TURF DIARY
APRIL 21, 2005
by Jennifer Caldwell
This week’s Turf Diary will focus on catching up with some featured horses
from the past who have come back for another start and done themselves well.
I’ll start off with this past weekend’s San Juan Capistrano Invitational H.
(G2), which featured three previously discussed runners. EXTERIOR (Distant View), who
made his U.S. debut in a March 9 allowance, finished second in the San Juan. The Bobby Frankel trainee earned a nice 99 BRIS Speed rating for his
stakes bow stateside. Just a head and a length farther back in fourth was
STANLEY PARK (Swain [Ire]), who entered the San Juan off a length victory in the
San Luis Rey H. (G2). He seems to prefer 12 furlongs and won’t have to worry
about Saturday’s extra quarter-mile again this year
unless he races in something other than a stakes or is shipped overseas. ALL THE BOYS (Foreign Survivor) was something of a
disappointment, parlaying a four-race win streak into a sixth-place finish in
the San Juan. He regressed significantly off his last race, but we haven’t given up hope on
the eight-year-old bay.
T. H. APPROVAL (With Approval), who was not mentioned in a previous Diary,
proved best in the 1 3/4-mile San Juan by 1 1/2 lengths while tracking the pace
from the beginning. The Eduardo Inda-trained
four-year-old earned his first stakes win in the marathon test after running third in
two previous stakes this year.
Reigning champion miler, SINGLETARY (Sultry Song), showed that he just needed
a race before regaining his form. Seventh in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile
H. (G1) when making his seasonal bow in early March, the five-year-old bay returned to the winner’s circle
on April 9 with
a game one-length victory in the Arcadia H. (G2) at Santa Anita. He stalked the
pace just off the rail before moving outside the
pacesetter to take over leaving the far turn and held off the late run of Sweet
Return (GB) (Elmaamul)
in the one-mile contest, stopping the clock in 1:33 2/5, which was more than
three seconds faster than his
Breeders’ Cup win. Singletary appears to be coming around once again.
MIGHTY BEAU (Rainbow Prospect) just missed in the Shakertown S. (G3) at
Keeneland last Saturday, finishing second by a neck after closing from midpack.
Sent off at 5-1, the Jeff Mullins trainee had to overcome breaking in the air
and couldn’t quite reach the winner by the time the wire came up in the 5
1/2-furlong test. He still earned a nice 101 Speed figure and may continue
to improve off this troubled trip. RAPID PROOF (Fast Play) had more luck in the John B. Connally
Breeders’ Cup Turf H. at Sam Houston on April 9, earning a head victory
while going nine furlongs on the green. Trained by Hal Wiggins, the
five-year-old gelding split rivals in the stretch and powered home to score his
second straight head win after taking the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2)
by the same margin previously.
Last Friday’s Maker’s Mark Mile S. (G2) saw the return of MR. LIGHT (Arg)
(Numerous), who made the Turf Diary after winning the Appleton H. (G3) in
impressive fashion in early February. He raced in third after being steadied in the
first turn of the Maker’s Mark and had to swing four wide for the stretch run. Despite
the trouble, the bay colt finished
fourth by only 3 1/4 lengths and earned a 105 BRIS Speed rating. Maker’s Mark winner ARTIE SCHILLER (El Prado [Ire]) makes his first Diary
appearance off
a sharp 2 1/4-length decision. Unraced since finishing 12th in the Breeders’ Cup
Mile, the James Jerkens trainee earned another triple-digit BRIS Speed rating
(109) in his four-year-old debut . He’s finished worse than
third only three times from 14 career starts and has earned century-topping
Speed ratings in every start since last summer.
CHINESE DRAGON (Stravinsky) earned his fourth
straight career win in the La Puente S. at Santa Anita last Saturday while
stretching out to nine furlongs for the first time. The three-year-old bay
appears ready to move up a level and try graded competition next.
SHADOW OF ILLINOIS (Illinois Storm) posted his second
straight win while making his graded bow in the San Simeon H. (G3) on Monday,
Santa Anita’s closing day. The most impressive thing about the victory, though,
was the fact that his jockey, Mark Guidry, lost the whip in upper stretch and
hand rode the game gelding to the win while being challenged to the wire. Keep
an eye out for this one’s return. PROCREATE (Mt. Livermore) has blossomed under
the tutelage of trainer John Zimmerman, recording a 104 Speed rating for his 5
1/4-length win in the Yankee Affair S. at Gulfstream Park on April 9, and could
show up in a graded race next out at good odds.