Sunday Juveniles at the Spa

Race 2 at Saratoga on Sunday features NY-bred 2-year-old fillies, and imagine my surprise to see Leroy Jolley listed as the trainer of Lady Samuri. The 74-year-old Hall-of-Famer hasn’t started a horse since June 30 of last year, so it’s nice to see him back on the track. While it seems unlikely that he’ll do it, Jolley is only 10 wins away from 1000 career victories. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get one with Lady Samuri—she’s worked very well in advance of this first start, and gets Jose Lezcano aboard. She is very closely related to Le Mi Geaux who was quite precocious, winning last year’s sloppy G3 Schuylerville off a maiden victory at Churchill Downs; Lady Samuri is a half-sister to Le Mi Geaux’s dam, and both are out of First Samurai.

Not that she seems to have a shot-in-hell of winning, but the second dam of Goldie’s Reward (Grand Reward) is the unraced Foolish Pleasure mare Plenty Papaya; George Weaver sends her out with John Velazquez aboard, which is a good combination. Still, think her future lies on turf, but wouldn't she and Lady Samuri make a sentimental exacta?

The likely post-time favorite is Erin Enchanted (Lion Heart) who’s already placed in both her starts (her dam actually won her maiden start at 2), but Shesabronxbomber (Afleet Alex) looks more interesting with trainer Larry Rivelli adding blinkers—her dam’s half-brother Cashel Castle was a dynamic juvenile. Also extremely interested in Tom Bush’s first-time starter Beautiful But Blue (El Corredor), as her dam Beautiful America not only crushed her juvenile maiden, but also went on to win three straight juvenile stakes, including the Maid of the Mist and NY Stallion Fifth Avenue Stakes.

Race 4—a juvenile $50k maiden claiming race over 5.5 furlongs—features the debut of Afleet Bandit (Afleet Alex) for D. Wayne Lukas; he’s a half-brother of Better Talk Now, which most definitely doesn’t scream precocious. Considering he was a $120k Keeneland purchase last September, dropping him first-out for $50k doesn’t bode well for him either. The Michael Hushion entry Moreforyourmoney (Value Plus) does look interesting; both of his half-sisters won first-out, in juvenile maiden claimers, and he looks to be working well in advance of this start.

Flop This

Part of my daily morning routine includes a quick swing through the industry news websites—Bloodhorse, Daily Racing Form, Thoroughbred Times and the Racing Post—usually even before “real” news sites (thus being the nature of a horse racing fan). Each has its own unique spin when it comes to certain topics, which I readily accept as part of the media game of promoting their self-interest, but one of today’s article titles struck me as particularly jingoistic and downright obnoxious. Actually, the article was posted in yesterday’s Racing Post, but late enough that I didn’t catch it until this morning.



“Ascot flop More Than Real back at Saratoga.” Not “Breeders’ Cup Champ” but “Ascot flop.” While factually true—she did finish 11th of 12 starters in the ENG-G1 Coronation Stakes back on June 17 (her own 2011 start)—even Post writer Nicholas Godfrey notes further down in his article “the ground came up unusually testing.” He goes on to say: “In contrast, Winter Memories has posted back-to-back graded-stakes victories this season.”

Now, it’s nothing new that certain writers slant their stories in favor of personal preferences or against connections they don’t like. I get that. To remain a turf writer today one must have a passion for the sport as, god knows, much of the general public doesn’t. So you feed into a niche audience (that includes yourself) and become less objective—it happens. But this particular approach really stuck in my craw this morning. It brings into question the underlying anti-American scorn that Europeans sometimes profess about American racing and, in this case, successful though somewhat tainted trainer Todd Pletcher as a manifestation of our evil ways. Obviously, it’s no better than the similar oblivion we have for racing around the world, but this particular example just struck me as particularly mean-spirited.

Just as a horse here is defined by certain successes—a Derby winner, or a Breeders’ Cup champion—so too Royal Ascot as a meet elicits respect. It’s in our very nature it seems to categorize things in simplistic ways. Thus, as written, this headline seems particularly disrespectful, given that More Than Real wasn’t exactly favored in her Coronation start—she went off at 12-1, far behind 7-2 favorite Together (who finished fifth) and even 6-1 Theyskens’ Theory (who “flopped” behind Awesome Feather, R Heat Lightning, Delightful Mary, Believe in A.P. and Joyful Victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race last year). Sure, "Ascot flop" makes it more relevant to the U.K. audience, but isn't "flop" a little harsh?

