THOROUGHBRED BEAT
NOVEMBER 9, 2006
by James Scully
The Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) delivered a rousing finish to a great afternoon
of racing at Churchill Downs, with INVASOR (Arg) (Candy Stripes) catching Bernardini (A.P. Indy) in the
stretch and powering clear to a one-length decision. It was a day filled with
decisive victories from the sport’s best Thoroughbreds.
The Juvenile (G1) wasn’t close as STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]) crushed his
nearest rival by 10 lengths. ROUND POND (Awesome Again) ran away with the Distaff (G1) by 4
1/4 lengths. THOR’S ECHO (Swiss Yodeler) sailed by four lengths in the Sprint
(G1), and MIESQUE’S APPROVAL (Miesque’s Son) posted an easy 2 3/4-length victory
in the Mile (G1). And the legendary OUIJA BOARD (GB) (Cape Cross
[Ire]) turned in another marvelous performance on American soil, recording a triumphant 2 1/4-length score
in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
RED ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) provided the only late suspense as he dug in
gamely in deep stretch to withstand Better Talk Now (Talkin Man) by a half-length in the Turf
(G1).
Recaps of each division are below.
A couple of trends became apparent on Saturday. The biggest involved the
rail, which stuck out like a sore thumb and served as an advantage at Churchill
Downs. I was glad to see Invasor win from post 11, closing well off the rail in
the stretch, because the first four Breeders’ Cup races on the main track were
captured by horses from post 1. The 1-2 exacta in the 14-horse Sprint
featured 15-1 Thor’s Echo over 58-1 Friendly Island (Crafty Friend), and horses that swung wide into the stretch
weren’t making up any ground during most of the card. Street Sense rolled
home along the rail while Circular Quay (Thunder Gulch) appeared to be spinning
his wheels in the middle of the track in the Juvenile.
Round Pond was wisely kept inside by Edgar Prado while Asi Siempre (El Prado
[Ire]), Happy Ticket (Anet) and Balletto (UAE) (Timber Country) all advanced
outside and lost ground through the stretch of the Distaff. Cotton Blossom
(Broken Vow) ran a big race in the Juvenile Fillies (G1), but she was four
wide early and came out at least five paths into
the stretch. That appeared to cost her as she could only rally for third, 2 3/4 lengths shy of DREAMING OF ANNA
(Rahy) from the rail.
The second trend involved Todd Pletcher. He was reasonably close in the first half
of the program, recording a second and third in the Juvenile Fillies; a second
and fourth in the Juvenile; a third in the Filly & Mare Turf; and a runner-up placing in the Sprint, but his
horses weren’t winning. The Filly & Mare Turf was a huge disappointment as Wait
a While (Maria’s Mon) faded to fourth. Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie) was sadly
injured in the Distaff, but Spun Sugar (Awesome Again) and Pool Land (Silver
Deputy) both finished up the track. English Channel (Smart Strike) finished a
non-threatening third in the Turf, and Pletcher recorded a pair
of unplaced finishes in the Classic.
No trainer has a bigger influence in North American racing presently than Pletcher, but
he needs to start winning on its biggest days. The 39-year-old conditioner took two events at Lone
Star Park in 2004, but he’s now two-for-41 in Breeders’ Cup races. And he’s
still looking for his first Triple Crown race win.
The Distaff took a turn for the worse when Pine Island (Arch) tragically
broke down and Fleet Indian was pulled up on the track. It was a horrible
outcome, and I’m afraid that it will increase sentiment for synthetic surfaces
throughout the country. I’d hate to see that happen because I appreciated the
differences between dirt and turf racing in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup. Those nuances
are being lost with the synthetic tracks, which can play more like turf than
dirt, and I don’t want to lose the biases of dirt racing to the turf qualities of
all-weather tracks, with most of the races bunching up at the top of the
stretch as speed is neutralized. I’m all for training on synthetic surfaces, but
we’ll lose the variety of the sport without dirt racing.
The Breeders’ Cup will be held on the Jersey Shore at Monmouth Park in 2007.
RACE RECAPS:
Juvenile Fillies — Dreaming of Anna received a heady ride from Rene
Douglas, who drifted out a couple of paths entering the first turn to
dissuade Appealing Zophie (Successful Appeal) and
quickly got Dreaming of Anna back to the best part of the track (rail) as they the
entered the backstretch with a clear lead on a slow pace (:47
4/5 and 1:12 1/5). Runner-up Octave (Unbridled’s Song) moved up the inside to rally into contention on the far turn, momentarily
offering a
serious challenge to Dreaming of Anna at the top of the stretch, but the winner had
plenty in reserve and surged clear, eventually winning by a convincing
1 1/2 lengths.
