It’s becoming the norm now, but just a few years ago it was an almost unheard of occurrence: fillies facing the boys. Rags To Riches was the first to shatter the proverbial glass ceiling in 2007, defeating future champion and dual-Horse of the Year Curlin in the Belmont Stakes, along with a talented cast of sophomore males including Hard Spun and Tiago. Eight Belles turned in a tragically stellar performance to finish ahead of the nation’s best 3-year-old males in the 2008 Kentucky Derby, second only to the freakish Big Brown. In 2009 Rachel Alexandra took the shattered glass fragments and ground them to dust with the most powerful trio of Grade 1 wins a filly ever strung together in a single season to defeat males. She captured the Preakness Stakes, Haskell and Woodward Stakes, defeating the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners while making a mockery of the Older Male division. Zenyatta took a thrilling page out of the book in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic when she flung the dust to the wind, “girl-handling” a stellar field of international males to become the first female winner of the prestigious event. She came ever so close to making it back-to-back magical wins in the 2010 Classic when she missed by an excruciating nose to Blame after an impossible stretch rally. Add to those aforementioned fillies the names of Zarkava, Goldikova and Indian Blessing on the international front and you’ve got a massive amount of domination going on across the globe where the fillies are concerned.
2011 seems to be continuing the popular trend as Austrailian super-star, and #1 rated race horse in the world, Black Caviar has sustained her unbeaten ways, defeating the best males down under with disdainful ease. Keertana took down a solid cast of males in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap, becoming the first female to win the race in its 74 running’s, nailing the decision by a nose in a three horse photo finish. Her historic win kept the movement alive in the North America, but it was Inglorious who really raised the bar this year in Canada. The 152nd running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate is the first leg of Canada’s Triple Crown which includes the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on July 17th at Fort Erie and the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes On August 7th at Woodbine on grass. On Saturday Inglorious became the 34th filly to win the prized race and the first since 2001 with her impressive 2 ½ length romp in the Queen’s Plate. She tracked race favorite Check Your Soul into the stretch, responded with an explosive kick at the urging of jockey Luis Contreras and rolled home an easy winner over 16 males rivals, the largest field since 1999.
With leading older fillies Havre de Grace and Blind Luck both in top form now and possibly heading for a showdown in the Delaware Handicap, the connections of both fillies have expressed an interest in facing males this year, possibly in the Breeders’ Cup this fall. That would make things even more interesting not to mention garnering some much needed publicity for the sport. I for one hope to see both fillies face and defeat the males this year, this is a trend racing fans love and can root for with more pronounced passion.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Zazoom!
Just four fillies entered the starting gate for the Hollywood Oaks (gr.2) after the scratch of Big Tiz, making the race by all appearances a two horse contest between Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) winner Plum Pretty, and Oaks third place finisher Zazu. On Thursday I wrote that I believed Zazu was the filly to beat and a prime candidate to rebound after her Oaks loss.
On Saturday the Tapit filly proved once and for all that she is easily one of the best fillies in the nation, perhaps the best. Zazu broke from the four post in the Hollywood Oaks, just to the outside of Plum Pretty who went right to the front to contest the pace with 22-1 longshot Wallstreeter. Going into the first turn Plum Pretty was very eager on the front end, running a half length ahead of Wallstreeter before jockey Martin Garcia took a tight hold of his filly and pulled her back to rate in second. Midway around the far turn Wallstreeter opened up by two lengths on Plum Pretty while Zazu moved up to be a close third, just four lengths behind the top two with Love Theway You are another three lengths in the rear. As the field raced down the backstretch Wallstreeter led the way over Plum Pretty with Zazu close behind. Love Theway Youare fell far back down the backside, trailing by nine lengths.
Approaching the far turn Plum Pretty and Zazu began to close the gap on Wallstreeter, Plum Pretty moving up on the outside of the pacesetter as Joel Rosario moved Zazu up along the rail. The tempo began to visibly accelerate as the trio approached the top of the stretch. Garcia swung Plum Pretty out into the three path while Rosario displayed daring brilliance and guided Zazu through an impossibly tight gap between Wallstreeter and the rail, momentarily bouncing around between the two before breaking free and gunning for the lead. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
On Saturday the Tapit filly proved once and for all that she is easily one of the best fillies in the nation, perhaps the best. Zazu broke from the four post in the Hollywood Oaks, just to the outside of Plum Pretty who went right to the front to contest the pace with 22-1 longshot Wallstreeter. Going into the first turn Plum Pretty was very eager on the front end, running a half length ahead of Wallstreeter before jockey Martin Garcia took a tight hold of his filly and pulled her back to rate in second. Midway around the far turn Wallstreeter opened up by two lengths on Plum Pretty while Zazu moved up to be a close third, just four lengths behind the top two with Love Theway You are another three lengths in the rear. As the field raced down the backstretch Wallstreeter led the way over Plum Pretty with Zazu close behind. Love Theway Youare fell far back down the backside, trailing by nine lengths.
Approaching the far turn Plum Pretty and Zazu began to close the gap on Wallstreeter, Plum Pretty moving up on the outside of the pacesetter as Joel Rosario moved Zazu up along the rail. The tempo began to visibly accelerate as the trio approached the top of the stretch. Garcia swung Plum Pretty out into the three path while Rosario displayed daring brilliance and guided Zazu through an impossibly tight gap between Wallstreeter and the rail, momentarily bouncing around between the two before breaking free and gunning for the lead. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
Friday, June 24, 2011
Awesome Gem: 8 Years Young
How often do you see a thoroughbred racehorse win a Grade 1 race at the age of seven and then return the next year to win a Grade 3 at age eight? I think it’s safe to say that’s an incredibly rare feat to pull off in this day and age of racing where the best athletes are retired after one or two solid campaign seasons. Awesome Gem is the exception to the rule. He began his career in August of 2006 at Hollywood Park, taking three tries to break his maiden and then won an allowance, finished second in a Grade 2 and won a Grade 3. Beginning in 2007 the Awesome Again gelding has participated in four Breeders’ Cup events with his best finish coming in a strong third place finish behind Curlin and Hard Spun in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr.1) at Monmouth Park.
This Saturday the 8-year-old veteran will try to win his first back-to-back Graded Stakes when he takes on a competitive field of ten others in the $300,000, Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. In his last start Awesome Gem captured the Lone Star Park Handicap (gr.3) by one length, defeating Game On Dude and Thiskyhasnolimit. Two starts back he was closing best of all in the Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes but ran out of stretch, finishing fourth, beaten for the win by just ¼ length. He seems to be at the top of his game and this is the perfect year for him to perform well with the older male division is complete confusion. If he wins the Cornhusker and is able to defend his title in the Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (gr.1) he could have as good a shot as any at a chance for the championship title. It’s a huge “if” to assume he will win two more graded stakes races through July when he hasn’t even been able to string together two wins since 2006, but I’ll be rooting for the impossible.
It’s very hard to find a horse as consistent and durable as Awesome Gem, not to mention plucky. No matter what happens in the race it’s practically a proven fact that he’ll be coming flying at the end.
This Saturday the 8-year-old veteran will try to win his first back-to-back Graded Stakes when he takes on a competitive field of ten others in the $300,000, Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. In his last start Awesome Gem captured the Lone Star Park Handicap (gr.3) by one length, defeating Game On Dude and Thiskyhasnolimit. Two starts back he was closing best of all in the Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes but ran out of stretch, finishing fourth, beaten for the win by just ¼ length. He seems to be at the top of his game and this is the perfect year for him to perform well with the older male division is complete confusion. If he wins the Cornhusker and is able to defend his title in the Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (gr.1) he could have as good a shot as any at a chance for the championship title. It’s a huge “if” to assume he will win two more graded stakes races through July when he hasn’t even been able to string together two wins since 2006, but I’ll be rooting for the impossible.
