Big Blue Kitten, Real Solution have pace to chase in Turf
Classic
A highly-intriguing and contentious renewal of the Grade 1, $600,000
Joe
Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park on Saturday offers no sure
things with the exception, perhaps, of an honest pace. Three legitimate front
runners are among the 10 older horses entered in the 1 1/2-mile Widener turf
test, which should yield the leading U.S.-based candidate for the November 2
Breeders’ Cup Turf.
A three-horse entry owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey — consisting of Big Blue
Kitten, Real Solution, and Joes Blazing Aaron — will likely go favored. Big
Blue Kitten, undefeated in two prior trips over the Belmont turf, ascended the
ranks of the nation’s leading grass performers this summer with back-to-back
wins in the United Nations and the Sword Dancer Invitational.
Italian import Real Solution has looked better with each successive start,
most recently capturing the Arlington Million via disqualification after being
hampered in the stretch. Joes Blazing Aaron, a $62,500 claim at Saratoga last
time, is the odd-horse out among the three, but is surely in here strictly in a
pacemaker’s role.
Also likely to show early foot is King Kreesa, a solid New York-bred
performer who makes his first attempt beyond nine furlongs. The King Cugat
gelding captured the Kingston, for state-breds, and the Poker, both at a mile,
during the spring Belmont session, and was most recently second in the
Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga after setting the pace for Horse of the Year
Wise Dan.
Yet another pace player is Little Mike, a 2012 Eclipse Award finalist who was
done in by the wet course conditions in last year’s edition of Turf Classic.
While ideal weather is expected to yield firm ground for Saturday’s race, the
Dale Romans trainee has yet to hit the board in four starts since registering an
upset in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Trainer Shug McGaughey has entered both Boisterous and Imagining in the Turf
Classic, but only one is expected to start. Boisterous, the more accomplished of
the two, won the Monmouth and the Man o’ War during the summer, but disappointed
as the favorite in both the Sword Dancer and the Bowling Green in his last two.
Imagining, who has a touch of speed but is more likely to stalk if he goes,
showed great promise earlier in his career when a nice second in the 2011
Hollywood Derby in his stakes debut. However, the lightly-raced five-year-old
has disappointed in two subsequent outings against graded company, although the
Phipps Stable homebred perked up with a resounding win in last month’s $100,000
Idle Rich when adding blinkers.
The Turf Classic field is rounded out by Twilight Eclipse, the Mac Diarmida
and Pan American winner who was the runner-up in the Man o’ War and Sword
Dancer; Nutello, third in the Sword Dancer in his U.S. debut; and the
stakes-winning Slumber, an impressive Saratoga allowance scorer on August 15
following a 54-week layoff.
In contrast to the Turf Classic, the Grade 1, $600,000
Flower
Bowl Invitational, for fillies and mares on the inner turf, doesn’t have as
much speed on paper. That ultimately could benefit Laughing, who steps up to 1
1/4 miles after wire-to-wire scores in the nine-furlong Diana and the 1
1/16-mile Ballston Spa The Alan Goldberg-trained mare was a game, photo-finish
winner of both Saratoga fixtures after registering a stalk-and-pounce victory in
the Eatontown Handicap at Monmouth Park in June.
Mystical Star, who snapped a lengthy losing skid in the September 7 Kentucky
Downs Ladies Marathon, was a course-and-distance winner in the 2012 New York and
also has a bit of early foot.
Among those looking to rally from off the pace are Sheepshead Bay winner
Tannery, a solid fourth against males in the Sword Dancer last time, multiple
Grade 3 winner Somali Lemonade, and Qushchi, last-out winner of the Waya at
Saratoga.
The Lumber Guy will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the
Grade 1, $400,000
Vosburgh
since Sewickley in 1989-90 when he defends his title against seven rivals in the
historic six-furlong dash.
Part of a favored entry when registering a 1 1 /4-length victory in the 2012
edition, The Lumber Guy’s win off a 4 1/2-month layoff was nonetheless
considered a bit of a shock. He validated that performance with a strong second
to Trinniberg in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, but struggled at that
venue last winter and only resumed competition in last month’s Chowder’s First,
for New York-breds, at Saratoga, where he finished thee lengths second to the
returning Palace.
In a division with no clear standout, several major race winners have joined
the Vosburgh cast to enhance their championship prospects. These include Smile
Sprint Handicap hero Bahamian Squall, Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap winner
Justin Phillip, and Forego upsetter Strapping Groom.
Invading from the West Coast is the Doug O’Neill-trained Private Zone, who
earned his first U.S. victory in the September 4 Pirate’s Bounty at Del Mar. The
Macho Uno gelding previously ran second in four major sprints in California,
including the Palos Verdes, Malibu, and Vernon O. Underwood.
Representing the sophomore set is Forty Tales, who developed into his
generation’s leading one-turn specialist with victories in the Derby Trial,
Woody Stephens, and Amsterdam. However, the Todd Pletcher trainee saw a
three-race win streak end in last month’s King Bishop, where he finished fourth
after falling behind by as much as 19 lengths.
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