This Weekend’s Thoroughbred Racing Advance & Last Week’s Roundup
December 13th, 2011By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
The days of 2011 dwindle down to a precious few and so do the major races remaining on the schedule.
The sole graded stakes on this weekend’s slate is the $750,000, Grade I Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park, which attracted a promising field of 13 – three of them from trainer Bob Baffert’s barn.
Sunday, Gulfstream Park offers the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 mile on the grass.
Fair Grounds features three $75,000 stakes on Saturday’s card, including a grass sprint with proven Breeders’ Cup runners.
Baffert’s triple team in the 1 1/16-mile Futurity includes Drill, a Lawyer Ron colt who will try to bounce back from a seventh-place, thoroughly beaten effort in the Nov. 19 Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs; Liaison, a son of recently deceased sire Indian Charlie, who will attempt to become only the second horse to win the Real Quiet Stakes and the Futurity; and Sky Kingdom, an Empire Maker colt who has won a single time from three starts.
The field also includes Rousing Sermon, who was second in the Real Quiet; Majestic City, who won the Grade III Hollywood Juvenile Championship in July; Handsome Mike, coming off a second in the Nov. 21 Generous Stakes; Basmati, a Borrego colt who was second in the Delta Jackpot; and Empire Way, a full brother to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic winner Royal Delta.
The winner’s share almost certainly would be enough to ensure a starting position in next year’s Kentucky Derby.
Saturday’s Fair Grounds card has three interesting races – none more so than the $75,000 Bonapaw Stakes at about 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass. In that event, Country Day, who finished second by 1 1/2 lengths in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, was installed as the 3-1 morning line choice. The competition includes Chamberlain Bridge, who ran eighth in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint but won the 2010 renewal by 1 1/2 lengths. He is the morning-line second choice at 4-1.
The Dania Beach on Sunday in South Florida features Excaper, who finished second to Irish import Wrote in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf – at odds of 33-1. Ten rivals include Finale, who won the Summer Stakes with Excaper second, but finished seventh behind that rival in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Many of the field could be candidates to try the main track if they do well on Sunday and success there could lead to Florida Derby temptation. Excaper’s trainer, Ian Black, summed it up: “We look at this race more as the start of a new season rather than the end of a campaign. I’m pretty sure we’ll eventually try him on dirt at some point. At his age, you pretty much have to find out.”
Even the foreign scene is relatively quiet with the only Group 1 race of note the $1.9 million Asahi Hai Futurity on Sunday at Nakayama. The 1-mile turf event is open to colts and fillies but not geldings. No foreign horses are entered.
THOROUGHBRED RACING ROUNDUP
Sunday’s Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races drew 26 horses from around the world but the stay-at-homes got the best of day.
Under sunny skies and cool temperatures, more than 67,000 people crowded Sha Tin Racecourse to see four Group 1 turf affairs that have become important fixtures near the end of the international racing calendar.
They were rewarded with victories by Hong Kong horses in three of the four events. Only in the longest race, the 2,400-meter Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, did the invaders break through.
In the $1.8 millionVase, it was Dunaden backing up his win in last month’s Melbourne Cup with a stretch-running victory. Local favorite Thumbs Up finished second and it was a dead heat for third and fourth involving Silver Pond and Red Cadeaux, who lost to Dunaden by a short nose in the Melbourne Cup.
Godolphin Racing’s entrant, Campanologist, looked to have a chance in the final 50 yards but the door shut just as he was ready to make a move.
Dunaden, with Craig Williams back in the irons after missing the Flemington Racecourse fixture because of a suspension, got the 2,400 meters over good to firm going in 2:27.50.
The race went according to plan, Williams said.
“When we got the draw No. 3, it made our job easier,” the Australian rider said. “We planned to stay close in a race that figured to be slowly run.”
Dunaden, a 5-year-old, French-bred son of Nicobar, did just that. Staying in the middle of the pack until the second of the right-hand turns, he quickened when asked and won by 1 3/4 lengths.
Winning trainer Mikel Delzangles, asked about plans for the improving stayer, said, “For the long term, nothing’s decided yet. The short term? A holiday.”
Local dominance was nowhere more obvious than in the $1.8 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint. Aided not a little by a bad post position draw for their rivals, Hong Kong horses reclaimed the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint as their own.
The local team had won this race for eight straight years before South Africa’s J J the Jet Plane and Singapore’s Rocket Man ended that skein with a dramatic 1-2 finish last year. But this year, Rocket Man drew the No. 13 stall and another top foreign prospect, British-based Bated Breath, got No. 12. Both shot toward the lead during the short run to the right-handed turn on the Sha Tin grass but neither could maintain the effort.
