Dixie

Saturday’s $250,000 Dixie S. (G2) marks the return to action of 2004
Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) hero BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man), who has not raced
since his unsuccessful foray to the Far East for the Japan Cup (Jpn-G1) last
November. In last year’s running of this 1 1/8-mile turf affair at Pimlico, the
Graham Motion charge was compromised by the early crawl and wound up fourth,
after which his connections acquired the speedy SHAKE THE BANK (Sandpit [Brz])
to serve as his rabbit. Although the injection of pace ought to help Better Talk
Now here, ironically, it should also benefit Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) king ARTIE
SCHILLER (El Prado [Ire]), who was second in last year’s Dixie. It’s hard not to
see this contest as a rematch between the 124-pound co-highweights, but there
are a couple of other contenders who could crash the party at their best.

While Artie Schiller’s BRIS Speed figures have equaled or topped the century
mark 11 times in a row, his best performances have come when he can relax behind
an honest pace before swooping to victory. That’s how he won the Breeders’ Cup
Mile, the 2005 Maker’s Mark Mile S. (G2) at Keeneland and the 2004 National
Museum of Racing Hall of Fame H. (G2) at Saratoga. In contrast, when he’s
slogging it out near the front through slow fractions, he’s looked more
vulnerable. That’s how he just narrowly lost his 2006 debut in the Maker’s Mark
in the last stride, and it’s how he lost this race in a photo a year ago. With
Shake the Bank winging out front, Artie will get the rate-and-pounce scenario he
prefers. We’ll take Artie to score over Better Talk Now in this spot because the
nine-furlong distance is probably his ideal trip (6-4-2-0 record), he’s got the
benefit of a race under his belt and he’s posted two straight solid works coming
into this battle. Garrett Gomez will reunite with the James Jerkens charge.

Better Talk Now is more than capable of running well fresh, as he proved when
taking the 2005 Fort Marcy H. (G3) in his seasonal reappearance last year. He
didn’t face anyone the caliber of Artie Schiller on that occasion, however.
Although the seven-year-old has compiled a terrific mark at the trip (9-4-1-1),
all of those victories came when he was a much younger horse, his most recent
success being the 2003 Knickerbocker H. (G2). He’s made a name for himself by
excelling at 1 3/8 to 1 1/2 miles, so we view this race as the perfect launching
pad for his 2006 campaign, a great tightener for bigger prizes down the road.
Better Talk Now will unleash his ferocious closing kick with regular rider Ramon
Dominguez in the irons.

Of the others, each toting 118 pounds, SABRE D’ARGENT (Kris S.) holds the
most appeal and rates as a potential upsetter at 12-1. The six-year-old Darley
colorbearer has been sparingly campaigned with only eight lifetime starts on his
resume, the first five in England where he won a Group 3 contest in 2003. Since
coming to America and taking up residence with Tom Albertrani, he has run
respectably, winning an off-the-turf allowance/optional claimer at Tampa Bay
Downs in his debut, checking in fifth in the Pan American H. (G3) after being
rank early and racing wide, and closing strongly for a sneakily good third in
the Fort Marcy last time out. In that race, he was bounced around like a pinball
after the break, settled well off a dawdling pace, then lengthened stride
beautifully late to miss second in a photo. He earned a 110 Late Pace rating for
that effort, which was all the more commendable considering that he was cutting
back sharply in trip from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/16 miles. With a strong pace up
front, Sabre d’Argent figures to relax kindly and come charging in the stretch,
where that six-pound advantage in the weights could come into play. Javier
Castellano, who rode him in the Pan American, returns to the saddle.

DREADNAUGHT (Lac Ouimet) is a classy, multiple Grade 2-winning turf veteran
who captured the Laurel Turf Cup S. at this trip in November. That, coupled with
his performance in the 1 3/8-mile Red Smith H. (G2) one week earlier, in which
he loomed up boldly only to flatten out late, suggests that he may prefer a
shorter distance at this stage of his career. The Thomas Voss charge warmed up
for this engagement with an eighth in the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn S. (G3) at
Keeneland in his 2006 debut, and he’s another who will relish a strong early
pace. Alex Solis picks up the mount. English stakes winner REBEL REBEL (Ire) (Revoque)’s
career highlight was his second in last year’s English Two Thousand Guineas S. (Eng-G1),
but he hasn’t duplicated that kind of effort stateside. In fact, in five U.S.
starts, his Speed figures have yet to crack the century mark. Note that Edgar
Prado, who partnered him to a runner-up finish last time out in the Lure S.,
will stick with the four-year-old from the ever dangerous Richard Dutrow barn.

Pimlico-based DR DETROIT (Wayne County [Ire]) is taking an Everest-style
rise in class. Shake the Bank will do his duty for entrymate Better Talk Now
before calling it a day somewhere on the far turn.