Catching Up With Old Friends

Besides the G3 PID Masters Stakes won in near-track record time by Informed Decision, it was an amazingly slow Saturday in racing—undoubtedly an inevitable lull following boutique meets at Saratoga and Del Mar. So, how about revisiting some old friends from the 2007 Triple Crown trail?

Two years removed from his last graded-stakes placing (second in the 2007 G3 Calder Derby) and his 4th place finish behind Street Sense in the G1 Kentucky Derby, 5-year-old Imawildandcrazyguy recorded his 5th lifetime win in his 41st start on Saturday, taking an 8.5f allowance race taken off the turf and run on a sloppy track at Calder (race 8). In his typical fashion, he came from well off the pace with a big late run, and nosed out Colonial Causeway. The victory brought his lifetime earnings up to $626,745.

Off his G1 Blue Grass victory, Dominican looked promising, but could only muster an 11th place finish in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. In Saturday’s 12 furlong G3 Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes, Dominican repeated last year’s third-place finish, this time behind Nite Light and the once-much-hyped Alaazo.

Another horse once on the 2007 Triple Crown trail, Officer Rocket—second to Curlin in the G3 Rebel—is now toiling in the claiming ranks at Woodbine, finishing 6th of nine in Saturday’s seventh race, running for $37,500 tag.

On several occasions I’ve written about Love Dubai, beginning in April 2007 after his last place finish in the G2 Illinois Derby and before another last place finish in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes, through a fifth-place finish in the G3 Colonial Turf Cup and a host of other overly-ambitious races, before dropping down into $5k claiming races last year. In 2009, he’s been running at Turfway, Presque Isle and Mountaineer, finding success when running over 12 furlongs—yes, that wasn’t a typo. This past Monday, the 5-year-old ran at Mountaineer in a 16 furlong (2 miles) race taking off the turf—and won by a length, his 3rd win this year and 7th in 31 races, with total earnings of $120,677.

Another progeny of E Dubai about whom I previously wrote (when she broke her maiden on her 26th attempt), Smoochie Hoochie, has been unable to maintain her momentum since that victory. Staying on turf, she finished fourth next out ($5k n2L claimer), and then dead last of eleven when ambitiously placed at Laurel in a $26k n1x allowance race. During the brief Timonium meet, she finished second in a $5k n2L claimer on dirt, but was disqualified to fifth (last). On Saturday, at Laurel in an 8f dirt $5k n2L claimer, Smoochie Hoochie was done after 4 furlongs, coming in last of seven.

Finally, on a positive note, my favorite Alberta-champion mare Tanika added another stakes win to her resume, taking the Matron Stakes at Assiniboia by nearly 4 lengths on Friday evening.