Turf Classic contender Main Sequence hoping to remain
perfect in U.S.
While Wise Dan continues to rule the roost among the nation’s turf milers,
The 1 1/2-mile distance of the Turf Classic is right in Main Sequence’s
“I guess you’d say his biggest flaw right now is worrying about the gate,”
“He’s a very good horse, you know. He beat a couple of serious horses (in the
Right there in those respective photos were Twilight Eclipse and Imagining,
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“He was a little unlucky in the Sword Dancer, I thought,” trainer Tom
Albertrani said. “He was in a little tight on the inside through most of the
race and it just took him a while to find some running room and got caught late.
In saying that, his last two races have been huge. We just have to keep
maintaining and keep on course.
“He’s been very, very honest for us.
Hopefully, this Saturday will be his day. He’s been right there in his last two
races. We’ve just got to find that little something extra, hopefully.”
Imagining, run down in the final
strides of the Sword Dancer after leading most of the way, is likely the one to
catch here after posting a wire-to-wire victory in the 1 3/8-mile Man o’ War
over the inner turf in May.
Big Blue Kitten, hero of the 2013 editions of the United Nations and Sword
Dancer before finishing a nose behind Little Mike in last year’s Turf Classic,
has had only two runs this year, taking the $100,000 Lure at Saratoga over 1
1/16 miles and then finishing second when upset in the Cliff Hanger at Monmouth
Park on August 24.
“For him to really reach down and get up to win (the Lure), when we really
weren’t even expecting him to win that day, really goes to show not only how
much talent but how much heart that horse has,” trainer Chad Brown said. “It
served as a great start to a campaign that got started a little later than we
had hoped.
“He ran on short rest at Monmouth and ran second in a very fast race where
they were very close to the track record that day. I thought he finished very
well in that race and came back good, so hopefully those two starts will give
him the foundation he needs to go ahead and give it another try in the Joe
Hirsch.”
Coupled with Big Blue Kitten is Real Solution, who earned his first outright
win in the U.S. last June in the Manhattan. Elevated to first via
disqualification in the 2013 Arlington Million, the son of Kitten’s Joy has
proven more proficient at 1 1/4 miles since his re-importation from Italy.
“I’m just going to draw a line through that race,” Brown said of his
last-place effort in his August 16 title defense at Arlington. “For whatever
reason, despite our efforts to school the horse in the days prior to the
Million, he didn’t handle himself particularly well in the paddock. He was the
returning champ in that race and should have handled the trip well. He really
came unglued prior to the race and was soaking wet going into the gate and ran
that way.
“We still like the horse very much,” he added. “He’s training well. He ran
very well in the Joe Hirsch last year, finishing third with a wide trip. He
wasn’t beaten that far for the whole thing. A mile and a half is probably not
his best distance, but there’s not a lot of other options right now for a horse
of his caliber.
“He’s always run well at Belmont,” Brown said. “I’m confident he likes the
course here, and for a horse like him that’s not a great shipper, it’s always a
plus if you can run out of your own stall.”
Completing the Turf Classic field are Hangover Kid, a consistent New
York-bred who landed the 12-furlong Bowling Green Handicap in July, and the
three-year Belmont Stakes third Medal Count, second by a nose in the $230,000
Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs last time.
A competitive field of nine fillies and mares will contest the Grade 1,
$600,000
Flower Bowl, an invitational over 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf. Viva
Rafaela, a Group 1 winner in her native Brazil, has not won a stakes after being
in the U.S. for more than a year, but will have every chance to score an upset
as the lone apparent speed on paper.
Favoritism in the Flower Bowl might fall on Stephanie’s Kitten, a
“She’s lost a little bit of the speed she had in her younger days, but with
Alterite and Tannery, like Stephanie’s Kitten, have also scored at the top
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“Her two races so far this year have been disappointing,” Chad Brown said.
“With that said, she’s been training terrific here at Belmont. She’s really come
unglued in both her races in the paddock, but I’m not sure if that’s enough of
an excuse for her as to why she’s run so poorly. We’ve been schooling her and
will continue to do so until race day, and hopefully running out of her own
stall at Belmont, over a turf course she’s already won a Grade 1 on, is the key
to getting her back on track.”
Tannery fared even worse in those two races, and looks far removed from the
form that saw her finish a half-length second in the 2013 Flower Bowl, which
preceded a victory in the E.P. Taylor at Woodbine.
Abaco possesses a strong 5-2-3-0 mark on the Belmont turf, and most recently
snapped a five-race losing streak with a neck score in the Ballston Spa at
Saratoga. On the other side of that photo finish was Grade 3 veteran
Strathnaver, who also missed narrowly in the one-mile Just a Game on the Belmont
Stakes undercard in June.
Rounding out the field are Watsdachances, a Grade 3 winner as a juvenile in
2012; Starstruck, a two-time winner of the Matchmaker at Monmouth; and Maximova,
a minor stakes winner who defeated third-level allowance foes in her last start.
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