THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY DIARY
AUGUST 10, 2005
by Hunter T. Houlihan
It was a “who’s who” of sophomore fillies on Saturday as a field of eight
went postward for the prestigious $250,000 Test S. (G1) at Saratoga. Included in
the cast were Grade 1 winner Sense of Style (Thunder Gulch), the Nick Zito-trained
entry of In the Gold (Golden Missile) and Hide and Chic (Seeking the Gold), the
talented sprinter Maddalena (Good and Tough) and recent Prioress S. (G1) shocker
Acey Deucey (Abaginone). But a little over one minute and 22 seconds later,
LEAVE ME ALONE (Bold Badgett) held true to her name and was 7 3/4 lengths in
front of her nearest competitor at the wire.
Conditioned by Eric Kruljac, the chestnut broke cleanly under jockey Kent
Desormeaux and went right to the lead, setting the pace from the inside with
Maddalena tracking in second. That rival chased Leave Me Alone through the
opening quarter mile in :22 2/5 and was only a half-length back through a half
in :45 2/5, but that is where the eventual winner really began to outclass the
classy field. Desormeaux urged his mount entering the turn for home and she
responded willingly, increasing her lead to five lengths after getting six
furlongs in 1:09 4/5. In the final furlong she was kept to her task, crossing
the wire in hand to stop the clock in 1:22 3/5 for the seven-furlong fast track
test. Zito’s entry ran second and third, and both merit respect in their next
start.
Kruljac, who saddled his first starter at Saratoga with Leave Me Alone, said
he would not send his charge to the August 28 Ballerina H. (G1) due to the short
amount of time between races. We’ll be watching for her next outing to see if
she can defeat such a stellar field again.
Despite such an impressive victory by Leave Me Alone, SMUGGLER (Unbridled)
still leads her division. The back-to-back Grade 1 winner is expected to make
her next start in the August 20 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga, which we’ll cover
next time.