Santa Anita: New Track, New Records

A bridesmaid in her last two starts, both Grade 1 stakes, 3-year-old filly Switch raised her game to the next level on Sunday in Santa Anita’s La Brea Stakes (gr.1). On opening day at Santa Anita, Switch burst from the gates in the La Brea Stakes, patiently biding her time down the backstretch before blowing past her rivals on the rail and running away to a 4 length victory in a stakes record time of 1.:20.33, beating the 1993 mark of 1:20.45 set by Mamselle Bebette.

The new dirt track was playing fast all day and Switch’s record run was the second record of the day to fall after promising 2-year-old The Factor set a 6 furlong track record of 1:06.98.

The La Brea capped what has been a fantastic year for Switch. On June 6^th Switch defeated leading 3-year-old filly Eclipse Award candidate and heavily favored Blind Luck in the Hollywood Oaks (gr.2). On October 2^nd Switch finished half a length behind super-star Zenyatta in the Lady’s Secret Stakes (gr.1) and then followed that impressive performance up with another second place finish behind Dubai Majesty in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (gr.1).  The La Brea was the filly’s first race since finishing second at the Breeders’ Cup and trainer John Sadler had his filly sharp as a razor.

It will be interesting to see what this talented filly can do next year as she continues to grow and mature. It appears that all of the best sophomore fillies of 2010 will be returning to race in 2011, Blind Luck, Evening Jewel and now Switch.

If there was ever any doubt that Sidney’s Candy might not be as good as his record setting La Jolla romp in August

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suggested, the fabulous colt set all those doubts to rest with an all-too-easy victory in the Sir Beaufort (gr.3). After his incredible La Jolla romp, Sidney’s Candy went almost three months without a prep race straight to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr.1) where he finished sixth to one of the greatest race mares in history, Goldikova, three time Breeders’ Cup Mile champion and international super-star.

Given the proper time and training regimen between races this time Sidney’s Candy was back to his old brilliant self, winning the Sir Beaufort by more than 7 lengths with careless ease. Running over Santa Anita’s brand new dirt surface after wet conditions on Saturday forced the race to be moved from the turf to the main course, Sidney’s Candy took the field gate to wire in his typical speed-ball fashion.

The Sir Beaufort made for the second graded stakes score of the day for trainer John Sadler who sadly missed the action live as he was laid up with a bad knee.

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A mere couple of hours later Sadler’s incredible string of graded stakes victories continued as Twirling Candy won a thrilling stretch battle with Smiling Tiger in the Malibu Stakes (Gr.1), making it a clean sweep of all three graded stakes races on opening day.

Making a three-wide move on the far turn, Twirling Candy swept into contention entering the homestretch and immediately hooked up with Smiling Tiger on the lead. Those two battled it out the entire length of the stretch with Twirling Candy finally thrusting his nose in front at the wire in a spectacular time of 1:19.70, effectively breaking the old dirt track record of 1:20 flat set by the great Spectacular Bid in 1980.

If the Malibu is any indication of what we can expect from Twirling Candy in the future than we should be in for a very promising older horse next year. Trainer John Sadler certainly thinks so.

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The Native Diver Handicap

A month after lighting up the tote board at Churchill Downs with winning odds of 37-1, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Dakota Phone returns to California to contest the Grade 3 Native Diver Handicap. Coming from dead last in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Dakota Phone made an impressive run on the far outside coming into the homestretch to nab talented 3-year-old Morning Line at the wire. Stretching out from the distance of a mile to 1 1/8 miles distance in the Native Diver should be no problem for the Breeders’ Cup champion with his closing style. He has only won 2 of 11 starts in 2010 but consistently runs well, expect him to be competitive.

Another Breeders’ Cup contender also returns to action in the Native Diver as Romp runs for the first time since his Breeders’ Cup Marathon fiasco. Romp and jockey Martin Garcia survived what could have been a near-fatal accident on the final turn of the Breeders’ Cup Marathon when Prince Will I am with Javier Castellano up cut the pair off entering the homestretch. Displaying incredible athleticism, Romp fell to his knees and picked himself up all in the same motion while jockey Garcia flew out of the saddle and somehow managed to land back on Romp as the colt struggled to get back in the race.

The 6-year-old gelding had absolutely no shot in the Marathon but he emerged from the incident unscathed and appears ready to run his best. He cuts back in distance from the 1 ¾ miles Marathon distance to 1 1/8 miles in the Native Diver, but considering he was unable to run a competitive race the length of Churchill’s homestretch this could be the perfect move for him.

Soul Candy enters the Native Diver with the best 2010 record in the field. He has won three of his last four starts and

comes in fresh off a victory in the 1 1/8 mile California Cup Classic on October 30^th over the Hollywood Park surface. He ran down Del Mar Mile Handicap (g.3) winner and favored Enriched in the California Cup Classic to win by 1 ¼ lengths in a hand ride. With a victory over the Hollywood surface and at the same distance as the Native Diver, you have to think this 4-year-old son of Birdonthewire is in a good position entering the native Diver and seems to be improving at the right time.

The rest of the field is made up by Philatelist, Aggie Engineer, Achak and Spurrier.

Soul Candy looks the best in this field, especially coming off a win over the surface and at the same the distance as the Native Diver. Soul Candy’s grinding style should prove just as effective in the Native Diver if given a clear running path. His biggest threat could come from Dakota Phone who displays a great turn of foot on his best day. I think Dakota Phone, while having run very competitively over synthetics, is a better runner on the dirt.

Romp is a question mark here. Not having been able to finish his last race properly it’s hard to know where he is right now and how to place him. Instinct says that he will run well and trainer Kristin Mulhall is expecting a big effort from the gelding.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving, Enjoy the races this weekend!

Back On Track

My apologies for taking such a long time in returning to post once again. Computer issues kept me from finishing my Breeders’ Cup postings and coving the Cigar Mile and Clark Handicap but I think the computer problems are behind me…or at least the majority of them I hope!

In what has become a yearly tradition a slew of champions and some of the nation’s most talented runners were retired soon after the Breeders’ Cup Championships were over. Leading the list of high profile retirees was dual Older Champion Female Zenyatta who is a cinch to win the Championship title for a third consecutive year. She is now dead-locked in a heated Horse of the Year battle with Breeders’ Cup Classic victor and arch nemesis this year, Blame. During her undefeated 2008 and 2009 campaigns Zenyatta lost the coveted title mainly due to almost exclusively racing in California. This year was beyond a doubt the year of Zenyatta but her chances are once again teetering on a precipice after a somewhat conservative 5 race campaign prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. For what it’s worth I am in her corner this year, after the things she achieved both on the track and in the hearts of millions of racing fans across the globe she deserves this special award. Blame may have the better record this year but more than just the black and white should be taken into account this year.

This weekend seemed to fall victim to long shots and disqualifications. Both the Clark Handicap and Japan Cup were won by solid favorites who were both taken down from the top spot for interference, while the Cigar Mile was won by a streaking Jersey Town at odds of 34-1 and the Citation was won by Victor’s Cry at odds of 11-1. On the other hand favorites ruled the board in Remsen, Gazelle and Golden Rod. To Honor and Serve served notice with his easy front-running Remsen victory that he could be a force to be reckoned with on the 2011 Triple Crown trail. Kathmanblu, fresh off a close third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf absolutely toyed with field in the Golden Rod at Churchill Downs, romping home a winner be more than 8 lengths. Her goal for next year has already been set, the Kentucky Oaks and after her Golden Rod performance you have to think she is going to be a huge threat. Trainer Cindy Jones received the fairy tale send-off she had been dreaming of when No Such Word won the Grade 1 Gazelle as the final runner in her short, but brilliant, training career. In 2011 husband Larry Jones will come out of retirement and begin training again after a lengthy break.

More to come soon.

2010 Breeders’ Cup: Part 2

Here we are for part two of the Breeders’ Cup results, but before I get into the races themselves I would like to cover some of the post Breeders’ Cup news.

Goldikova, three time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and the greatest filly in Breeders’ Cup history, will remain in training in 2011 with her goal being a 4^th consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile victory. The word “unprecedented” doesn’t even come close to doing this feat justice. This is just plain brilliant and one of the greatest gestures of modern thoroughbred horse racing sportsmanship ever displayed. Brothers Alain and Gerard Wetheimer, who bred Goldikova as well as race her, made the announcement two days after the 5-year-old mare's dazzling Mile win.

“We decided to keep her in training because she’s in great shape,” Alain said. “The other reason is that if more older horses are kept in training, it’s good for the public because they get used to seeing them and there’s a good chance of it bringing people to the racetrack. If you only keep them one year, people don’t see them enough; they don’t get attached. I think it would be good if more people were able to do that.” He continued, “When you have a big stable and have a good mare, there’s no reason not to try to keep her in training.”

Let the praises roll, I for one am beyond just excited and thrilled that Goldikova will attempt to enhance her already sparkling reputation more by winning a 4^th consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic:

 

Blind Luck was the filly to beat entering the Ladies Classic but it was Unrivaled Belle that stole the show. After a banner year for Unrivaled Belle in which she defeated Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra by a head in the La Troienne (gr.2) in late April, Unrivaled Belle put the icing on the cake with a powerful victory in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic over a stellar field of fillies and mares.

Breaking from the gate like a shot Unrivaled Belle sat just behind the three leaders, head bobbing with Milwaukee Appeal down the backstretch for ^4th and 5th position. Havre de Grace sat just behind those two while Blind Luck trailed the field with a seriously compromised Life At Ten well back in last. Entering the far turn Unrivaled Belle moved to the lead with effortless strides as Havre de Grace surged forward on the outside and Blind Luck began to come alive from the back of the pack. Into the stretch Unrivaled Belle quickly began to distance herself from Havre de Grace with little urging from jockey Kent Desormeaux as Blind Luck came widest of all under a full head of steam. In the end it was Unrivaled Belle an easy winner by 1 ¾ lengths over a gallant, but late, Blind Luck with Havre de Grace third.

