Weekend Recap: The Jim Dandy & Haskell

As the dust from the Triple Crown trail settles, we look to see who can hold form and who can improve, possibly landing himself on the ballot for Eclipse champion three-year-old colt.

Palace Malice before the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April, in which he finished 2nd.

The 1-1/8 mile Jim Dandy Stakes (Gr. II) at Saratoga had a field of Triple Crown warriors, as well as a few that bypassed that brouhaha altogether. The latter included Code West, who had won the Matt Winn (Gr. III) at Churchill Downs on June 15. Palace Malice proved that his win in the Belmont Stakes was no fluke and took the Jim Dandy under a strong hand ride from Mike Smith. Per trainer Todd Pletcher, he will be pointed towards the Travers Stakes (Gr. I) at Saratoga on August 24.

Code West before the Matt Winn at Churchill Downs in June.

Also run at 1-1/8 miles, the Haskell Invitational Stakes (Gr. I) at Monmouth Park had shaped up to be the race of the weekend. Also featuring several Triple Crown warriors, the field included Preakness Stakes (Gr. I) winner Oxbow, Verrazano (winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes (Gr. I)), Vyjack (winner of the Gotham Stakes (Gr. III)), and Golden Soul (2nd in the Kentucky Derby (Gr. I)).

Verrazano had finished a disappointing 14th in the Kentucky Derby after chasing the suicidal pace set by Palace Malice. He returned to the races June 16 in the Pegasus Stakes (Gr. III) at Monmouth Park, facing Itsmyluckyday (2nd in the Florida Derby (Gr. I) and Preakness Stakes). A contest between the two horses never manifested, as Verrazano cheerfully seized the lead and ran away to a 9-1/4 length win. Itsmyluckyday was pulled up on the backstretch and later diagnosed with a pelvic fracture.

As I've liked both Verrazano and Oxbow since their debuts, I wasn't sure who I wanted to win the Haskell. Oxbow is as tough as they come, but when Verrazano is good, he is very, very good, and nothing less than a runaway train can stop him.

As he had in the Preakness Stakes, Gary Stevens guided Oxbow to the lead as Verrazano settled into a stalking position behind him. The veteran jockey is a master on the lead, but would it be enough? I carefully watched Verrazano and noted his loose ears and clean, free stride. Then I saw it--his rider, John Velazquez, glancing under his arm. He had a lot of horse and was waiting for the right moment to let Verrazano go!

At the half-mile mark, Stevens glanced over at Velazquez as Verrazano pulled alongside Oxbow. Power Broker, Rosie Napravnik up, then made his bid for the lead. It was happening! My husband grabbed my arm as Velazquez told Verrazano, "Go." The big dark bay colt moved forward smooth as silk and goosebumps rolled over my skin. His ears relaxed in the wind, Verrazano moved to a comfortable lead then, under urging from Velazquez, opened up a greater lead with no discernable effort, winning by a record 9-3/4 lengths.

As of today, he's officially earned a 116 Beyer for the race, and trainer Todd Pletcher says Verrazano will also point towards the Travers Stakes, which is very exciting. Unfortunately, Oxbow suffered an ankle injury in the Haskell and will be sidelined for an undetermined time. I hope to see him return to the races later in the fall.

You can watch Verrazano's performance in the Haskell Stakes here or below.

Weekend Recap: Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Oaks, Santa Anita Derby

Here's a brief weekend recap. The Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby highlighted the weekend.

Verrazano, who I have been following since his debut on New Year's Day, was the co-favorite with Gotham Stakes (Gr. III) winner Vyjack in Saturday's Wood Memorial Stakes (Gr. I). This race was to be Verrazano's first real test since winning the Tampa Bay Derby (Gr. II) on March 9.