It’s very hard to find a horse as consistent and durable as Awesome Gem, not to mention plucky. No matter what happens in the race it’s practically a proven fact that he’ll be coming flying at the end.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Two for Tapit: Zazu and Joyful Victory
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Plum Pretty will miss the Mother Goose Stakes (gr.1) on Saturday at Belmont Park due to a fast-passing illness, but she will not miss her chance to step back into the national spotlight as trainer Bob Baffert wasted absolutely no time in entering his star filly in another graded stakes race all the way across the country in California. The Hollywood Oaks (gr.2) now appears at least as strong, if not stronger, than the Mother Goose field. While Baffert is bringing the Kentucky Oaks winner to the table in the Hollywood Oaks, it’s John Sadler who could be bringing the biggest player of all.
Plum Pretty has to be considered “the big gun" of the Hollywood Oaks as the Kentucky Oaks winner, but she is still less enticing to me than Zazu. She’s making just her sixth lifetime start Saturday and has a record of three wins and two thirds in her five career starts so there’s still a lot of room for her to improve. The best could easily still be in the future for this talented Medaglia d’Oro filly and with Baffert pulling the strings and Garcia holding the reins she has a great shot at super-stardom. She’s been training just as well as Zazu, especially her last move on Sunday when she completed seven furlongs in 1:24.40. Hollywood Park was the scene of her maiden victory so the surface is no concern. [Read the complete post on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
[/caption]Plum Pretty will miss the Mother Goose Stakes (gr.1) on Saturday at Belmont Park due to a fast-passing illness, but she will not miss her chance to step back into the national spotlight as trainer Bob Baffert wasted absolutely no time in entering his star filly in another graded stakes race all the way across the country in California. The Hollywood Oaks (gr.2) now appears at least as strong, if not stronger, than the Mother Goose field. While Baffert is bringing the Kentucky Oaks winner to the table in the Hollywood Oaks, it’s John Sadler who could be bringing the biggest player of all.
Grade 1 winner Zazu is the filly to beat in the Hollywood Oaks in my humble opinion. She and Plum Pretty head a short field of just five fillies and are the only two graded stakes winners in the field. Zazu was last seen finishing a late closing third in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) after navigating the final turn very wide and taking longer than usual to hit her best stride. She is back on her own turf in the Hollywood Oaks and has been training exceptionally well the last few weeks. Her last two works were identical six furlong moves completed in 1:13.40 at Hollywood Park that each ranked as the second fastest moves of the day for the distance. She has always faced the very best of the best and with the smaller field this time, things could set up perfectly for her to make a return to the winners circle.
Plum Pretty has to be considered “the big gun" of the Hollywood Oaks as the Kentucky Oaks winner, but she is still less enticing to me than Zazu. She’s making just her sixth lifetime start Saturday and has a record of three wins and two thirds in her five career starts so there’s still a lot of room for her to improve. The best could easily still be in the future for this talented Medaglia d’Oro filly and with Baffert pulling the strings and Garcia holding the reins she has a great shot at super-stardom. She’s been training just as well as Zazu, especially her last move on Sunday when she completed seven furlongs in 1:24.40. Hollywood Park was the scene of her maiden victory so the surface is no concern. [Read the complete post on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Duck, Duck, Goose!
The Mother Goose Stakes (gr.1) will be run for the 55th consecutive time on Saturday at Belmont Park and heralds the return of Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty. Inaugurated in 1957, The Mother Goose is one of the most prestigious races in the nation for three-year-old fillies. Listed among the race’s illustrious roster of winner are such great names as Shuvee, Ruffian, Davona Dale, Cicada, Go For Wand, Serena’s Song and of course Rachel Alexandra. From 1957-58 the Mother Goose was run at a distance of 1 1/16 miles before being run at the 1 1/8 mile distance for the next 50 years until 2010 when the race was removed from the Triple Tiara series and reverted to its original 1 1/16 mile distance. Named for well known thoroughbred breeder/owner H. P. Whitney’s famous filly, Mother Goose, who defeated the males in the Belmont Futurity Stakes, the important event has been held at Belmont Park all but four times when the race was run at Aqueduct (1963, 1967, 1969 and 1975).
Two fillies were originally scheduled to make their first starts in the Mother Goose since running in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) on May 6th but Oaks winner Plum Pretty was declared from the race today by trainer Bob Baffert due to a fever. That makes the second high-profile defection from the race as Black-Eyed Susan Stakes winner Royal Delta was also withdrawn from consideration Monday morning after trainer Bill Mott announced his charge has a bruised foot. This pretty much leaves the race open for Joyful Victory to steal if she is up to the task. [Read the complete post and a short update on Awesome Feather on Distaff Runner at HRN]
Two fillies were originally scheduled to make their first starts in the Mother Goose since running in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) on May 6th but Oaks winner Plum Pretty was declared from the race today by trainer Bob Baffert due to a fever. That makes the second high-profile defection from the race as Black-Eyed Susan Stakes winner Royal Delta was also withdrawn from consideration Monday morning after trainer Bill Mott announced his charge has a bruised foot. This pretty much leaves the race open for Joyful Victory to steal if she is up to the task. [Read the complete post and a short update on Awesome Feather on Distaff Runner at HRN]
Monday, June 20, 2011
More than just Luck
Pool Play threw yet another wrench into the Older Male division on Saturday when he captured the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr.1) at odds of 36-1, making the case for Havre de Grace as leading Horse of the Candidate an even more obvious fact. And after Saturday it appears that her main opponent for racing’s top honor could be last year’s Champion Three-Year-Old Female and arch nemesis, Blind Luck.
It took Blind Luck four tries to finally get back to the winners circle this year but once she did made it count and pulled it off in true Blind Luck style. After five consecutive runner-up efforts dating back to October 2nd 2010 the diminutive champion filly had even her staunchest supporters concerned that something was amiss. She won the Las Virgenes (gr.1), Fantasy Stakes and Kentucky Oaks and finished second to Switch in the Hollywood Oaks before meeting the toughest rival of her career. Havre de Grace and Blind Luck put on two of the most spectacular stretch runs of the summer in the Delaware Handicap and Alabama Stakes in the filly’s next two starts, with Blink Luck eking out a nose and a neck victory. They carried their rivalry to epic proportions in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion where Havre de Grace turned the tables on Blind Luck, just holding her off by a neck for the win in a performance that just missed the track record. Awesome Maria finished almost ten lengths back in third that day. It was on to the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic next where Blind Luck’s patented late-run came up 1 ¾ lengths short of Unrivalled Belle with Havre de Grace another length back in third.