My point is, do we really need to be so antagonistic on this sinking ship? Can’t we all just get along?

Day 2 at the Spa

With the promise of oppressive temperatures on Friday, I decided to pass on handicapping the opening day card at Saratoga. In retrospect, I was pleased with the runner-up performance of True Feelings in the G3 Schuylerville—this is definitely a filly to watch out for as the season progresses. Her half-sister Flirtatious (A.P. Indy) produced the champion Wait a While (Maria’s Mon); as her sire Latent Heat is a son of Maria’s Mon, True Feelings is very similarly bred to that Eclipse-winning filly, and definitely worth watching at longer distances.

Saturday at Saratoga features only one juvenile maiden special weight event, for colts going 5.5 furlongs on dirt (race 2). Based upon very sharp workouts and his connections, How Do I Win (Corinthian) looks an obvious choice; his stakes winning dam Silver Crown (Distorted Humor) won her second outing as a juvenile, and has already produced a juvenile winner in Mr. Fuzzybottom (Forest Wildcat). Another first-time starter Covert Ops (Smoke Glacken) also looks promising; Shug McGaughey trained his second dam Inside Information who broke her juvenile maiden first out. This is also the family of dual G2 winner Gone Astray who finished third in a 5.5 furlong dirt Saratoga race exactly three years to the day. With Alex Solis enjoying a Renaissance of sorts these days riding for Shug, I give this Smoke Glacken colt a good chance for a placing at least. However, keep your eye on Mr. Continental (Corinthian) who is a half-brother to the speedy Square Eddie who was a G1 winner at 2. His three-quarter sister Reverently (Pulpit) was stakes-placed on turf as a juvenile (going 8.5 furlongs) so maybe he needs a bit more distance.

Even with only five entrants, the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks looks to be a fantastic contest—when’s the last time we saw a graded-stakes race where all of the starters were already graded stakes winners? I do finding it somewhat amusing that the morning line favorite is the only filly that hasn’t attempted a G1, Royal Delta (Empire Maker). She didn’t contest the typical filly races leading to the Kentucky Oaks, but has already won at the 9-furlong distance, in a similarly small field in the G2 Black Eyed Susan. Her dam was a G3 winner on turf, and her second dam Lyphard’s Delta captured the 10-furlong G2 Nassau Stakes on turf. This is also the family of Italian G1 winner Biondetti, not to mention G1 victress Indy Five Hundred—again, both turf stars. She does seem to love jockey Jose Lezcano, so I’d give her a big shot off the layoff. Sentimentally, I’d love to see the pre-Kentucky Oaks Joyful Victory (Tapit) show up, especially the one who pulled away with ease in the G3 Honeybee. She did seem to get more interested late in the G1 Mother Goose, and the extra distance should help, but honestly, I’d be more happy minus Ramon Dominguez on her—just not thrilled with his rides for Larry Jones’ horses. Plum Pretty should love the return to real dirt, but the distance is a question—she very nearly got run down by St. John’s River in the Kentucky Oaks. It’s Tricky and Buster's Ready should go out with Plum Pretty early, so the early pace could be quite hot, leaving plenty of opportunity for late runners Joyful Victory and Royal Delta to come on late for the win.

Girl Power (Yet Again)

A family function occupied much of my weekend, so I spent Sunday evening catching up on Saturday’s results. Happily, a number of personal favorites won, including St. John’s River who captured the G2 Delaware Oaks. With Jose Lezcano riding for the injured Rosie Napravnik (who will be out two to three months), the filly overcame a dawdling early pace to close with a rush for the win (it must have been prophetic with the track announcer repeatedly calling her “St. John’s Victory” for much of the race). This full-sister to Panty Raid will love the G1 Alabama’s greater distance and, indeed, that’s where she is headed next. Talk about a race worth looking forward to! With Queen’s Plate victress Inglorious already confirmed, as well as G2 Hollywood Oaks winner Zazu and runner-up (not to mention G1 Kentucky Oaks winner) Plum Pretty, everyone should clear their social calendar for August 20 because the action at Saratoga promises to be epic.

While that have been my favorite result, arguably the most impressive Saturday performance was by Sassy Image in the G1 Princess Rooney, coming from dead-last and an impossible distance back to win. Since shortening her up and winning the G1 Humana Distaff, this Dale Romans trainee looks like the best dirt sprinter in America—and, yes, I’m including males. The more I think about it, the more I’m infatuated with Conquistador Cielo in a horse’s damside (he’s the second damsire of Sassy Image). Oh, how I still remember him winning, as a 3-year-old, the G1 Met Mile (against older horses) and the G1 Belmont—less than a week apart! Sassy Image is also related to Maggie Moss’ hard-knocking claimer (and Prairie Meadows track record holder) Apak who is a half-brother to her dam.