After his rank behavior over the first turn of the Tampa Bay Derby, I was wondering if we would see more of the same on Saturday. Actually, quite the opposite--in fact, Verrazano almost seemed half-asleep at times, despite stalking the pace then taking the lead before the final turn. His ears were up and he seemed to be looking around at certain points, but compared to the Tampa Bay Derby, he almost appeared sluggish. Nevertheless, he had enough in the tank to easily win the Wood Memorial with nothing more than a hand ride and three hits with the stick. You can watch the race here.

I later read trainer Todd Pletcher's comments about Verrazano having a tendency to "idle a little bit and wait on company down the lane" which will explain his behavior in the race. You can read the Blood-Horse article on the race here. The colt still being somewhat green isn't the best way to go into the Kentucky Derby, but Verrazano's connections have no choice--Churchill Downs is the next stop for the colt.

Santa Anita Park had two excellent races on the card for Saturday--the Santa Anita Oaks (Gr. I) and Santa Anita Derby (Gr. I). The Oaks was won easily by the champion 2-year-old filly, Beholder. She will possibly meet Dreaming of Julia (who earned a 114 Beyer in the Gulfstream Oaks (Gr. I) last weekend), Midnight Lucky, Flashy Gray, Princess of Sylmar, and other good fillies in the Kentucky Oaks (Gr. I) at Churchill Downs next. It is shaping up to be a top-notch field.

The Santa Anita Derby was won by Goldencents, who lost the San Felipe Stakes (Gr. II) March 9 after locking horns with Flashback in the early stages of the race. This time, he relaxed nicely and was able to win without being pressured. Like Verrazano, the Kentucky Derby is his next stop.

Weekend Recap: The highs and lows of racing

This weekend recap will encompass two weekends. Last weekend was particularly noteworthy, but as Limerick's colic still besieged my thoughts, I was not yet up to writing a weekend recap at that time.

Here are my two favorite performances of last weekend. March 2 was overall an excellent day of racing.

Tom Fool (Gr. III)  "Best effort of 2013!" Unlike the Santa Anita Handicap, on this day the Tom Fool wasn't a race I was eagerly looking forward to. But it would become the most gutsy race I'd seen so far in 2013. A gelding of the 2008 foal crop, Comma to the Top is one of those consistent racehorses that you can't help but enjoy watching. He puts his share of work in, but is usually not one to dazzle. He broke his own mold on Saturday, March 2.

Making his second start in a week, he led the Tom Fool field through respectable fractions of :22.92 and :46.29. Halfway down the stretch, he was swarmed by a wall of horses from behind and appeared beaten. The gray Head Heart Hoof challenged for the lead and Comma to the Top stubbornly hung on. But then Saturday's Charm came flying down on the outside of Head Heart Hoof and for the second time in the race, I was certain Comma to the Top was beaten. After all, horses don't usually see outside late closers in a situation like this. Saturday's Charm seized the lead but Comma to the Top wasn't finished. With a few short strides to the wire, he battled back valiantly and, unbelievably, thrust his nose in front. The race left me breathless and I immediately texted my husband, who was at work, "Wow, you gotta see the Tom Fool replay. I've rarely seen a more gritty performance!" The 2013 Tom Fool is one of those races that you file away in the memory banks within easy reach, and reference time and time again as the years go by. Click here for a can't-miss race video.

Santa Anita Handicap (Gr. I)  Winner of the 'Big Cap' in 2011, Game On Dude skipped Santa Anita Park for Meydan Racecourse and a try in the Dubai World Cup last year. Ron the Greek, another favorite of mine, won the Big Cap instead and this year, both horses came together in an old fashioned East versus West duel for a second Santa Anita Handicap title.

But the race was won within the first furlong after Game on Dude made a decisive, strong move from the 9 post to the rail and took control of the pace. Game on Dude does his best work freewheeling in the lead and I knew he was very dangerous in this position. Ron the Greek has a strong closing kick, but would it be enough? When it became clear that Game on Dude was running fractions a hair under 12 seconds per furlong, I knew that barring horrid racing luck, he had his second Big Cap in the bag. Cruising away under a hand ride by Mike Smith, he coasted to a 7-plus length win.