It took Blind Luck four tries to finally get back to the winners circle this year but once she did made it count and pulled it off in true Blind Luck style. After five consecutive runner-up efforts dating back to October 2nd 2010 the diminutive champion filly had even her staunchest supporters concerned that something was amiss. She won the Las Virgenes (gr.1), Fantasy Stakes and Kentucky Oaks and finished second to Switch in the Hollywood Oaks before meeting the toughest rival of her career. Havre de Grace and Blind Luck put on two of the most spectacular stretch runs of the summer in the Delaware Handicap and Alabama Stakes in the filly’s next two starts, with Blink Luck eking out a nose and a neck victory. They carried their rivalry to epic proportions in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion where Havre de Grace turned the tables on Blind Luck, just holding her off by a neck for the win in a performance that just missed the track record. Awesome Maria finished almost ten lengths back in third that day. It was on to the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic next where Blind Luck’s patented late-run came up 1 ¾ lengths short of Unrivalled Belle with Havre de Grace another length back in third.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Tricky in the Acorn Stakes
Perhaps it was the off track, or maybe it was the extra time between races or the performance of a heavy favorite regressing, but whatever it was It’s Tricky easily dominated the Acorn Stakes (gr.1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, handily defeating one of the nation’s most dominant and respected sophomore filly’s.
In my last post for the Distaff Runner I had absolutely no qualms about pronouncing Turbulent Descent as near a ‘lock’ to win as could be expected in horse racing and just as few qualms about pronouncing It’s Tricky a second tier, slow filly. During the two days preceding the Acorn Stakes I was asked several times which horses would be the best to single in the pick 6 options and said “Turbulent Descent” without batting an eye. When the results became official for the Acorn on Saturday at Belmont Park I learned just how much I really know about handicapping a horse race, especially when it comes to calling a horse virtually unbeatable.
Savvy Supreme broke swiftly in the Acorn Stakes to get up for the lead with It’s Tricky glued to her outside in second. Turbulent Descent took up a position just four lengths behind, ahead of just Her Smile trailing the field three lengths behind. The opening quarter was a fairly quick :22.97 as Savvy Supreme continued to lead the way with It’s Tricky just over a length behind. Snow Fall was another two lengths back as the field approached the far turn and Turbulent Descent began to move up along the inside in fourth. The half went in :45.90 as It’s Tricky moved up to challenge for the lead and Turbulent Descent advanced to third, her sights set squarely on the lead. Coming off the turn It’s Tricky and Turbulent Descent flew past Savvy Supreme and spurted away down the stretch. It appeared the favorite was prepared to sweep on by her less decorated rival as Turbulent Descent closed to within three-parts of a length to It’s Tricky under a hand ride. But Eddie Castro aboard It’s Tricky quickly went to the whip and received an immediate burst from his filly that propelled them two lengths into the lead, then three. David Flores put the whip away on Turbulent Descent as It’s Tricky roared home, 3 ¾ lengths the best, hand riding his filly under the line, ten lengths ahead of Her Smile in third. [Read the complete article here on Distaff Runner on Horse Racing Nation]
In my last post for the Distaff Runner I had absolutely no qualms about pronouncing Turbulent Descent as near a ‘lock’ to win as could be expected in horse racing and just as few qualms about pronouncing It’s Tricky a second tier, slow filly. During the two days preceding the Acorn Stakes I was asked several times which horses would be the best to single in the pick 6 options and said “Turbulent Descent” without batting an eye. When the results became official for the Acorn on Saturday at Belmont Park I learned just how much I really know about handicapping a horse race, especially when it comes to calling a horse virtually unbeatable.
Savvy Supreme broke swiftly in the Acorn Stakes to get up for the lead with It’s Tricky glued to her outside in second. Turbulent Descent took up a position just four lengths behind, ahead of just Her Smile trailing the field three lengths behind. The opening quarter was a fairly quick :22.97 as Savvy Supreme continued to lead the way with It’s Tricky just over a length behind. Snow Fall was another two lengths back as the field approached the far turn and Turbulent Descent began to move up along the inside in fourth. The half went in :45.90 as It’s Tricky moved up to challenge for the lead and Turbulent Descent advanced to third, her sights set squarely on the lead. Coming off the turn It’s Tricky and Turbulent Descent flew past Savvy Supreme and spurted away down the stretch. It appeared the favorite was prepared to sweep on by her less decorated rival as Turbulent Descent closed to within three-parts of a length to It’s Tricky under a hand ride. But Eddie Castro aboard It’s Tricky quickly went to the whip and received an immediate burst from his filly that propelled them two lengths into the lead, then three. David Flores put the whip away on Turbulent Descent as It’s Tricky roared home, 3 ¾ lengths the best, hand riding his filly under the line, ten lengths ahead of Her Smile in third. [Read the complete article here on Distaff Runner on Horse Racing Nation]
Monday, June 13, 2011
Belmont Stakes Wrap-Up: The Icing on the Cake
Ruler On Ice was the only horse in the Belmont Stakes field with a win on a wet track and when the mud settled at the end of the day, he was still the only horse with a win on a wet track, except now he had two. In a year that has proven to be one of the most interesting and unique Triple Crown quests of the last decade, we have seen three exciting performances from three different colts in each leg of the Crown.
On Saturday evening twelve sophomores lined up in the starting gate for the 143rd Belmont Stakes (gr.1) to run the longest race of their careers.
I watched the Belmont Stakes (gr.1) with a friend of mine and her parents this year and for the first time had a “Belmont Bash”. We missed watching the Acorn Stakes (gr.1) live as I didn’t get out of work until 15 minutes before the race was run but we caught all the other graded stakes on the card. Trappe Shot easily had the most impressive win of the day at Belmont in my opinion. He absolutely demolished a strong field in the True North, winning by 8 ½ lengths. I was actually able to pick the top three in the True North except that I had Trappe Shot second behind Calibrachoa.
Justin Phillip ran the third slowest winning time in the history of the Woody Stephens Stakes and J J’s Lucky Train still wasn’t able to catch him. At least he finished ahead of my friends pick (Derivative) who finished last and gave us a good laugh, all in fun of course.
The Just a Game Stakes was a pleasant surprise when my longshot pick, C. S. Silk led almost all the way to handily defeat the field at odds of 12-1 with Amen Hallelujah finishing third. Aviate apparently missed the memo and finished far back in sixth, ruining what would have been a perfect top three for me. My friend took second with Fantasia.
Gio Ponti and Prince Will I am were my 1-2 picks in the Manhattan. Gio Ponti has been a favorite of mine for the last several years and I love that even though he may not win all the time he’s always close and driving hard at the finish. In his first trip back from the Dubai, Gio Ponti rallied with a huge effort from far back to finish a fast closing third behind Bim Bam in second. This time my friend smoked the field with her choice of Mission Approved to win as that one wired the field at odds of 21-1.
It was on to the Belmont Stakes (gr.1) and the toughest decision of the night. I went with Mucho Macho Man along with my friend’s father while she went with her winning Preakness stakes pick Shackleford and her mother stuck to the Animal Kingdom bandwagon. As the horses came through the tunnel and the crowd began to cheer, 24-1 longshot Ruler On Ice began to act up just a bit, tossing his head and kicking his heels. I knew my friend loves a fractious horse before the race so I turned to her and started joking that she should choose him which she was already thinking about the minute he began his pre-race antics. Ultimately she decided to stick with Shackleford when we both realized it was Ruler On Ice, who had been one of our “there’s no way he’s going to hit the board” targets in the paddock. One thing we all agree on was that Isn’t He Perfect had the best chance to finish last.
We each gave our supporting horses a whoop for support as the field loaded into the gate to the vast swelling roars of the more than 55,000 strong in attendance at Belmont Park. The bell rang and immediately it was Shackelford who bounced away from the gates like a shot, getting clear of the field within the first few strides and angling toward the inside rail. As I tried to spot my top three choices my eyes flitted to Animal Kingdom just as Mucho Macho Man came over onto him from the 10 post and the Derby champion clipped heels with Monzon, throwing jockey John Velazquez onto his neck and yanking his feel out of the stirrups. It was a miracle the two athletes didn’t go down and a credit to both that they were able to still find their way toward the inside rail as they entered the first turn. It took Velasquez almost 1/16 of a mile to get his foot back in the stirrup and by that time he knew all chances at victory had been lost for his valiant steed.
