Breeder's Cup WeBLOG

I "gave out" these Breeders' Cup "Bombers" Saturday morning... all except one at least 10/1 on the ML!


JUVENILE FILLIES
Adhrhythm
Satulagi
Quick Little Miss


JUVENILE
Street Sense = WIN $32.40
Teuflesberg
Pegasus Wind
UD Ghetto


FILLY & MARE TURF
Dancing Edie
My Typhoon
Satwa Queen


SPRINT
Areyoutalkintome
Too Much Bling
Kelly's Landing


MILE
Badge Of Silver = 3rd
Miesque's Approval = WIN $50.60
Aussie Rules


DISTAFF
Lemons Forever
Baghdaria
Bushfire
Asi Siempre = 2nd (DQ to 4th)


TURF
Icy Atlantic
Rush Bay = 4th
Red Rocks = WIN $23.60


CLASSIC
Premium Tap = 3rd
Lawyer Ron
Giacomo = 4th
Suave


27 HORSES (27 X $2 = $54) ... RETURNED $107.20 ... PROFIT $53.20 ... ROI 98.5%

JUVENILE FILLIES
Dreaming Of Anna
Untouched Talent
Bel Air Beauty
Cash Included


JUVENILE
Great Hunter
Stormello
Scat Daddy
Circular Quay


FILLY & MARE TURF
Wait A While
Germance
Honey Ryder
Ouija Board


SPRINT
Too Much Bling
Siren Lure
Dubai Escapade
Henny Hughes


MILE
Aragorn
Gorella
Ad Valorem
Araafa


DISTAFF
Fleet Indian
Lemons Forever
Bushfire
Asi Siempre


TURF
Cacique
Hurricane Run
English Channel
Red Rocks


CLASSIC
Bernardini
Lava Man
Discreet Cat
Invasor

Thoroughbred Connection’s annual road trip to the Breeders’ Cup starts November 1 with my flight from San Diego to Louisville.


I’ll headquarter at the Galt House in downtown Louisville along with co-hosts Dick Harbin and Derek Simon. We’ll be at Churchill Downs early Thursday morning, then likely tour some Lexington “Blue Grass” breeding farms before returning to Louisville for the big VIP party on Thursday night.


At this point, it looks like we won’t be able to broadcast “live” shows from Kentucky, but we DO plan to produce and upload three “live on tape” shows Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Our Friday broadcast will review our first couple of days at Churchill Downs, then Saturday we’ll do comprehensive analysis and handicapping of the eight Breeders’ Cup races before following up on Sunday morning with a review of the days happenings.


All of the significant Breeders’ Cup prep races are in the books as of October 21. The last races that might have had any impact on this year’s BC were the Violet Stakes Friday 10/20 at The Meadowlands in which Distaff hopeful NO SLEEP provide victorious by 2 ½ lengths, the Maid Of The Mist Stakes Saturday 10/21 at Belmont Park in which Juvenile Fillies possible WIN WITH A WINK was a disappointing 5th, the Empire Classic Handicap 10/21 at Belmont Park in which Classic contender WEST VIRGINIA was 3rd, but beaten just a length, and the Carleton Burke at Oak Tree/Santa Anita in which Turf possible RUNAWAY DANCER finished a well-beaten 3rd, some 7 lengths behind the winner SYMPHONY SID.