The winner was great in victory but I have to admit that my heart was with Blind Luck on this one and it was a shame to see her come so close and lose. She easily sewed up three-year-old filly honors with yet another gutsy performance here. Life At Ten was the real shame in the Ladies Classic this year. After being "unusually quite" according to trainer Todd Pletcher in the saddling ring and failing to warm up according to jockey John Velasquez, Life At Ten broke sluggishly from the gate and trailed the field all the way around. It has been speculated by Todd Pletcher that she may have had an allergic reaction to Lasix and began to tie up. It's easy to criticize when you aren't the one in the position to make decisions but in this case Life At Ten should have been scratched as soon as they realized something was wrong with her. It was just sheer dumb luck that she came out of the race unscathed.

 

Breeders’ Cup Sprint:

 

The Breeders’ Cup Sprint is always one of the most exciting races of the year, simply because of the fantastic energy the contestants explode from the gate with that continues all the way to the finish line.

In a year where both leading sprint candidates, Majesticperfection and Discreetly Mine, were sidelined by injury, Big Drama turned what was supposed to be an evenly matched contest into an absolute rout.

Bursting from the gate in the field of 12, Big Drama aggressively rushed to the lead and the race was over from there. Cruising through rapid fractions of :21.34 for the opening quarter and :44.58 for the half with Atta Boy Roy and Cash Refund in close pursuit, Big Drama continued into the turn looking strong under jockey Eibar Coa. Flying into the stretch three-wide, Big Drama gradually eased away for a 1 ½ length victory. Finishing second by a head over Smiling Tiger was Hamazing Destiny.

Big Drama's record for the year now stands at 4 wins in 6 tries which should be enough to win him an Eclipse Award as top sprinter.

2010 Breeders' Cup Results: Part 1

Breeders’ Cup Mile:

Two mares came into the 2010 Breeders’ Cup world championships each with the opportunity to make history by becoming the first two horses ever to win three consecutive Breeders’ Cup races. One succeeded. On Saturday November 6^th, Goldikova climbed the insurmountable pinnacle of greatness and rightfully declared herself the greatest thoroughbred on the planet by right of proof, after performing flawlessly on the world’s biggest stage.

All eyes were fixed securely to the great European champion as Goldikova lined up against one of the deepest fields in history to contest the Breeders’ Cup Mile for an unprecedented third year in a row. After explosive victories in the 2008 and 2009 editions where she proved herself the worlds’ best miler, Goldikova went to a whole new level in 2010.

Breaking from the outside in post position 10, Goldikova was slow to start but quickly placed herself mid-pack with guidance from jockey Olivier Peslier. Floated about 5 wide into the first turn, Goldikova moved to sixth position down the backstretch while up front Sidneys’ Candy flew through fractions of :24.02 for the opening quarter, :47.49 for the half and 1:11.33 for the three quarters. Entering the final turn Goldikova began to slowly move forward while from the rear of the field Gio Ponti and Paco Boy both came to life with a vengeance. Sidney’s Candy roared into the stretch, lengthening his lead to two lengths as the Usual Q. T. moved to his outside from second and began to make up ground quickly. For a few seconds it appeared as if Goldikova would not make it this time and that her Breeders’ Cup 3-peat would crumble to the ground, but with a vigorous shake of the reins from jockey Peslier the titan was unleashed and Goldikova burst forward like a wall of water battering through a dam. Surging past The Usual Q. T. Goldikova kept coming faster with every stride, sweeping past Sidneys’ Candy and powering to a 1 ½ length lead as Gio Ponti and Paco Boy rushed to the fore. It was a no-doubt-about-it win, Goldikova, in a vigorous hand ride, made some of the worlds’ best milers look like children chasing an Olympic runner down the stretch and under the wire.

With the win Goldikova not only becomes the best horse in the world, but undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, and perhaps the greatest miler of all time bar none. She has become the ruler by which all following generations must be measured.

Breeders’ Cup Classic:

“Things happen for a reason.” That has got to be one of my least favorite sayings, and to the more than 114,000 fans in attendance at Churchill Downs on Saturday night it offered little consolation as they watched their hero and undefeated idol, Zenyatta, go down in defeat after a heartbreaking stretch drive that came up a mere head short.

The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic will go down as the most anticipated Classic to ever be run in history and all because of one great mare and the field of talented males that helped cement her legacy.

In the weeks leading up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic I was a firm and enthusiastic supporter of Lookin At Lucky. The 2009 Champion Juvenile Male, Preakness, Haskell and Indiana Derby winner and half brother to Curlin was a favorite of mine since his second race in California as a two-year-old. Anyone who would listen got an earful from me about why I liked Lookin At Lucky better than Zenyatta, and while I readily admitted that I loved Zenyatta and knew she had the best chance to win the Classic, I was very confident that Lookin At Lucky could give her a race for her money.

For some inexplicable reason I found myself unable to cheer against Zenyatta as the Classic drew near. The moment I saw her prancing and dancing her way to the paddock amidst the cheers of thousands of fans my heart melted and I began to root for her with all my strength. She seems to have that effect on many people, it is literally almost impossible not to love her and hope that she wins.

As the field broke from the gates, Zenyatta dropped back more than a dozen lengths behind the field the first time past the wire. From there things just got worse for the undefeated super-star as she eventually dropped 15 lengths off the field before moving up on the backstretch. On the front end First Dude led a tightly bunched pack of 4 that included Quality Road, Espoir City and Haynesfield. Entering the backstretch it was more than 5 lengths back to Etched and Lookin At Lucky who led the second half of the field with Zenyatta trailing badly.

Entering the far turn Zenyatta began to move up with Mike Smith angling her to the inside as Blame surged to within 4 lengths of the lead. Into the stretch Blame split horses and seized the lead with Lookin At Lucky right behind, far back Zenyatta found her every move blocked by a wall of horses as she threaded her way through to the outside. Once in the clear the crowd went wild as Zenyatta furiously turned on her patented late run, desperately gunning for Blame who was now 1 ½ lengths clear of Lookin At Lucky. Blowing past Lookin At Lucky Zenyatta continued to close the gap with gigantic strides, Blame running strongly to the wire. Zenyatta frantically closed to within a neck of Blame the 4-year-old colt visibly began to fight back and for about five strides the two powerful athletes were neck and neck, but Blame refused to budge, handing Zenyatta the first, heartbreaking defeat of her career by a head.

There were a million “what if’s” that immediately popped into my head as the gallant daughter of Street Cry galloped out past the wire behind Blame. What if Mike Smith hadn’t had her so far back? What if he hadn’t put her on the inside and blocked by traffic on the final turn? Unfortunately Zenyatta did receive a poor ride from Mike Smith, but in defeat Zenyatta seems to have lost none of her illustrious reputation that preceded her historic journey. In fact, her defeat seems to have done just the opposite and endeared her to the hearts of millions of fans around the world even more. She is still the same great mare she was before and has proved once and for all that she ranks up there with the greats of all time.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile:

Every once in a blue moon things in horse racing happen exactly as they are supposed to, or at least exactly we think they are supposed to, and few things offer a better illustration of those race scenarios as this years’ Breeders’ Cup Juvenile did.

It was billed as a two horse race between the speedy undefeated Uncle Mo and talented Hopeful Stakes winner Boys At Tosconova and that is exactly what it turned into, though only one of the youngsters really looked like he had to make a race of it.

Breaking from the gate with speed to spare, Unlce Mo raced in second behind Riveting Reason through the first turn, down the backstretch and into the final turn. Racing a couple lengths back, Boys At Tosconova secured a good spot for himself, relaxing nicely while off the pace in his first two-turn race.

As the field entered the final turn Boys At Tosconova moved up quickly into contention, right off the flank of Uncle Mo. It looked like a two horse race as they sped into the stretch but the scene changed in an instant.

Jockey John Velasquez on Uncle Mo came to life as they hit the stretch with a narrow lead, energetically pushing Uncle Mo to take control of the race. And take control he did, effortlessly putting Boys At Tosconova away within a few strides, the handsome bay colt came striding down the homestretch, opening up by more than four lengths as Boys At Tosconova chased him futilely, 6 lengths ahead of the rest of the field. Under the wire in a hand ride, Uncle Mo won by 4 ¼ lengths and instantly became the early favorite for the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

While his talent is absolutely undeniable, there are some questions as to whether or not Uncle Mo will be able to get a classic distance race as a son of Indian Charlie. Indian Charlie offspring tend to run their best races at shorter distances where their natural speed is most effective. I am a huge Uncle Mo fan since his first race and aside from hoping with all my heart that he will handle longer distances I truly believe that he will. He obviously loved running the two turns at Churchill Downs and won by more than 4 lengths in a hand ride, indicating that the margin could have been much more and that he could have kept going had he been required to. He didn’t even look tired after the race, bouncing and prancing his way down the back stretch to the winners circle.

This years’ Breeders’ Cup was pretty good to me. Friday was a complete toss as my picks finished second three times but none won. Saturday was much better, with five of my eight choices winning and two finishing second, one by a nose and the other by a head. The overall economy of the Breeders’ Cup was also encouraging this year as we saw a significant increase in both handle, on track and off, as well as a significant increase in on track attendance.

I will cover more of the Breeders’ Cup results in the next few days so stay tuned and let me know how your Breeders’ Cup experience turned out this year.

Two Down: Marathon and Juvenile Fillies Turf

Eldaafer made it two wins in-a-row when he surged to the lead in the first Breeders' Cup race of the day and claimed the crown as 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon champion. Left in his wake was race favorite Awesome Gem who raced last for most of the trip before failing to fire his nest shot.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf was supposed to be all about Winter Memories, but More Than Real had other ideas as the dark bay filly romped in style over Winter Memories. Owned by celebrity chef Bobby Toay, More Than Real swept off the final turn in the Fillies Turf and flew to the wire, winning a visually impressive race.

Counting Down to the Cup

It seems like just yesterday the Breeders’ Cup was months away and the spring classics had just gotten under way. Now here we are and it’s Breeders’ Cup day one. Enter the champions and challengers, it’s time to race!

For the sake of time I will go over only a few of the Breeders’ Cup races as I can covering my top three or four contenders in each race.

The Breeders’ Cup Marathon may be the first race of the championships to be run Friday but I’m going to start with

Saturday’s TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr.1) and the incredible, international cast lining up to face two-time defending champion Goldikova.