Meanwhile upfront Shackleford led the field through a steady opening quarter mile in :23.92 with Ruler On Ice just behind in second and the Mike Repole owned Stay Thirsty just to his inside third. Mucho Macho Man raced mid-pack with Nehro one spot ahead in fifth. Animal Kingdom was far behind in last as the field raced through a much slower half in :49.08, about 7 lengths from the back of the pack.
As the field approached the far turn Shackleford continued to lead with Ruler On Ice just a half length behind and Stay Thirsty right there. Brilliant Speed began to move up from fourth as Animal Kingdom came alive midway around the turn and began passing horses with resolve. Into the stretch it was still Shackleford but Ruler On Ice edged up to take the lead on his outside. Stay Thirsty came through on the inside as Brilliant Speed charged on the far outside to challenge Ruler On Ice but quickly weakened as Ruler On Ice and Stay Thirsty turned it into a two horse race with the wire approaching. Shackleford had had it with just 200 yards to go, quickly backing up to Animal Kingdom who was also showing signs of fatigue after his amazing rally. With the roar of the crowd washing over the track, the two leaders fought it out tooth and nail down to the finish where Ruler On Ice squeezed out a victory by three parts of a length over a very game Stay Thirsty with Brilliant Speed another length back in third.
The winner paid $51.50, $26 and $13.60 while a $2 exacta paid a whopping $928, the $2 trifecta paid $8,268 and the $2 superfecta paid a mind boggling $74,052.
Nehro was able to get up for fourth, nabbing Shackleford by a nose while Animal Kingdom finished close behind in sixth. Both the Preakness and Derby winner proved their class more than ever to me in the Belmont. Animal Kingdom overcame what could have been a disastrous start to still post a strong, albeit short lived rally that saw him finish far ahead of the rest of the field. Shackleford led the field all the way into the stretch and well past the 1 ¼ mile mark and still tried to hang tough when challenged, but in the end the distance proved too much.
Overall the Belmont Stakes appeared to be a big success this year as total handle, attendance and TV ratings especially were way up, coming in at 55% higher than 2010 ratings. NBC/Versus did a terrific job for the most part I thought, my only complaint was when the Manhattan was about to run they didn’t show the field coming onto the track and warming up.
Except for Drosselmeyer’s finishing time of 2:31.57 in 2010, Ruler On Ice posted the slowest running of the Belmont Stakes since 2000, further confirming many people’s belief that this is indeed a very weak crop of runners. I disagree, I think it’s just an average crop that is unusually competitive and you can’t argue that Shackleford and Animal Kingdom haven’t been consistent.
So all in all an exciting and invigorating Triple Crown run this year that kept us all guessing and on our toes. The Belmont was a complete miss for me and sadly I was going to choose Stay Thirsty as my Belmont win pick early last week but decided against it but he proved he is very game. He either likes the wet conditions or moved forward in a big way from his horrible Kentucky Derby finish.
There was one thing I was right on the money with in the Belmont Stakes; Isn’t He Perfect finished dead last.
On Saturday evening twelve sophomores lined up in the starting gate for the 143rd Belmont Stakes (gr.1) to run the longest race of their careers.
I watched the Belmont Stakes (gr.1) with a friend of mine and her parents this year and for the first time had a “Belmont Bash”. We missed watching the Acorn Stakes (gr.1) live as I didn’t get out of work until 15 minutes before the race was run but we caught all the other graded stakes on the card. Trappe Shot easily had the most impressive win of the day at Belmont in my opinion. He absolutely demolished a strong field in the True North, winning by 8 ½ lengths. I was actually able to pick the top three in the True North except that I had Trappe Shot second behind Calibrachoa.
Justin Phillip ran the third slowest winning time in the history of the Woody Stephens Stakes and J J’s Lucky Train still wasn’t able to catch him. At least he finished ahead of my friends pick (Derivative) who finished last and gave us a good laugh, all in fun of course.
The Just a Game Stakes was a pleasant surprise when my longshot pick, C. S. Silk led almost all the way to handily defeat the field at odds of 12-1 with Amen Hallelujah finishing third. Aviate apparently missed the memo and finished far back in sixth, ruining what would have been a perfect top three for me. My friend took second with Fantasia.
Gio Ponti and Prince Will I am were my 1-2 picks in the Manhattan. Gio Ponti has been a favorite of mine for the last several years and I love that even though he may not win all the time he’s always close and driving hard at the finish. In his first trip back from the Dubai, Gio Ponti rallied with a huge effort from far back to finish a fast closing third behind Bim Bam in second. This time my friend smoked the field with her choice of Mission Approved to win as that one wired the field at odds of 21-1.
It was on to the Belmont Stakes (gr.1) and the toughest decision of the night. I went with Mucho Macho Man along with my friend’s father while she went with her winning Preakness stakes pick Shackleford and her mother stuck to the Animal Kingdom bandwagon. As the horses came through the tunnel and the crowd began to cheer, 24-1 longshot Ruler On Ice began to act up just a bit, tossing his head and kicking his heels. I knew my friend loves a fractious horse before the race so I turned to her and started joking that she should choose him which she was already thinking about the minute he began his pre-race antics. Ultimately she decided to stick with Shackleford when we both realized it was Ruler On Ice, who had been one of our “there’s no way he’s going to hit the board” targets in the paddock. One thing we all agree on was that Isn’t He Perfect had the best chance to finish last.
We each gave our supporting horses a whoop for support as the field loaded into the gate to the vast swelling roars of the more than 55,000 strong in attendance at Belmont Park. The bell rang and immediately it was Shackelford who bounced away from the gates like a shot, getting clear of the field within the first few strides and angling toward the inside rail. As I tried to spot my top three choices my eyes flitted to Animal Kingdom just as Mucho Macho Man came over onto him from the 10 post and the Derby champion clipped heels with Monzon, throwing jockey John Velazquez onto his neck and yanking his feel out of the stirrups. It was a miracle the two athletes didn’t go down and a credit to both that they were able to still find their way toward the inside rail as they entered the first turn. It took Velasquez almost 1/16 of a mile to get his foot back in the stirrup and by that time he knew all chances at victory had been lost for his valiant steed.
Meanwhile upfront Shackleford led the field through a steady opening quarter mile in :23.92 with Ruler On Ice just behind in second and the Mike Repole owned Stay Thirsty just to his inside third. Mucho Macho Man raced mid-pack with Nehro one spot ahead in fifth. Animal Kingdom was far behind in last as the field raced through a much slower half in :49.08, about 7 lengths from the back of the pack.
As the field approached the far turn Shackleford continued to lead with Ruler On Ice just a half length behind and Stay Thirsty right there. Brilliant Speed began to move up from fourth as Animal Kingdom came alive midway around the turn and began passing horses with resolve. Into the stretch it was still Shackleford but Ruler On Ice edged up to take the lead on his outside. Stay Thirsty came through on the inside as Brilliant Speed charged on the far outside to challenge Ruler On Ice but quickly weakened as Ruler On Ice and Stay Thirsty turned it into a two horse race with the wire approaching. Shackleford had had it with just 200 yards to go, quickly backing up to Animal Kingdom who was also showing signs of fatigue after his amazing rally. With the roar of the crowd washing over the track, the two leaders fought it out tooth and nail down to the finish where Ruler On Ice squeezed out a victory by three parts of a length over a very game Stay Thirsty with Brilliant Speed another length back in third.