Next weekend’s feature will be the G2 Delaware Handicap with Havre de Grace and Blind Luck set for their sixth meeting. Interesting that Havre de Grace totes two more pounds than her rival, but at least she’s on home turf. Apparently, Life at Ten will also start—when she once again loses, will her connections please retire her? 

At his blog EquiSpace, Gene Kershner (one of an ever-growing number of amateur bloggers transitioning to professional writing gigs these days) poses the legitimate question: “which horse is going to step forward and save the thoroughbred racing season?” We’ve had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to carry racing’s story to the masses in recent years, but who will step forward this year? The Triple Crown proved the 3-year-old males are too inconsistent (not to mention slow), and I just can’t get thrilled by the “California Dudes.” 

Personally, I think it is (once again) all about the fillies and mares. Havre de Grace and Blind Luck have developed a rivalry we old-timers like to compare to Affirmed and Alydar, or Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. If both stay healthy—and add into the mix Inglorious and St. John’s River—the Breeders’ Cup Classic (not the “Ladies” version, which rightly should be re-dubbed the Distaff) could be a filly-and-mare race. Sure, it’s highly unlike that their connections will take that route, even though the 10-furlong Classic distance suits each of them much better than the 9-furlong Distaff, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

Age of Enchantment For Sunland Park

For some, the term “racino” brings to mind everything that is wrong with horse racing today: in states where tracks are built merely as an inconvenient necessity to acquiring a gaming license, not much effort is put into maintaining the physical plant or providing fans with top quality racing. Sunland Park in New Mexico seems to be bunking that trend, and certainly over the past years has grown in terms of its importance as a testing ground for 3-year-olds intent on national prominence. For local fans, Sunland Derby Week has become the second biggest event in the El Paso area (only surpassed by the Sun Bowl), with a series of festivities leading up to record attendance and record handle on track.

Dustin Dix, Director of Racing Operations at Sunland Park, graciously agreed to answer some questions I posed to him about the track’s rising prominence on the Triple Crown trail, and future expectations for New Mexico racing.

 

VG: Over the past three years, more Classic winners have emerged out of the G3 Sunland Derby than the Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial combined—a pretty amazing fact considering the history of those races. Congratulations! What factors do you attribute for the rising prominence of the Sunland Derby as a Triple Crown prep race? 

DD:  We have kept our date of the race pretty consistent over the years (the last Sunday in March).  We spend a lot of money maintaining our dirt track, and Sunland has been a very progressive place to work.  We are accredited by the NTRA Safety Alliance; this shows the owners and trainers of Triple Crown candidates that we are serious about the quality and integrity of racing.  We have tweaked the Sunland Derby by changing the distance (at the suggestion of horsemen including Bob Baffert) and by adding more money to the race.  

VG: Certain trainers and owners have gravitated to Sunland as a stop on the Derby and Oaks trail over the past several years—WinStar, Bob Baffert, and George and Lori Hall and their trainer Kelly Breen certainly come to mind. Is there some special connection that draws each of them to Sunland? How do you, as a director of racing, develop interest among owners and trainers to make the trip that seems a little off the beaten path?

DD: In the early years of the WinStar/Sunland Derby, we always took good care of any owner’s or trainer’s needs, and they were treated very well.  Before we were a graded race it was difficult to get high quality horses in the Sunland Derby, but we’d send letters to horsemen who had 3-year-olds with graded earnings telling them about the bonus they would receive if they won the Sunland Derby.  Now that we are graded, trainers must send their best.  Yet, we are always working to improve the exposure of our big race. Florida horses are ones that we are trying to target, but West Coast trainers have been very supportive of our racing program, particularly Bob Baffert who has been a great ambassador for Sunland Park. 

VG: How special was Mine That Bird’s Kentucky Derby success, and what did it mean for Sunland?

DD: A lot of our success for the Sunland Derby can be credited to Mine That Bird, trainer Chip Woolley, and owners Dr. Leonard Blach and Mark Allen.  If they had shipped to Lone Star and run in the Lone Star Derby instead of the Kentucky Derby we probably won’t be talking about the Sunland Derby. The MTB camp had enough guts to run in the Kentucky Derby, and he showed he wasn’t a fluke by his performance in the Preakness and Belmont. Now we have a non-smoking simulcast room that is called the Mine That Bird Room where much of his memorabilia is displayed, and there’s a statue of MTB as you walk into the main entrance.  Last season we had a Chip Woolley bobblehead day as well.