As for developments away from the actual competition, there are a handful to report: trainer Richard Mandella says Arlington Million hero THE TIN MAN will NOT travel to Kentucky for the BC Turf. According to Mandella, the eight-year-old veteran has not rebounded as well as he had hoped for after his September 30 victory in the Clement Hirsch Turf Championship … trainer Barclay Tagg says hard-luck Champagne runner-up NOBIZ LIKE SHOW BIZ will not go in the BC Juvenile. NOBIZ LIKE SHOW BIZ was “sandwiched” coming out of the starting gate on the backstretch at Belmont Park, but rallied to make the lead before giving way late to SCAT DADDY. Tagg likely thinks he’s got his hands on a bona fide Triple Crown contender, so it’s hard to argue with his decision to bypass the Breeders’ Cup based on the last race … look for foreigners GEORGE WASHINGTON and DAVID JUNIOR BOTH to appear in the BC Classic … DAVID JUNIOR is supposedly “working a hole in the wind”across the pond … trainer Dallas Stewart says he’ll run three-time Louisville Handicap champ SILVERFOOT in the Turf … the old veteran PERFECT DRIFT turned in a solid 5F workout of 1:02 2/5 at the Churchill Downs Trackside Training Center on Saturday 10/21, so he’s on schedule to lineup for an unprecedented FIFTH Breeders’ Cup Classic … two other Classic contenders, SUAVE and SUN KING, turned in respectable Saturday works over the Churchill Downs main track.

On Sunday October 15, Derek Simon and I has the pleasure and the privilege of interviewing the legendary track announcer Trevor Denman, who will call the Breeders’ Cup races for the first time November 4, on Thoroughbred Connection.


In my opinion, and taking nothing away from NYRA’s Tom Durkin, who has done a great job calling every Breeders’ Cup race since the inaugural BC at Hollywood Park in 1984, it’s about time Trevor Denman got the assignment to call racing’s biggest event. Interestingly enough, it was 1984 when a relatively young race caller from South Africa was first heard in Southern California. Trevor took over for the likes of the great Harry Henson at Del Mar and Hollywood Park and the likeable Dave Johnson at Santa Anita.


Suffice it to say, the early returns were NOT favorable. For one thing, there was that accent. For another thing, there was that style, a style so different from the long-accepted “chart calling” style of announcing that dominated American race calling. But time would prove that the Trevor Denman “way” of calling races was so much more superior and so much more meaningful for racing fans whether they were at the track, watching on a simulcast monitor, or simply listening to a stretch call on a results line or on the radio.


What made –and still makes– Trevor Denman’s style so unique and so valuable is the uncanny way he is able to instantly analyze and convey to the fans whether a horse is challenging or dropping out of contention. Simply put, when Trevor says your horse “is not finding,” you can be 99.9% certain that your bet is a goner. Or when he says “they’re gonna have to sprout wings to catch” your horse, you’ve definitely got a ticket to cash!


Sounds simple enough, and many have tried to copy him, but Trevor Denman is in a league of his own when it comes to “analyzing” a race in mid-stream.


I really don’t know why it took so long for Trevor Denman to get the opportunity to call the Breeders’ Cup races, but I’m sure glad the higher-ups at ESPN, the network that will debut on the 2006 BC broadcast, gave him the call this summer. It’s not as though Trevor NEEDS the BC, he’s accomplished as much as a track announcer could ever hope to accomplish in his 20+ years in the United States, but –as he told us on Thoroughbred Connection– “it’s the cherry” on the top of his professional career.


As for the final week of significant Breeders’ Cup preps, there were two races at Belmont Park, two more at Keeneland, and another at Newmarket in England. Let’s start with the British race… BC Turf/F&M Turf hopeful PRIDE (FR) won the Champion Stakes over Turf/Classic possible HURRICANE RUN (IRE). In New York, SUTRA and ENCHANTING STAR finished 1-2 in the Frizette. The disappointing efforts there came from Juvenile Fillies hopefuls AWESOME ASHLEY (4TH) and MEADOW BREEZE (10TH). SCAT DADDY and NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ ran 1-2 in the Champagne, stamping their tickets to the BC Juvenile. GORELLA (FR) hung a nose win on KAREN’S CAPER in Keeneland’s First Lady to set up a start in the BC Mile. VACARE beat BC F&M Turf hopeful MAURALAKANA (FR) by a half-length in the QE2, with another F&M Turf possible GERMANCE finishing fourth.

