SARATOGA DAILY NOTEBOOK
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2005
by Dick Powell
Carl Lizza’s Flying Zee Stables won their meet-high sixth race of the meet in
the opener today when VICTORY CIRCLE (Victory Gallop) rallied from far back to
win going away by three parts of a length. Leading rider Edgar Prado was in
the irons as he continues to pile up wins.
The betting public has caught on to the Steve Asmussen/Jerry Bailey juvenile
thing. Early in the meet, you could get a price on them. Not any longer and
especially when Asmussen drops down to maiden claimers for the first time. In
the 2ND race, he sent out CASH FLOW (Gilded Time) to an easy 6 1/4-length win
over Park Shore (King Cugat) as the 3-5 favorite. She showed a little talent in
her career debut at Churchill Downs six weeks ago.
Bailey, who continues to ride well here, broke Cash Flow on top and
never looked back. It was Asmussen’s 10th win at the meet but the days of
getting overlays on Asmussen juveniles seem to be over.
It wasn’t quite AFLEET ALEX (Northern Afleet) but it was great to see Tim
Ritchey and Jeremy Rose combine to win the 3RD race with ALWAYS NOBLE (Suave
Prospect). Only four horses showed up to compete for $55,100 in a six-furlong
main track sprint and Rose got the money with a rail-hugging ride over the
speedy and game Spooky Mulder (Brunswick). He went off as the longest shot on
the board and paid $14.80 to win. We won’t get to see Ritchie and Rose in the
“Mid-Summer Derby,” so this was the best we are going to do.
Afleet Alex is stabled here as he recuperates from a hairline condylar
fracture in his left-front cannon bone.
“It’s a disappointment we couldn’t have him run in the Travers (G1), but
we need to do what is right for him,” Ritchey said. “That’s the most important
thing. As soon as we get the results of the X-rays, (that will be taken this
Friday with results available on Saturday) we can develop a plan in getting him
on the track. He has continued to walk three, four times a day and seems to be
fine.”
The Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) is still the ultimate goal for Afleet Alex.
“The best case scenario is to have a prep race before going to the Breeders’
Cup,” Ritchey said. “If we don’t, there are other races for him after the
Breeders’ Cup. We have to do what he’s capable of doing at a slow progression.”
Darley Stable unveiled a sharp-looking juvenile filly in the 4TH race when
BEHOLDEN (Cat Thief) outbroke the field from her outside post and never looked
back to cruise to an easy 3 3/4-length victory over Brushed Bayou (Broad Brush).
On a main track that played slow most of the day, Beholden cover the 5 1/2
furlongs in 1:05.65.
Purchased last year as a yearling for $215,000 and pinhooked this year for
$700,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February sale, she is out of a stakes-winning dam
that won her career debut. She is the most expensive Cat Thief juvenile sale
purchase yet and looked good today.
Sit behind dueling leaders and then take over. Easy game! GRECIAN WINGS (Mr.
Greeley) raced behind Flower Flag (Dance Floor) and Tax Considerations (Yes It’s
True) while they battled for the first half-mile of the 5TH race. Javier
Castellano got Grecian Wings moving at the top of the stretch and engaged the
leaders nearing the eighth pole. It looked like she would swoop by to an easy
win but Flower Flag made it interesting by battling back gamely before losing by
a head.
Ramon Dominguez is only winning at a 10 percent clip here but his ride on
PRINCESS DEE (Phone Fantasy) in the 6TH race was sensational. Run at 1 1/16
miles on the inner turf for three-year-old fillies, Dominguez sent her to the
lead and was under heavy pressure nearing the top of the stretch. Dominguez cut
the corner beautifully and it meant about two lengths as the rest of the field
lost momentum coming out of the turn.
Dominguez is not that strong with the whip but he rides with short stirrups
despite being tall and has his weight forward over the horse’s withers. With his
elbows pointed out, you can usually pick him out of any pack of riders. With
perfect balance he kept Princess Dee going to the wire and held on by a half-length over six rivals that finished within a length and half of each other.
CHOWDER’S FIRST (Let Goodtimes Roll) looked like the second coming of Chindi
(El Prado [Ire]) when he came from “out of the clouds” as Tom Durkin called it
to win the Jon Morrissey S. today. A gray, one-dimensional closer, he was
impossibly behind with a furlong to go and blew by the field to get up in time
over the favorite Clever Electrician (Clever Trick), who won this race last
year.
It was the third winner on the day for Castellano and second for Phil Serpe.
Horses To Watch
4TH — BRUSHED BAYOU (Broad Brush) was no match for a huge first-out winner
but she ran well in her career debut despite being in a drive the last three
furlongs.
6TH — PREDATORY LENDER (Skip Away) is a one-dimensional closer that made up
a ton of ground in the deep stretch to miss by a length.
Friday’s Preview
The Todd Pletcher slump might end in the 4TH race when he sends out an entry
in a juvenile filly turf event going two turns. John Velazquez is named to ride
TOWERING ESCAPE (Giant’s Causeway), who is out of a dam that is a half-sister to
multiple Grade 1 winner Affirmed Success (Affirmed). She draws well, is
working fast on the training turf course and should get Pletcher back to the
winner’s circle.
In the Lake Placid S. (G2) for three-year-old fillies going nine furlongs on
the Mellon Turf Course, MY TYPHOON (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway) tries for her first
graded win for Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation and Bill Mott. It is
no exaggeration to say that she might be the best-bred turf filly racing today.
By the fantastic Giant’s Causeway, she is out of Urban Sea (Miswaki), who not
only won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) but has produced six turf stakes
winners from six foals to race including Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who won
the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), Irish Derby (Ire-G1) and the King George VI Queen
Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (Eng-G1).
My Typhoon won the Virginia Oaks last out at Colonial Downs and is the 3-1
second choice on the morning line behind READY’S GAL (More Than Ready), who had
everything her own way when she won the Lake George S. (G3) here last out.