one of two entrants in this year's Swale field to have traversed the seven furlong distance. He finished second in his two attempts at the distance, including last month’s Hutcheson Stakes behind highly regarded Barbados, earning a strong 99 speed figure in the process. With the outside post, jockey Edgard Zayas, who rode X Y Jet for the first time in the Hutcheson, can put him easily on the lead where he likes to be without expending too much energy, and from there the horse could lead all the way to the wire.
Grand Bili has only run once so is giving away possibly valuable experience to the rest. However, his one race was a strong win with a 94 speed figure at Gulfstream Park four weeks ago. Showing a lot of maturity in a field of 11, Grand Bili stalked the pacesetter in second from the start and took over late. Jockey Luis Saez rides Grand Bili for the first time, with Javier Castellano (who rode him in the win on February 1) choosing to ride favorite Daredevil. With Saez second in the standings at one of the toughest race meetings in the country, there should be no concern that Grand Bili will improve off his debut and potentially post the upset win in this year's Swale.
Daredevil won by six lengths in his career debut last September with an 86 speed figure, then followed that up with a 113 figure when winning the Champagne Stakes in October. Following the Champagne, Daredevil finished last of 11 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Rested four months since then, Daredevil may not be fully cranked up in his comeback. Additionally, with bigger races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby being the focus and with others in the Swale field having run much more recently, I'll take a wait-and-see approach before backing Daredevil as a contender.
DAREDEVIL WINS THE CHAMPAGNE

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
The Swale Stakes is named in honor of 1984 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Swale, a son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew who died eight days after the Belmont. Swale, who won four of seven starts and earned $1,091,710 in 1984, subsequently was named champion 3-year-old male.
The rest of the Swale field (with best representative Equibase Speed Figure): Ready for Rye (109), Souper Colossal (93) and Twotwentyfive A (90).
My Selections:
Senor Grits
X Y Jet
Grand Bili
$200,000 Grade 2 Swale Stakes
Race 10 at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, post time 5 p.m. ET
7 furlongs on the dirt for 3-year-olds 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Wgt

Trainer

Owner

1

Daredevil

Javier Castellano

123

Todd Pletcher

Let’s Go Stable, WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club

2

Senor Grits

Julien Leparoux

117

Ian Wilkes

Six Column Stables, LLC, Bloch, Randall L. and Milner, Phil

3

Ready for Rye

Irad Ortiz, Jr.

117

Tom Albertrani

Chalk Racing

4

Twotwentyfive A

Rafael Hernandez

121

Stanley Gold

Jacks or Better Farm, Inc.

5

Souper Colossal

Joel Rosario

121

Eddie Plesa, Jr.

Live Oak Plantation

6

Grand Bili

Luis Saez

117

Gustavo Delgado

Groupo 7C Racing Stable

7

X Y Jet

Edgard Zayas

117

Jorge Navarro

Gelfenstein Farm