The results of the two most significant Breeders’ Cup prep races on “Super Saturday” were as expected … the brilliant three-year-old BERNARDINI won the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park under wraps and Santa Anita Handicap/Hollywood Gold Cup/Pacific Classic hero LAVA MAN was victorious in the G2 Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Oak Tree Santa Anita in their final tune-ups for the BC Classic on November 4 at Churchill Downs.


Not surprisingly, those two maintained the top two spots in the Classic division of the latest NTRA Breeders’ Cup World Championships polls. BERNARDINI tops the list with 148 points to 131 for LAVA MAN. The Uruguayan champion INVASOR (ARG), who sat out the Jockey Club Gold Cup after spiking a fever about 10 days ago, is third with 116 points. Those three are the only horse on the list with triple-digit totals, as SUN KING holds third at 73 and doubtful starter DISCREET CAT sits fourth at 72.


BERNARDINI is definitely in the “driver’s seat” based on the ease of his JCGC victory. It was essentially an “afternoon workout” for the Darley Stable flag-bearer as he cruised to a seven-length win under a motionless Javier Castellano, increasing his margin convincingly down the stretch after taking the lead approaching the stretch.


Trainer Tom Albertrani was definitely pleased with what he saw, saying, “That was exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve got a fresh horse for the Breeders’ Cup now. He does things so easily, I don’t know if anyone can give him the kind of race where he has to fight.”


As for LAVA MAN, a horse I am definitely rooting for, I did not come away as impressed with his win in Oak Tree’s Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap as I did with the BERNARDINI win. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seemed like jockey Corey Nakatani has to stay a little busier on LAVA MAN than I expected him to after throwing those first two “crosses” when LAVA MAN hit the top of the lane. Granted, LAVA MAN shouldered the high weight in the race at 126 and he set a pressured pace of :23 1/5, :46 4/5, and 1:10 3/5, then pulled away from the field through a mile in 1:34 3/5 and a final time of 1:48 for 9F over a fast Arcadia oval. Doug O’Neill, who trains LAVA MAN for STD Racing Stable & Jason Wood, said, “This horse just keeps running big races. I’ll have to dissect this one, but it sure seemed like he ran as good a race as he ever has.”


"LAVA MAN ships (to Kentucky) Tuesday morning on Tex Sutton," O'Neill said Monday morning at Santa Anita. "He'll go to Keeneland, then we'll figure out when we'll send him over to Churchill. The game plan is to train him at Keeneland as long as we can."

    
Keeneland began its meet Friday and unveiled the synthetic surface, Polytrack, on its main track. O'Neill is based at Hollywood Park, which recently completed installation of a similar synthetic surface, Cushion Track.


LAVA MAN, winner of seven consecutive stakes, is winless outside of California. His two most disappointing efforts came in Japan and New York. "I think we definitely do have something to prove," O'Neill said about winning outside of Southern California. "We definitely think we can do it. It's not like we're being bull-headed and going about the BC Classic the exact same way we went about the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year. We're going to do things different this year. He'll be back in Kentucky in ample time and he seems like he's as good as he's ever been, too, so it seems like a good time to tackle that challenge of running out of state. We're excited. We think he's got a big, big chance, obviously."


Almost forgotten in the wake of the “Super Saturday” victories by BERNARDINI and LAVA MAN is the #3 horse in the BC Classic poll, INVASOR (ARG). His recent health issue certainly complicated the situation for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who now plans to train his horse up to the BC Classic without another prep race. Further clouding the situation … the fact that INVASOR (ARG) would have to be supplemented to the BC Classic at a cost of $750,000!

It’s still “SUPER SATURDAY,” with no less than eight Grade One Breeders’ Cup prep races on the docket 10/7 at three different racetracks across the country, but a little bit of the mustard is off the hotdog with the news that Whitney winner INVASOR (ARG) will not be on hand for a showdown in the G1 10F Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park against three-year-old sensation BERNARDINI after spiking a temperature last week.