The winner paid $51.50, $26 and $13.60 while a $2 exacta paid a whopping $928, the $2 trifecta paid $8,268 and the $2 superfecta paid a mind boggling $74,052.
Nehro was able to get up for fourth, nabbing Shackleford by a nose while Animal Kingdom finished close behind in sixth. Both the Preakness and Derby winner proved their class more than ever to me in the Belmont. Animal Kingdom overcame what could have been a disastrous start to still post a strong, albeit short lived rally that saw him finish far ahead of the rest of the field. Shackleford led the field all the way into the stretch and well past the 1 ¼ mile mark and still tried to hang tough when challenged, but in the end the distance proved too much.
Overall the Belmont Stakes appeared to be a big success this year as total handle, attendance and TV ratings especially were way up, coming in at 55% higher than 2010 ratings. NBC/Versus did a terrific job for the most part I thought, my only complaint was when the Manhattan was about to run they didn’t show the field coming onto the track and warming up.
Except for Drosselmeyer’s finishing time of 2:31.57 in 2010, Ruler On Ice posted the slowest running of the Belmont Stakes since 2000, further confirming many people’s belief that this is indeed a very weak crop of runners. I disagree, I think it’s just an average crop that is unusually competitive and you can’t argue that Shackleford and Animal Kingdom haven’t been consistent.
So all in all an exciting and invigorating Triple Crown run this year that kept us all guessing and on our toes. The Belmont was a complete miss for me and sadly I was going to choose Stay Thirsty as my Belmont win pick early last week but decided against it but he proved he is very game. He either likes the wet conditions or moved forward in a big way from his horrible Kentucky Derby finish.
There was one thing I was right on the money with in the Belmont Stakes; Isn’t He Perfect finished dead last.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The 143rd Belmont Stakes: Who to Choose
The 143rd Belmont Stakes may not have the pull of a Triple Crown attempt in 2011 but this year’s rendition stands on its own in sheer terms of volume and quality of competition. For the first time in history the top seven from the Kentucky Derby (gr.1) are all returning to contest the third, longest, and oldest jewel of the Triple Crown series making for a deep and competitive field. Aside from appearing on paper to be one of the most competitive fields in recent Belmont Stakes (gr.1) history the field also offers some excellent betting value to handicappers and fans alike. Kentucky Winner Animal Kingdom was installed as the 2-1 favorite with Derby runner up Nehro next at odds of 4-1. After those top two the odds jump all the way up to 10-1 on Derby third place finisher Mucho Macho Man and Derby fifth place finisher Master of Hounds. Next comes Preakness winner Shackleford at listed odds of 12-1 but you can bet he’ll be a much shorter price on Saturday.
A field of twelve has been entered for the Belmont providing an almost-full field. Breaking from the rail out here is the field; Master of Hounds, Stay Thirsty, Ruler On Ice, Santiva, Brilliant Speed, Nehro, Monzon, Prime Cut, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Isn’t He Perfect and Shackleford.
Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 20-1 to become the first horse to ever win the Derby having never started on dirt prior to the race. He won by Derby by 2 ¾ lengths over Nehro who finished a neck ahead of Mucho Macho Man in third with Shackleford another three parts of a length back in fourth. Two weeks later Animal Kingdom fell just half a length short of a stubborn Shackleford at Baltimore in the Preaknes Stakes. The Belmont will be his third start on dirt and only the eighth start of his career. He has looked fabulous ever since the Preakness and has trainer Graham Motion brimming with confidence.
Shackleford has not been on the national radar that long and has already done things in his career most horses can’t even dream of doing. Starting with his gutsy Florida Derby performance on April 3rd where he just missed holding off Dialed In by a head for the win, the son of Forestry then traveled to Louisville and ran fourth in the Derby after setting the pace throughout and then took the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, going almost gate-to-wire on May 21st. To sum up this colt has run three hard, impressive races and is back for his fourth consecutive start in a Grade 1 race, all in the span of two months. It would be great to see Shackleford win the Belmont but I honestly don’t think he’s going to be able to hold off so many talented colts on the front end unless he slows the tempo down to a ridiculous level.
Mucho Macho Man has had some of the worst luck of the year if you discount Uncle Mo and his problems. After winning the Risen Star Stakes (gr.2) in mid February the talented colt lost a shoe and still ran third in the Louisiana Derby (gr.2) behind Pants On Fire and Nehro and then came back to run a game third in the Kentucky Derby (gr.1). He lost yet another shoe in the Preakness Stakes (gr.1) when finishing sixth much to the chagrin of trainer Kathy Ritvo who has made a rider change from Rajiv Maragh to Ramon Dominguez for the Belmont Stakes (gr.1). Already pushing 17 hands and still not technically a three-year-old until several days after the Belmont, Mucho Macho Man has gigantic strides that will greatly appreciate the sweeping turns and long stretch at Belmont Park.
Nehro has had a bad case of the ‘Bridesmaid’ run in his three most recent starts, the Kentucky Derby, Arkansas Derby and Louisiana Derby. The Belmont Stakes will by just his seventh lifetime start and with the five weeks between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont I think there is a ton of upside for the son of Mineshaft and he could very well end his runner up status. He began his career in early December and only broke his maiden on February 21st, so the best is yet to come.
Master of Hounds is gaining a lot of support in the Belmont due to his determined fifth place finish in the Derby where he had to thread his way through serious traffic issues to make up a ton of ground in the stretch. He drew post position #1 which for any other horse might be an obstacle but for him should work perfectly with his running style of staying behind horses near the rail.
Brilliant Speed has a perfect Belmont Stakes pedigree, being the son Dynaformer out of Speed Succeeds, but I’m not convinced he’s as good as some of the others in this field. He last finished seventh in the Derby and before that was an upset winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (gr.1) on April 16th.
Santiva finished sixth in the Derby and ninth in the Blue Grass Stakes after a horrible trip and will be making his fourth start of the year in the Belmont. As a son of the very talented Giant’s Causeway you absolutely have to take him seriously. He ran a decent race in the derby but will have to really ramp things up in the Belmont if he hopes to catch a piece of the action but don’t be surprised to see him right there at the finish.
Stay Thirsty returns from a twelfth place finish in the Derby. It wasn’t that long ago he was trading blow with Uncle Mo in his morning works and winning the Gotham Stakes (gr.3) in early March. After finishing seventh in the Florida Derby and twelfth in the Kentucky Derby with seemingly little in the way of legitimate excuses there are some serious questions this colt has to answer. One thing is for sure; he certainly has a classic pedigree and as the Grandson of A. P. Indy there should be no distance limitations here. If he can continue to grind his way down the long Belmont stretch he could wind up hitting the board.
The rest of the field is made up of Prime Cut, Ruler On Ice, Monzon and Isn’t He Perfect. Of the four Prime Cut and Ruler On Ice stand out but not enough for me to use them in my picks. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to haunt me.
Mucho Macho Man will once again be my choice. I just can’t stop loving this hard-knocking colt and the fact that he is still immature, growing and running well despite his bad luck is highly impressive to me. If he keeps his running shoes on, literally and figuratively, then I think he’s the horse to beat in the Belmont. I hate to say it but I’m going with Nehro to once again some in second although I think everyone knows he’s more than capable of pulling of a victory on Saturday. He’ll have a much longer stretch to chase down any frontrunners at Belmont which will play to his advantage. Shackleford and Animal Kingdom are certainly stealing most of the spotlight with their rubber-match in the Belmont but I think Animal Kingdom gets the upper hand at this distance. For sheer heart and determination though I’m going to be rooting for Shackleford to take third here.
