It was quite a weekend in the sport of Horse Racing, both for me and in the results themselves. It?s been a while, but I was correct in picking the winners of both highlighted races as Union Rags blew away the competition in the 2011 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and Gio Ponti came from behind in deep stretch to capture the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland.
Before I get into those races, let?s take a look around the country at some other major races. Going back to last Friday at Keeneland, 12-1 shot Hoofit won the $175,000 Phoenix Stakes by a nose over Aikenite with 8/5 favorite and the speedy Flashpoint coming in fourth.
The following race was the $400,000 Alcibides for two year old fillies (a race I said I wouldn?t touch with a ten foot pole and I?m glad I didn?t) with 10-1 shot Stephanie?s Kitten coming from ninth position early to win by 1 ? lengths. 2-1 favorite and previously unbeaten Canadian shipper Tu Endie Wei could do no better then seventh.
Over at Belmont Park in the $300,000 Frizette Stakes, My Miss Aurelia defeated Stopshoppingmaria (for the second time) as she rolled to an easy 5 1/2-length win. The win will probably make the daughter of Smart Strike one of the favorites for next month?s Breeders Cup Two Year Old Filly race.
Her performance was definitely an attention grabber as was jockey Corey Nakataki?s comment after the race when he said: ?She actually would have gone faster if I let her; I was just trying to get her comfortable at a high cruising speed, knowing what her abilities are and what she can do when you ask her to go,? said Nakatani, who also tied the single-day record at?Belmont with his six wins.??You?re basically just harnessing her energy and her power until the stretch and then you let her level out and do what she?s got to do to win the race??.yikes!, she won by 5 ? and she could have gone faster??..scary stuff there folks.
In an absolute shocker, maiden (never won a race before) Dullahan won the $400,000 Dixiana Breeders? Futurity at Keeneland. She came from the back of the pack to run down Majestic City late and score at odds of 17-1.
The ?biggest upset of the weekend? award goes to Amazonbie for winning the Ancient Title as 2/5 favorite The Factor checked in fourth after engaging in wicked early speed dual.
Amazombie closed from last on the far outside to take over at mid stretch and win by ??s of a length and ran the six furlongs in 1:08.1.
The Factor, who broke from the rail, dueled with 45-1 shot Sirocco Strike through fractions of :21.1 and :43.4 but could not shake Sirocco Strike at any point.
?That?s horse racing,? The Factor?s trainer Bob Baffert said. ?He was in the one (post), so he had to go. I guess they wanted to press us early. You never know what jockeys are going to do; it?s always the longshot that gets you. They have nothing to lose, so they just go for it.
?As long as he comes out of it all right, this will set him up for the next one (the Breeders? Cup Sprint). The next race will be the most important one. I didn?t want to change his style today.?
At this point the winner?s future plans are uncertain as trainer Bill Spawr said: ?We?ll see how he comes out. We hope to, (go to the Breeders Cup Sprint) if he comes out fine. If he doesn?t, he?ll run in the Cal Cup (Sprint on Oct. 29). We have a month.?
In yet another upset, former claimer Headache closed well late to edge Where?s Sterling by a half-length in the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup. Rule, the 5-2 favorite, fizzled down the stretch and finished seventh. Giant Oak, the slim second choice also sent off at 5-2, rallied for fifth .
Aruna, running on synthetics for the first time, burst thru horses in mid-stretch and won $500,000 Spinster Stakes Sunday at Keeneland and, in doing so, earned an automatic berth in the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare race.
?Obviously, I didn?t know she was going to win, but I would have been disappointed if she hadn?t run a big race today,? trainer Graham Motion, who also trainer 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom said. ?She?s a really nice filly.?
?I think the dirt race (Ladies? Classic) is a wide-open race. Her mother (Surya) won on the dirt at Saratoga, so it?s got the wheels turning.
The winner ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.4 and paid $6.80 to win.
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As for the highlighted races:
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The Champagne:
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Rising super star and betting favorite Union Rags, albeit experiencing traffic problems, gunned down pacesetter Right to Vote on the outside and drew off by 5 1/4 lengths the win the prestigious Champagne Stakes.