According to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, INVASOR (ARG) had a 103-degree temperature after training hours on Thursday 9/28 which forced the cancellation of a Saturday workout and prompted the decision not to run in the JCGC. At this point, McLaughlin will attempt to train INVASOR (ARG) up to the $5M Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4. The Uruguayan champion, a perfect 3-for-3 in the United States after winning the Pimlico Special, the Suburban, and the Whitney, would have to be supplemented to the BC at a cost of $750,000.


Tom Albertrani, the trainer of BERNARDINI, had a mixed reaction to the defection of INVASOR (ARG), noting that the showdown would have been a challenge, but that the race appears to be a lot easier with the older horse on the sidelines.


BERNARDINI will face ANDROMEDA’S HERO, AWESOME TWIST, DYLAN THOMAS (IRE), and perhaps even the rabbit SPANISH CHESTNUT in his final prep for the BC Classic. Of those rivals, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor’s DYLAN THOMAS (IRE) is the most interesting, coming into the race off a victory less than a month ago over Filly/Mare Turf division leader OUIJA BOARD (GB) in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.


The “Big Sandy” on Hempstead Turnpike will also feature the G1 Flower Bowl Invitational (F/M, 12F T), the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (12 F T), the G1 Beldame (F/M 9F), and the G1 Vosburgh (6F).


The Vosburg, the final major prep for the BC Sprint, figures to attract King’s Bishop winner and BC Sprint division leader HENNY HUGHES and defending BC Sprint king SILVER TRAIN. Even a victory by SILVER TRAIN will not be enough to sent him to Churchill Downs, as trainer Richard Dutrow is already on record as saying he will not ship his horse to Kentucky.


At Oak Tree Santa Anita, Big ‘Cap/Hollywood Gold Cup/Pacific Classic champion LAVA MAN is expected to make his last start before shipping east for the BC Classic in the G2 9F Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap. His principal rivals in Arcadia will be 2005 Kentucky Derby winner GIACOMO and 2006 Santa Anita Derby victor BROTHER DEREK. LAVA MAN trainer Doug O’Neill had originally planned to train his “big horse” on the traditional dirt surface of Santa Anita, but changed his mind and kept his stable star with the rest of his horses at Hollywood Park. LAVA MAN worked 6F over the Cushion Track surface in Inglewood last Saturday, with the clockers recording a time of 1:15.60. O’Neill called the work “fantastic.” Meantime trainer Dan Hendricks watched BROTHER DEREK work 5F in 59.40 at Santa Anita Sunday morning, labeling the work “nice and easy.” BROTHER DEREK looks to rebound from a somewhat dismal effort in his return to racing earlier this summer at Del Mar.


Congratulations to Gary Clawson, the week five winner in our Thoroughbred Connection "Road To The Cup" handicapping contest. His entry included the double-digit Hawthorne Gold Cup winner IT'S NO JOKE. The races for week six are already posted on the handicapping contest page and this week's entry code is ARAZI, the 1991 BC Juvenile winner.

This past weekend certainly qualified as “the calm before the storm” in terms of Breeders’ Cup prep races go, although there were a couple of races run that will have some impact on the BC Classic and the BC Mile.


In the G2 Louisiana Super Derby, STRONG CONTENDER scored a one-length victory over one-time Triple Crown contender LAWYER RON. The win was the second G2 tally for the John Oxley-owned son of Maria’s Mon, who improved his overall record to 7-4-0-3. STRONG CONTENDER also moved into the top ten in the latest NTRA Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings, which are topped by BERNARDINI, INVASOR (ARG), and LAVA MAN. The top two, of course, are on target for a meeting in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on “Super Saturday” October 7.