So there it is, I was finally able to put down a win choice for the Belmont after tons of deliberation. Part of me would love to see Shackelford win with Animal Kingdom second but it would be really nice to see Mucho Macho Man or Nehro earn their first Grade 1. If Animal Kingdom can pull off the Derby/Belmont double he will be only the 12th horse in history to accomplish that feat while a win by Shackleford would make him just the 17th horse to achieve the Preakness/Belmont double and the first since Afleet Alex in 2005. Good luck to all and may the best horse win.
A field of twelve has been entered for the Belmont providing an almost-full field. Breaking from the rail out here is the field; Master of Hounds, Stay Thirsty, Ruler On Ice, Santiva, Brilliant Speed, Nehro, Monzon, Prime Cut, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Isn’t He Perfect and Shackleford.
Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 20-1 to become the first horse to ever win the Derby having never started on dirt prior to the race. He won by Derby by 2 ¾ lengths over Nehro who finished a neck ahead of Mucho Macho Man in third with Shackleford another three parts of a length back in fourth. Two weeks later Animal Kingdom fell just half a length short of a stubborn Shackleford at Baltimore in the Preaknes Stakes. The Belmont will be his third start on dirt and only the eighth start of his career. He has looked fabulous ever since the Preakness and has trainer Graham Motion brimming with confidence.
Shackleford has not been on the national radar that long and has already done things in his career most horses can’t even dream of doing. Starting with his gutsy Florida Derby performance on April 3rd where he just missed holding off Dialed In by a head for the win, the son of Forestry then traveled to Louisville and ran fourth in the Derby after setting the pace throughout and then took the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, going almost gate-to-wire on May 21st. To sum up this colt has run three hard, impressive races and is back for his fourth consecutive start in a Grade 1 race, all in the span of two months. It would be great to see Shackleford win the Belmont but I honestly don’t think he’s going to be able to hold off so many talented colts on the front end unless he slows the tempo down to a ridiculous level.
Mucho Macho Man has had some of the worst luck of the year if you discount Uncle Mo and his problems. After winning the Risen Star Stakes (gr.2) in mid February the talented colt lost a shoe and still ran third in the Louisiana Derby (gr.2) behind Pants On Fire and Nehro and then came back to run a game third in the Kentucky Derby (gr.1). He lost yet another shoe in the Preakness Stakes (gr.1) when finishing sixth much to the chagrin of trainer Kathy Ritvo who has made a rider change from Rajiv Maragh to Ramon Dominguez for the Belmont Stakes (gr.1). Already pushing 17 hands and still not technically a three-year-old until several days after the Belmont, Mucho Macho Man has gigantic strides that will greatly appreciate the sweeping turns and long stretch at Belmont Park.
Nehro has had a bad case of the ‘Bridesmaid’ run in his three most recent starts, the Kentucky Derby, Arkansas Derby and Louisiana Derby. The Belmont Stakes will by just his seventh lifetime start and with the five weeks between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont I think there is a ton of upside for the son of Mineshaft and he could very well end his runner up status. He began his career in early December and only broke his maiden on February 21st, so the best is yet to come.
Master of Hounds is gaining a lot of support in the Belmont due to his determined fifth place finish in the Derby where he had to thread his way through serious traffic issues to make up a ton of ground in the stretch. He drew post position #1 which for any other horse might be an obstacle but for him should work perfectly with his running style of staying behind horses near the rail.
Brilliant Speed has a perfect Belmont Stakes pedigree, being the son Dynaformer out of Speed Succeeds, but I’m not convinced he’s as good as some of the others in this field. He last finished seventh in the Derby and before that was an upset winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (gr.1) on April 16th.
Santiva finished sixth in the Derby and ninth in the Blue Grass Stakes after a horrible trip and will be making his fourth start of the year in the Belmont. As a son of the very talented Giant’s Causeway you absolutely have to take him seriously. He ran a decent race in the derby but will have to really ramp things up in the Belmont if he hopes to catch a piece of the action but don’t be surprised to see him right there at the finish.
Stay Thirsty returns from a twelfth place finish in the Derby. It wasn’t that long ago he was trading blow with Uncle Mo in his morning works and winning the Gotham Stakes (gr.3) in early March. After finishing seventh in the Florida Derby and twelfth in the Kentucky Derby with seemingly little in the way of legitimate excuses there are some serious questions this colt has to answer. One thing is for sure; he certainly has a classic pedigree and as the Grandson of A. P. Indy there should be no distance limitations here. If he can continue to grind his way down the long Belmont stretch he could wind up hitting the board.
The rest of the field is made up of Prime Cut, Ruler On Ice, Monzon and Isn’t He Perfect. Of the four Prime Cut and Ruler On Ice stand out but not enough for me to use them in my picks. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to haunt me.
Mucho Macho Man will once again be my choice. I just can’t stop loving this hard-knocking colt and the fact that he is still immature, growing and running well despite his bad luck is highly impressive to me. If he keeps his running shoes on, literally and figuratively, then I think he’s the horse to beat in the Belmont. I hate to say it but I’m going with Nehro to once again some in second although I think everyone knows he’s more than capable of pulling of a victory on Saturday. He’ll have a much longer stretch to chase down any frontrunners at Belmont which will play to his advantage. Shackleford and Animal Kingdom are certainly stealing most of the spotlight with their rubber-match in the Belmont but I think Animal Kingdom gets the upper hand at this distance. For sheer heart and determination though I’m going to be rooting for Shackleford to take third here.
So there it is, I was finally able to put down a win choice for the Belmont after tons of deliberation. Part of me would love to see Shackelford win with Animal Kingdom second but it would be really nice to see Mucho Macho Man or Nehro earn their first Grade 1. If Animal Kingdom can pull off the Derby/Belmont double he will be only the 12th horse in history to accomplish that feat while a win by Shackleford would make him just the 17th horse to achieve the Preakness/Belmont double and the first since Afleet Alex in 2005. Good luck to all and may the best horse win.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Acorn Stakes: Smooth Ascent
Sometimes a horse’s name can play funny tricks on coincidence. In 2010 Blind Luck and Lookin At Lucky had more than their fair share of “luck” during the racing season, and both ironically ended the year with a slew of graded stakes wins and the championship titles for their division. Indian Blessing continually proved herself the ultimate blessing to her connections during her career by becoming one of the most respected female sprinters in the country throughout 2007-09. But sometimes there is one horse that absolutely refuses to live up to the reality of their name and Turbulent Descent fits that category like a voice to music. She defies the meaning of her name in every sense of the two words. If you were to take her name and use the antonym’s for her title you’d be much closer to describing the career of this gifted filly; smooth ascent. Not only has Turbulent Descent encountered very few bumps in her road, she overcame the only one that ever gave her trouble when she turned the tables on Zazu in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr.1) after finishing second to that filly in her 2011 debut. The only way you can use her name properly in the Acorn is to say that she will be descending to the lower level of her opposition entering the same gate with them.
In the 81st running of the Acorn Stakes Turbulent Descent will be an overwhelming favorite to continue her dominance over sophomore fillies around one turn. A short but solid field of six fillies is entered to contest the prestigious Grade 1 $300,000 event. Her Smile will break from post number one for trainer Todd Pletcher and is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. She enters off an 11th place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) on May 6th, finishing ahead of only two fillies. Before the Oaks she finished 2 ¼ lengths behind Hot Summer in the one mile Comely Stakes (gr.3) at Aqueduct. Her most recent work, a :49.07 half mile breeze, was solid enough but nothing spectacular. She does appear to be better at the mile distance than when she is stretched out so expect her to improve off the Oaks fiasco and be sitting right behind the pacesetters into the first turn.
