LADIES’ CLASSIC DIARY
NOVEMBER 4, 2009
With Zenyatta’s (Street Cry [Ire]) connections opting to send their champion
for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), the Ladies’ Classic one day prior could
prove to be a contentious affair. There are a number of distaffers in with a
chance, but the following three are my top choices for the 1 1/8-mile event.
These three runners have impressed me all year, and I believe any one of them
could come out on top.
1st — Once MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) got her head back in the
As a three-year-old, Music Note could do nothing wrong, suffering her only
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor gave the bay miss a well-deserved rest following
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Music Note was given time to recover from that effort, and came back in the
August 29 Ballerina S. (G1) sprinting seven furlongs over a sloppy track at
Saratoga. That’s when the real Music Note appeared. The bay broke from the
innermost rail post and settled well along the rail, allowing Indian Blessing
(Indian Charlie) and Informed Decision (Monarchos) to go up and battle it out
through the opening quarter. It wasn’t long, though, before the four-year-old
pulled her way to the front and engaged Indian Blessing on the front end as
Informed Decision began backing up. Music Note easily subdued her rival in the
stretch and drew off under a hand ride to be 5 1/4 lengths clear on the line.
She returned to a route of ground in her next race, the October
3 Beldame S. (G1) back at Belmont Park. Once again breaking from the inside,
Music Note relaxed on the rail as Unbridled Belle (Broken Vow) took command on
the backstretch. She angled out slightly and closed on the longtime leader
entering the turn, easily running down her larger rival in midstretch. Jockey
Rajiv Maragh never touched Music Note with the whip in the lane, as she
effortlessly pulled away to be 2 1/4 lengths the best.
Music Note earned a 104 BRIS Speed rating for her Beldame score and a 108
number for her Ballerina. Despite a rocky start to the season, the bay miss
quickly rounded back into form and appears to be peaking at just the right time.
Maragh, aboard for her last two wins, will be back in the irons aboard the
Godolphin star.
2nd — LETHAL HEAT (Unusual Heat) hasn’t won since taking the Real
Good Deal S. at Del Mar in August of 2008, but that shouldn’t be considered a
negative against this hard-knocking filly. Victorious in six of her nine starts
last year, the bay has been facing nothing but the best.
The Barry Abrams charge made her four-year-old bow a third in the January 3
Monrovia H. (G3) over Santa Anita’s turf and wasn’t seen again until running
fourth in an allowance/optional claimer on Del Mar’s Polytrack in late July. She
hasn’t finished worse than third since.
Lethal Heat hooked up with Zenyatta in the Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1), and was
just three parts of a length back of the undefeated champion when third on the
wire. She then moved over to Del Mar’s turf to face the boys, and acquitted
herself well when third in the Del Mar Mile (G2). She was in front heading into
the first turn, but then settled back into third while racing in the three path.
Lethal Heat went after the front runners heading into the final turn and gained
a brief advantage, but couldn’t hold off the late rush of Ferneley (Ire) (Ishiguru),
who would go on to finish second in the Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) next out.
Facing her own gender once again in the grassy Palomar H. (G2), Lethal Heat
just missed by a neck on the wire after leading throughout. She once again faced
the boys in her next start, this time competing on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride in the
California Cup Classic. She ran in second for much of that nine-furlong test and
easily held that position on the wire by 6 1/4 lengths.
Lethal Heat ran into Zenyatta in her last start, the Lady’s Secret S. (G1),
which serves as the final major local prep for the Ladies’ Classic. The bay lass
was second at 18-1, and could offer similar value on Friday. Jockey Alex Solis
has been aboard for Lethal Heat’s past four starts, and will take up the reins
once again while going for his fourth Breeders’ Cup victory.
3rd — CARELESS JEWEL (Tapit) is Zenyatta’s heir apparent. The
three-year-old lass is small but tough, recording just one loss from six career
starts this season. That loss came in her initial start for trainer Josie
Carroll, but the gray dynamo has proved to be a gold mine since.
Careless Jewel broke her maiden on Woodbine’s Polytrack in early May and
easily passed through her first allowance condition, scoring by 7 1/4
front-running lengths while still competing on the Polytrack up north. The
sophomore miss was then transported to American soil, but the travel and change
to a dirt surface weren’t enough to faze her. She dominated the Delaware Oaks
(G2) on July 18, leading from start to finish while once again recording a 7
1/4-length margin on the wire.
Carroll rightly believed her charge deserved a shot at the top level and
entered her in the 10-furlong Alabama at Saratoga. Careless Jewel romped home by
11 lengths, but gained some valuable experience. The gray miss was eager going
into the first turn and nearly ran up on the hooves of Be Fair (Exchange Rate),
forcing jockey Robert Landry to take her up sharply and angle her to the
outside. She settled down after that, running to the outside of Be Fair before
taking over leaving the backstretch.
The gray filly prepped for her run at Breeders’ Cup glory with another easy
triumph, this time in the Cotillion S. (G2) on October 3. Some may be wary of
Careless Jewel due to her inexperience on the Pro-Ride, but they shouldn’t be.
Carroll shipped her charge south early, and Careless Jewel has already posted a
bullet workout over the Pro-Ride, proving that the new surface is not a
detriment to her unquestionable ability.
I see a lot of a three-year-old Music Note in Careless Jewel, which is why
I’m not picking her on top. She may have the talent and will to win, but facing
older runners for the first time with the madness of Breeders’ Cup going on
around her may be too much for the filly. She should still run lights out in
this race, and I’m eager to see how she handles Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia
d’Oro) next season. But for now, I believe a top-three finish in the Ladies’
Classic is not a bad thing to have on one’s racing resume.
Fellow Canadian-based Landry has piloted Careless Jewel in all of her wins,
and will be seeking to give both Carroll and himself a first Breeders’ Cup score
with this filly.
Longshot — PROVISO (GB) (Dansili [GB]) is an interesting prospect who may
be lost in the shuffle. The Bobby Frankel charge made her U.S. debut at
Keeneland on October 11, capturing the Spinster S. (G1) by 1 1/4 lengths but was
immediately disqualified and placed second for interfering with MUSHKA (Empire
Maker).
Proviso got the jump on Mushka in the 1 1/8-mile event, going three wide
around the turn and splitting horses to hit the front. Mushka wasn’t far behind,
running down the center of the track, when Proviso veered toward the grandstand.
Kent Desormeaux did a fine bit of acting in that moment, taking up sharply on
Mushka, much more so than the situation warranted in my opinion. The stewards
fell for it, though, disqualifying Proviso and awarding runner-up Mushka the
victory.
A dual Group 3 winner in France before shipping stateside, Proviso decisively
proved capable of handling a synthetic track, at least of the Polytrack variety.
That experience can only enhance her chances, and the four-year-old’s odds may
be higher than her ability warrants.