SARATOGA DAILY NOTEBOOK
SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2005
by Dick Powell
Yesterday we saw connections from Northern California win the King’s
Bishop (G1). Today, it was the boys from the bayou who scored their first Grade
1.
HAPPY TICKET (Anet) was well on her way to challenging Hallowed Dreams’s (Malagra)
16-race win streak until running into the brilliant Madcap
Escapade (Hennessy) last out in the Princess Rooney S. (G2) at Calder. The
Louisiana-bred filly had won her first nine starts and, unlike her fellow
state breds, was able to venture outside of the state and win the Chicago
Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) two starts back.
After the Princess Rooney, she went back to Louisiana Downs and trained
brilliantly for today’s Ballerina S. (G1). If you are a filly or mare, your
ability to sprint to a Grade 1 win is very limited, so this race was on Happy
Ticket’s calendar just like the King’s Bishop was for Lost in the Fog (Lost
Soldier).
Despite riding Forest Music (Unbridled’s Song) to a sharp win earlier in the
meet in the six-furlong Honorable Miss (G2), John Velazquez got off her
to ride Happy Ticket for the first time. That alone caught many bettor’s eyes
and figuring that Velazquez and his agent, Angel Cordero Jr., know what they are
doing, she went off as the 2-1 favorite in the wagering.
Unlike in the Honorable Miss, Forest Music broke well but didn’t rocket out
to a two-length lead at the start. She had the lead but faced an immediate
challenge down on the rail from Vision of Beauty (Danzig). The two four-year-old
fillies dueled down the backstretch while Velazquez eased Happy Ticket back a
bit on the turn before asking for her rally on the outside. It was a gutsy move
on Velazquez’s part considering his filly had never raced on a wet track, but
she handled it well and was confident of the footing.
After a half-mile in :45.01 on a muddy track that was very slow, the speed
began to back up and Velazquez’s decision to race off the pace and rally wide
began to pay dividends. Happy Ticket went up after the leaders turning for home
and poured it on in the stretch. She drew off to a dominating 5 1/2-length win
over late closer Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold).
Yesterday, Velazquez did a great job of getting the high-strung
Leroidesanimaux (Brz) (Candy Stripes) to relax and win the Fourstardave H. (G2)
in his first time aboard the five-year-old. Today, he followed trainer Andy Leggio Jr.’s
instructions perfectly.
“I got to the paddock and asked (Leggio) why she broke poorly last time,”
Velazquez said. “He said, ‘Let me show you.’ He showed me the bit she has in her
mouth. He said, ‘You might want to give her a lot of rein from the gate.’ That
was it. I did what I was told. She broke perfectly and I was where I wanted to
be on the backside. I called on her at the three-eighths pole, and she was going
well. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip.”
Leggio showed that she fit right into Grade 1 stakes company.
“She’s been running with this particular bit, and it is a very severe bit,”
Leggio said. “When I first started running the filly, she would drift out a
little bit. So, we changed to this bit, which has a piece of metal underneath
the jaw. I told John (Velazquez) to give her plenty of head coming out of the
gate. He did a perfect job on her. I was concerned about the track because she
has never run on a muddy track. When the mud starts hitting them in the face,
they could stop. We targeted this race after the race in Chicago.”
As happy as Leggio was, he was more concerned with his family evacuating from
the New Orleans area and the path of Hurricane Katrina.
“I’ve got all my family in New Orleans and it doesn’t look good right now
(threatened by Hurricane Katrina). All my kids got in the car, and they’re
headed to Shreveport (Louisiana), now; about 10 of them. So, that’s where I’m at
– worrying about the kids right now.”
Shug McGaughey, trainer of the runner-up Pleasant Home,
summed it up best.
“I thought she ran fine; unfortunately, we ran into the Lost in the Fog of
the fillies.”
Rain hit the Saratoga area Saturday night and Sunday morning leaving a very
wet main track. Two turf races were switched to the muddy main track and the
Tenski S., the 8TH race, was switched from the inner turf to the Mellon turf
course.
The muddy main track yielded very slow running times and a variety of winning
styles. Horses went gate to wire or came from far back; both on the outside and
on the rail.
Velazquez and Eibar Coa had two wins today. Velazquez now trails Edgar Prado
34 to 37 with seven days of racing to go. Jerry Bailey had a win and now is tied
with Coa with 27.
Dominick Galluscio won two races today and now has eight for the meet. Both
of his winners today were equipped with mud caulks and Galluscio is always a
threat on rainy days. All the leading trainers were shut out today and Pletcher
goes into the last seven days with 20 wins. Rick Dutrow has 12 and Steve
Asmussen has 10.
Horses to Watch
2ND – MOTOR CITY MAMA (City Zip) battled for the lead while buried down on
the inside in her career debut and should be hard to catch next time out.
3RD – TASHDEED (Cherokee Run) rallied on the turn while down on the rail.
When he swung outside, the winner came up the rail in the hole that he had
occupied.
Monday Preview
3RD – Despite running second to Sensation (Dixie Union), who ran terribly
next time out in the Spinaway (G2), SAOIRSE CAT (Storm Cat) gets the nod because
of her terrific maiden win from the rail over a sloppy track two starts back.
4TH – In a maiden special weight sprint loaded with beautifully bred juvenile
fillies, FAST DEAL (Grand Slam) looks to rally nicely in her second time out for D.
Wayne Lukas after Lasix was added.