DISTAFF DIARY
NOVEMBER 2, 2006
by Jennifer Caldwell
Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when all horse racing fans start
1st — If you’ve been following my Distaff Diary at all this year,
The Andrew Leggio Jr. trainee was never what one could call ordinary. The bay
Following her first win over open rivals in the Chicago Breeders’ Cup last
Given the rest of the year off,
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In addition to the fact that I just plain love this mare, Happy Ticket has a
very good chance of taking the Distaff. She showed an affinity for Churchill’s track in her next start after the Apple Blossom, winning the
Fleur de Lis H. (G2) at the Distaff distance. She then finished a good second in
the Clement L. Hirsch H. (G2) at Del Mar. Her last effort is a throw out for me.
It came on Keeeneland’s new Polytrack in the Spinster S. (G1), where she ran
into a ton of trouble when trapped along the rail and wound up spinning her wheels on
the surface.
Happy Ticket has been tops in my book all year long and on Saturday she can
prove why.
2nd — BALLETTO (UAE) (Timber Country) is one of those strange stories
of a top runner being retired due to illness, but then brought back a couple of
years later. The Tom Albertrani charge underwent colic surgery following her
runner-up finish in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and appeared
headed to the breeding shed, but
she recovered so well that her connections decided to give her another shot on the
track. It’s proved to be a good decision.
Balletto has yet to visit the winner’s circle since her return, but the Grade
1 victress has been close in all but one of her six starts this season. She was
a bit rusty in her first start back in late March following a 17-month layoff,
but she steadily improved in her next outings. In the Shuvee H. (G2), the
four-year-old began her long journey back to her Grade 1-winning juvenile form,
finishing second prior to a third in the Ogden Phipps H. (G1). She was second by
a just a nose in the Go for Wand H. (G1) in late July, second in the Personal
Ensign S. (G1) while trying 10 furlongs, then kept the winner’s margin to just a
head in the Beldame S. (G1).
Those latter two races came against division star Fleet Indian (Indian
Charlie), and while some may say
that those races prove she’s no match for Fleet Indian, I say Balletto was just getting warmed up
for her best. Balletto has earned top numbers ever since her return and demonstrated she still
has that fighting competitive spirit. That, more than anything, gives her a
chance in the Distaff. When other horses start backing up in the final yards,
the late-running chestnut lass will dig down for a strong finish.
3rd — This year’s Distaff may lack a standout star such as Ashado,
but FLEET INDIAN comes close. The dark bay five-year-old
began her current eight-race win streak in the barn of James Toner, continued it
through one start for trainer Cliff Sise Jr., but really blossomed once being
switched to Todd Pletcher. Making her 2006 bow for that conditioner on March 26,
Fleet Indian proceeded to show she was aptly named.
Taking the Next Move H. (G3) by a length, she earned a 109 BRIS Speed rating,
the first of six total century-topping Speed numbers. The mare has scored in
such prestigious events as the Personal Ensign and Beldame, as well as the rich
Delaware H. (G2). She also proved last out that she didn’t need the lead
to win, tracking in fourth in the Beldame before come four wide and overpowering Balletto to score her final prep for the Distaff.
That final race is one of the reasons why I’m picking Fleet Indian third
instead of first, despite all she’s done. She did win, but she had to work
harder that day than she has had to work all year. All her previous scores came
as easy, front-running victories, and though she could lead from gate-to-wire, I
think the five-year-old will have to run in behind again. There’s too many
quality runners in this field who like the front end, and I just can’t see Jose
Santos letting his mount get cooked in a speed duel. That means Fleet Indian is
going to have to come from behind against star distaffers who have used that
style most all of their careers. In this writer’s opinion, she’s going to be a
bit vulnerable.
Longshot — BUSHFIRE (Louis Quatorze) is listed at 30-1 on the
morning-line, but could easily outrun her odds on Breeders’ Cup Day. Prior to an
uncharacteristic fifth in the Gazelle S. (G1), the Eddie Kenneally trainee
captured the Mother Goose S. (G1) and Ashland S. (G1), and finished third but
placed sixth via disqualification in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The bay miss was
going well all year long before her last race, but that event came after her
first break of the season when she got a month off in August. She’s been off
since the Gazelle in a well-deserved freshening and could return a new, even
better filly in the Distaff.