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Thursday, July 17, 2008 Del Mar recap…
Rafael Bejarano and Tyler Baze both booted home a winner to keep things going on Day 2, but the day belonged to Victor Espinoza and Joel Rosario, as both rode two winners on the card. Peter Miller saddled a pair of maiden claiming juvenile sprint winners.
Final times are much faster in this 2nd Polytrack meet as the synthetic track played fair for the 2nd straight day…
Race 6: Bullsbay sat the right trip behind the speed and was definitely best in this entry level flat mile affair. 8f in 1:36.23.
Race 7: Distant Victory rolled to her 2nd straight good looking turf route tally for Carla Gaines. The CA-bred filly sports the look of a future stakes performer. 8.5 grassy furlongs in 1:42.76.
Race 3: Number 1 Padach (7-2) drops a bit and cuts back a furlong 2nd time off the Monteleone claim. Come and get her from the rail.
Race 5: Peter Miller won a pair of juvenile maiden claimers here yesterday, and he’s got Number 5 Big Revolution (6-1) in this spot. She sports a couple of bullets and attracts Bejarano, 29% with this barn.
Race 7: The featured CTBA stakes has a few solid contenders, starting with Number 9 Atka (7-2). The Harrington trainee has faced open company and stakes foes in last two. Well spotted in the CA-bred ranks. Number 4 Saucey Evening (9-2) graduated in a Colonial turf sprint for Graham Motion, and she’s been training all along on synthetic. Gomez gets the call. Number 8 Ten Churros (3-1) is the speed and goes from Mullins to Baffert. Must avoid a duel with Streamin Heat.
Day 1 of the 2008 Del Mar meet is in the books, and it was an exciting opening day of racing. Rafael Bejarano booted home a trio of winners, and Tyler Baze got off to a fast start with a pair. Mike Mitchell, Jeff Mullins, and Doug O’Neill each saddled a winner, and the resurgent Art Sherman got a $30.40 Unusual Heat FTS home (Unusual Heather). Below are the highlights…
Race 6: In the 1st division of the Oceanside, Kilderry had all of the momentum rallying outside in the lane, and he was able to nostrilize Moral Compass, who was stuck on the inside awaiting room. The trips made all the difference as Bejarano bested Gomez. Eight furlongs on the grass in 1:35.45.
Race 8: In the 2nd division of the Oceanside, Dixie Chatter used his vast synthetic class en route to a gritty prominent throughout 1/2 length tally over NoCal shipper Mr. Keppel, who was vanned off after the race. Richard Mandella has options with his versatile turf/synthetic performer. Flat mile in 1:35.81. Turf course played fair on opening day, as did Polytrack.
Race 5: Number 8 Afleet Design (2-1) was nabbed out of his last by 30% claiming artist Jerry Hollendorfer, and the place finisher from his last returned to score. He took action and disappointed in his two outings, but he could sit the right outside stalking trip and deserves another chance for his new barn under Bejarano.
Race 6: Number 1 Matty G Force (3-1) blew his last after rolling to the lead only to hang and miss by a neck. I have picked him on more than one occasion, and he’s been right there in his last five. His numbers are slowly climbing, and maybe the slightly shorter trip and new surface will push him over the top.
Race 7: Number 7 Distant Victory (5-2) was visually impressive in her MSW state bred turf route win on June 18th. Carla Gaines is 30% with horses exiting a win, and the well bred lightly raced miss could be any kind. Number 10 Smooth Performer (7-2) may go off favored following a head defeat in the Hollywood Oaks (G2). She’s been 1-2 in four straight , but my top has a tactical/post position advantage.
Here is a recap of stakes races that were run around the country over the weekend (July 12-13). Note that I already covered the Swaps, Man O’ War and Prince of Wales in previous articles…
Arlington Park
Stream Cat easily ran down loose on the lead 2-time defending Arlington Hcp (G2) champ Cosmonaut on Saturday. The runner-up had no excuses setting a tepid pace in the compact local prep for the Arlington Million (G1).
Long winded type Communique had too much stamina for her rivals in the grassy 9.5f Modesty Hcp (G3) for fillies and mares. Leading rider Rene Douglas was up for Rusty Arnold, who also saddled the aforementioned Stream Cat.