Goldikova has to be one of the most aptly named horses in the world as she has proven over and over again that she is pure gold when it comes to the racing game. Over the course of three years Goldikova has laid claim to both European and American championship titles as well as being only the second horse in history to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile in consecutive years. In 2010 Goldikova has scaled new heights of greatness while winning 4 of her 5 starts, her only loss coming when finishing second over a soft turf course to the best three-year-old miler in Europe.

Goldikova’s biggest threats in the Mile will come from her European nemesis Paco Boy, who has pushed the great mare to some of the slimmest margins of victory in her career, American champion Gio Ponti and talented speed-ball Sidney’s Candy. Paco Boy has thrown his best shot as Goldikova time after time this year, and every time the gifted colt has crossed the finish line second, always behind the great champion. There is no doubt he has the ability and the talent to win the big ones but when you run into a giant like Goldikova it really doesn’t seem to matter how good you are. Gio Ponti turned in one of the most visually impressive turf performances of the season in his last start when he won the Shadwell Turf Mile with laughable ease. He is beyond a doubt the best hope America has of defeating the power-house duo of Goldikova and Paco Boy. Sidneys’ Candy has only raced once on the turf but once was enough, in the La Jolla Handicap (gr.2) Sidney’s Candy set a course record while winning easily by more than 5 lengths. A duck should take to water as well as Sidney’s Candy takes to turf. He looks like the kind of colt that could be brilliant enough to pull off a huge upset in the Mile if all the cards fall into place.

Bottom line in the Mile is that this race is all about Goldikova, it’s her show and her crown on the line. From all appearances it would seem the queen is ready to defend her title.

The Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr.1) is yet another race in the championship series that seems chock-full of talent. Blind Luck leads the cavalry charge in Ladies Classic as the deserving favorite after wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Delaware Oaks and Fantasy Stakes this year to mention just a few. A small package with a huge late kick, Blind Luck embodies the greatest traits of courage, determination, toughness and will-to-win in thoroughbred racehorses that make these athletes so special. If nothing else Blind Luck is certainly the most competitive and well traveled filly in the field.

Her greatest threats come from older female Life At Ten, whose only 2010 blemish came in a third place finish behind Persistently and Rachel Alexandra in the Personal Ensign Stakes (gr.1), and 3-year-old nemesis Havre de Grace who turned the tables on Blind Luck in their last meeting after finishing runner up to Blind Luck two consecutive times. Life At Ten has been training lights-out since winning the Beldame Stakes and looks as ready as she has ever been to run a big race. Havre de Grace looked fantastic when testing the Churchill Downs surface for the first time after arriving for the Ladies Classic and should come into the race strong and fit. This could easily turn into another Blind Luck-Havre de Grace showdown at the wire but there a many classy fillies running who could easily step up and steal the prize if Blind Luck fails to fire her best shot. I don’t think that will happen.

The Breeders’ Cup post time is just hours away now and questions we have been asking all year long will finally be answered. Choose your runners and cheer for all your worth, it’s the Breeders’ Cup Championships, a golden day in the life of horse racing fans and one well worth celebrating. Best of luck to everyone and may the best horses win.

Breeders' Cup Friday: The First Half

The clock is ticking and I am running out of time. The Breeders’ Cup Championships will begin in three days on Friday November 5^th. I have only covered one race and I have quickly realized that I will not be able to go over even half the races as thoroughly as I would like. Starting with the Friday card of races I will cover both days of racing and highlight some of the biggest contenders that I feel have a good chance at winning or performing well.

The Breeders’ Cup Marathon will kicks things off on Friday and favoritism in the long-distance test falls to one of the most recognizable names in American racing. Awesome Gem has long been a favorite runner of mine after seeing his fine third place performance in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic behind Curlin and Hard Spun. For four straight years now Awesome Gem has been a jewel of shining consistency, a 7-year-old gelding with career stats of 38 lifetime starts. With 7 wins, 13 seconds and 4 thirds Awesome Gem has accumulated earnings of more than $2 million. He has never run past 1 ¼ miles distance in his career but West Point Thoroughbreds president Terry Finley believes the 1 ¾ mile distance is the best Breeders’ Cup fit for Awesome Gem.

Facing Awesome Gem are graded stakes winners Atoned, Eldaafer, Alcomo, Giant Oak and Prince Will I Am. Prince Will I Am enters off an impressive win in the Grade 1 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park on the inner turf course. Eldaafer also enters off a win in the Grade 3 Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes. He finished 7^th in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon in 2009 when the event was held at Santa Anita. Alcomo just missed by a nose last out in the Greenwood Cup when losing to A. U. Miner but enters the Marathon in excellent condition.

My choice, purely as a fan, goes to Awesome Gem. It would be wonderful to see such a tough old campaigner win such a high caliber race at the ripe age of 7.

The Juvenile Fillies Turf is all about Winter Memories for me. To be quite honest I really am not as knowledgeable about this field as I should be so I will not bore everyone with my assumptions and instead focus on the facts that I know.

Winter Memories enters the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf undefeated and untested in just two lifetime starts. The striking gray/roan two-year-old filly, who appears almost pure white while running, broke her maiden by 1 ½ lengths in early September at Satatoga and then exploded late in the Miss Grillo Stakes (Gr.3) at Belmont Park to win easily the best by more than 5 lengths.

Jessamine Stakes winner, Kathmanblu, at odds could prove to be a very live longshot. Canadian filly Wyomia enters off two consecutive wins, her last coming in the form of a front-running victory in the Mazarine Stakes (Can-3) at Woodbine. Her 12-1 odds are just as alluring as Kathmanblu and she would seem to have more than just a long-shot chance at hitting the board.

The Filly and Mare Sprint has always been one of my favorite Breeders’ Cup races and this year one of the most evenly

matched fields in recent history has been entered, setting the scene for a very contentions and exciting running.

Rightly So, winner of the Grade 1 Ballerina in a 4 length romp in her last start, has earned favoritism in a field that includes 2009 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Informed Decision. Rightly So is a deserving favorite but I am not convinced that she is the best in this field.

Informed Decision has lost some of her luster of last year but still sports a consistent and winning record in 2010. She last finished second by a nose in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr.2) to Dubai Majesty. In her previous race Informed Decision defeated Dubai Majesty by a head in the Presque Isle Downs Masters (gr. 3) proving that she still has some of her old spark left. As a big fan of hers I am willing to give her another chance and say that I hope she runs away with the Filly and Mare Sprint.

Sara Louise is perhaps the most mouth-watering runner in the field at odds of 15-1. In her first and only start of the year, Sara Louise finished a respectable third in the Gallant Bloom Handicap (gr.2), a race that she lost be a head to champion Indian Blessing after a stretch duel of historic proportions in 2009. She is as classy as they come and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see her return to her fantastic 2009 form on Friday and turn in an impressive performance.

Evening Jewel is one of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country as well as being one of the most versatile and consistent. A graded stakes winner on both turf and synthetics while finishing second by a nose over the Churchill Downs dirt surface in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) to Blind Luck, Evening Jewel enters the Sprint off a third place effort behind Harmonious in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (gr.1). This will be her first time returning to dirt since her spectacular runner-up effort in the Kentucky Oaks earlier this year.

Gabby’s Golden Gal and Champagne d’Oro are two other standouts in the field with Champagne d’Oro being the more accomplished having won the Test Stakes (gr. 1) in early August at Saratoga.

I will cover the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Filly and Mare Turf and Ladies Classic on Thursday Morning. What are your thoughts, picks and opinions on the Breeders’ Cup? Do share all!

Breeders' Cup Post Coming Soon!

Due to a very busy schedule I am running way behind on my Breeders' Cup postings and I apologize!

There will be a post Wednesday morning covering the Friday Breeders' Cup races so stay tuned and thank you all for your patience.

It's A Classic for Sure!

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships are only two weeks away and some of the strongest fields in history are set to line-up in the starting gates to write their chapter in history. Two of the greatest thoroughbred race mares in history will attempt the astronomical feat of winning three consecutive Breeders’ Cup races. One undefeated in 19 lifetime starts, the other a global superstar and two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile champion.

For this blog entry we will concentrate on just the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a race that has come up so full of raw talent and ability that a single blog post can do the potential field little justice.

Undefeated phenom Zenyatta became the first filly or mare in history to win the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr.1) last year over an international cast of males one year after capturing the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr.1) at Santa Anita. She enters the 2010 renewal with more questions than ever before to answer and a much tougher field lining up to face the defending Queen.

Zenyatta has raced almost exclusively on synthetic surfaces throughout her career with only two starts on dirt when taking the 2008 and 2010 editions of the Apple Blossom Handicap (gr.1). Those two dirt starts, coming in Arkansas, were also the mare’s only races outside of California. For the past two years the Breeders’ Cup has been held in the big mare’s backyard at Santa Anita racecourse in California, this year the championship series will be held at Churchill Downs in Kentucky on a traditional dirt track.

For the first time in her lauded career, Zenyatta will be facing a world class field on a dirt track outside of California. Another factor that could add more unknown to the Zenyatta element is the chance of a wet track, another surface that is foreign to the champion mare. Even with all those points stacked against her Zenyatta will undoubtedly go off the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. One undeniable fact is that every time she has stepped up to the plate there have been a slew of questions to answer and every single time she has answered those questions emphatically. True, the questions she faces now are all new ones and some tougher than before but each and every time she has risen to the occasion and faced new challenges head on.

When Lookin At Lucky was finally able to put things together in 2010 he virtually shoved the Eclipse award as outstanding three year old male in an airtight strong box and sealed it in high security bank vault. After a stunning juvenile season in 2009 where he lost only the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by a whisker after breaking from the extreme outside and being floated wide on the turns, Lookin At Lucky entered 2010 as the champion juvenile male and leading contender for the Triple Crown series. He overcame an impossible trip in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in his three year old debut to post his second consecutive graded stakes win only to fall victim to yet another bad trip in the Santa Anita Derby (gr.1), finishing third behind Sidney’s Candy in his last Kentucky Derby prep race. Credited with one of the worst Kentucky Derby (gr.1) trips of the decade after breaking form post one and getting slammed around more than a wet towel in a high-speed dryer, then being shuffled far back early on, Lookin At Lucky rallied strongly to come in a determined 6th, a remarkable recovery. Two weeks later he redeemed his image with a hard-fought ¾ length victory over a stubborn First Dude and Jackson Bend in the Preakness Stakes (gr.1). Given a rest after his arduous Triple Crown run, Lookin At Lucky returned to decimate a strong field in the Haskell Invitational (gr.1) by four lengths in early August, winning with supreme ease and a few taps of the whip. Two months later he returned to demolish another field of over-matched three year olds in the Indiana Derby (gr.2) despite having missed several workouts due to a minor illness.