VG: In past years, the Sunland Park Oaks has also produced some outstanding fillies—multiple G1 winners Island Fashion, Tough Tiz’s Sis, and Gabby’s Golden Gal, to name but a few. This year Plum Pretty followed up her dominating Sunland Park Oaks performance with an impressive win in the G1 Kentucky Oaks. Why isn’t this race a graded stakes yet? Do you think Plum Pretty’s win can help propel the race forward like Mine That Bird did the Sunland Derby?

DD: We are disappointed that the Sunland Park Oaks has not been graded.  I went to the graded stakes meeting in Lexington several years ago, and what they are looking for is more depth for the race.  We have had some great fillies win the race, but we need better quality, top to bottom.  There seems to be a lot of 3-year-old filly races around the same time as our race and our purse is only $200,000.  We are trying to pursue sponsorship to increase the purse of the Oaks in hopes of attracting more quality.  

VG: The record-setting New Mexico-bred Peppers Pride certainly generated a lot of excitement with her undefeated 19-race win streak, and brought a much attention to New Mexico racing. How long do you think it will be before we see a New Mexico-bred seriously contest the Kentucky Derby? How has New Mexico breeding and racing been changed by the subsequent success of Sunland-raced horses in recent years?

DD: The overall quality of our racing program has improved dramatically over the past ten years.  Our horsemen go to other states and compete very well—at Remington, Lone Star, and Prairie Meadows to name but a few.   I am not sure if or when a New Mexico bred will seriously contest the Kentucky Derby, but this next season will be my tenth at Sunland Park, and if I had told my boss when I was hired that we would have a horse run here and then go on to win a Breeders’ Cup race (Thor’s Echo), the Kentucky Derby (Mine That Bird), the Kentucky Oaks (Plum Pretty) and the Belmont (Ruler on Ice), I would have been randomly drug tested.  The results of these races show that anything is possible.

We have a great team here at Sunland.  Our owner Stan Fulton, GM Harold Payne and our racing managers are passionate and care about horse racing; we take a lot of pride in the success of Sunland horses.  I like to think Sunland Park is a good blueprint for what a racino should do to improve the racing product.  We spend a lot of money on improvements, and it has had a positive result with the quality of racing, field size, handle, and breeding in New Mexico.

Mine That Bird statue at Sunland Park, courtesy of Sue Bronx

 

Lessons from Independence Day, 1919

With the Great War ending in November 1918—and after the deaths of nearly 117,000 countrymen—Americans had more reason than ever for patriotic celebrations after enduring the horrors of a war they never wanted to enter—and chose to view with regret and an increasing sense of isolationism afterward. Funny how war can make people feel that way—the denial, the false sense of bravado, not to mention the revisionist attitude in how and why one believes what they do before the barbarism of war becomes real. And how quickly we forget the sacrifices made by others, in favor of our own creature comforts.

On that Fourth of July in 1919, tens of thousands of Americans flocked to racetracks, particularly Latonia and Aqueduct, in record numbers, to enjoy the quintessential American pastime despite record high temperatures. Looking back on the races held that day exposes so much about what has changed regarding thoroughbred racing in this country. At that time, less races with larger fields and more stamina-testing route races with true handicap weights drew large enthusiastic crowds—and horse racing was more sport than business. 

At Latonia, the 7-race card featured the ninth running of the Independence Handicap, contested over 1-3/16 mile. The next-to-last day of the 28-day spring meet saw sunny skies and 85 degree temperatures as the first race went to post at 2:15 p.m. As reported by the DRF:

“An epoch was reached in Latonia racing this afternoon when that course was taxed as it never had been taxed before to accommodate an attendance that by far surpassed any former crowd that has witnessed racing over it. An idea can be gleaned as to the immensity of the throng from the fact that programs were out long before the bugle called the horses to the barrier in the initial race, and the management has provided 4,000 more programs than on Derby day.”

The races featured full fields—four had 12 starters each, while the smallest was nine horses (after five pre-race scratches). In addition to the feature race, there was a 6-furlong open claiming race for 3up; a 5 1/2 furlong maiden special weight event for 2-year-old fillies and an identical race for juvenile colts and geldings; a one-mile open allowance race for 3up; a 1-3/16 mile claiming race for 3up colts and geldings only; and a 1-1/2 mile claiming race for 4up.