Tizdejavu (Tiznow) cruised to his 3rd straight graded turf triumph in the American Derby (G2). The facile wire-to-wire winner rewarded his backers with a paltry $3.40.
Belmont Park
Kip Deville easily disposed of three overmatched rivals in the 24th running of the Poker Hcp (G3) at a flat mile on the Belmont grass course on Sunday. Cornelio Velasquez was the pilot in the facile wire job, and the final time was 1:32.94. Godolphin colorbearer Tam Lin stalked and pounced his way to a clear place finish. Richard Dutrow’s defending BC Mile winner is expected to run once more before trying to defend his BC crown, and that start will come in the Woodbine Mile on September 7th.
Calder Race Course
Greg Gilchrist’s NoCal shipper Indyanne ($3.20) dominated the Azalea Hcp (G3) for three-year-old fillies on Saturday. 6f in 1:10.82. Russell Baze pulled off the easy wire job on the fleet 4-4 miss.
Four weeks ago in the Unbridled Stakes, Golden Spikes got the better of Gentleman James, and it was deja vu all over again in the Carry Back (G2). Marty Wolfson’s winner overcame some traffic, while the gritty runner-up did all of the dirty work. 6f in 1:11.20.
Dream Rush was even money to rebound in the Princess Rooney (G1), but she faded late again as 8-1 tracker Mistical Plan turned back and easily got the job done under Corey Nakatani. The win netted the Doug O’Neill trainee a guaranteed spot in the BC F&M Sprint. 6f in 1:10.76.
Benny the Bull keeps on truckin’ for Richard Dutrow, this time annexing the Smile Sprint Hcp (G2). He has been a bit more tactical lately, but he closed from the back to post a two-length tally under Edgar Prado in this spot. 6f in 1:11.41 was the slowest of the four graded six furlong sprints on the day.
Delaware Park
Proud Spell rebounded from a troubled 3rd in the Mother Goose two weeks ago to post a determined 3/4 length tally in Saturday’s Delaware Oaks (G2). The cowboy (Larry Jones) and his gritty female performer figure to try the Alabama (G1) at the Spa on August 16th.
Hystericalady rolled in her last 9f start when allowed to dictate the pace, and in Sunday’s $1 million Del Cap (G2), she tracked a tepid pace set by eventual 20-1 place finisher Lemon Drop Mom. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee took over when asked and strolled to an effortless four-length tally under Garrett Gomez. She stopped the clock in 2:02.37 and returned $7.00 to win. Defending champ Unbridled Belle was a clear grinding 3rd, missing 2nd by 3/4s of a length. For the record, the winner is 10-20 lifetime and has surpassed the $2 million mark in earnings, but the Breeders’ Cup will be contested over synthetic footing, and she’s 0-4 in SoCal synthetic races.
Hollywood Park
Leading trainer John Sadler capped of the Hollywood Park meet in style, as his Warning Zone nabbed the Sunset Hcp (G2) on closing Sunday. 6-5 fav Cedar Mountain rallied from last to garner the place, a 1/2 length better than perennial purse nibbler Porfido. I do not think this was a strong race/group for the level.
My 3rd week as Louisiana Downs Track Handicapper/TV Host is in the books. Thursday was an impossible day with one longshot after another producing a pair of 2 out of 4 Pick Four payouts. Form returned on Friday, and I ended the week on a high note with a total of 7 on-top winners over the weekend. Early/pressing speed was the name of the game on both surfaces at all distances once again, but the track seemed to play a bit more fair on Sunday.
Below are the notable horse, trainer, and jockey performances for the week that was…
*** Performance of the week by a horse was easily turned in by Marvel Wood in Sunday’s optional claiming feature at seven panels. He crushed a very good field, including place finisher Ain’t He A Pistol, a winner of 7 of his last 9 dirt starts, and he was 4-4 at 7f before today’s resounding defeat. Tiznow’s 1/2 bro C’ Mon Tiger dueled and faded to last. Pace factor and old warrior Zarb’s Dahar was wearing bar shoes on both hind feet.