If his recent works are any indication Lookin At Lucky is just getting better and better which from a purely black and white point of view is quite extraordinary. If there is one horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic field that has the best chance of handing Zenyatta the first defeat of her career I believe strongly that it is Lookin At Lucky.

Blame enters the Classic as one of the heavily backed favorites despite losing his last start when finishing second to Haynesfield in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr.1). His record for the year up to that point was flawless. Included in his 2010 portfolio was a workmanlike win the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr.1) at Churchill Downs and a thrilling head victory over Quality Road in the Whitney Stakes (gr.1). This horse is a gritty and tough as they come, his only flaw seems to be his inability to close into a slow pace up front that kills his late kick in the stretch. Pace in the Breeders’ Cup Classic should be no problem with speedballs like Quality Road, Haynesfield and First Dude all winging it on the front end so his running style will be beautifully complimented. The only question now; is he good enough to handle Zenyatta or Lookin At Lucky?

Quality Road started the year out as the undisputed king of the racing world, reigning supreme over the older male horse division. With impressive

wins in the Hal’s Hope Stakes (gr.3), Donn Handicap (gr.1), Met Mile (gr.1) and Woodward Stakes (gr.1) Quality Road is just a nose away from being the overwhelming leader for older male as well as Horse of the Year. In the Donn Handicap Quality Road broke his own track record while winning the race by 12 ¾ lengths. In the Met Mile Quality Road won in the sparkling time of 1:33.11 while handily defeating Musket Man. If Quality Road were entered in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile instead of the Classic he would no doubt be the favorite.

His loss to Blame in the Whitney Stakes (gr.1) seemed to tarnish his image more than it should have. I personally still like Quality Road better than Blame and if rated off the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Classic I think we could see him come alive with a monster effort. He enters the Classic off a lengthy layoff having last out won the Woodward Stakes by more than 4 lengths on September 4th.

Haynesfield gave Blame and Fly Down an absolute thrashing in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 2nd, going gate-to-wire in the 1 ¼ mile race to flash under the line 4 lengths the best. After opening up a tremendous 7 length lead at the top of the stretch Haynesfield was geared down by jockey Ramon Dominguez to coast home easily the best. The Jockey Club Gold Cup was the third win in four 2010 starts for the 4-year-old colt who has now cast himself as a legitimate, if somewhat questionable contender in the Classic. His time for the Jockey Club Gold Cup was unimpressive, but his style was brilliant, suggesting that he could have finished up much faster had he needed to. Whether or not he can stand up to the kind of pace pressure he will face in the Classic has yet to be seen but I somehow doubt that he will be able to handle Zenyatta, Lookin At Lucky, Quality Road and Blame with a faster pace scenario.

First Dude, Fly Down, Morning Line and Paddy O’Prado help make up a strong contingent of three year old contenders after the power house solo act called

Lookin At Lucky. Paddy O’Prado finished third in the Kentucky Derby this year and went unplaced in the Preakness Stakes before stringing together a powerful run of three consecutive graded stakes wins on the turf, including the Grade 1 Secretariat. Despite his success on the turf his connections have decided to take a shot at the big cheese and aim the talented colt for the Classic. In his last start Paddy O’Prado finished second by one length in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr.1) against older horses. He turned in a great effort in the Derby over the Churchill Downs surface but I seriously doubt he can handle the “big four” in the Classic.

First Dude should win an award for the toughest most consistent fighter of the year. In 6 consecutive graded stakes efforts, 5 of which were grade 1’s, First Dude was never off the board, finishing second in the Preakness Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby and third in the Blue Grass, Belmont, Haskell and Travers Stakes. Each and every race he runs he brings his A game to the table and never throws in the towel. With so many big profile horses in the Classic he could be the best valued long shot with the best shot at winning. His time will come one day and you get the feeling with him that when it comes it’s going to be big.

Musket Man was there long before First Dude. If ever there was a master of consistency that constantly runs into monster

performances and gets shut out from winning the big ones it is Musket Man. The capable colt has finished second 3 times and third 5 times in 14 lifetime starts including two third place finishes in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. In his last start Musket Man failed to catch Etched by a neck in the Monmouth Cup (gr.2) after being blocked to the inside for most of the race and forced to race wide coming into the stretch. His form has been great all year and if things keep progressing they way they are now he could be the forgotten horse come Breeders’ Cup day which is always a dangerous thing with a runner like Musket Man.

Fly Down has had a very rocky year. After winning the Dwyer Stakes (gr.2) trainer Nick Zito sent him into deeper waters in the Belmont Stakes where his charge turned in a superb effort when finishing a hard-charging second to Drosselmeyer. In his next start Fly Down finished a sparkling second to Afleet Express in the Travers Stakes (gr.1) after a furious stretch run that fell a hair short of winning at the wire. In his most recent start Fly Down finished a respectable if somewhat uninspiring third to Haynesfield and Blame in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Chances are this colt could be right there in the Breeders’ Cup Classic if the pace is swift up front. Not enough credit has been given to the kinds of races Fly Down keeps producing each time out.

Almost every year there is some horse running in the Breeders’ Cup that seems to want to become the “wise guy” option and this

year Morning Line could fit that bill. In just 6 lifetime starts Morning Line was able to become a graded stakes winner last out when taking the Pennsylvania Derby (gr.2) over First Dude and Jim Dandy Stakes winner A Little Warm. After losing the lead to A Little Warm in the stretch, Morning Line fought back like a battle tested warrior to turn certain defeat into rousing victory in the Pennsylvania Derby. He may be inexperienced but he is also peaking at exactly the right time.

Crown of Thorns enters the Breeders’ Cup Classic as one of the more intriguing and puzzling prospects in the five million dollar race. In 2009 he finished second by a mere nose in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and in his last start he finished runner-up to Richard’s Kid in the 1 1/8th mile Goodwood Stakes (gr.1) proving that he is as versatile as he is able.

Espoir City holds the weight and hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders as the sole Japanese contender in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Testing the Churchill Downs surface for the first time on October 23rd, Espoir City raised eyebrows with a slow 6 furlong work that produced a final time of 1:18 1/5. Jockey Tetsuzo Sato said after the work that “We are not here to pursue speed, just conditioning.” This horse is a complete wild card. With two grade/group 1 wins, including the 2009 Japan Cup, and 11 wins from 19 lifetime starts Espoir City seems highly capable. He has lost only twice since late 2008 when he switched from turf to dirt racing.

Gio Ponti has been cross entered in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Classic with the Mile being his more likely choice after an impressive victory in the Shadwell Turf Mile last out. However if Gio Ponti does run in the Classic things will get a whole lot more interesting. For the time being I won’t cover any thoughts on his Classic chances in case he passes for the Mile but it’s good food for thought.

The Classic is filled to the very brim this year with talent and more just keeps pouring in. The final field is not yet set but when it is things will get really interesting. One thing is for sure. When all is said and done and the 2010 winner is crowned people will say this race was a Classic for sure![polldaddy poll=3995887]

A Shining Jewel: Evening Jewel, Harmonious and Check the Label

The 2010 running of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (gr.1)at Keenland this Saturday is shaping up to be one of the best turf races of the year. In a field that includes 6 grade of group winners one filly stands out above the rest.

Evening Jewel is the deserving favorite as she enters off three consecutive graded stakes wins. Her win streak started in the Honeymoon Handicap (gr.2) at Hollywood Park in late May and except for a pair of nose defeats to the nation’s leading three-year-old filly, Blind Luck, in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) and Las Virgenes Stakes (gr.1) Evening Jewel would be riding a 6 race win streak.

Considered by many to be the second best filly in the nation behind only her arch nemesis Blind Luck, Evening Jewel boasts one of the most consistent and versatile records in the racing game this year. After losing the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr.1) by a hair to the fast closing Blind Luck, Evening Jewel captured the Ashland Stakes (gr.1) on synthetics as her final Kentucky Oaks prep. In the Kentucky Oaks she again fell victim to the devastating late kick of Blind Luck, finishing second by a heart-breaking nose on the Churchill Downs’ dirt surface. Switched to the turf in her next start Evening Jewel let loose with a streak of three impressive wins in graded stakes races, culminating with a victory in the Del Mar Oaks (gr.1) last out on August 21^st.

This is a filly who loves to win no matter the competition, no matter the location and no matter the surface she runs on. She is the class of this field without a doubt, which, considering the amount of classy fillies entered is saying a lot.

Second choice in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes is grade 1 winner Check the Label. Check the Label enters the Queen Elizabeth riding a

four race win streak that has come exclusively in graded stakes company. In her last start the 3-year-old filly closed ground relentlessly to take the Garden City Stakes (gr.1) at Belmont Park over yielding turf by three parts of a length. The star filly has won three turf races this year at the 1 1/8 mile distance of the Queen Elizabeth and has proven to be a tough and consistent competitor.

The filly with perhaps the most potential to move forward off her latest effort is Harmonious. Grade 1 American Oaks winner Harmonious had a three race win streak cut short in her last start when finishing second to Evening Jewel in the Del Mar Oaks (gr.1) by a half length. After trailing the field around the course in the Oaks, Harmonious took to the extreme outside for the stretch run and just missed running down a late-running Evening Jewel. The Del Mar Oaks was only her second try in stakes company and she should improve off her strong effort there.

Also entered in the field are graded/group stakes winners Perfect Shirl, Snow Top Mountain and European runner Zagora. Dade Babe and La Cloche complete the field.

Evening Jewel looks the best in this field with Harmonious a close second and Check the Label third. With the quality of runners entered it is hard to separate many of them after the top three but there at least 5 good fillies with a legitimate shot at winning here.

