THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY DIARY
JUNE 15, 2005
by Hunter T. Houlihan
Some of the top three-year-old
fillies in the country were upset over the last two weekends, with
SPLENDID BLENDED (Unbridled’s Song) making her 2005 bow a losing one in the
Acorn S. (G1); RUNWAY MODEL (Petionville) and CULINARY (El Amante) going down in
the Dogwood Breeders’ Cup S. (G3); and MEMORETTE (Memo [Chi]) coming up short in
the Hollywood Breeders’ Cup Oaks (G2) last Sunday. But with those losses, the
division is now flourishing with new contenders for top sophomore filly honors.
Easily, the divisional leader right now is
Acorn queen ROUND POND (Awesome Again). The John Servis trainee had been deeply
missed since winning the April 15 Fantasy S. (G2) at Oaklawn, after which the
bay’s conditioner said she would skip the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 6 and point
instead toward the May 20 Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2), for which she was also a no
show. She returned to record her fourth win in a row when taking the one-mile Acorn on
June 4.
The Acorn field consisted of a nice
bunch, including the aforementioned Grade 1-winning Splendid Blended, Beaumont
S. (G2) winner IN THE GOLD (Golden Missile) and La Troienne S. (G3) victress
SEEK A STAR (Mutakddim), but it was Round Pond who proved to be the horse to
beat. Piloted by Stewart Elliott, the filly bobbled leaving the gate and raced
up near the pace on the inside before heading eventual fourth-place finisher Splendid Blended
after a wide move turning for home. SMUGGLER (Unbridled), who tracked in second
for much of the contest, made a nice run in the stretch but had to settle for
the place, 1 1/2 lengths back. Both the runner-up and Splendid Blended should be
considered in their next start.
The John Ward-conditioned MISS
MATCHED (Formal Gold) kept her 2005 record unblemished when taking the Dogwood
over another nice field, making it three for three this year. Culinary and
Runway Model, both sent off at 2-1, kept Miss Matched at a healthy 7-1 and the
second-longest shot in the seven-horse field. The dark bay was gunned right for
the lead by Shaun Bridgmohan, where she was never collared throughout the entire
1 1/16-mile test. With her first stakes win, the filly vindicated her runner-up
finish in last year’s Spinaway S. (G2) and put herself in contention as a top
three-year-old of 2005.
Culinary suffered a rough,
three-wide trip throughout the contest, and the runner-up should be used next
time. On the other hand, Runway Model has not visited the winner’s circle in
five tries this year, but after showing excellent form as a two-year-old, has
not moved forward at three.
BROOKE’S HALO (Southern Halo) also
wired a graded stakes field, taking the June 12 Hollywood Breeders’ Cup. The
Jeff Mullins-trained lass barely held off Memorette in the final jumps, but
Victor Espinoza kept the chestnut working to the wire as she recorded her first
stakes tally. This author is curious to know how she’ll perform without the lead
if she doesn’t get it next time, and if she will be anywhere near her 7-1
Hollywood odds.
June 25 brings the first leg of the
Triple Tiara, the 49th running of the Mother Goose S. (G1) at Belmont Park. Round Pond, In the
Gold, Splendid Blended, Smuggler and Seek a Star have all been nominated, as
well as a slew of top sophomores, including Kentucky Oaks victress SUMMERLY
(Summer Squall), Ashland S. (G1) queen SIS CITY (Slew City Slew), Black-Eyed
Susan winner SPUN SUGAR (Awesome Again), PLEASANT CHIMES (Pleasant Tap) and
SENSE OF STYLE (Thunder Gulch). With this caliber of competition, perhaps the
ladies will start their Triple Crown in a more formful fashion than this year’s
anticlimactic Kentucky Derby (G1).