UPI Horse Racing Roundup – October 12, 2015
October 12th, 2015By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
Her Emmynency, Ageless and Messi won the big turf races that highlighted the weekend racing agenda.
Otherwise, it was rather quiet as the sport awaits British Champions Day this weekend and Breeders’ Cup three weeks down the road.
There was some graded stakes action in Australia.
It was nothing but bad news on the Sprint front.
It’s short, if not sweet:
Turf
Messi came from last of nine to win Saturday’s $200,000, Grade III Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park by a nose, nipping the pacesetter, Cage Fighter, in the final jump. Mr Speaker was only 1/2 length farther back in third while the favorite, War Dancer, faded to get home seventh. Messi, a 5-year-old German-bred gelding by New Approach, ran 9 furlongs on firm turf in 1:49.70 with John Velazquez in the irons for trainer Graham Motion. Messi won his first two starts in the United States, then finished seventh in the Grade I Sword Dancer after a messy start. In Saturday’s race, Velazquez said he had to put on the brakes at the half-mile pole, costing momentum.
“Once he got going — at the quarter-mile pole — it took him a little bit to get going, but once he switched down the lane I thought he was going to get there,” Velazquez said. “It was little by little but he had a nice kick coming home.”
Filly & Mare Turf
Her Emmynency took the lead entering the stretch turn in Saturday’s $500,000, Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, held off a late bid by Miss Temple City by a diminishing head and then survived a claim of foul for shutting off that rival early in the stretch run. Miss Temple City’s connections said Florent Geroux, aboard Her Emmynency, came in and impeded their filly. Jockey Drayden Van Dyke, in fact, took up briefly when he unable to get through along the rail. However, the stewards ruled Van Dyke was going to an opening that already had closed and let the result stand. Her Emmynency, in from California for the race, ran 9 furlongs on firm turf in 1:48.84. She was second in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks in her previous race.
“She had two really tough defeats in Grade I’s previously,” said winning trainer Mike Stidham, “so this was well deserved for her.”
The favorite, Sentiero Italia, finished third in the QE II.
Classic and Turf
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships re-validate the claim of their name this year, likely featuring the world’s two top-rated horses, U.S. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Golden Horn. Sadly, they won’t be facing each other. Golden Horn, despite his victory in the Arc last weekend, remains rated a single pound shy of American Pharoah in the Longines “World Best Racehorse” calculations. The latest standings, out this week, keep American Pharoah at 131 as he prepares to wrap up his career in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Hallowe’en at Keeneland. All signs point to Golden Horn also making his career valedictory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on the same card, aiming to improve his 130 rating. If he does, he could face off again with Flintshire, who has been second twice in the Arc and also ran second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf. Flintshire currently is ranked at the top older horse in Europe in the Cartier Horse of the Year standings.
Turf Sprint
Ageless was just up in the final jumps to capture Friday’s $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland, beating the odds-on favorite, Lady Shipman, by a head. Free as a Bird was up for third. Ageless, a 6-year-old daughter of Successful Appeal, ran 5 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:03.66 with Julien Leparoux in the irons. She won for the third time in her last four starts and snapped Lady Shipman’s four-race winning streak.
“She likes Keeneland,” said winning trainer Arnaud Delacour. “We kept her fresh for this race and it worked out.” Asked about plans, he said, “One race at a time. See how she comes back.”
She was vanned off after the race with a cut on one leg.
Sprint
The news is all bad on this front, as the Sprint lost two of its prospective favorites. Rock Fall, winner of seven straight races including the Grade I A.G. Vanderbilt and the Grade I Vosburgh, broke down just past the wire after a Saturday morning workout at Keeneland and was euthanized. Earlier in the week, Midwest Thoroughbreds announced the retirement of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, Work All Week, with an injury suffered during his last start. That injury is not life-threatening.
Juvenile Turf
Dressed in Hermes edged by I’malreadythere in the final yards to take Saturday’s $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita by 1/2 length. Bully Pulpit finished third. Dressed in Hermes, a Hat Trick gelding, ran 1 mile on firm going in 1:35.76 under Gary Stevens.
Conquest Enforcer kicked away in the stretch run of Sunday’s $250,000 (Canadian) Cup and Saucer Stakes for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds at Woodbine, winning by 6 3/4 lengths over Butterfly Dance. Shakhimat finished third. Conquest Enforcer, an Into Mischief colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on good turf in 1:43.17 with Patrick Husbands in the irons.
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Stays in Vegas rallied to the lead with a sixteenth to run in Saturday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita and kicked away to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Lucky Folie finished second but was set down to third behind Mirage. Stays in Vegas, a City Zip filly, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:35.23 with Alex Solis up.
Juvenile Fillies
Surfside Tiara got the lead late in Sunday’s $70,000 Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita and went on to win by 1/2 length over Uptown Twirl. Find Joy was third, 6 1/2 lengths farther back, and the favorite, Miss Big Stuff, faded to finish fourth. Surfside Tiara, a Scat Daddy filly, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.84 with Rafael Bejarano up for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.
International
Northlands Park
Can’t Use Nellie ran by pacesetting favorite Hero’s Amor in the closing strides of Saturday’s $50,000 (Canadian) Duchess of York Handicap and won by 3/4 length over that one. Truvi finished third. Can’t Use Nellie, a 4-year-old Mineshaft filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.96 with Ismael Mosqueira up.
Australia
Alpha Miss and extreme long shot Cashed both outfinished one-time sprint sensation Lankan Rupee in Saturday’s Group 2 Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield, casting doubt on Lankan Rupee’s future at the highest level in Australia. Trainer Mick Price said his star simply was unable to produce the late kick that had led him to the highest level in past campaigns and “alarm bells are ringing.” Alpha Miss had not won for more than a year and a half previous to Saturday’s race and Cashed had been competing well down the class ladder. The Mankato Stakes and the Darley Classic remain open targets on the Australian spring sprint calendar.
On the same card, Criterion’s return to Australia was a resounding success as the 5-year-old prevailed by 1/2 length in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes, beating Happy Trails with Mongolian Khan third. The favorite, Kermadec, was not embarrassed in fourth but the Godolphin runner, Contributor, failed to contribute to a recent run of success for Sheik Mohammed’s crew with another disappointing run to a fifth-place finish. The globe-trotting Criterion, second to Fawkner in this race last year, since has been third in two of Hong Kong’s international Group 1 races but was unplaced this summer in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York.
Also Saturday at Caulfield, Lucky Hussler defeated 16 rivals in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at 1,600 meters; Stay With Me was home first in the Group 1 Schwepps Thousand Guineas; and Press Statement was a convincing winner in the BECK Caulfield Guineas.