The Uncle and the Champion: Uncle Mo and Gio Ponti

The great Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew went undefeated in three starts as a two-year-old in 1976, first winning a maiden race at Belmont and then taking an allowance race less than a month later. 11 days later he triumphed in the Champagne Stakes (gr.1) to finish out his juvenile year, running what now stands as the second fastest time in the prestigious race.

What took Seattle Slew three races to accomplish only took Uncle Mo two. In Belmont’s celebrated Champagne Stakes (gr.1) on Saturday Uncle Mo went from impressive maiden winner to ultra-impressive Grade 1 winner and became an instant favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr.1) in early November at Churchill Downs as well as one of the most exciting Triple Crown candidates of 2011.

Entering the starting gate in the Champagne as the favorite off his power-house maiden romp in which he dusted his opposition by more than 14 lengths, the Indian Charlie colt with jockey John Velazquez up stormed out of the gate as the bell rang and engaged in a heated speed duel with long-shot I’m Steppin’ It up. Blitzing an opening quarter in :22.41 and a half in :45.92 it appeared the favorite was leaving himself wide open and vulnerable to attack as the field entered the turn. Dismissing any such ideas with absolute disdain Uncle Mo powered off the turn and into the stretch with a two length lead as Mountain Town blazed up behind under a full head of steam, looking dangerous and determined. Into the stretch Mountain Town kept coming but Uncle Mo, incredibly, continued to extend his lead under a vigorous hand-ride from John Velazquez to flash under the wire 4 ¾ lengths the best, equaling Seattle Slew’s Champagne Stakes record time of 1:34 2/5 for the mile. Mountain Town was more than 9 lengths ahead of the third place finisher, having turned in a superb effort that simply got overpowered by the greatest two-year-old performance of the year.

As trainer Todd Pletcher would say, the sky is the limit for Uncle Mo, this colt could have it all.

Gio Ponti is back and he looks better than ever. In his first mile distance race since March 2009 Gio Ponti showed just how good an athlete he is when splitting horses mid-stretch in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr.1) to turn almost certain defeat into rousing victory.

Breaking slowly from the gate, Gio Ponti sat well off the pace set by the front running pair of Acting Zippy and Enriched as the field

raced to the turn. Entering the stretch it was Enriched with a short lead but Courageous Cat came storming up on the outside to seize the lead. It appeared Courageous Cat was home free but from the back of the field both Gio Ponti and Society’s Chairman were in a full out drive, making up ground with every stride. Mid stretch Gio Ponti suddenly came to life, switching leads and gunning for the finish. The champion burst from between Society’s Chairman and Courageous Cat, exploding to a one length lead in a hand ride and waltzing under the line with ears pricked.

The question now remains which Breeders’ Cup race will Gio Ponti be pointed toward. He finished a strong second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic to Zenyatta but with this impressive victory under his belt serious consideration must now be given to the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The Very Best Leftovers: Gio Ponti, Informed Decision, Sidney's Candy and Uncle Mo

Last weekend included one of the most incredible line-ups of grade 1 races for the entire year, all chock full of the nation’s most talented and able equine athletes. This weekend the leftovers are running, those gifted runners that, due to time schedules or some other reason, were withheld from last weekend’s extravaganza.

Of all the classy athletes taking to the track this Saturday I think one of the most exciting prospects is the much talked

about two-year-old colt Uncle Mo. Uncle has raced only one time in his entire career, a maiden race at Saratoga on August 28^th that has become the most impressive maiden win of the entire year, as the colt rolled through the stretch with ease to win by 14 ¼ lengths. If he wins the Champagne Stakes (gr.1) Saturday at Belmont Park he will immediately become a favorite for the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr.1) at Churchill Downs in November. Though the 1 mile distance of the Champagne is two furlongs longer than Uncle Mo ran in his maiden debut the colt will be heavily favored to win.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by jockey John Valazquez, Uncle Mo will be facing 6 other competitors in the Champagne. Included in the line-up is Hopeful Stakes runner-up Stay Thirsty and Hopeful 4^th place finisher Settle for Medal. Of the two only Settle for Medal is likely to run as Stay Thirsty has the same connections as Uncle Mo and is likely to be trained up to the Breeders’ Cup.

Sidney’s Candy returns for his second race on the grass in Hollywood Park’s Oak Tree Mile (gr.2) this time with a resounding turf win under his belt. It will be the 3-year-old colt’s first try against older horses but the talented sophomore is more than capable of the task. In his last start Sidney’s Candy ran his foes into the ground when setting a course record in the La Jolla Handicap (gr.2). He enters the Oak Tree Mile off a 7 week gap since his La Jolla win.

Facing Sidney’s Candy is Grade 1 winner Victors Cry who runs as the high-weight and appears to have the best chance at upsetting Sidney’s Candy. This looks like the perfect prep for Sidney’s Candy’s Breeders’ Cup Mile attempt and if all goes as expected the star 3-year-old colt will emerge from the Oak Tree Mile even better and stronger than when he entered.

Has Gio Ponti lost anything this season that he had last year? In 5 starts this year the tough-luck colt has finished second three times and has managed to win only once when taking the Man ‘O’ War Stakes (gr.1) at Belmont. For the first time in 11 of his last starts Gio Ponti will cut back in distance this Saturday to contest the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile (gr.1) at Keeneland to try and reignite his flame. There is no doubt he is still a top runner and a hugely talented colt, he just seems to be having trouble finding his best stride this year and the cut back in distance could be just what the doctor ordered for Gio Ponti.

Facing a solid field that includes Courageous Cat, Acting Zippy, Get Stormy and Enriched the 5-year-old colt will once again be favored.

Get Stormy is the obvious second choice and maybe even slight favorite as the 4-year-old runner sports an impressive record of 7 wins in his last 8 starts. He is potentially the biggest threat here and enters off consecutive victories in the Fourstardave Handicap (gr.2) and Bernard Beruch Handicap (gr.2) both at Saratoga.

Courageous Cat is the wild card in the Shadwell Turf Mile as the Canadian Turf winner enters his first race fresh, having last raced in late March.

Informed Decision attempts to become the first repeat winner of the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr.2) in 27 years and second overall this Saturday as she continues her march towards the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (gr.1) as the defending champ.

In six starts this year Informed Decision has won exactly half and enters the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes off a win in the Presque Isle Downs Master Stakes (gr.3) and it appears after a relatively rough season that the speedy gray mare is ready to come back to the fantastic form that saw her trample her Breeders’ Cup foes last year.

Grade 1 winners Dr. Zic and Hooh Why are also entered in the TCA but a more intriguing entry is the 3-year-old filly and Grade 1 Acorn Stakes winner Champagne d’Oro. She enters off a bullet five furlong work and looks ready to present a tough challenge to the older fillies and mares.

Lookin At Perfection and Greatness

Zenyatta has literally left me at a complete loss for words. As soon as the great mare streaked to a record 19th straight victory in Saturday’s Lady’s Secret Stakes I was itching to get out my laptop and pour all the joy, excitement and enthrallment I was experiencing, watching Zenyatta, into my writing. Hours later I sat in front of a blank word document, grasping for the words with which to depict what I had witnessed yet again. The task of describing just how great the thing Zenyatta has accomplished in her career in mere words is staggering and very near impossible, but describing the reactions and emotions her amazing journey creates in the hearts of fans around the world is even harder.

There is something spectacular about not being able to find the words to describe greatness. True greatness steals the words right from your lips and stamps them into your heart and mind with such a fervor and passion that you can never fully do those feelings justice in writing or speech. Zenyatta is the kind of horse that will have parents and grandparents saying decades down the road to their children and grandchildren “I was alive when the great Zenyatta ran.”

With her 19 consecutive wins Zenyatta is now headed to the Breeders’ Cup as perfection-in-motion for an attempt at conquering history yet again. She became the first filly or mare to ever win the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2009 and will return to defend her title against what is stacking up to be a very strong field of international male athletes. Victory in the Classic will virtually assure the grand mare Horse of the Year honors as well as a lofty place in history as one of the greatest mares to ever grace the American racing scene.

Not to be outdone by Zenyatta, Goldikova, perhaps the greatest race-mare in modern European history and best mare

in the world, turned in a rousing performance to capture the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp over a fast closing Paco Boy in what was the 11^th grade/group 1 win of her stellar career.

After breaking quickly from the inside post, Goldikova and jockey Olivier Peslier went straight to the front while under a tight hold. Still on the lead nearing the halfway point in the 7 furlong race, Regal Parade rushed forward to take command from Goldikova as the classy Dick Turpin raced well back in mid-pack and Paco Boy took up the rear.

As the field flew into the homestretch Dick Turpin and Paco Boy began to charge for the lead, eating up the ground with every stride. Goldikova at the same time began to slowly gear up for her final run, angling away from the rail to swing around Regal Parade and snatch the lead again. Dick Turpin was flying up on the outside, Paco Boy hot on his heels, moving much faster than the brilliant filly and it appeared for a moment that both colts might pass the champion mare. The colts continued to close relentlessly but the moment Goldikova spotted Dick Turpin approaching the game was over. She accelerated with supreme ease and comfortably held off the furious rally of Paco Boy to get the better of that one for the third time this year, winning by half a length.

While she may not be undefeated like Zenyatta, Goldikova’s accomplishments are stunning none the less and in my humble opinion far greater. She has won races in Europe and the United States, defeating the world’s best male runners on a regular basis while making it look easy, as well as destroying fillies and mares when the occasion calls for it. The great Goldikova, back-to-back winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr.1) from 2008-2009, will return to the United States for her next start. An unprecedented third Breeders’ Cup Mile attempt. A win in the Breeders’ Cup Mile a third consecutive year will place Goldikova in an untouchable league all her own.

Lookin At Lucky was just about the only male horse that successfully pulled off the role of race favorite this weekend as the impressive 3-year-old colt splashed to a extraordinary victory in the Indian Derby (gr.2) on Saturday after being obscured behind the field for most of the race.