The other race that had BC impact was the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, which went to Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, & Derrick Smith’s GEORGE WASHINGTON (IRE). The three-year-old defeated runner-up ARAAFA (IRE) and also-ran LIBRETTIST in a salty edition of the QE2 that produced some typical English “drama” after IVAN DENISOVICH (IRE) and jockey Seamus Heffernan were disqualified and placed last for “deliberate interference” against LIBRETTIST on the final bend. Unlike racing officials in the United States, the British judges wasted no time in making a ruling on the incident, suspending Heffernan immediately for two weeks. Frankie Dettori, the rider of LIBRETTIST, was so incensed by the incident that he clashed with winning trainer Aidan O’Brien shortly after the race. GEORGE WASHINGTON (IRE) vaults from sixth to second in the BC Mile rankings, ARAAFA (IRE) moves from fifth to fourth, and LIBRETTIST falls from third to sixth. ARAGORN (IRE), the Neil Drysdale-trained hero of the recently completed Del Mar session, holds down the top spot in the Mile poll. According to published reports, LIBRETTIST came out of the race injured, so his future plans are on hold.


The “Road To The Cup” shifts into full throttle this week as the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting opens in Arcadia, CA. With the 2006 edition of the BC scheduled just 38 days after the lidlifter at Oak Tree, the racing office has no choice but to offer the best of its stakes schedule in the first two weeks of its 26-day session. That means this Saturday’s card includes a Grade 1 “tripleheader” with the Yellow Ribbon, the Oak Leaf BC, and the Clement Hirsch Turf all on the docket. Each of those races figures to feature a G1 stakes winner as the early favorite … Del Mar Debutante winner POINT ASHLEY in the Oak Leaf, Arlington Million hero THE TIN MAN in the Clement Hirsch, and WAIT A WHILE in the Yellow Ribbon. All of those three can stamp a ticket to Kentucky with a win or at least a respectable finish.


There’s another big turf race scheduled this Saturday at Turfway Park, the G2 Kentucky Cup Classic. This race will attract the likes of GOULDINGS GREEN, GREELEY’S GALAXY, IT’S NO JOKE, PERFECT DRIFT (with new rider Julien Leparoux) and PREMIUM TAP, the 31-1 upset winner of the G1 Woodward at Saratoga September 2 last out under Kent Desormeaux. PERFECT DRIFT, the Murray Johnson trainee who has “danced all the dances” in a long racing career that’s seen him bank nearly $4.6 million will attempt to end a nine-race absence from the winner’s circle and earn a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.


The results of week four in our Thoroughbred Connection "Road To The Cup" handicapping contest are not yet official because of the Monday 9/24 cancellation of racing at Kentucky Downs. They'll take another shot at getting those races in on Tuesday 9/25. The races for week five are already posted on the handicapping contest page and this week's entry code is VOLPONI, the BC Classic winner at Arlington International in 2002.

It seems like every week thoroughbred racing loses another one of its equine stars and this week is no exception. The Eclipse Award winning sprinter of 2005, the hero and the heartthrob of Northern California racing, LOST IN THE FOG was put down Sunday September 17 at Golden Gate Fields, just three weeks after veterinarians found inoperable cancerous tumors in his spleen and along his spine.


According to reports, trainer Greg Gilchrist had just finished grazing LOST IN THE FOG outside his barn at the Bay Area track when the horse went into distress. Gilchrist said, “We accomplished what we wanted to do. It was all about giving him quality time. We did everything we could for him. He was happy and content right up to the end. He went quietly and easily.”


It was a sad and bittersweet conclusion to an all-too-brief racing career that saw LOST IN THE FOG start out with ten consecutive victories before finishing off the board as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last October at Belmont Park in New York.


What I remember most about LOST IN THE FOG and the Breeders’ Cup is not how the race ended, but just how gracious and accommodating Greg Gilchrist was with the fans, his fellow horsemen, and the racing media. I remember having an at-length conversation with him at the festive Thursday night VIP party at Belmont Park. He agreed to join us on our Thoroughbred Connection broadcast Breeders’ Cup morning and freely offered his mobile phone number so we wouldn’t have any trouble getting a hold of him.