Now four for four overall, the Wayne Catalano-trained winner earned a career-best 103 BRIS Speed rating. Catalano and Douglas both earned their first
Breeders’ Cup wins.
Juvenile — Trevor Denman missed him, but Street Sense was moving like
a winner on the far turn and quickly spurted clear after hitting the front.
Rating in 13th early, one spot better than 3-1 favorite Circular Quay after an opening
quarter-mile in :23, the Carl Nafzger-trained Street Sense remained far back
through the opening six furlongs while speedsters Principle Secret (Sea of Secrets), Stormello (Stormy Atlantic) and Pegasus Wind (Fusaichi Pegasus) dueled in :46
3/5 and 1:11 3/5. Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) launched his bid on the far turn to
challenge as the speed began to quit, and Denman quickly became preoccupied with
the rapidly closing but extremely wide Circular Quay. But it was Street Sense
who posed the real danger leaving the far turn, and he only needed a path to
seize command at the top of the stretch.
A small gap materialized along the fence and Street Sense made his move with
a dramatic turn of foot, accelerating to a four-length cushion with a sixteenth
of a mile left, recording the mile in 1:36 2/5 before stopping the timer in 1:42
2/5. Earning a 110 BRIS Speed rating, Street Sense provided jockey Calvin Borel
with his first Breeders’ Cup win and Nafzger his second.
Filly & Mare Turf — Ouija Board made attending the Breeders’ Cup
worthwhile. She’s one of the classiest mares we’ll ever see, and the Ed Dunlop
charge had little trouble registering her second Filly & Mare Turf score. In
tight behind horses entering the second of three turns on Saturday, jockey
Frankie Dettori was just sitting chilly waiting to pounce aboard the
five-year-old mare. After moving between rivals on the final bend and swinging
wide for the stretch drive, Ouija Board uncorked her tremendous stride to hit
the front with more than a furlong left to run, finishing her final eighth in
:11 4/5. Ouija Board made her way back to the winner’s circle to thunderous
applause from the fans.
Lord Derby could’ve retired the special mare years ago, citing the need to
get her on the farm producing babies, but he elected to keep Ouija Board in
training to the delight of millions of horse racing fans. Too many owners in
this sport are retiring the best horses too early (see Bernardini), but Lord
Derby isn’t one of them. He’s a great sportsman who enabled us to enjoy many
thrills from a great mare.
Sprint — Thor’s Echo, a California-bred gelded son of Swiss Yodeler,
is a testament to the training abilities of Doug O’Neill. The four-year-old
chestnut had never earned a graded stakes win prior to the Sprint, but he easily
put away the opposition on Saturday and coasted to a four-length decision under
Corey Nakatani. Breaking well from the rail, Thor’s Echo raced a close third
along the fence while chasing an opening quarter-mile in :21 2/5, then angled to
the outside to challenge Bordonaro (Memo [Chi]) and Attila’s Storm (Forest
Wildcat) on the far turn. He collared those rivals and kicked clear into the
stretch, gradually extending his margin to four lengths by the time he had
completed six panels in 1:08 4/5. It was a free-for-all for second, with the
next four finishers separated by less than a length.
O’Neill recorded his second Breeders’ Cup tally, and Nakatani is now a
seven-time winner. Thor’s Echo received a career-best 113 BRIS Speed rating.
Mile — MIESQUE’S APPROVAL (Miesque’s Son) captured the Firecracker
Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) at Churchill Downs in July, as well as the Maker’s Mark S.
(G2), Red Bank S. (G3) and Sunshine Millions Turf this season, but he was
overlooked at 24-1 in the Mile following his dead-heat fourth in the Shadwell
Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland. The Marty Wolfson pupil made amends for that
uncharacteristic performance on Saturday, powering home to a convincing 2
3/4-length win, while the next six finishers all hit the wire within a length of
each other.