Sitting dead-last going into the first turn in the field of 8, Lookin At Lucky and jockey Martin Garcia sat patiently behind the pack as Indy Bull, Litigation Risk and Worldly set a hot pace up front. Rounding the far turn Theskyhasnolimit pushed his way through to the lead as Lookin At Lucky came flying from the back. Shooting off the turn 5  wide, the powerful son of Smart Strike literally dashed his opponents off their feet, bolting to the front in a matter of moments to coast under the line, ears pricked in sublime comfort, the winner by 1 ¼ lengths.

In winning the Indiana Derby Lookin At Lucky proved emphatically that he is ready for his planned trip to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The talented colt will no doubt be one of the favorites in a highly contentions and competitive field. He is also very much in the running for Horse of the Year with his latest win. If he conquers the Classic field he should easily get the nod for Horse of the Year and could become the third Preakness champion to win Horse of the Year since 2007, joining half-brother Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. Of course this is all just speculation and hopeful thinking but a good possibility nonetheless.

Havre de Grace has finally turned the tables on Blind Luck after finishing in her shadow twice in photo finishes at the

wire. It was billed as a two horse race and that’s exactly what it turned into in Saturday’s Fitz Dixon Cotillion (gr.2) as the nation’s leading 3-year-old filly, Blind Luck, carrying 10 pounds more than her challengers, and her toughest adversary squared off in an exhilarating stretch run.

Breaking from the gate ahead of only Blind Luck, Havre de Grace settled in nicely behind the two pace setters while Blind Luck fell far back of the field in last. Down the backstretch Havre de Grace moved up to take second while Blind Luck remained far back and running comfortably. Into the far turn Havre de Grace suddenly came alive and bounded to the lead, looking strong as she aimed for the wire. Blind Luck remained at the back of the field as they came off the turn, seeming to take longer than usual to find her stride but not too long. As soon as Havre de Grace hit the homestretch Blind Luck roused with a vengeance, bolting forward, splitting horses and charging hard, the courageous filly gunned for Havre de Grace, now three lengths in the lead. Blazing down the stretch the two fillies battled it out to the wire, Blind Luck tearing away at the lead with every stride, Havre de Grace hanging tough and digging down deep. They flashed under the line, Blind Luck missing by a neck after a gritty and exciting stretch run.

Amazingly both fillies still looked well within themselves galloping out past the finish line, not even the slightest signs of fatigue from the gallant duo.

The amount of ground Blind Luck is able to make up is simply astounding and win or lose, she shone once again in her final performance before a presumed start in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic. Havre de Grace has been banging on the door for months now just waiting for her chance to shine and now she has broken the door down and is a bona fide star. She will also be making her next start in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic where the dynamic duo will once again square off.

No Ordinary Super Saturday

If ever a weekend of horse racing is to be labeled a Super Saturday it is beyond a doubt October 2^nd, 2010. Not only is there a spectacular card of racing at Belmont Park that includes 5 Grade 1 races the action only begins there and spreads across the country from New York, to Pennsylvania, Indiana and finally California. You will find no less than seven divisional racing leaders taking to the track this weekend as the nation’s leading older female, older male, three-year-old male, three-year-old female, two-year-old male, two-year-old female and three-year-old turf male all seek to solidify their positions.

Even before she sets hoof on the track this Saturday to attempt an unprecedented 19^th straight win to remain undefeated, Zenyatta will be stealing the show by reputation alone. By now almost every casual horse racing fan knows of the feats Zenyatta has accomplished and understands just what the fantastic mare is capable of. For the third year in a row the colossal race mare will enter the starting gate to contest the Lady’s Secret Stakes (gr.1) in what will be her final appearance at her home base of Hollywood Park. The field in the Lady’s Secret isn’t exactly weak but it isn’t what you would expect a race mare of Zenyatta’s quality to still be facing, especially this late in the year but trainer John Shirreffs and owners Jerry and Ann Moss are obviously only concerned with keeping the grand mare in good physical condition as she aims for a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in November. If she loses here suffice it to say this would rank right up there with Man ‘O’ War’s loss to Upset and Secretariat’s loss to Onion. But I don’t think too many people honestly expect her to even come close to losing races of this caliber anymore.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup was used as a successful springboard by Curlin in 2007 to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park and this year Blame will attempt the same feat. After wins in the Stephen Foster and Whitney Handicap’s, the latter win coming over Quality Road, Blame has firmly established himself as the frontrunner for the older male Eclipse Award as well as Horse of the Year. With only three starts this year so far, a win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup would go a long way in boosting the talented colt’s chances of winning an award as well as giving him a great prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. This will be the 4-year-old colt’s first try at the 10 furlong distance but his come from behind running style suggests the distance should be a non-factor.

Facing Blame will be Grade 1 winner Rail Trip who enters the race off a three month layoff and will also be trying traditional dirt for the first time in his career. Rail Trip has won at the 10 furlong distance and also won 2 of his 3 starts this year before finishing runner-up in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr.1). He is a legitimate contender who could easily be competitive if he handles the dirt as well as he runs over synthetics and can handle the layoff well.

The talented 3-year-old colt Fly Down will be testing new waters when he faces older horses for the first time in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Winner of the Dwyer (gr.2) over the Belmont racing strip in May, Fly Down has been unable to find the winners circle since then despite some very impressive efforts this year including a fast closing second place finish in the Belmont Stakes and a second place finish to Afleet Express in the Travers (gr.1) last out, missing by a mere nose. He could very well be the second best runner in this field but seeing that he shares a similar running style with Blame his chances are severely compromised as the elder contender produces a devastating late kick.

Haynesfield, Hold Me Back, Dry Martini, Mythical Power and Tranquil Manner complete the field. Of the remaining entrants Hanesfield and Hold Me Back stand out as well as Dry Martini.

Paddy O’Prado would almost certainly be the front-runner for eclipse award as outstanding 3-year-old male this year if not for Lookin At Lucky and if he finishes out the year undefeated on the turf he could very well end up taking the trophy home provided Lookin At Lucky trips up at some point. Paddy O’Prado enters the gate for Belmont’s Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr.1) facing older male runners for the first time as well as testing the 1 ½ mile distance for the first time. Although he is facing several new and untested challenges in the Hirsch, Paddy O’Prado is already installed as the well deserving favorite after posting powerful victories in this year’s Secretariat Stakes (gr.1), Colonial Turf Cup (gr.2) and Virginia Derby (gr.2). Despite his age Paddy O’Prado is easily the class of this field.

Facing the young challenger are proven grade 1 winners Telling and Winchester as well as grade 2 winner Al Khali.

There is a newcomer on the block and he looks like he’s ready to start banging down the doors. Twirling Candy has been making waves every time he steps onto the track, and it isn’t just the fact that he is undefeated and already a graded stakes winner in just his fourth lifetime start after capturing the Del Mar Derby (gr.2) last out on the turf. It’s a certain presence and aura that radiates from the powerful colt like a brilliant flame in the dark. After watching his last race I was in awe of the sheer power and ease he displayed while running his opponents ragged on the front end. Now the sophomore talent is entered in Saturday’s Goodwood Stakes (gr.1) at Hollywood Park against such talented grade 1 winning older horses as Richard’s Kid and Awesome Gem.

While Twirling Candy will be facing a strong field that also includes Crown of Thorns, Dakota Phone, Informed and Crowded House it seems that this young, inexperienced athlete might just be special enough to win the Goodwood.

Blind Luck and Lookin At Lucky don’t just share a common “lucky” element in their names, they also happen to both be leaders of their respective age groups. This Saturday Blind Luck faces arch nemesis Havre de Grace for the third time in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion (gr.2) while carrying 10 more pounds than her 4 rivals. The incredibly talented filly has proven herself over and over this year and last to be a tough-as-nails competitor and extremely unwilling to lose. While most of her wins have come by less than a length she always seems to know just when and how to get to the wire in time to steal the prize. I don’t see her losing here, but with the break in weights Havre de Grace, a very talented filly in her own right, gets a huge advantage.

Lookin At Lucky enters the Indiana Derby (gr.2) as heavy as a favorite can be. If the field for the Indiana Derby were likened to bodies of water Lookin at Lucky would be the Atlantic and the rest would be puddles. The Champion two-year-old Male of 2009, Lookin At Lucky has remained atop his division this year with impressive wins in the Rebel Stakes (gr.2), Preakness Stakes (gr.1) and Haskell Invitational (gr.1). Out for a short time with an illness that caused the son of Smart Strike to miss the Travers Stakes, Lookin At Lucky has since trained lights-out for his final race of the year before he tries his luck in Breeders’ Cup Classic. An upset here would be almost as big a shock as a loss from Zenyatta.

J. P. Gusto and Tell A Kelly are the pro tem West Coast juvenile divisional leaders and both young stars will try to solidify their standings this weekend. J. P. Gusto has been no less than sensational this year, winning four straight stakes races including the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity last out. In Saturday’s Norfolk Stakes (gr.1) the talented 2-year-old will try two-turns for the first time but is the heavy favorite in a field of 7. The Norfolk guarantees the winner a starting berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile this November at Churchill Downs.

Tell A Kelly enters Sunday’s Oak Leaf Stakes (gr.1) off an impressive victory in the Darley Debutante and would settle as one of the top juvenile fillies in the nation with a win.

Good luck to all this weekend and enjoy the spectacular lineup!

The Weekend: Recap and Preview

Which race of the weekend produced the most impressive performance by an equine athlete? Was it Morning Line’s incredibly gritty and courageous Pennsylvania Derby (gr.1) victory? Apart’s super-slow Super Derby? Rose Catherine’s Turf Amazon? My Jen’s Gallant Bloom? Or was it Grand Rapport’s Kent Stakes?

I think the greatest performance of the weekend was the sensation Frankel’s tour de force in the Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-II) in which the power-house juvenile blasted to a 10 length victory

Weekend Recaps:

As for American races the Pennsylvania Derby lived up to its billing and then some, producing one of the most exciting renditions the nation has ever seen and thrusting a brand new star into the spotlight. At first glance Morning Line shows all the signs of a battle tested warrior who has the strength, agility and experience of a seasoned fighter. In reality Morning Line is a late-developing young colt who is quickly turning the racing game into a rout. He entered the Pennsylvania Derby having only raced five times, his last effort coming in the form of an eye-popping 11 length rout in an allowance race at Saratoga. When all the dust had settled Morning Line emerged victorious and highly respected.