Thinking back, it was the only Breeders’ Cup race I didn’t bet that day. I just wanted to focus on watching the race and pulling for LOST IN THE FOG to perform well without having to worry about how any wagers turned out.


Thanks for the memories LOST IN THE FOG! And thank you Greg Gilchrist for making it enjoyable to cover last year’s event!


One of my favorite human stars in racing, jockey Patrick Valenzuela, made an unexpected and successful return to the saddle Sunday at Woodbine. PVal, riding for the first time since July 16, replaced the injured Corey Nakatani and piloted the Neil Drysdale-trained BECRUX to victory in the G1 $1 Million Woodbine Mile. I realize there are more than a few Patrick Valenzuela critics –I dare say “haters”– out there, but don’t count me among them! Even though he’s let me down more than once after committing to an interview or an appearance on a broadcast, he’s always been courteous and friendly. I remember last year at Santa Anita I was in the saddling barn after a race, and Patrick said “hi” to me but I was concentrating on something else. He turned to face me and said, “What’s up, John? Aren’t you talking to me anymore?”


Congratulations to Bill Pietschmann, the week three winner in our Thoroughbred Connection "Road To The Cup" handicapping contest. His entry included the double-digit Monmouth Park winner JERSEY PEACH. The races for week four are already posted on the handicapping contest page and this week's entry code is TIZNOW, the only two-time winner of the BC Classic.


The big news in the NTRA Breeders’ Cup rankings was the debut of the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies polls. Hopeful Stakes winner CIRCULAR QUAY and Del Mar Futurity champion HORSE GREELEY are one-two in the Juvenile poll, while Del Mar Debutante winner POINT ASHLEY and Schuylerville victress COTTON BLOSSOM top the Juvenile Fillies division.

The sudden and unexpected death of Dubai World Cup champion ELECTROCUTIONIST over the weekend took a leading star away from this year’s Breeders’ Cup and caused a shakeup in the new NTRA Breeders’ Cup World Championship polls.


The Godolphin stable color-bearer, the five-year-old ELECTROCUTIONIST (RED RANSOM), died of an apparent heart attack only days after a cardiac abnormality was first detected. According to Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford, the horse initially responded well to treatment, but was fatally stricken early Saturday morning.


The multiple stakes winner came to Godolphin after the end of the 2005 racing season and promptly rattled off a pair of impressive wins at Nad al Sheba, taking the Maktoum Challenge Round III March 2 and the Dubai World Cup over BRASS HAT three weeks later. He resumed his 2006 campaign in June, finishing second to Breeders’ Cup Filly/Mare Turf leader OUIJA BOARD (GB) and –in what proved to be his final start– finished second to Breeders’ Cup Turf contender HURRICANE RUN in late July.


With ELECTROCUTIONIST unfortunately out of the picture, Breeders’ Cup Turf leader SHIROCCO (GER) moved way up into the Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings, coming from out of the top ten to take the sixth spot. DAVID JUNIOR moved up from sixth to fifth, with the top four unchanged: BERNARDINI, INVASOR (ARG), LAVA MAN, and SUN KING.


In the Turf rankings, a weekend victory by SHIROCCO (GER) over HURRICANE RUN at Longchamp in France, forced a flip-flop of last week’s one-two ranked runners, while the departure of ELECTROCUTIONIST, seventh last week, allowed GO DEPUTY to sneak from out of the top ten to ninth place. And Irish Derby winner DYLAN THOMAS (IRE) scored a narrow victory over OUIJA BOARD (GB) in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown to move up three notches to sixth place. Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor, the owners of DYLAN THOMAS (IRE) --also seventh in the Classic division rankings-- will face a decision on which of the two BC races to send their ace three-year-old to on the first Saturday in November.