*** Donnie Meche booted home six winners on the week (2 w/Pam Simpson), along with leading rider Don Simington (3 w/Jerry Cart).
*** Pat Valenzuela showed flashes of his old turf brilliance with a heads-up aggressive ride aboard Fabuleaux Joy in Thursday’s grass feature. He was blanked on Friday and took off his mounts over the weekend. He is currently riding at 124 pounds.
The Sunday (July 13th) program at Louisiana Downs featured an impressive victory by a SoCal shipper, and I had another rock solid handicapping day with a trio of on-top winners. Let’s get to the highlights…
Race 1: My value oriented top Super Brad ($12.40) necked 3-5 fav BG Hi Hi Is Ben in the opener. The latter was only a 1/2 length ahead of the former a few starts back, so the odds discrepancy was a bit surprising. The track seemed to play on the fair side today. Francisco Torres booted home the winner.
Race 3: Huana Creek, my best bet on the card, failed to seize the early lead as expected and weakened to last after stalking the eventual place finisher (Unwavering Drive) for six furlongs. Mad And Royal ($15.20) was a sharp off the pace winner. Turf rail at 20 feet.
Race 5: Post 11 was 1-53 for the meet in sprints, but Lonnie Meche made it look easy from the outside with my top choice Half A Splash ($10.80). I contemplated making this one my best bet, but the outside post scared me away a bit. Great aggressive ride is exactly what is needed to turn a negative into a positive.
Race 8: Marvel Wood ($6.00) turned in a stakes quality performance in a dominating 7-3/4 length tally in this salty optional claiming extended sprint feature. 7f in 1:22.19. He was coming off a few poor turf/synthetic performances in SoCal, and sharp conditioner Wes Hawley has him now. He clearly excels on conventional dirt, as he rolled in his two prior dirt sprint starts at Philly Park. 2nd win on the day for Lonnie Meche.
Race 9: Crypto’s Lad ($3.80) nabbed the maiden claiming finale as expected. He exited the key May 31st $10k maiden claiming route, a race he finished a clear but distant 2nd, and now the top four from that heat have all come back to win their next starts. Rock solid clear place finish for Sam David’s stretchout dropper Wrapped in Secrets, who ran a nice stalking race from a disadvantageous outer post. Francisco Torres had to settle for runner-up honors for the 3rd time on the day.
Todd Pletcher’s promising three-year-old Harlem Rocker had won his first three races in easy fashion, maiden and entry level tallies at the Gulf, followed by a visually impressive Withers (G3) victory at the Big A in New York.
The Stronach Stables homebred was briefly under consideration for the Preakness Stakes (G1), but since he was bred in Canada, his connections decided to point for the Canadian Triple Crown, with the Plate Trial his first dance. He never made it to the Queen’s Plate after flopping at 1-5 in the Trial, a Polytrack event at Woodbine.
The 2nd leg of Canada’s Crown was run on Sunday (July 13th) at Fort Erie, and the $500k Prince of Wales was contested on conventional dirt at a mile and three-sixteenths. Harlem Rocker was sent off the 1.15-1 2nd betting choice behind Queen’s Plate winner Not Bourbon, and it was no contest as the Pletcher trainee pounced from 5th and rolled to a convincing 1-1/4 length victory under Eibar Coa.
The son of Macho Uno, out of a Lit de Justice dam, completed his task in 1:56.46 and paid $4.30. He is expected to return to the US and ship to Saratoga to begin preparations for a possible engagement in the Travers (G1) in August. Note that he is 4-4 on regular dirt and has as much raw talent as any three-year-old in the land.
I had a pretty good day handicapping the Saturday (July 12th) card at Louisiana Downs, as four of my tops got the job done, including Pursue A Dream ($13.00).
Race 4: 1.90-1 fav Jacobs Spirit made a wide winning bid around the far turn and briefly looked home free in early stretch, but he didn’t go on and weakened to 4th. Maybe this $7.5k level was a bit too much. Might drop back to winning $5k spot next time for leading trainer Jorge Lara.
