THOROUGHBRED BEAT
OCTOBER 8, 2009
by James Scully
Summer Delight: With an outstanding one-length victory in Saturday’s
Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), Belmont S. (G1) and Travers (G1) hero SUMMER BIRD
(Birdstone) became the first horse since Easy Goer in 1989 to record a
single-season sweep of the three biggest races for males in New York. And while
Easy Goer was champion two-year-old in 1988, Summer Bird didn’t make his racing
debut until March of this year. I like to think that his best races are still in
front of him.
A convincing 3 1/2-length scorer in the Travers, the Tim Ice-trained colt
registered a career-high 112 BRIS Speed rating in the Gold Cup and won two
straight for the first time in his career. Summer Bird was eligible for a
first-level allowance when finishing sixth in the Kentucky
Derby (G1) and proved no match for RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d’Oro) when second
in the August 2 Haskell Invitational (G1), but he’s taken his game to a higher
level since then. The improving chestnut is a beast at 10 furlongs, and he’ll be
a much more formidable foe for the mighty filly if they meet again in 2010.
Sterling runner-up: QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) ran a winning race
on Saturday, netting a career-best 111 BRIS Speed rating after finishing nearly
five lengths clear of third, and his future remains extremely bright if he stays
healthy. An impressive winner of the Florida Derby (G1) and Fountain of Youth
(G2) early this year, the lightly-raced colt never got the opportunity to shine
in the Triple Crown due to foot problems, but returned to the races in brilliant
fashion, displaying his versatility while establishing a new track record for 6
1/2 furlongs at Saratoga. Quality Road has been thrown into a pair of 1 1/4-mile
events since then, against the highest grade of competition in Summer Bird, and
has acquitted himself nicely in defeat. I don’t think we’ve seen the best from
him yet.
Great crop: With Rachel Alexandra and Summer Bird leading the way
domestically, and SEA THE STARS (Cape Cross [Ire]) dominating across the pond,
2009 has proven to be one of the top overall crops of three-year-olds in a long
time.
Classic focus: The Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) won’t have Rachel
Alexandra and Sea the Stars, but Summer Bird and Quality Road will provide
plenty of star quality if they show up at Oak Tree. Given the disappointing
state of the older horse division and the likelihood of Zenyatta (Street Cry
[Ire]) avoiding a real challenge, these colts are potential standouts. Of
course, Summer Bird and Quality Road must transfer their top-class form to the
Pro-Ride. They’ve raced exclusively on dirt, so it’s a guessing game whether
they’ll handle the track at Santa Anita.
Quality Road looks like the best candidate to handle Santa Anita’s artificial
surface. He’s bred to relish turf on both sides of his pedigree, and sire
Elusive Quality was responsible for 2008 Classic winner Raven’s Pass. Summer
Bird trained over the Pro-Ride last year, recording
nine official workouts during November-December, but was transferred from
leading trainer John Sadler to Ice before getting a chance to start. Ankle
problems were reportedly an issue in Southern California, and his connections
decided to train and race him over dirt. Summer Bird has matured significantly
from a physical standpoint since then, so any problems with the Pro-Ride may be
a thing of the past, and Ice will give him plenty of time to acclimate by
shipping him out this Monday (October 12). We’ll see how he responds.
The Classic will be Summer Bird’s race to lose if he shows
up with his best on November 7. If that happens, I’m not worried about MASTERCRAFTSMAN (Danehill Dancer), RIP VAN WINKLE (Galileo [Ire]) or any runners
from Europe — those horses are arguably a notch below previous European
invaders like Giant’s Causeway and won’t be good enough to beat Summer Bird at 10 furlongs. I just don’t want to see a repeat of last year when
this country’s only stalwart, Curlin, showed up at less than his best, enabling
a pair of classy European milers (Raven’s Pass and Henrythenavigator had never
raced past eight furlongs) to run one-two.
Ponti cutback: GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) established himself as
America’s best turf horse by stringing together wins in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile
(G1), Manhattan H. (G1), Man o’ War S. (G1) and Arlington Million (G1), but we won’t
see him in either of the major Breeders’ Cup turf events due to distance. The
Mile (G1) is shorter than what the the Christophe Clemente runner would prefer, and the 1 1/2-mile
Turf (G1) is too far. He tried 12 furlongs in Saturday’s Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
(G1), and even though the bog-like conditions were far different than he would
encounter at Santa Anita, the fact that he ran past Interpatation (Langfuhr) in
the stretch before surrendering the lead back to the impossible longshot can’t
be dismissed. Interpatation, who hadn’t won in more than two years, was unplaced
in six starts this season heading into the Joe Hirsch.
Ten furlongs fits Gio Ponti like a glove. He’s tried the Pro-Ride twice,
winning the Sir Beaufort S. (G3) in December prior to a fifth in February’s
Strub S. (G2), and the four-year-old is a better horse now than he was last
winter. Given his class, Gio Ponti looks as dangerous as any of the
American-based older horses pointing toward the Classic.
Short meet: Keeneland opens Friday, and it’s always a special time of
the year. Like Saratoga and Del Mar, there’s something different about the
racing experience. People go to the track to be seen, to socialize and suck up
the atmosphere. The racing product is also pretty good. And then it’s over,
following only 17 days, and we’re looking forward to April.
Keeneland is the perfect example of where less is more.