Sprint Diary

SPRINT DIARY

MAY 27, 2005

by Jordan Strickler

Horse of the Year GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome Again) is scheduled to
make his five-year-old debut on Memorial Day in the $750,000 Metropolitan H.
(G1). The Vosburgh S. (G1) and Tom Fool H. (G2) winner will be making his first
start since coming home a three-length winner in the Breeder’s Cup Classic (G1)
for trainer Bobby Frankel. This will be the bay’s shortest race since taking the
Tom Fool last July and the up-and-coming FOREST DANGER (Forestry)
will probably have the advantage for this one.

The Todd Pletcher charge already has two starts under his belt
this year — a 9 1/2-length win against optional-claiming company in his 2005
debut and a 1 3/4-length score in the Carter H. (G1) in early April. He has won
five of his six career starts, and might even leave the gate here as the
favorite. The four-year-old hasn’t had any problems stretching out
and shouldn’t have a problem with the eight-furlong distance, hitting the wire second in the
one-mile Withers S. (G3) to MEDALLIST (Touch Gold), who is also nominated to the
Met Mile. Forest Danger’s sit-and-wait running style could be beneficial should
a fast pace materialize in the early going of this contest.

DON SIX (Wild Escapade) ran in the Bold Ruler H.
(G3), a race that he should have dominated. This leads me to believe that the
Scott Lake trainee might need a break. Prior to the Bold Ruler debacle, Don Six
posted back-to-back-to-back half-mile drills, going the distance in :44 3/5, :46
2/5 and :46 1/5, easily besting his fellow workers on those days. Although the
works were fast enough to set the track on fire, three serious workouts like
these could have had a bearing on Don Six’s performance in the Bold Ruler. The
five-year-old has not had a layoff to speak of since he broke his maiden first out
in early 2003. As good as this sprinter is, every horse deserves a rest and,
given a break, I believe he can come back in top form.

In other sprinting news, SILENT WITNESS (El Moxie) ended his
record 17-race win streak when he was defeated in the Champions Mile (HK-G1) by his stablemate Bullish Luck (Royal Academy). Silent Witness led for a majority of
the contest before Bullish Luck got up on the outside to take a slim lead at the
wire. The six-year-old gelding was stretching out to a mile for the first time
in his career and, although he is certainly capable of performing at that
distance, it seems his trainer, Tony Cruz, will keep him in the sprinting ranks.
His connections will bypass the second leg of the Asian Mile Challenge, the
Yasuda Kinen (Jpn-G1), and give him the rest he has earned.