It seems that the six-year-old Game on Dude is improved this year--whether it's due to the recent rider change (to Mike Smith from Smith's ex, Chantal Sutherland) or the blooming maturity that Game on Dude's sire, Awesome Again, seems to lend his get, I can't tell you. But he is certainly a horse to watch this year, and as a gelding he will be on the racetrack for as long as his soundness and competitive drive exist.

It's Me Mom at Saratoga before the 2012 Honorable Miss

On March 9, the first race of interest to me was the Lambholm Handicap, a six furlong sprint for fillies and mares at Tampa Bay Downs. It was the first race in six months for It's Me Mom.

It's Me Mom first caught my eye on the cover of the Friday, August 3, 2012 edition of the Daily Racing Form. "It's Me Mom Can Outrun Honrable Miss Field, Page 3" then "Speed of Speed" stated the text below her image. I had somehow never before heard of her, but she would become one of those horses that I couldn't resist following. Perhaps it was the odd nostalgia her name evoked. Maybe it was because we had visited the grave of the speediest of all fillies, Ruffian, the day before, and my mind couldn't help but make a connection. Whatever it was, I ended up taking many photos of her in the Saratoga paddock that sunny August afternoon.

That day, she finished next to last after leading the Honorable Miss field along in a blistering :21.14 and :43.78. She was dynamite. She also led the early furlongs in her next race, the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, but was beaten by 2012 champion sprinter Groupie Doll and two others.

And in the Handicap race on Saturday--her first in six months--she finished last. The chart footnotes say it best: IT'S ME MOM was fractious in the gate prior to the start, broke slowly, rushed to the lead inside but was empty after five furlongs. The opening fractions, established by It's Me Mom, were :22.60 and :45.88. I now realize, after reading the charts of her 2012 races and watching the recent ones, that she is indeed dynamite, but her speed has a fickle fuse. She often wins if she can establish a comfortable, clear lead early with no interference, but that's not always do-able in a sprint race.

It's Me Mom at Saratoga

The Tampa Bay Derby (Gr. II) on March 9 was my top race interest for this past weekend. My preliminary Kentucky Derby pick, the undefeated Verrazano, had won impressively in an allowance race on February 3. The Tampa Bay Derby was his first stakes try. Over the unforgiving track, Verrazano stumbled at the start (it was later reported he cut himself then) but recovered rapidly and pulled jockey John Velazquez around the first turn. I groaned inwardly at this rank behavior and hoped his class could overcome it and the lousy start. He settled down nicely over the backstretch and went into cruise control before they hit the final turn. He lengthened his lead and won comfortably, with gas in the tank.

Verrazano will be pointed towards a 1-1/8 mile race next, possibly the Florida Derby or Wood Memorial. I am looking forward to it!

The Gulfstream Park Handicap (Gr. II) was to be the 2013 debut for 2012 Breeder's Cup Classic winner Fort Larned. Unfortunately, he stumbled badly at the start and lost his rider. But in an interesting turn, he didn't stop there. He bolted past eventual winner Discreet Dancer and the rest of the field and continued down the track, "winning" Secretariat-style by 1/16 of a mile. It was later reported that he grabbed a quarter during his dash around the track but was otherwise unharmed. Clearly, he would have won the race if he had kept his jockey!

A top-class horse losing his or her rider during a race is down there with some of the worst racing luck one can have. Fortunately, no one was harmed and Fort Larned may have benefited from this "workout". Time will tell.

The San Felipe Stakes (Gr. II) was hotly touted as a duel between bright Kentucky Derby prospects Flashback and Goldencents. And duel they did. They locked horns late in the first turn and remained this way until they were in the stretch. Flashback appeared the victor but was overtaken late by a bright chestnut Ghostzapper gelding named Hear the Ghost. Ghostzapper is a favorite stallion of both my husband and I, so we hope this guy continues down the Derby trail.