Three G1 stakes races run over the weekend at Belmont Park all had Breeders’ Cup implications … the Man O’ War Stakes, the Garden City Breeders’ Cup, and the Gazelle. Turf contender CACIQUE (IRE) moved up two spots to third after posting a two-length victory over GO DEPUTY and SHOWING UP in the Man O’ War. In the Garden City BC, the Todd Pletcher-trained MAGNIFICENT SONG took advantage of the absence of barnmate WAIT A WHILE to beat TAKE THE RIBBON and JADE QUEEN. But, even with the victory, the winner couldn’t crack the top ten in the Filly/Mare Turf rankings, with OUIJA BOARD (GB) and GORELLA (FR) listed one-two. In the Gazelle, PINE ISLAND tallied over TEAMMATE and LAST ROMANCE to move up to fourth in the BC Distaff rankings.


Even though the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile rankings aren’t due out for another week, trainer Richard Mandella served notice that he might have a contender by sending out HORSE GREELEY to win the G2 Del Mar Futurity on closing day at the scenic seaside oval.

The two graded stakes races on closing weekend at Saratoga were supposed to shed some major light on both the Breeders’ Cup CLASSIC and the Breeders’ Cup SPRINT, but they left many more questions unanswered than they did answered!


In the 7F Forego, Tracy Farmer’s COMMENTATOR was favored to make it two straight wins in two starts this year and remain perfect at Saratoga after winning his first two career starts there in 2004 and adding last year’s 9F G1 Whitney to his list of accomplishments as the highlight of a brief three-race campaign in 2005. But COMMENTATOR, breaking from the two-hole, stumbled at the start, brushed slightly with FRIENDLY ISLAND, and had to rush up to avoid being swallowed up by the outside speed horses. COMMENTATOR never had a sniff of the lead, which went to longshot SPANISH CHESTNUT until the eventual winner, Silverleaf Farm’s POMEROY, took charge at the 5/16ths pole and repelled the stretch challenge of WAR FRONT to post the mild surprise. Based on what I saw, the connections of POMEROY definitely deserve to set their sights on Churchill Downs and the BC SPRINT, but –first—they’re likely to move on to the 6F Vosburgh at Belmont Park in early October. And given the bad start by COMMENTATOR, you shouldn’t be surprised to see his connections take one more shot at a BC prep by testing POMEROY again in a month.


If the results of the Forego were surprising, then the results of the 9F G1 Woodward had to be considered SHOCKING! This was a race that was supposed to ratchet up Breeders’ Cup CLASSIC hopes for the likes of SUAVE, SUN KING, FLOWER ALLEY, and even ANDROMEDA’S HERO. But on a difficult, tiring Saratoga surface, none of those four horses acquitted himself well, let alone gave indications that he could be considered a contender in the BC Classic, which will be run in 60 days. The race went to longshot PREMIUM TAP, under veteran jockey Kent Desormeaux, at odds of more than 30-1. SUAVE ran into traffic troubles on the first turn, ‘Mo settled his horse just off the early pacesetter SECOND OF JUNE, made the lead at the top of the lane, put away a that dogged rival late, and easily withstood a mild rally by SUN KING. After the race, Desormeaux commented that his horse, fifth in the G1 Whitney August 5, couldn’t get in any workouts for about a three-week period in late July and early August, but was able to get in solid 4F and 5F drills prior to the Woodward. This race was probably most damaging to the BC hopes of FLOWER ALLEY, the CLASSIC runner-up to the late ST. LIAM last October at Belmont Park. He was off for eight months before winning the sloppy Salvatore Mile at Monmouth Park in June, threw in a clunker (seventh, beaten nine lengths) in the Whitney, and really damaged his BC hopes with a dull and uninspiring effort in the Woodward. The win by PREMIUM TAP, whose tongue dangled out the left side of his mouth the entire race, prompted Hall Of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey –on the ESPN broadcast – to say, “I couldn’t have bet this horse even on the replay!”