Notice that other than the juvenile contests only one of the races was a sprint while all the others were a mile and up. Today’s huge 10-12 race cards are often dominated by sprint races, more like tests for quarter horses than thoroughbreds—and when was the last time a claiming race was written on dirt going 12 furlongs? Ideally, you’d like to think condition books are written dominated by sprint races because someone believes that’s all our attention span can handle, but it’s more likely due to the lessening quality of bloodstock due to commercially-popular breeding practices and the quarter-horse mentality introduced to the sport by certain trainers in the past several decades.

Back at Latonia on that 1919 day, a 3-year-old filly named Iwin captured the open allowance race over two 6-year-old veterans, Sands of Pleasure and Bromo—both multiple stakes winners, past and future. How much more interesting would American racing be today if more mixed gender racing occurred not just at the highest levels, but also at the claiming and allowance levels on a daily basis? Instead of contesting open company races among horses clearly matched in abilities especially at the lower levels, we continue to segregate females from male competitors even when the rest of the world has clearly demonstrated it isn’t necessary to do so. Perhaps it makes financial sense to write so many restricted races, but it’s also made the sport so much duller.

It’s also interesting to point out that, as a broodmare, Iwin’s progeny included not only Louisiana Derby winner Boo (Black Toney), but also a Light Brigade colt named Brass Monkey who won 41 races—in 277 starts. In an age when quality horses are lucky to make 15 lifetime starts, what does it say about the state of the sport when history demonstrates to us that horses regularly made over 100 starts and raced at the highest level for years, not just in all-too-brief spurts like today? 

Consider the great Kingston(Spendthrift) who, from age 2 to 10, won 89 of 138 races—and only finished out of the money four times. And he still went on to become a leading sire whose progeny included Belmont Stakes winner Ildrim. No rushing him off to stud in order to make a financial killing—for however brief a period his popularity may be, if his first crops don’t produce the expected early winners that seem to be the sole sign today of breeding “success.” Consider that when the first juveniles appear this year for Hard Spun, Street Sense, Stormello and all those others rushed off to stud in recent years.

In New York on that Fourth of July day, a “sweltering humanity invaded the Aqueduct course” fleeing record-high temperatures in the city that neared 100 degrees, and the crowd was so tightly packed that the New York Times noted the thousands of straw hats “suggested a shiny new ballroom floor of yellow pine”—one in which “a skillful dancer might have fox-trotted from stand to rails on the head coverings.” The New York Tribune observed:

“The biggest crowd out to the races this season and by far the greatest multitude ever gathered at Aqueduct, paid an Independence Day tribute to the thoroughbred sport. This was a most glorious tribute to the American turf, though the racegoers suffered the most unusual inconveniences in order to arrive at the course. Because of the great holiday jam of the hoi polloi to get to the Long Island beaches, the race trains at the Penn Station were thrown away off schedule. The railroad had not the equipment necessary to take care of the unprecedented demand and for a long time all ticket sales were stopped. Thousands upon thousands tried the trolley route while other thousands, lucky enough to have the wherewithal, gladdened the hearts of the taxi companies. Long before the time of the first race the regular parking spaces within the grounds were packed with automobiles so that many of the aristocratic late arrivals had to hoof if in from the main highway, ankle deep in dust.”

Can you imagine such holiday crowds today? They came to see the historic Carter Handicap, run for the 21st time over seven furlongs. While the Harry Payne Whitney entry Dominant—returning off a three-year hiatus—was the heavy favorite, it was Joseph Widener’s 5-year-old French-bred gelding Naturalist who set a new track record (1:23) with his win—all while toting 132 pounds. Interestingly, it wasn’t the highest impost Naturalist had carried—earlier in his career he had wired a sloppy Jamaica 6f contest carrying a whopping 140 pounds. A half-brother to Chiclet, a well-named Spearmint filly that ran second in the 1918 Manhattan Handicap, Naturalist’s second dam was the great sprint mare Correction (for whom the Aqueduct handicap is named).

Handicap races today aren’t what they used to be—or is it just that there are no older horses running worthy of great handicap weights? Look no further than the recently-run G2 Suburban Handicap as a prime example. How very disappointing to see such a venerable race fall out of favor due to the lack of worthy champions, or more precisely, quality older horses that run more than three or four times before the Breeders' Cup races (if they make it that far). It may be mutinous to say so, but in many ways the Breeders' Cup has played a major role in the decline of overall racing quality in America.

So, Happy Fourth of July, fellow racing fans! Let us celebrate today all those things, past and present, that make our country so great, including our great horse racing history.