Turbulent Descent in many ways exemplifies the perfect mix of talent, heart and pedigree. Undefeated in three starts last year, including the Moccasin Stakes and Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet, Turbulent Descent was given just two months off before making her sophomore debut in the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr.1), finishing 1 ¼ lengths behind the victorious Zazu with future Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty another 4 ¼ lengths back in third. Stretched out to the 1 1/16 miles distance for the first time in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr.1), Turbulent Descent proved game in holding off a fast closing Zazu to win by a neck. Trainer Mike Puype announced she would stick to one turn races for the rest of the year, skipping the Kentucky Oaks, after her hard fought victory. Next up she captured the Grade 2 Beaumont Stakes by an effortless 5 lengths in her final Acorn prep. Five works have been published for the Congrats filly since taking the Beaumont including two bullet works at five and six furlongs with her most recent move a strong :47.60 half mile breeze. She looks as unbeatable as they come right now and will break from post number two. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at HRN]
In the 81st running of the Acorn Stakes Turbulent Descent will be an overwhelming favorite to continue her dominance over sophomore fillies around one turn. A short but solid field of six fillies is entered to contest the prestigious Grade 1 $300,000 event. Her Smile will break from post number one for trainer Todd Pletcher and is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. She enters off an 11th place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (gr.1) on May 6th, finishing ahead of only two fillies. Before the Oaks she finished 2 ¼ lengths behind Hot Summer in the one mile Comely Stakes (gr.3) at Aqueduct. Her most recent work, a :49.07 half mile breeze, was solid enough but nothing spectacular. She does appear to be better at the mile distance than when she is stretched out so expect her to improve off the Oaks fiasco and be sitting right behind the pacesetters into the first turn.
Turbulent Descent in many ways exemplifies the perfect mix of talent, heart and pedigree. Undefeated in three starts last year, including the Moccasin Stakes and Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet, Turbulent Descent was given just two months off before making her sophomore debut in the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr.1), finishing 1 ¼ lengths behind the victorious Zazu with future Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty another 4 ¼ lengths back in third. Stretched out to the 1 1/16 miles distance for the first time in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr.1), Turbulent Descent proved game in holding off a fast closing Zazu to win by a neck. Trainer Mike Puype announced she would stick to one turn races for the rest of the year, skipping the Kentucky Oaks, after her hard fought victory. Next up she captured the Grade 2 Beaumont Stakes by an effortless 5 lengths in her final Acorn prep. Five works have been published for the Congrats filly since taking the Beaumont including two bullet works at five and six furlongs with her most recent move a strong :47.60 half mile breeze. She looks as unbeatable as they come right now and will break from post number two. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at HRN]
Monday, June 6, 2011
Black Caviar: Serving only the Finest
Australia has produced some of the finest champions in horse racing history, from Carbine to Pharlap and Kingston Town, the greats have spanned the centuries, conquering challenges and climbing heights of highest honor Yet sometimes racing from the great “down under” seems to be largely overlooked by the rest of the world and especially the United States where traditional dirt racing is the mainstay. Sure, we hear about the Group 1 Melbourne Cup because it takes second place only to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the world’s most prestigious grass race, but aside from that there really is no easy-to-come-by source of information about their current runners like there are for European and American horses. This first came to my attention late last year when the name Black Caviar kept popping up in racing discussions. Australia’s undefeated phenom of a race mare was proving untouchable against the best of both sexes in Australia and I was having trouble finding so much as a full blown article covering one of her victories. The subject came to my attention once again after HRN released their All-Time Greatest Filly and Mare rankings this past weekend and I spotted a comment from a user stating the exact same sentiments I was harboring; “how can you rate a mare you barely know when there isn’t any information on her?”
So I decided I’d had enough of the table scraps and wanted the full dish about this incredibly talented mare; appetizer, entrée, desert and all. I hope you will enjoy reading this as much I enjoyed researching it, Black Caviar is easily one of the most gifted horses in modern history. After compiling all the facts and stats there is little doubt in my mind that Black Caviar has already earned herself a spot among racing’s all time greats.
Black Caviar was foaled on August 18, 2006 at Swettenham Stud in Australia. She is the first foal out of the unraced mare Helsinge(AUS) and is the daughter of Bel Espirit, son of 1990 Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr.1) winner Royal Academy(USA). She captured her first Trial at 800 Meters on March 30th, 2009, winning by five lengths with jockey Luke Nolen up. Next she took her race debut by another five lengths in the 1000 Meter Cromwell Handicap and coasted home by six for her first stakes win in the 1200 Meter Blue Sapphire Stakes.
Freshened for sixteen weeks, Black Caviar was returned to the races on August 22nd as a three-year-old and easily won by four lengths to bring her record to three wins in three starts. Next up trainer Peter Moody decided his charge was ready for a bigger challenge and entered her in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes on September 5th where she once again proved her prowess. After stumbling at the start and sustaining an injury to her chest, the sophomore filly quickly recovered her footing and blazed her way across the finish line, winning for fun. Given a good twenty weeks to recover from her injury, Black Caviar returned to the races on January 22nd 2010 and claimed victory in the Australia Stakes (G2) against older horses, winning by more than two lengths for her fifth win. Now she was beginning to turn heads on a national stage. But once again the talented filly’s plans were put on a temporary hold when a leg injury was discovered and she was scratched from the February 13th William Reid Stakes (G1). [Read the complete article on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
So I decided I’d had enough of the table scraps and wanted the full dish about this incredibly talented mare; appetizer, entrée, desert and all. I hope you will enjoy reading this as much I enjoyed researching it, Black Caviar is easily one of the most gifted horses in modern history. After compiling all the facts and stats there is little doubt in my mind that Black Caviar has already earned herself a spot among racing’s all time greats.
Black Caviar was foaled on August 18, 2006 at Swettenham Stud in Australia. She is the first foal out of the unraced mare Helsinge(AUS) and is the daughter of Bel Espirit, son of 1990 Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr.1) winner Royal Academy(USA). She captured her first Trial at 800 Meters on March 30th, 2009, winning by five lengths with jockey Luke Nolen up. Next she took her race debut by another five lengths in the 1000 Meter Cromwell Handicap and coasted home by six for her first stakes win in the 1200 Meter Blue Sapphire Stakes.
Freshened for sixteen weeks, Black Caviar was returned to the races on August 22nd as a three-year-old and easily won by four lengths to bring her record to three wins in three starts. Next up trainer Peter Moody decided his charge was ready for a bigger challenge and entered her in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes on September 5th where she once again proved her prowess. After stumbling at the start and sustaining an injury to her chest, the sophomore filly quickly recovered her footing and blazed her way across the finish line, winning for fun. Given a good twenty weeks to recover from her injury, Black Caviar returned to the races on January 22nd 2010 and claimed victory in the Australia Stakes (G2) against older horses, winning by more than two lengths for her fifth win. Now she was beginning to turn heads on a national stage. But once again the talented filly’s plans were put on a temporary hold when a leg injury was discovered and she was scratched from the February 13th William Reid Stakes (G1). [Read the complete article on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Striking With Passion
Might took most of the prerace support Dogwood Stakes (gr.3) on the strength of her two consecutive wins and the fact that she is the full sister to 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr.1) winner and Horse of the Year finalist, Blame. But when it came time to put ability and reputation to the test just one filly’s potential survived the trip unscathed.