After leading the field through reasonable fractions around the first turn and down the backstretch with First Dude glued to his flank, Morning Line swept into the turn, a half length in front of Jim Dandy winner A Little Warm and First Dude, who was squeezed between those two.

Into the stretch A Little Warm took over the lead while First Dude languished more than a length behind and Morning Line struggled to rally. Charging down the stretch A Little Warm beginning to tire as both Morning Line and First Dude found a fresh reserve of energy and surged forward. First Dude closed the fastest, using his gigantic strides to sweep past A Little Warm just before the wire while Morning Line re-rallied on the inside to fight back to the lead.

All three colts turned in spectacular efforts but First Dude and Morning Line shone brightest. Once again the tough as nails First Dude was denied the fist graded stakes victory of his career making this the 7th consecutive time he has finished second or third in a graded stakes race, the last 6 coming exclusively in Grade 1 company. Morning Line looks to have a very bright future ahead of himself and with his sights set on a possible start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic who knows where the story will end?

The Kent Stakes offered an exciting lineup of talented sophomore runners this year and I had the privilege of

handicapping the race for ThoroFan website. God must have wanted to be merciful with me this past weekend because I somehow called the correct exacta and trifecta in the race which thrilled me to no end because I spent hours studying the Past Performances of each of the contenders before writing my analysis.

Grand Rapport ran his foes off their hooves in the Kent, coming from far back as is his custom, the chestnut colt threaded his way through traffic at the top of the stretch and then blasted to the lead with a stunning turn of foot. His final margin of victory was deceivingly close, winning by only a half length, as he was much the best. Working for Hops finished second while long shot Stormy Lord was another half length back in third.

If a list of the top three turf sophomore runners in the nation was compiled right now the names should read; Paddy O’Prado, Sidney’s Candy and Grand Rapport. I really hope Grand Rapport takes a stab at one of the Breeders’ Cup races, though he has never gone farther than the 1 1/8 mile distance it would be great to see him take a shot at the either the Turf or Mile.

Weekend Preview:

The Weekend of October 2nd is a weekend prepared to blow the doors off all imaginings as practically every high profile race horse in the nation takes to the track to prove themselves against their division’s best and brightest.

For three year old fillies we have Blind Luck, the nation’s overwhelming divisional leader, taking to the track in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion Stakes (gr.2) at Philadelphia Park on Saturday to attempt to solidify her divisional standing. Facing the Kentucky Oaks victor is the highly capable Havre de Grace who has finished second by a neck, a nose and a neck in three graded stakes including a neck loss to Blind Luck in the Alabama Stakes. She has come as close to beating Blind Luck as any filly, which in Blind Luck’s case really doesn’t mean that much as margin of victory means little to the talented filly. Getting to the wire first seems to be the only thing that concerns Blind Luck and she is very good at doing just that. This year alone the star filly owns 4 Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Las Virgenes, Oak Leaf and Alabama Stakes.

Lookin at Lucky is ready, as he always is, to run his competition off their feet in the Indiana Derby (gr.2) on Saturday as

he indicated with a bullet 6 furlong move in 1:11 1/5 on September 20th. After a streak of very bad “luck” earlier in the year the stunning son of Smart Strike has exploded into the win column once again with a vengeance, compiling wins in the Rebel Stakes (gr.2), Preakness Stakes (gr.1) and Haskell Invitational (gr.1). The undisputed leader of the three-year-old male division as things stand, Lookin At Lucky will essentially be running against himself on Saturday.

Undefeated super-star mare Zenyatta will be making her 19th appearance on the track this Saturday in an attempt to run her unprecedented streak of wins to 19, a feat which would tie her with Peppers Pride, though the great mare surpassed that one in terms of prestige and significance many months back and is now in a league all her own. Zenyatta is already one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest female race horse of all time, the only question now is how much greater she can become and with Zenyatta you never want to presume the bar is raised to its greatest height. Each and every time she has visited the winners circle she has raised the bar higher every time. The tougher the competition ,the more impressive the win it matters little to Zenyatta, all she does is win.

After winning five races-in-a-row you would think a horse would give it a rest and be content to call it a day, but not Blame. Sitting comfortably atop the nations older male standing after soundly defeating Quality Road in the Whitney Stakes (gr.1) at Saratoga last out, Blame is now in pursuit of his third Grade 1 win and his 6th consecutive graded stakes win overall in Belmont’s October 2nd Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr.1).

Much, much more high quality racing is taking place this weekend and I could take up more than 5 full pages just making mention of them but two bits of news deserve mention before ending.

2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has been retired from racing and will be bred to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. Stating that she has been unable to return to her spectacular form of 2009 that saw her go undefeated through 8 historically-defying starts, majority owner Jess Jackson announced the champion filly would be retired and bred to Curlin in the spring of next year.

It really is a love hate relationship when it comes to Jess Jackson and racing fans. He has the most annoying habit of retiring his champions on a losing note when they are far too good for that to be happening. First he did it with Curlin and now with Rachel Alexandra. With Curlin he at least completed his sensational season of racing, and while Rachel Alexandra’s 2010 campaign has been less than stellar she has still been performing well at the higher levels and there should have been no problem finishing up the year with a run in the Breeders’ Cup.

1999 Champion three-year-old male Real Quiet not only came the closest of any horse since Triple Crown winner Affirmed in 1978 to winning the Triple Crown, he only lost the series by a heart wrenching nose. Sadly the champion had to be euthanized after suffering an accident in his paddock on the morning of September 29th.

2010 Kent Stakes: A Grand Edition

This weekend acts as the prelude to the biggest non-Breeders’ Cup weekend of racing of the year on October 2^nd and kicking things off this Saturday is a highly competitive and talented field in the Kent Stakes. The partial post below is from an article I wrote on the Kent Stakes for ThoroFan website. To read the entire article just click on the link at the bottom of this post. Enjoy the weekend races!

Delaware Park’s 1 1/8 mile Kent Stakes (gr.IIIT) on Saturday has produced a solid field of nine competitive sophomore turf runners. The 2010 renewal promises to create an exciting running of the race while featuring a show-down of the one-two finishers in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. IIT).

Grand Rapport began his career on the dirt in all three juvenile starts of 2009, first winning an allowance race then losing badly to D’Funnybone and Buddy’s Saint respectively in the Grade II Futurity Stakes and Grade II Remson Stakes. After an almost 8 month hiatus from the racing scene Grand Rapport made his 2010 debut a winning one when taking an allowance race on the turf at Monmouth Park on July 16^th. He rallied from dead last and floated seven wide around the turn to get up for the win at odds of 40-1. The chestnut colt most recently finished a fast closing second to Interactif in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. IIT). After coming from last yet again and making a tremendous rally off the turn, Grand Rapport appeared unable to make up any ground on Interactif until moments before the wire he suddenly lunged forward under a full head of steam to take second in a three way photo finish.

Interactif finally lived up to his lofty juvenile billing last out when defeating Grand Rapport and a stubborn Krypton in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. IIT). In a very game and gritty effort, the son of Broken Vow sat just off the pacemakers in the Hall of Fame and then made his move in the stretch to reach contention before finally reeling in a tough-as-nails Krypton and just barely holding off the fast charging Grand Rapport for the win. He is the class of this field no doubt about it, but whether or not he is the best is a tough call. Before his Hall of Fame Stakes victory Interactif finished second to divisional leader Paddy O’Prado in the Virginia Derby, 1 ½ lengths behind the winner.

Workin For Hops is another contender who has tasted defeat at the hands of Paddy O’Prado, twice in fact. In his last start Workin For Hops finished third to the turf monster in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. I) on August 21^st. Previous to his third place finish in the Secretariat Workin For Hops won the American Derby (gr.IIT) in impressive fashion and prior to that he...

Read the rest of the article here.

Woodbine Mile: A Court Date?

The 2010 renewal of the $1 million dollar Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) is coming up as one of the most contentious and competitive fields the race has hosted in many years. The race is headlined by multiple grade 1 winners The Usual Q. T. and Court Vision, hailing from the West and East coast of the United States respectively. The Usual Q.T. is the leading grass runner among males on the west coast after posting an impressive victory in the Eddie Read Stakes (gr.1) over a strong field that included Victor’s Cry and Loup Breton. In his last start the 4-year-old gelding finished fifth as the favorite on Del Mar’s Polytrack in the Pacific Classic (gr.1).

Court Vision enters the Woodbine Mile off a three month layoff which means he enters fresh and ready to fire. Being a three time grade 1 winner Court Vision has proven on multiple occasions that he posses one of the most devastating turns of foot in the United States, now he looks to prove himself over Woodbine’s renowned turf course. In his last start the 5-year-old colt finished 6^th in the Manhattan Handicap (gr.1) and even with such a poor start his incredibly consistent record helped establish him as the second favorite in the Woodbine Mile and he could prove to be the horse to beat.

The field is completed by Shoemaker Mile (gr.1) winner Victors Cry, European based runner Famous Name, Crowded

House, Zifzaf, Straight Story, Smokey Fire, Signature Red, Auteur, Riviera Cocktail, Woodbourne and Grand Adventure.

Twirling Candy the Most Impressive

These last couple of weeks have been a blur of activity for me and I’m afraid I have neglected to be as consistent with my posts as I’d like to be. The holiday weekend was filled with a flurry of commotion in the racing world, so many things have transpired since I last wrote a post that I had trouble deciding what topics to cover.

Quality Road is headed for the Breeders’ Cup Classic after a convincing win in the Woodward Stakes (gr.1) at grand old Saratoga. After losing the Whitney Stakes (gr.1) by a head to Blame, the nation’s current leading older male, Quality Road’s chances in an ever-fragile Horse of the Year game seemed precarious at best. Now the flashy bay colt is back in the picture looking as strong as ever after routing a moderate field of runners in the Woodward by 4 ¼ lengths. This marks the third Grade 1 win of the year for the talented and speedy 4-year-old colt and his next start will come in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a race he will now enter of a 9 week layoff. Some may question his ability to get the 1 ¼ mile distance of the Classic with his forwardly placed running style and lack of a 1 ¼ mile prep race but the way he rated off the pace in the Woodward is exactly what you want to see from a horse like him in a classic distance race.