Race 5: Pursue A Dream turned the tables on his rivals Lee’s Spirit and Lone Star Special despite stumbling at the break. He recovered quickly from his fine inner draw, and Francisco Torres gave him a great ground saving ride and made the right inside move turning for home. It was all about the ride/trip today.
Race 10: My best bet Malagra Princess sat the right ground saving trip and moved into contention turning for home, but she flattened out in a disappointing effort. Guess her recent routes did not give her the expected foundation to excel in this extended sprint finale…no excuses. In the end, my 2nd and 3rd choices (Three’s Wild, Miss Beccas Gold) dominated the race.
*** Hat trick for leading rider Don Simington, including a pair with trainer Jerry Cart. Mr. Simington also finished 2nd on three occasions.
*** A pair of wins for Donnie Meche.
*** Early/pressing types continue to dominate on both surfaces and all distances.
The compact four-horse Swaps (G2) at Hollywood Park on Saturday (July 12th) was a tactical race, and Tyler Baze outmaneuvered Martin Pedroza (Two Step Salsa) and Garret Gomez (Colonel John) en route to a great ground saving 1-1/4 length tally aboard Tres Borrachos. He completed the nine furlongs in 1:49.29 and paid a generous $24.00. Madeo trailed throughout.
Two Step Salsa was away in slightly awkward fashion, but Pedroza seized the early lead in short order, while Tyler Baze established inside position and took a snug hold of the eventual winner. Colonel John, last seen finishing 6th of 20 in the Kentucky Derby (G1) on the first Saturday in May, was content to track the pace outside of the aforementioned duo.
Garrett Gomez and the Colonel briefly looked home free at the top of the stretch, but the Eoin Harty runner came up a bit short in the lane while Tres Borrachos emerged from the rail and slowly inched away. Two Step Salsa battled back to gain the place by a head.
The top three ran quality races, with trips making the difference. I must admit that I am disappointed that Colonel John did not win, but my feeling is that he was short, and he should have gotten a ton out of this comeback. Besides, he is best when allowed to relax and make a strong late run. Watch for a big forward move next time.
2006 BC hero Red Rocks was back on US soil and got the firm ground he enjoys, and he parlayed a perfect trip behind a lively pace into a razor sharp two length tally over reigning Horse of the Year Curlin in the $500k Man O’ War (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday (July 12th). The Brian Meehan trainee is back on top of his game and must be considered a viable BC Turf threat at this point. He had blinkers on, and kudos to Javier Castellano for putting him in the right spot throughout.
Curlin was making his turf debut in the eleven furlong contest, and he was hardly disgraced in a solid place finish, but if he could not best a quality overseas invader on home soil, how is he going to ship to France and topple even tougher European runners? At this point I would say he has no shot at winning the Arc. If Steve Asmussen and company want to stick with the grass plan, the BC Turf is a more realistic fall target.
2004 BC winner Better Talk Now rallied to finish a 1/2 length behind Curlin in 3rd. The aggressively handled Sudan was 4th, and was followed by True Cause, Grand Couturier, and Mission Approved.
The Friday (July 11th) card at Louisiana Downs was pretty much uneventful after the bombs away longshot fest on Thursday. Here are notes for the day that was…
Race 4: My top choice Song Production, 9-2 morning line, was dead on the board at 10.70-1, and she was hug out to dry from the outside post in the field of six. She made a wide bid to briefly get into 2nd in the lane, and she was outfinished for the show in a decent effort considering the ground lost.
Race 5: Mane Man, my best bet of the day, ran too good to lose in this flat mile grass affair. Routing and trying sod for the first time, the gelded son of Leestown broke a bit slow from the inside post and was hustled along to set a legit pace. He opened up a clear lead in the stretch and was run down late in a fine effort.
Race 9: Trainer Harold L Hahn III was an unlucky 1-28 for the meet with 8 place finishes, and he finally found a bit of luck with Cotile ($7.60) in the finale. He sat the right ground saving stalking trip and ran down surface switching pacesetter Stags Attitude.
*** Donnie Meche booted home a pair, and for the second straight day he teamed up with trainer Pamela Simpson for a score. His brother Cody also won two, and other bro Lonnie found the winners’ circle as well. Two wins for leading rider Don Simington.
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