TURF DIARY
JUNE 17, 2008
by Kellie Reilly
The most exciting divisional development has nothing to do with any recent
stakes action, but rather the tantalizing prospect of Horse of the Year
CURLIN (Smart Strike) deigning to test the turf in advance of a possible
tilt at the October 5 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). With Curlin reiterating
his mastery on the dirt in Saturday’s Stephen Foster H. (G1), it is refreshingly
sporting of principal owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen to look for
new worlds to conquer.
Indeed, taking on Europe’s elite performers, in their own backyard, harkens
back to a venerable tradition of the American Turf. Reigh Count, the 1928
Kentucky Derby winner, shipped to England and plundered the Coronation Cup in
1929. Omaha, the 1935 Triple Crown winner, just missed to the filly Quashed in
the 1936 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. And I could mention other examples of
transatlantic assaults by American flag-bearers.
Of course, Asmussen has sensibly said that Curlin will work on the Churchill
Downs turf before any firm plans are made. He would probably eye a grass debut
during the weekend of July 12-13, on an international-style course such as
Arlington, Belmont or Woodbine. If the strongly built chestnut handles the
surface as well as his pedigree suggests, then Curlin would get his passport in
order and pack his bags for France.
Let’s hope that Curlin passes his turf examination, unlike the immortal
Buckpasser, who was under serious consideration for a French landing in 1967,
until he was beaten into third in the Bowling Green H. I would love to see
Curlin try his hand in the Arc, in a bold bid to succeed where other American
shippers have failed.
Such a venture is inherently appealing, as it would give a mega-talented
horse the opportunity to boost his stature in racing history. Even if this were
to preclude a title defense in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) — and that’s by
no means clear right now — it’s still worth it. After all, there’s no guarantee
that Curlin will handle the synthetic surface at Santa Anita this October,
either, so why not think big and consider the Arc? Is it conceivable that the
French would raise a glass of Kendall-Jackson in tribute? Probably not, but it’s
an image to savor.
Now that we’ve let our imagination run amok, it’s time to get back to earth
and recap the notable stakes since our last issue.
Star performer: The nod goes to EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck), not for
finishing second to Curlin in the Foster in a rare foray onto the dirt, but
principally because his form was upheld in a pair of Grade 1 turf events over
Belmont S. (G1) weekend. Einstein was originally supposed to run in the June 7
Manhattan H. (G1) on the Belmont undercard. Unfortunately, a licensing issue
involving the embattled principals of Midnight Cry Stable turned out to be an
insuperable obstacle, and he could not enter. (Remember that Midnight Cry
retains a 20-percent interest in Curlin, too.)
Although Einstein was not in the Manhattan, the dark bay still cast a giant
shadow over the result. Two of his victims this season — DANCING FOREVER (Rahy)
and OUT OF CONTROL (Brz) (Vettori) — fought out the finish, with the Shug
McGaughey-trained Dancing Forever just prevailing on the head-bob. It could be
cogently argued that Dancing Forever has improved since his close runner-up
effort to Einstein in the Gulfstream Park Turf S. (G1) in February, and that Out
of Control was noticeably struggling with the rain-soaked ground when second to
Einstein in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day.
Still, Einstein is on record as having beaten them both, so the Manhattan finish
can be read as a compliment to him.
Dancing Forever and Out of Control both ran terrific races in the 1 1/4-mile
Manhattan, posting a final time of 1:59 3/5. Still ninth with a quarter-mile to
go, Dancing Forever displayed a dashing turn of foot, the hallmark of a
first-rate individual, to join the fray in the stretch. In contrast, Out of
Control raced in midpack early, smoothly advanced on the far turn, loomed a big
danger through the drive, and was just denied. Dancing Forever’s swashbuckling
cut-and-thrust was more visually impressive. Out of Control deserves
considerable credit, however, for maneuvering within striking distance as the
pacesetter reeled off the mile in a testing 1:35 1/5, yet staying on strongly in
his first crack at the 10-furlong trip.
The swift pace came courtesy of the rabbit for BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man),
the defending champion who was the hard-luck story of the race. The
nine-year-old was uncorking a rattling run in deep stretch, only to find himself
with nowhere to go. Ramon Dominguez took up sharply, and for a second or two, I
was afraid that he might be unseated. After that misadventure, Better Talk Now
wound up fifth, beaten a total of 2 1/4 lengths. There is no question that, with
a sliver of room, he would have finished a lot closer, but I don’t think that he
would have beaten the top pair on this occasion.
Out of Control was not the only Woodford Reserve alumnus to perform with
distinction on the afternoon of June 7. That same day at Hollywood Park, ARTISTE
ROYAL (Ire) (Danehill), who had been third to Einstein in the Woodford Reserve,
came right back to take the Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1) by a neck. The
Neil Drysdale charge outkicked a game LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew) and fended off a
rallying MONZANTE (Maria’s Mon) to record his first victory since the Clement L.
Hirsch Turf Championship S. (G1) last October. This season, Artiste Royal had
been performing well at distances shorter than ideal for him, and the step back
up to 1 1/4 miles was just what he needed.
Artiste Royal is on a collision course with Einstein, as both are targeting
the August 9 Arlington Million S. (G1). Drysdale has mentioned the July 20 Eddie
Read H. (G1) at Del Mar as his probable prep, while Einstein could use the July
4 Firecracker H. (G2) at Churchill as his stepping stone, according to trainer
Helen Pitts. Dancing Forever will not get the chance to re-oppose Einstein in
the near term. With the Million out of the equation, the Phipps Stable homebred
is expected to reappear in the August 16 Sword Dancer Invitational S. (G1) at
Saratoga.
