SARATOGA DAILY NOTEBOOK
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005
by Dick Powell
Saratoga lived up to its reputation as the “Graveyard of Champions” today
when 2-5 favorite Ashado (Saint Ballado) finished up the track in the Personal
Ensign (G1). A nine-length winner of her last start, the Go for Wand H.
(G1) going nine furlongs, she worked well since then and looked like she had
these at her mercy.
Two Trail Sioux (Indian Charlie) gunned to the front with Gary Stevens and
opened up a five-length lead in the early stages of the 10-furlong race for
fillies and mares. Johnny Velazquez was content to let Ashado lope along in
second knowing that he could get to the leader any time he wanted.
Going into the far turn, Velazquez began to ask Ashado to go after Two Trail
Sioux and while he got a response it wasn’t what he was looking for. With a
half-mile to go, Velazquez was working harder than he should have and an upset
was clearly brewing.
Robbie Albarado had SHADOW CAST (Smart Strike) much closer to the pace than
normal and his filly was doing it on her own. She cruised up outside Two Trail
Sioux and Ashado at the top of the stretch and blew right by as they
straightened out in the homestretch. Ashado was clearly cooked and was dropping
out of it and the only horse making up any ground was Personal Legend (Awesome
Again).
Shadow Cast, who looked spectacular in the paddock and post parade, ran to
her looks and drew off to a handy win by 2 3/4 lengths over Personal Legend. It
was another 9 1/2 lengths back to Two Trail Sioux, who held on for third, as
Ashado finished in a dead-heat for fourth with Island Sand (Tabasco Cat).
After the race, you had to wonder how Shadow Cast went off at 14-1 odds.
“My
filly trained extremely well, almost too well not to run,” Howard said. “I know
that sounds easy to say now. Her hair never looked better. Her appetite had
never been better. Her works had never been better. She has not missed a beat
here, even though she ran so-so in the Diana (G1). She came out of that race
good and really trained good for this race. We almost completely forgot about
this race. We were almost thinking after the Diana to maybe go to the race at
Turfway or something else. I don’t mean we completely aborted the idea, but we
really weren’t thinking seriously about it until a week or 10 days ago.”
Robbie Albarado, who earlier in the day won on ALUMNI HALL (A.P. Indy) in the
4TH race for Howard, sounded like everything worked out perfectly.
“The race
unfolded like I needed it to,” said Albarado, who was winning his ninth race of
the meet. “I know when I got to Johnny on Ashado that he was riding her. My
filly was waiting for me to call on her. When I did I was just a passenger.
Those were top-quality fillies in the race and she got by them pretty easy. She
just nearly got beat in a Grade 1 at Oaklawn so we have been trying to get one
out of her. She had to step up today and she did. I congratulate Neil. He did an
unbelievable job with this filly and he took the necessary steps for her.”
It was like old times in the Spinaway S. (G2) as Todd Pletcher and Velazquez combined to pull off the upset with ADIEU (El Corredor) at 7-1 odds. A
winner of her first two starts, she threw in a clinker last out here in the
Adirondack S. (G2), where she was a dull fourth. But, that was on opening day over
a very dull track and we said at the time that it would be tough to judge the
horses coming out of such a slow race.
Today, the betting public was turned off by Adieu’s performance and dismissed
her. They settled on the undefeated Effectual (Carson City) and made her the 7-5
favorite. Jerry Bailey sent the Steve Asmussen trainee to the front down the
backstretch and she was immediately tracked by Adieu. She maintained a
one-length lead for the first half-mile but never had an opportunity to get a
breather as Velazquez turned up the heat nearing the top of the stretch.
Effectual began to tire and Adieu looked like her old self, the one seen
dominating the Astoria S. two starts back. Adirondack winner Folklore (Tiznow)
made a menacing move in the stretch but Adieu had too much class and won by a
length in 1:23.68.
After the race, Velazquez tries to explain the difference between
Adieu’s win today and her poor race last out.
“Today the track was fast,” said
Velazquez, comparing it to the opening-day surface. “She felt much better. She
seemed to have a better hold of the track. She broke much better. She stalked
and was very game today. I asked her so quickly at the quarter pole and she went
and opened up right away to the horse on the lead. Then she started waiting and
pulling up and I said ‘Oh boy, let someone else come early so she doesn’t get
surprised.’ She just kept coming, little by little. The closer the horses got
the more she gave me.”
It was the second winner on the day for Pletcher/Velazquez and first graded
win for Adieu.
The wins usually come in bunches. Michael Hushion had one win with 18
starters in the first 25 days of the meet. Yesterday, he swept the late double
with NOTHING BUT FUN (Dixie Union) in the Victory Ride S. and QUICK ONE
(Afternoon Deelites) in the finale.
Today, Hushion sent out PARKHIMONBROADWAY (Ecton Park) to win the 5TH race, a
maiden special weight event for New York-bred juveniles. A third-time starter
that was overmatched in the Saratoga Special (G2) against Henny Hughes
(Hennessy) last time out, he returned to state-bred company and won by 10 1/2
lengths in the very good time of 1:10.48 as the 19-10 favorite. Like most of the
Hushion horses these days, he did not wear front-leg bandages. It was rider
Pablo Fragoso’s second winner of the day.
Hushion came back with another blow-out winner in the next race when MADAME
DIVA (Mr. Greeley) romped to a 7 1/2-length victory to win the 6TH race in the
very fast time of 1:22.69 for the seven furlongs. Despite being bumped at the
start, she was third to repeat winner Yolanda B. Too (Two Punch) in her career
debut and went off as the 6-5 favorite here. Leading rider Edgar Prado sent her
to the front out of the gate and she just kept pouring it on from there with a
stakes-caliber performance.
Horses To Watch
2ND – ROCK LOBSTER (Mt. Livermore) rallied for third in his career debut in a
turf sprint and continues Michael Dickinson’s record of futility here (one win
in eight years).
6TH – SAINT KRIS (Kris S.) made up a ton of ground behind a runaway winner in
fast time and should be fit for another effort on the turf back at Belmont.
Saturday Preview
11TH – With Bellamy Road (Concerto) breaking from the rail, Velazquez
will have to stalk him aboard Flower Alley (Distorted Humor). I don’t think that
Bellamy Road will be fit enough to get 10 furlongs off a four-month layoff but
he can’t be ignored on the front end. Flower Alley will not go up and press the
pace since that would be suicidal, but probably won’t let him run away and hide
like Commentator (Distorted Humor) did in the Whitney H. (G1).
ROMAN RULER (Fusaichi Pegasus) was a highly touted juvenile last season
before going bad at the end of the year. His foot problems are a thing of the
past and Bob Baffert has been able to train him properly. The results have been
startling and he’s won his last two starts including the Haskell Invitational H.
(G1) last out, when he pressed the pace three wide on both turns. Bailey
should be able to sit off the early leaders and make one big run.
For the good of horse racing, you almost have to root against Bellamy Road on
Saturday. If he wins off this kind of layoff, it will reinforce the pattern of
trainers wanting large amounts of time between races. Last year, Zito won the
Travers off a long layoff with Birdstone, but that was coming off a win in the
Belmont S. (G1) over Smarty Jones. This is different and I’ll stick with my
instinct that Zito made a mistake by not running in the King’s Bishop (G1)
against Lost in the Fog (Lost Soldier).
In the $1 million guaranteed Pick 4, we’ll go with:
Race 8: 1 and 6
Race 9: 2 and 4
Race 10: 2, 3 and 6
Race 11: 4