Salty Strike entered the Dogwood Stakes empty-handed in two stakes tries and only a maiden and allowance win to her credit. She broke her maiden at first asking before finishing third to Just Louise in the Debutante Stakes (gr.3) as a juvenile last year. She finished second in her 2011 debut in a Gulfstream Park allowance race before testing deeper waters in the Honeybee Stakes (gr.3) and finishing a distant fourth behind Joyful Victory. Given a month she returned on Keeneland’s all weather track and finished an uninspiring sixth against allowance company and was returned to the dirt in her next try. On May 20th at Churchill Downs Salty Strike absolutely manhandled a field of five other three-year-old fillies in a seven furlong optional allowance claiming race and cruised home by seven lengths, much the best.
In the Dogwood Stakes Salty Strike broke alertly from the gates and settled in just behind Fantasy of Flight and Gran Lioness in third while Might took up the fourth spot, just a length and a half behind. After an opening quarter in :23.14 Fantasy of Flight led Gran Lioness by just one length but was slowly widening her lead while Salty Strike sat just behind Gran Lioness, under a tight hold by jockey Manoel Cruz. The half mile went in :46.09 with Fantasy of Flight’s lead now two lengths. Might had moved her way up to be a close fourth just off the flank of Salty Strike as the field entered the far turn. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
Salty Strike entered the Dogwood Stakes empty-handed in two stakes tries and only a maiden and allowance win to her credit. She broke her maiden at first asking before finishing third to Just Louise in the Debutante Stakes (gr.3) as a juvenile last year. She finished second in her 2011 debut in a Gulfstream Park allowance race before testing deeper waters in the Honeybee Stakes (gr.3) and finishing a distant fourth behind Joyful Victory. Given a month she returned on Keeneland’s all weather track and finished an uninspiring sixth against allowance company and was returned to the dirt in her next try. On May 20th at Churchill Downs Salty Strike absolutely manhandled a field of five other three-year-old fillies in a seven furlong optional allowance claiming race and cruised home by seven lengths, much the best.
In the Dogwood Stakes Salty Strike broke alertly from the gates and settled in just behind Fantasy of Flight and Gran Lioness in third while Might took up the fourth spot, just a length and a half behind. After an opening quarter in :23.14 Fantasy of Flight led Gran Lioness by just one length but was slowly widening her lead while Salty Strike sat just behind Gran Lioness, under a tight hold by jockey Manoel Cruz. The half mile went in :46.09 with Fantasy of Flight’s lead now two lengths. Might had moved her way up to be a close fourth just off the flank of Salty Strike as the field entered the far turn. [Read the complete post here on Distaff Runner at Horse Racing Nation]
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Awesome Feather back on the Tab
Awesome Feather is back on the work tab. The 2010 Champion Two Year Old Filly, undefeated in six starts in including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr.1), was sidelined indefinitely in early January after a tendon “issue” was discovered. No goals were named for a return date as the extent of the injury was unclear, and both trainer Chad Brown and owner Frank Stronach made it clear they would take as long as possible to bring their champion back slowly for the best possible chance at a full recovery. On February 7th the Daily Racing Form reported the daughter of Awesome Of Course was walking under tack and making enough positive progress that she could possibly return to light training by the end of the month.
Well, she didn’t make it into light training by the end of February but continued to build steady progress and finally made her official return to the work tab on May 24th at Belmont Park, clocking 3 furlongs in a solid :36.78. Six days later she returned on Monday, May 30th and booked an excellent 4 furlong move in :48.12, ranking as the 4th best move of 19. Brown and Stronach have not publicly come out with a summer goal yet for the talented three year old, but for Awesome Feather’s loyal fans’ it’s just a matter of time and patience. She appears to be safely recovered from her ligament issue and well on her way towards reaching tip top shape. [Click here to read the complete post on Distaff Runner at HRN with an early review of the Acorn Stakes]
Well, she didn’t make it into light training by the end of February but continued to build steady progress and finally made her official return to the work tab on May 24th at Belmont Park, clocking 3 furlongs in a solid :36.78. Six days later she returned on Monday, May 30th and booked an excellent 4 furlong move in :48.12, ranking as the 4th best move of 19. Brown and Stronach have not publicly come out with a summer goal yet for the talented three year old, but for Awesome Feather’s loyal fans’ it’s just a matter of time and patience. She appears to be safely recovered from her ligament issue and well on her way towards reaching tip top shape. [Click here to read the complete post on Distaff Runner at HRN with an early review of the Acorn Stakes]
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
All-Time Greatest Females Rankings
Horse Racing Nation is set to release their first ever All-Time Greatest Females list this weekend! Read the beginning of the post below and then follow on over to Horse Racing Nation to read the full story:
[caption id="attachment_1506" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ruffian"]
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When you think of the greatest thoroughbred racing fillies and mares in history what names immediately come to mind? It’s pretty much a well known fact that we have see two of the best fillies in the last 50 years, the last century even, when it comes to Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, but no list of all time greats is complete without several luminous and well known names. I have personally never scanned a single list without the amazing and ill-fated Ruffian occupying one of the top three spots with Go For Wand, Serena’s Song, Gamely, Shuvee, Bewitch, Ta Wee usually shuffling around in the top ten. Genuine Risk, Winning Colors, Lady’s Secret, Azeri, Rags To Riches, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Personal Ensign, Bayakoa, Serena’s Song, Bayakoa and Go For Wand all came after 1980 and must bear the burden of stacking up to the fillies from the golden ages. Fillies like Top Flight, Twilight Tear, Dahlia, Gallorette, Busher, Gallant Bloom, Miesque, Affectionately, Davone Dale, Beldame, Regret, Cicada and Artful all set the standards by which great fillies are measured. How can you compare Zenyatta to Affectionately? One started 19 times in her career, winning all but one, the other started 52 times in her career, winning 28. It’s the boundaries across time and space that make ranking and comparing the modern age horses with the horses of yesteryear so difficult. [Read the complete story here on Distaff Runner] [polldaddy poll=5103231]
[caption id="attachment_1506" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ruffian"]
[/caption]When you think of the greatest thoroughbred racing fillies and mares in history what names immediately come to mind? It’s pretty much a well known fact that we have see two of the best fillies in the last 50 years, the last century even, when it comes to Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, but no list of all time greats is complete without several luminous and well known names. I have personally never scanned a single list without the amazing and ill-fated Ruffian occupying one of the top three spots with Go For Wand, Serena’s Song, Gamely, Shuvee, Bewitch, Ta Wee usually shuffling around in the top ten. Genuine Risk, Winning Colors, Lady’s Secret, Azeri, Rags To Riches, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Personal Ensign, Bayakoa, Serena’s Song, Bayakoa and Go For Wand all came after 1980 and must bear the burden of stacking up to the fillies from the golden ages. Fillies like Top Flight, Twilight Tear, Dahlia, Gallorette, Busher, Gallant Bloom, Miesque, Affectionately, Davone Dale, Beldame, Regret, Cicada and Artful all set the standards by which great fillies are measured. How can you compare Zenyatta to Affectionately? One started 19 times in her career, winning all but one, the other started 52 times in her career, winning 28. It’s the boundaries across time and space that make ranking and comparing the modern age horses with the horses of yesteryear so difficult. [Read the complete story here on Distaff Runner] [polldaddy poll=5103231]
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