With two months left until “the big day” in Louisville, there’s finally some action in the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies divisions to discuss. Michael & Doreen Tabor’s CIRCULAR QUAY, a horse we talked up quite a bit on Thoroughbred Connection prior to his Bashford Manner win at Churchill Downs in July, overcame a slow break to post an impressive victory in Saratoga’s G1 Hopeful on Labor Day. Later in the afternoon, the Bob Baffert-trained filly POINT ASHLEY registered a 2 ½ length victory in the G1 Del Mar Debutante.

He’s only a three-year-old, but Darley Stable’s immensely talented BERNARDINI has moved to the top of the Breeder’s Cup Classic rankings off his 7½ length victory in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Watching the race on ESPN’s extensive coverage of the four major stakes races at The Spa, it was pretty much “game, set, match” shortly after the start of the race, as BERNARDINI and Javier Castellano “inherited” the lead going past the finish line the first time. With potential speedster KIP DEVILLE scratched, no other jockey in the race wanted to set the pace, and it spelled doom for them once BERNARDINI got to the front and set early fractions of :24 and :48. BLUEGRASS CAT made a couple of runs at BERNARDINI during the course of the race, but the winner had plenty of gas left to repel those challenges after being allowed to dictate the pace of the race. No matter what the distance, no matter what the age, no matter what the class, unchallenged speed is almost always a recipe for a wire-to-wire victory!!! Saturday’s race turned out to be the final race in the career of BLUEGRASS CAT. On Sunday, trainer Todd Pletcher announced that BLUEGRASS CAT has sustained a fractured pastern in his right hind leg during the race and would be retired. The homebred son of Storm Cat ran well in two legs of the 2006 Triple Crown, finishing second to BARBARO in the Kentucky Derby and second to JAZIL in The Belmont. As for BERNARDINI, there’s now a strong sentiment that he’s the clear-cut leader for three-year-old honors and that Eclipse Award voters would favor him over BARBARO. Of course, at this point of the year, trainer Tom Albertrani has “bigger fish to fry” and that means running against olders in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 7 at Belmont Park. Interesting thing there is that it will match BERNARDINI against Shadwell Stable’s INVASOR, winner of the Whitney Handicap in early August. Both horses are owned and campaigned by different “divisions” of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates of Dubai.


And, speaking of the Dubai connections, the Travers wasn’t the only race they won at Saratoga last weekend. Zabeel Racing International’s HENNY HUGHES was a romping 5¼ length winner of the 7F King’s Bishop, gaining control at the top of the stretch and extending his margin at will to the wire. According to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, HENNY HUGHES is the best sprinter he’s ever trained. He’ll point the Kentucky-bred son of Hennessy toward the October 7 6F Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park as a final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The win moved HENNY HUGHES to second place in the Sprint rakings, with defending champ, but unlikely ’06 BC starter, SILVER TRAIN holding down the top spot.


Two other victories completed a “grand slam” of sorts for the Dubai connections at Saratoga, as Godolphin Stable’s highly touted DISCREET CAT, running for the first time since winning the UAE Derby in Dubai in March, scored an impressive 7F allowance victory Friday at The Spa to move into 10th place in the BC Classic division rankings. On turf Saturday, Godolphin’s ASHKAL WAY (IRE), under a heady ride by the red-hot Garrett Gomez, took the 9F Bernard Baruch Handicap to register his fourth win in five starts since shipping to New York from Dubai over the Winter.


Out West on Sunday 8/27, Ballygallon Stud’s four-year-old ARAGORN (IRE) scored a fairly easy win in the Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Mile. After 3 straight 1M turf wins, trainer Neil Drysdale looks to have his hands on yet another Breeders’ Cup Mile contender.

Thank you for visiting Thoroughbred Connection's WeBLOG! We will endeavor to keep this BLOG current with news about our radio program and our viewpoints on significant developments and events in thoroughbred racing! And don't forget to listen every Saturday and Sunday morning at 7P/10E to the live broadcast of Trackside Broadcasting's Thoroughbred Connection on the Limelight Networks! Just follow the link from our home page!