At the end, it was Lucky Nine charging down the stretch on the outside of three to win by a head. Two other Hong Kong-based horses, Entrapment and Joy and Fun, finished in a dead heat for second and third and yet another, Little Bridge, got home fourth.
Bated Breath finished eighth and Rocket Man a tired 12th.
Lucky Nine, an Irish-bred, 4-year-old Dubawi gelding, ran the 1,200 meters on good to firm going in 1:08.98 with Brett Prebble up.
Asked if the draw forced the invaders into a suicidal sprint to the lead, Prebble said, “Speed was always going to be on because of the awkward draw. I had to cover a little more ground than I’d have preferred but he’s all heart. This horse never shirks a task.”
Winning trainer Caspar Fownes, who also gave Prebble a leg up on second-place finisher Thumbs Up in Sunday’s Hong Kong Vase, said he has international aspirations for both.
“We’ll look at some races, maybe in Dubai,” he said of Thumbs Up. “The same for this horse (Lucky Nine). We can stretch him out, maybe to a mile.”
The outcome of the $2.6 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile was another win for the local team – and a surprise, to boot, as Able One, scratched at the gate as the favorite before last year’s Hong Kong Mile, came back this year to win the race as a major longshot.
The Hong Kong-based horse, trained by John Moore, is now 9 years old and a local hero, but still went to the post at odds of better than 60-1 off a long series of misfires in the past year. After the race, his owner, trainer and jockey all said the win was a surprise.
The Mile developed as a waiting game for him and jockey Jeff Lloyd as Flying Blue shot out to a big lead on a quick pace. Lloyd kept Able One right along the fence, racing second behind the leader until the latter tired on the turn. At that point, Able One took over and held on bravely through the stretch.
At the line, the New Zealand-bred Cape Cross gelding was a neck better than British-based Cityscape and another short head in front of another Hong Kong runner, Xtension. Dubawi Gold was fourth.
“The race just really set up well,” said Lloyd. “I was surprised how easily he was traveling.”
Once he got by Flying Blue, he said, “He was going to place. But it was a great surprise to win. I was saying, ‘Don’t think you’re on Able One.'”
Moore said the outcome “was a very big surprise. He was supposed to be a pacemaker. When you see a 9-year-old doing that, there’s always hope.”
Moore said he expects this will be Able One’s final season after a career beset by five stress fractures. But, he said, “If we were asked, we might go overseas. Dubai would be the right place to go.”
The final fixture of the day, the $2.6 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup, proved a showcase for California Memory, who stormed through along the rail in the final yards to win by 1 length. Irian, ranging up along the outside, took second to complete a 1-2 sweep for Hong Kong runners. German-based Zazu, who raced right behind the slow early pace, held on for third and last year’s Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Ambitious Dragon, got home fourth.
California Memory, a gray, 5-year-old Highest Honor gelding, finished 2,000 meters in a slow 2:04.57 with Matthew Chadwick in the irons.
The win was a bit of a turnabout for California Memory, who finished second to Ambitious Dragon last spring the Group 1 Audemars Piguet QE II Cup over the same course and distance. He then wrapped up last season with a rather dismal eighth-place finish in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji Racecourse.
He finished first and then fourth in two early-season preps for this race with trainer Tony Cruz mapping the campaign.
“We had a game plan” for Sunday’s race, Chadwick said. “At the end of the day, we were lucky and able to get through. At the 100 (meters), I just needed a gap to get through and win.”
Cruz said the Cup “is the race to win” for a Hong Kong trainer but added, “I’m sure we’re expecting bigger things to come. We stick to the local races, the Dubai races, the Singapore races.”
In other weekend racing:
Juveniles
Ted’s Folly rallied from last of 12 in Saturday’s $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile at Remington Park, then outfinished Reckless Jerry to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The early leader, Pee H Dee, finished third and the favorite, Basalt, got home sixth. Ted’s Folly, an Oklahoma-bred Wild Tale gelding out of the Sword Dance mare Tricksword, ran the 1 mile on a fast track in 1:38.90 with Jose Medina up.