Honorable mention: DAYTONA (Ire) (Indian Ridge) swept to a 1
1/2-length decision in the Shoemaker Mile S. (G1) on Memorial Day at Hollywood
Park, registering his sixth victory in his last seven starts, all in graded
stakes. The Dan Hendricks pupil’s sole reverse during that span came in the
Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) at Fair Grounds. Even then he did not do
badly, finishing a close third when sapped by the soggy ground. On the firm turf
courses of Southern California, however, Daytona is a remarkably tough nut to
crack, and he promises to mount a spirited home defense in the Breeders’ Cup
Mile (G1). His next port of call will likely be the June 28 American
Invitational H. (G2).
It’s only fair to note, though, that Shoemaker runner-up EVER A FRIEND
(Crafty Friend) was arguably not well served by his tactics. Instead of
prompting the pace as he did in the course of his smashing upset in the Frank E.
Kilroe Mile H. (G1), the gray seized the early lead in the Shoemaker. Presumably
this was designed to discomfit the front-running Daytona, but it backfired, as
Ever a Friend wound up being pressed by Daytona through quick fractions. Daytona
proved that he’s no one-dimensional, need-the-lead type. After traveling
beautifully — not eagerly — next to Ever a Friend, Daytona collared him and
powered clear. I doubt that Ever a Friend is as good as Daytona, but if he is to
entertain any thoughts of turning the tables, he can’t be taken out of his
stalking game.
On the upswing: Italian Group 1 hero SUDAN (Ire) (Peintre Celebre),
who had been bitterly disappointing in his first two American outings, finally
turned the corner in the May 31 Golden Gate Fields S. (G3). Admittedly, this was
not exactly the toughest field, and the Bobby Frankel trainee had everything his
own way while dictating through a very leisurely tempo. Still, the chestnut at
least gave us a glimmer of his real class, opening up by as many as seven
lengths and strolling home a handy four-length winner in the 1 3/8-mile event.
Sudan still has something to prove, and it wouldn’t be advisable to get carried
away by this single effort, but it is certainly encouraging.
Also on the upgrade is the notoriously quirky TAM LIN (GB) (Selkirk), whose
career illustrates Reason No. 47 on the list of why I will never win the
Godolphin Seven Stars competition. A highly progressive performer for Sir
Michael Stoute in 2006, the temperamental beast joined Godolphin the following
year, but did not live up to expectations for my Seven Stars stable. Of course,
I ditched him in this year’s contest, so by an immutable law of nature, he is
starting to come around. Gelding him may have helped his frame of mind somewhat,
although he still flashes his tail. Making his third American start for Saeed
bin Suroor, Tam Lin gunned down the smart COSMONAUT (Lemon Drop Kid) by a nose
in this past Saturday’s Scottish Monk S. at Belmont. The battling duo were well
clear of third while reeling off the firm-turf mile in 1:33. Tam Lin may yet be
a work in progress, but his talent has never been in question.
Gone too soon: PAYS TO DREAM (High Yield) turned in an astonishingly
impressive performance in the May 17 Dixie S. (G2), engineering a dynamic move
on the turn en route to romping by 7 1/2 lengths. While he may have handled the
moisture-laden Pimlico turf better than his rivals that day, the New York-bred
gelding promptly followed up with a sparkling third in the Manhattan. Sadly,
Pays to Dream sustained a career-ending sesamoid injury in that race. Just when
he was emerging as a major player, he has been whisked off the stage. The
four-year-old had plenty of scope for development, and his necessary retirement
is a great loss for horseman David Donk, and the turf division.
Missing the mark: Once again, CHAMPS ELYSEES (GB) (Danehill) is cited
for going down as the 4-5 choice in the Whittingham. Unlike last time, when I
grilled him for dropping the Jim Murray Memorial H. (G2) in a photo, the
Juddmonte Farms homebred has a legitimate excuse for this lackluster sixth-place
flop. Frankel found that the five-year-old, who was in danger of becoming the
lone black sheep among the Hasili (Ire) foals, was fighting an illness. Champs
Elysees will now head East in hopes of living up to the lofty accomplishments of
his siblings Banks Hill (GB), Intercontinental (GB) and Cacique (Ire). It’s
quite possible that he will find the contours of Belmont, or Monmouth, more to
his liking. Despite my stern attitude toward him, I haven’t entirely given up on
him.
Tybalt update: In our last edition, I noted Stonerside Stable’s
homebred TYBALT (Storm Cat) as a well-bred allowance winner to follow. The son
of Grade 1 queen and millionairess Tuzla (Fr) (Panoramic [GB]) returned to
action for Frankel in a third-level allowance at Hollywood on June 1, and while
it might be special pleading, I honestly do think that Rafael Bejarano moved too
soon in the 1 1/16-mile affair. Tybalt struck the front, only to be overhauled
late by his stablemate HEROI DO BAFRA (Brz) (Royal Academy), a multiple
Brazilian Group 1 winner who was coming off a good second in the Inglewood H.
(G3). I’m keeping Tybalt on my watch list.
On the horizon: Our next installment will review the American
Invitational, Firecracker, July 5 United Nations S. (G1), July 12 Man o’ War S.
(G1), and hopefully Curlin’s grass debut, while catching up with the
three-year-old turf set.