At the start, Power World dueled Right to Vote for the lead through early fractions of :22.3 and :45.4 before Right to Vote assumed command while completing six furlongs in 1:10.1. From there, Jockey Javier Castellano, who had Union Rags in fourth position, tried to ?make an inside move but was blocked, so he had to alter his course to the outside of Right of Vote. Once he did, Union Rags exploded and drew away impressively.
?My plan ?A? was to be close to the pace,? Castellano said. ?He?s a really nice horse, and you can put him wherever you want. Unfortunately, in the first jump (Right to Vote) squeezed me. He bumped really hard, and I lost the momentum right there. Now I had to change my plan to ?B?? come from behind horses.
?But he?s an amazing horse, nothing bothers him. He got dirt in the face, he was blocked all the way on the trip. I tried to wait for my best opportunity to make that move. When he saw daylight, he took off. He?s a special horse.?
?He?s always acted like a nice horse from when we first got him,? said trainer Michael Matz of Barbaro fame. ?He?s trained well this period he?s been off. The timing is great now. The seven weeks didn?t hurt him between races.
Matz added that traffic issue ?is going to happen with 2-year-olds, and they find a way out of it, don?t they? I think he?s a real good horse. Anytime you can win going five-eighths with me, you know they?re nice horses. I?ve had horses on and off for Mrs. Wyeth, and she said to me, ?I?m going to have a good one for you,? and I think she does.?
Kudos to Alpha, a six-length maiden winner in his debut, as he closed well late ?in the stretch to get up by a neck over Right to Vote for second. Takes the Gold was fourth, then came Invocation, No Spin, Power World, and Laurie?s Rocket.
Union Rags, who ran the mile distance in 1:35.2 and paid $4.40 to win, heads for the Breeders? Cup Juvenile as the potential favorite.
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The Shadwell Mile:
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At the start,Sidney?s Candy took command early as expected and ran fractions of :23.3, :47, and 1:10.4. Get Stormy tracked second all the way around until they reached the mid-stretch, when he finally took over the lead. But all the while Gio Ponti, who was in fourth position early on, unleashed a powerful late run to strike the lead in the shadow of the wire and, in doing so, defended his Shadwell Mile title as the good looking colt won the 2010 running as well.
?I can?t take credit for the ride being well timed,? winning jockey Ramon Dominguez said. ?It was all the horse. We had a great trip and I was very pleased with the result.?
?It?s great. You know he?s a top-class horse, and I really mean this. He?s a top, top-class horse, firm turf, mile to mile and a quarter,? winning trainer Christopher Clement said.??The mile today was a bit quick as you saw for him. He was a bit unlucky this year. I?ve been running him on softer ground. There?s nothing I can do; the program is made that way, and I cannot control the weather.
?Will he go to the (Breeders? Cup) Mile? Probably. Lets enjoy this first and see how he comes out of it; we?ll talk to the owner and go from there.?
Gio Ponti paid $5.80 to win and ran the mile in an impressive 1:34flat. Get Stormy had to settle for second, a length in front of Sidney?s Candy. Wise Dan was fourth. Dance and Dance was fifth, followed by Tajaaweed, Society?s Chairman, and Zoffany.
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Little Bet N? Pieces:
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*** Rapid Redux, a winner of 17 straight races, will try for number 18 on October 14 Charles Town Races.? Rapid Redux will faces seven others in a 1 1/8-mile race for horses 3 and up that have not started for a claiming price of $5,000 or less in 2010-11.
Currently, He trails only Pepper?s Pride and the great Zenyatta, who each won 19 in a row.
The amazing Rapid Redux, shown here winning #16 in a row, will go for #18 in a row this week.
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*** Standout turf filly Winter Memories worked five furlongs in 1:01.2. The plan Winter Memories is the October 15 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland.
?We?re all set to go,? said trainer Jimmy Toner,?She leaves tomorrow. It was a nice breeze and she finished up good, so we?re right on target. Last week we couldn?t breeze on the grass. We breezed on the dirt, which is OK, too. We got on the grass today and had a nice maintenance breeze.?
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Winter Memories
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