In one of the most star-studded Grade 1 sprints of the year, Here Comes Ben managed rip through the sprinting ranks of the nation when devastating the field in the Forego Handicap (gr.1). In a field that included Grade 1 winners Vineyard Haven, Warrior’s Reward, Bribon and also multiple graded stakes winners Big Drama, Girolamo and Charitable Man, Here Comes Ben swept to victory by ¾ of a length to remain undefeated in 4 starts this year while making his graded stakes debut. Bulling his way through traffic at the head of the stretch, the four year old son of Street Cry surged from between horses to seize the lead from Big Drama moments before crossing the wire, winning in a hand ride. This is a horse to keep an eye on, he saves his best running for the stretch and extends his stride beautifully when called on.

Twirling Candy is a monster. It’s not very often that I can watch a frontrunner and feel completely confident of the outcome, but watching Twirling Candy charging down the stretch past the wire for the first time I had no doubts he was on his was to an impressive win. In what was easily the most impressive victory of the weekend, Twirling Candy survived his own immaturity to remain undefeated in 4 lifetime starts and post an impressive 3 ¼ length hand-ridden win in the Del Mar Derby (gr.2). On the backstretch Twirling Candy swerved to the right suddenly, taking Summer Movie out with him, but the colt quickly got back to business and entered the far turn with jockey Joel Rosario sitting chilly as a cucumber. Into the homestretch Twirling Candy pounded past the stands with powerful strides and drew clear with no urging whatsoever to coast under the line with plenty to spare. His next start could come in the October 2^nd Goodwood Stakes (gr.1) on Hollywood Park’s synthetics.

Personal Ensign, Travers and Kings Bishop

On Sunday Rachel Alexandra will attempt to run her winning streak to three consecutive races with her first start of the year in a Grade 1 race when she goes to post for the Personal Ensign Stakes (Gr.1) at Saratoga. After finishing second in her first two starts of 2010, the reigning Horse of the Year has since put together two easy victories in the Fluer de Lis Handicap (gr2) and the ungraded Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park. She has been working lights out since her last win and looks primed to produce a huge effort.

Also entered in the Personal Ensign is the red-hot Grade 1 winner Life At Ten. The 5-year-old mare enters the Personal Ensign riding a six race winning streak and looks to give Rachel Alexandra a very stern test. She has won both of her last starts including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap in gate to wire fashion and always seems to have something left in the tank to power home in the stretch.

Both athletes like to be on or near the lead which figures to make for a very interesting race as both the favorites will most likely lead the field from the start. Life At Ten has won at the 1 ¼ mile distance before whereas Rachel Alexandra has not which gives Life At Ten a distinct advantage. Rachel Alexandra has raced successfully at the 1 3/16 mile distance when taking the 2009 Preakness Stakes (gr.1) and in my opinion should have no problem with the added distance if she is allowed to relax off the pace and run her race.

Taking a look at the 2010 Travers Stakes from a handicapping angle the race appears to have come up much like last weekend’s Sword Dancer, with no clear-cut favorite that stands out above the rest. Although filled with many strong contenders and often proved runners, the absence of leading 3-year-old male Lookin At Lucky in the field has left the doors wide open for another contender to come charging through.

A little Warm, winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes (Gr.2) last month at Saratoga returns to try and complete a rare Jim Dandy-Travers double as the slight favorite. Trappe Shot takes on the Travers field after proving to his connections and fans across the nation that he does indeed belong with the best of this year’s crop when turning in a determined performance behind Lookin At Lucky in the Haskell Invitational Stakes in finishing second. First Dude returns for the fifth consecutive time to try his luck in grade 1 company after finishing second in the Preakness Stakes, third in the Belmont Stakes (gr.1) and third in the Haskell Invitational. Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver comes into the Travers with a seriously tarnished image after failing miserably in the Preakness Stakes when finishing 8th and then returning to run a lack-luster 4th in the Haskell. Ice Box enters with an even worse tarnish, after garnering praise for his incredible late-surge in the Kentucky Derby that earned him runner-up honors, the chestnut colt has since finished 8th in the Belmont and 6th in the Haskell. Fly Down turned in a surprisingly poor effort in the Jim Dandy last out after having finished a fast-closing second in the Belmont. Miners Reserve turned in a game losing effort in the Jim Dandy last out when setting all the fractions up front and then tiring to finish second behind A Little Warm.

I think First Dude is the most consistent horse in the field and certainly deserves a win after so many determined efforts this year. Ice Box is a puzzling one to figure out, after his impressive Florida Derby victory and Kentucky Derby runner-up finish he seems to have lost that devastating late drive that had earned him so much respect. The fact that trainer Nick Zito continues to enter him in such high class races tells me that there must be something left in the colt so I’m going to give him a shot for second. Trappe Shot is one of the many who could go either way, he could win it all, show up big and get second or third or finish close-up behind a strong top three. I think this guy is the real deal and will at least finish in the top three.

It’s hard to leave A Little Warm or Fly Down out of the top three but you can’t have them all.

The Kings Bishop (gr.1) at Saratoga is shaping up to be one of the best sprinting show downs of the season with leading

three-year-old sprinters D’Funnybone and Discreetly Mine set to face off for the third time.

Due to time constraints I wasn’t able to write as comprehensive a handicapping of this race as I would have liked so I’ll keep it short and sweet. D’Funnybone should bounce back here after his shocking second place finish last out in the Carry Back (Gr.2).  He has easily defeated Discreetly Mine both time the two have met, but this time it appears he will be facing a much improved Discreetly Mine.

In his most recent start Discreetly Mine won the Amsterdam (gr.2) by more than 8 lengths.

D’Funnybone is undefeated in 4 starts at the Kings Bishop distance of 7 furlongs and I believe that he is the best horse in the field although he will be facing a very talented foe in Discreetly Mine.

Classy seven-year-old gelding Awesome Gem returns Saturday in the Pacific Classic (gr.1) for what will be his 4^th attempt to win the 1 ¼ mile event. Suffice it to say I will be rooting for the old chap to win amongst a field of strong contenders. Enjoy the fabulous weekend of racing!

Feeling Lucky: Blind Luck, Evening Jewel and Paddy O'Prado

The three year old filly championship is pretty much a done deal after Blind Luck proved herself to be the overwhelming leader with one of her patented late runs in Saratoga’s Alabama Stakes (gr.1). In what was supposed to be one of the biggest East vs. West Coast duels of the year, New York’s odds-on favorite Devil May Care never fired a shot as Californian sensation Blind Luck rolled to her fifth Grade 1 victory of her career and third of the year after her

Kentucky Oaks and Las Virgenes Stakes wins.

At the break it was Acting Happy to the lead with Tizahit, Connie and Michael and Havre de Grace right behind with Devil May Care in fifth. It was two lengths back to Blind Luck holding her customary rear position in the field of six as Acting Happy carved out slow fractions of :24.03, :49.45 and 1:14.89, fractions that for any normal athlete with a closing style like Blink Luck’s would spell trouble.

As Acting Happy led the field into the final turn Havre de Grace surged forward as Devil May Care shot up behind the leaders, three wide coming into the homestretch. From behind Blind Luck had kicked it into high gear and was zipping into the turn widest of all. Rocketing into the stretch, she easily disposed of Devil May Care and gunned for Havre de Grace, now loose on the lead and charging hard for the wire. Running for all she was worth Blind Luck proved easily the best down the stretch as she got up before the wire to seize the win by a thrilling neck. Although the official charts say she won by a mere neck, the final margin was much more like a half length.

Havre de Grace proved herself to be one of the best fillies in the country with yet another stylish performance in the Alabama after handing Blind Luck one of the toughest wins of her career in the Delaware Oaks (gr.2) in both fillies prior starts.

In the end the Alabama was almost an exact replay of the Delaware Oaks (gr.2) when Havre de Grace was defeated a nose at the wire by Blind Luck in a thrilling stretch drive that put on full display the heart and class of two exceptional fillies. Blind Luck is quickly gaining a reputation of brilliance and incredible consistency that puts her in a league all her own this year among three year old fillies. This filly stands a strong chance to steal the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic or even be a threat in the Classic if her connections were so inclined as to run here there. She is the kind of filly that looks like she can do it all, I haven't been this excited about a filly since Indian Blessing was running.

Across the country approximately three and a half hours after Blind Luck was finished thrashing her Alabama foes her greatest rival continued to ascend the ranks of the nation’s leading three year old fillies with a decisive win in the Del Mar Oaks (Gr.1). After heartbreaking defeats to Blind Luck in both the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr.1) and Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) Evening Jewel has since gone undefeated in three consecutive graded stakes races since switching to the turf.

Darting through a hole on the rail at the top of the stretch, Evening Jewel shot to the lead and had enough to hold off a fast charging Harmonious, winning by a half length. It must be noted that past the wire Harmonious galloped out past the winner looking very strong.  If she had started her rally a little sooner she might have been able to catch Evening Jewel for the win but at the end of the of the day Evening Jewel was a deserving winner.

She is one of the most versatile fillies to grace our American tracks in years, running competitively on synthetic surfaces, turf and dirt as well as handling wet conditions with no problem. In my opinion this is the second best three-year-old filly in the country right now. I would love to see a Blind Luck, Evening Jewel match happen again later in the year.

Paddy O’Prado turned in yet another sensational win on Saturday as he took down the Secretariat Stakes (gr.1) at Arlington for the first grade one win of his stellar career. After gaining national prominence when finishing second in

the Kentucky Derby behind Super Saver and finishing sixth in the Preakness Stakes, Paddy O’Prado has since gone on to win the grade 2 Colonial Turf Cup and the Virginia Derby. He is beyond a doubt the leading three-year-old turf male, but after Gio Ponti’s upset in the Arlington Million (gr.1) I’m beginning to think he is the best turf male this year, regardless of age. On an ending note, I just have to say I think Cherokee Lord turned in a very good performance in the Secretariat. He kept fighting the whole way through the stretch after leading the field throughout. Even though he finished fourth it was only two lengths to Paddy O’Prado at the wire and he looked nice galloping out.