Weekend Recap

The big race of the weekend was not the Donn, but an earlier stakes on the same card: the Kitten's Joy Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. It was the first race of the year for 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, and his last in this country before heading to Dubai for the World Cup. He will not return to the United States--the remainder of his international life has been mapped out with a stop at Ascot Racecourse in England before taking up stud duty in Australia. I will confess that I've never hopped on the Animal Kingdom bandwagon. Instead, I liked Point of Entry for the Kitten's Joy. A Phipps Stable homebred, the son of Dynaformer and grandson of Seeking the Gold has a pedigree strong with two of my favorite stallions. Something of a late bloomer, the 5-year-old Point of Entry has been racking up the wins in recent months, including the Man o' War, Sword Dancer, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and a good second to Little Mike in the Breeder's Cup Turf.

Dynaformer, sire of Point of Entry, in 2008. Died 2012

Seeking the Gold, damsire of Point of Entry, in 2008.

 After a slow first half of :50.52, Animal Kingdom made a huge move to the lead; I sensed that jockey Joel Rosario realized how slow the pacesetters were going and had a mild panic. He passed Point of Entry, who had been stalking the lead to the outside. Point of Entry then responded and rallied back while going three wide on the turn for home. Animal Kingdom had the shorter route to the inside but was unable to hold off Point of Entry's strong stretch drive. It was a thrilling race! I later read that many people think Rosario's early move cost Animal Kingdom the race. But I disagree; I think he was simply outrun by a more classy turf horse.

Other personal racing highlights of Saturday include Fort Loudon's win in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship and watching Gary Stevens nab his first stakes win since 2005 atop Slim Shady, who wired the San Marcos at Santa Anita. Gary won his second stakes on Sunday but I missed seeing it live, unfortunately. Arlington Park regular Romacaca raced in the Suwannee for fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park on Saturday but did not finish well in a closely-contested race.

This is one weekend too late, but Verrazano's win on February 3rd is noteworthy. He won his first race in a 6.5 furlong MSW on January 1st and I immediately added the colt to my list of Kentucky Derby prospects. His most recent win in a two-turn allowance race was impressive, to say the least--he handily blew away the field by over a dozen lengths and earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance, the highest of any three-year-old colt to date this year. He's certainly cemented his spot on my list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls!



By More Than Ready (whom I saw race in the 2000 Kentucky Derby, the only Derby I've attended in person) and out of the Giant's Causeway mare Enchanted Rock (also the dam of 2012 Kentucky Derby hopeful El Padrino), whether Verrazano has the pedigree for the Derby's 10 furlongs is questionable. But he just might have the class to overcome his genetics.

In other news, Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud's 100th birthday was on Saturday. Few have done more for the sport of Thoroughbred racing than Nerud. He is best known as the trainer of Dr. Fager, one of the more brilliant horses of the 20th century. The speedy colt was named for Dr. Charles Fager, the surgeon that saved Nerud's life after a bad fall from his pony caused a grave head injury. Nerud also played a hand in breeding and training various champion Tartan Farm runners and descendants, including Dr. Fager's half sister Ta Wee, Rough N' Tumble, Minnesota Mac, Intentionally, In Reality, Fappiano, Unbridled and Cozzene. Nerud is also one of the founding members of the Breeder's Cup World Championships. More information on Nerud and his life can be found on a newly-created website for his 100th birthday: http://www.johnnerud.com/

Lastly, one of the most popular off-track Thoroughbreds on Facebook, Blue Blue Sea, passed away on Saturday. I first learned of his story when I was scrambling to raise funds for Oil Money's Dream last spring. There were many parallels between Limerick and Blue Blue Sea. Blue's owner even followed and helped rescue a half-brother of Blue, which reflected what I was trying to do for Oil Money's Dream, who is related to Limerick. You can read more about Blue Blue Sea and his half-brother Gran Huracan here and here. Rest in peace, Blue Blue Sea.