The pace was surprisingly rapid (:23 1/5, :46 3/5 and 1:10 4/5) as Silent
Name (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) exited the gate full throttle and stole pacesetting
duties from Badge of
Silver (Silver Deputy), who stalked in second and gave an excellent account of
himself throughout in an eventual third-place placing. Miesque’s
Approval was unhurried in 13th during the opening half-mile before negotiating his way into prime contention, closing about five wide
on the far turn and swinging even farther out into the stretch with massive
strides. The seven-year-old inhaled the front runners down the lane, providing Wolfson
and jockey Eddie Castro with their first Breeders’ Cup success. The final time (1:34 3/5) was excellent, and Miesque’s Approval
notched a
career best 110 BRIS Speed rating while propelling himself into serious
contention for champion turf horse honors.
Distaff — Following a victory in the Azeri Breeders’ Cup S. (G3) at
Oaklawn Park earlier this year, Round Pond developed serious foot problems and
was transferred to Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz. The horseman nursed her back
to health, using a couple of prep races to get her ready, and Round Pond was
primed for a career-best showing in Saturday’s Distaff. The four-year-old miss
was kept along the fence by Prado while rating in midpack during the early
stages behind a solid pace (:22 4/5, :46 3/5 and 1:11 2/5), and they began to
advance on the far turn, waiting briefly at the top of the stretch before
finding room to surge through.
The front runners all quit after turning for home, and the closers on the far
outside were playing bumper cars as Asi Siempre, Happy Ticket and Balletto
bounced off one another. All the while, Round Pond was accelerating to the front
and drawing clear in midstretch. Now 11-7-2-2 overall, the four-year-old filly
earned a 105 BRIS Speed rating for her second Grade 1 victory. Matz won with his
first Breeders’ Cup starter, and Prado recorded his third Breeders’ Cup victory.
Turf — Red Rocks was the lone three-year-old to win all day,
and the flamboyant Dettori, who has now pocketed six Breeders’ Cup wins, provided a masterful ride to get the money.
He settled Red Rocks near the back of the field and took his mount wide to avoid
trouble, gradually picking off rivals on the far turn and into the stretch.
Better Talk Now, winner of the 2004 Turf, rediscovered his form with an
extremely strong showing, looming large inside the final furlong, but he could
never get to the winner, who bravely responded when threatened.
A listed stakes winner in England earlier this year, Red Rocks showed his
class this summer when finishing second to eventual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
(Fr-G1) winner Rail Link (Dansili [GB]) in the Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1) and
entered the Turf off a very respectable third in the St Leger S. (Eng-G1) at
York. The Brian Meehan runner owns a very promising future.
Classic — Invasor probably locked up Horse of the Year honors with
his authoritative victory over Bernardini in the Classic, improving to four-for-four in the United States, all Grade 1 wins. He was well-handled by 18-year-old
Fernando Jara, and Kiaran McLaughlin skillfully brought the four-year-old colt
back off a 91-day layoff after missing a scheduled prep in the October 7 Jockey
Club Gold Cup (G1) due a fever. Skeptics knocked the competition he faced in the
Pimlico Special H. (G1), Suburban H. (G1) and Whitney H. (G1), but Invasor
earned huge BRIS Speed ratings of 118, 115 and 112 in those starts. He validated
those numbers on Saturday, rallying from off the pace to reach contention before
overhauling Bernardini in midstretch, and registered a 115 BRIS Speed figure
after completing 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.
Bernardini didn’t enjoy a smooth trip. He was in-between rivals entering the
first turn getting dirt kicked in his face, and jockey Javier Castellano pushed
the button too soon approaching the far turn, launching a sweeping move that had
carried them to the front by the top of the stretch. However, it’s a long
stretch at Churchill Downs, and the lightly raced Bernardini entered the Classic
untested. The trip had taken its toll, and when he veered in and bumped
pacesetter Brother Derek (Benchmark) approaching the quarter-pole, Bernardini’s
stride began to shorten. He still finished up courageously for second, and the
Classic served as a valuable learning experience.
His connections probably expected to win the Classic, and retiring him would
make much more sense under those circumstances, but there’s no reason to send
Bernardini to stud now. Sure, he was a runaway winner in a few prestigious
events this year with little competition, but he wasn’t the best Thoroughbred in
training. He got beat by a better horse in the Classic, but there might be no
beating him in 2007. With only eight career starts, Bernardini’s best days are
ahead of him on the race track. The Classic will only make him stronger.
Unfortunately, Bernardini is going to stud, leaving us
only to ponder what might have been next season.
Thoroughbred racing fans shouldn’t feel completely cheated because Invasor will be back next year.