Russian Greek trailed the field early in Saturday’s $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields, dropped to the rail for the stretch drive and surged quickly to the lead. Under urging from jockey Inoel Beato, Russian Greek just got the job done, nipping Marshall Marini in the final strides to win by a neck. The early leader, Blacky the Bull, finished third. The winner, a Kentucky-bred colt by Giant’s Causeway out of the Grindstone mare Giant’s Causeway, ran the 1 mile on the all-weather track in 1:39.18. He is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
Angelofdistinction rallied five-wide to the lead in Saturday’s $75,000 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, survived some bumping and was up at the end to post an upset win by a head over Wildcat Creek and another neck over Dangerous Trick. The favorite, Luke of York, was gaining late but settled for fourth. Angelofdistinction, a Florida-bred With Distinction gelding out of the Wild Wonder mare God’s Wild Angel, ran the 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.49 with Pablo Morales in the irons.
Real Power powered his way from last of nine to win Saturday’s $100,000 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity for state-breds at Hawthorne Race Course by 1 length. Yankee Dealer stayed close to the lead and took second with a late move while the favorite, Twelve Hundred, faded from the lead and settled for third. Real Power, a Powerscourt gelding out of the Unreal Zeal mare Real Deal, got the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:47.40 with Florent Geroux in the irons. The race is named for the respected former Illinois governor, who also is a major owner/breeder.
Hammers Terror raced his way into Louisiana Derby contention with a victory in Thursday’s feature at Fair Grounds. With James Graham up, the Kentucky-bred Artie Schiller colt pressed the pace, quickly and handily drew off early in the stretch run and won by 2 3/4 lengths in hand ride, remaining undefeated in three starts. He ran 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:44.72. Trainer Mike Stidham said Hammers Terror will target the Grade III Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 21 – Road to the Derby Kickoff Day.
Juvenile Fillies
In Japan, Joie de Vivre, a half-sister to 2008 Champion and subsequent multiple G1 winner, Buena Vista, scored her first Group 1 win Sunday in the $1.6 million Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. Starting from an outside gate, Joie de Vivre raced in the middle of the field until the top of the lane, when jockey Yuichi Fukunaga got her to the outside for running room. She responded immediately, covered the last furlong in 34.1 seconds and won by 2 1/2 lengths over Sound of Heart. The favorite, I’m Yours, settled for third. Joie de Vivre finished the race in 1:34.9 — 0.3 seconds faster than her sister did in 2008.
Killer Graces upset Saturday’s $400,000, Grade I Hollywood Starlet, challenging three-wide into the stretch run and finally getting the best of Charm the Maker by 1/2 length. Lady Pecan led through the early fractions and held on for third while odds-on favorite Weemissfrankie finished fourth after stumbling at the start. Killer Graces, a Kentucky-bred Congaree filly out of the Old Trieste mare Heatherdoesntbluff, ran the 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather track in 1:44.09. Joe Talamo had the ride for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. She has three wins and three seconds from eight starts.
“Truthfully, I don’t have anything in mind for her,” Hollendorfer said. “We were kind of shooting for this race. I haven’t really thought about anything else yet. There will be plenty of races to look at.”
Rafael Bejarano, who rode Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Weemissfrankie, said after the bad start, “All I could do from there was to try to stay on the rail. She tried to get out really bad on the first turn. It was just too much for her to do. She finished up really well.”
Gulfstream Park
Pomeroy’s Pistol got by Pica Slew in the stretch run in Saturday’s $100,000, Grade III Sugar Swirl Stakes for fillies and mares and drew clear, winning by 2 lengths over that rival. Strike the Moon finished third. Pomeroy’s Pistol, coming off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, ran the 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.35 with Javier Castellano in the irons.
News and Notes
Rapid Redux, winner of 20 straight races, will try to tie Citation’s record of 19 wins in a single season when he starts Tuesday in a $17,000 starter allowance. Citation set the modern U.S. record in 1948, when his 19 wins included the Triple Crown. Rapid Redux has won all 18 of his starts this year. If he makes it 19, owner Robert Cole said he might still have more in store. “Citation is one of the all-time greats,” he said this week. “Just to be mentioned in the same sentence is unbelievable. The Citation record has stood for more than 60 years so I would like to get a part of that and possibly break it before the end of the month. That record might be more impressive, not that the consecutive record isn’t, because how a horse can win 19 races in one calendar year is like going to another galaxy on a space ship. It is beyond imagination.”
Patrick Valenzuela, whose riding career has had more ups and downs than a carousel horse, has announced his retirement at age 49 after 33 years of competition. Valenzuela has won many of the top American races but has been dogged by substance abuse problems and suspensions. He said his decision to retire was related to recent gall bladder surgery and the realization that his health suffers through continuous efforts to make weight. His mounts earned $163,893,554, ranking him 19th all-time, according to figures from Equibase.
