FILLY & MARE TURF DIARY
by Kellie Reilly
Recent developments have underscored the strength of the June 7 Just a Game
S. (G1), eminently justifying its elevation to Grade 1 status this season.
Graduating from that Belmont fixture were the smashing winner of the Diana S.
(G1) at Saratoga, and the should-have-been-the-winner of the CashCall Mile
Invitational S. (G2) at Hollywood Park. Also in this issue, we’ll review a few
impressive performances from the three-year-olds.
Star performer: FOREVER TOGETHER (Belong to Me), who had been a
closing third to VENTURA (Chester House) in the one-mile Just a Game, humbled a
strong field going nine furlongs in the July 26 Diana. Tenth and last through
the opening half-mile, the Jonathan Sheppard trainee took flight in the stretch
and overwhelmed DYNAFORCE (Dynaformer) by a thoroughly convincing three-quarters
of a length. By blazing her final eighth in roughly :11, Forever Together just
plain outkicked her more accomplished rivals — RUTHERIENNE (Pulpit), who
trudged in third, 3 1/2 lengths behind Dynaforce; fourth-placer VACARE (Lear
Fan); and champion WAIT A WHILE (Maria’s Mon), who wound up seventh in her first
start since January.
Unlike the Just a Game, which was a messy race with a cluster of hard-luck
stories, the Diana was a straightforward, cleanly run affair. The ground, which
had absorbed plenty of rain earlier in the week, was upgraded to good. Indeed,
the very fact that the firm-turf-loving Wait a While did not scratch was a
strong hint that the course was in good shape, and not on the soft side. So,
barring some physical problem coming to light as an excuse for any of her
victims, Forever Together simply demolished them, fair and square, with a
sparkling turn of foot, in a final time of 1:46 2/5.
The winner of the Forward Gal S. (G2) on the dirt last year, the gray has
made giant strides since Sheppard switched her to the turf in May. Forever
Together landed her grass debut in the Reluctant Guest S. at Arlington prior to
her encouraging third in the Just a Game. She has now proven her class, but the
distance question must still be resolved before she can fulfill her Breeders’
Cup aspirations. According to Sheppard, Forever Together could tackle 1 1/4
miles for the first time in the September 27 Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) at
Belmont. Given her total switching-off early in the Diana, the stiffening
presence of her broodmare sire Relaunch, and her deep female line, the
probabilities are in her favor.
Finding a way to lose: Forever Together’s Diana coup might have been
taken as a compliment to Ventura, her conqueror in the Just a Game. But since
Ventura went on to fritter away certain victory in the July 5 CashCall Mile,
she’s too frustratingly self-willed to be relied upon.
Early in the CashCall, Ventura was throwing her head around and generally
giving Garrett Gomez a tough time. No harm, I thought, since she had done the
same thing in the Just a Game. In the stretch, when Gomez urged her on, Ventura
did not merely go forward — she seemed to lurch at first while shifting her
weight. After briefly organizing herself in this way, she stormed past DIAMOND
DIVA (GB) (Dansili [GB]) and looked set for a smart score. Then, in the waning
yards, she abruptly tapped the brakes, stopped reaching out for the wire, and
gave a fine impression of being distracted. I don’t blame Gomez for this
predicament, for he has been her regular rider thus far, he knows her quirks, he
was trying to coax her, and giving her another crack of the whip may well have
been counterproductive.
To her everlasting credit, Diamond Diva had never given up after being
passed, but kept plugging away on the inside. As Ventura lost her concentration,
Diamond Diva’s workmanlike persistence paid off, and she got up in time to
snatch the victory by a nose. Nor was this merely a matter of winning on the
head-bob, for she was edging away from Ventura past the wire as well. Diamond
Diva was getting four pounds from the runner-up, but the real differential was
one of attitude.
Diamond Diva’s never-say-die mindset reminded me of something that tennis
legend John McEnroe has often said — “If you stick your racket out, good things
can happen.” No matter how good your opponent’s shot, no matter how poor your
position, you have to do your best to keep the point going and make your
opponent finish the job. In tennis terms, Ventura blew Diamond Diva off the
court for a moment, but Diamond Diva stuck her racket out, got the ball back in
play, and Ventura casually dumped it in the net. It would be fascinating to see
a rematch between these two, but with Ventura back East and Diamond Diva on the
easy list with foot issues, it’s not clear when, or if, that will take place.
Defending CashCall champion LADY OF VENICE (Fr) (Loup Solitaire) checked in
third, 2 1/4 lengths adrift of the theater up front. She may want to go longer
than a flat mile at this stage of her career.
Prepping for Arlington: Two recent stakes figure to serve as stepping
stones to Saturday’s Beverly D. S. (G1) at Arlington. The July 12 Modesty H.
(G3), held at the same course and 1 3/16-mile distance as the Beverly D.,
produced a solid display from COMMUNIQUE (Smart Strike), who rallied well on the
soft ground and ran out a strong 3 3/4-length winner. Trainer Rusty Arnold was
originally hesitant about committing the improving four-year-old to the Beverly
D., with the Glens Falls H. (G3) on Labor Day at Saratoga an alternative spot.
Although I can well understand the class concerns, considering that multiple
Grade 1 star PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus), the streaking MAURALAKANA (Fr) (Muhtathir
[GB]) and champion DREAMING OF ANNA (Rahy) will be lying in wait in the Beverly
D., Communique is already a multiple Grade 3 winner. Another Grade 3 title, even
at the lofty Spa, would not enhance her broodmare value as much as a Grade 1
placing. With her affinity for Arlington already established, I’m glad that
Arnold is now inclined toward giving her a shot at the Beverly D.
On July 12 at Delaware Park, the Robert G. Dick Memorial H. (G3) witnessed a
shocking upset. The defending champion and 1-5 favorite, ROSINKA (Ire) (Soviet
Star), attempted to repeat her front-running tactics that worked in 2007. But
this time, no pedestrian fractions were allowed. Rosinka ratcheted up the early
pace when pressed, tried to shoot clear turning for home, but then cocked her
head, raced a little erratically, tired through the stretch and finished third.
As she wilted, the 20-1 PALMILLA (Crowd Pleaser) asserted herself to claim the
spoils in this newly promoted Grade 3 event. Rosinka is far, far better than
this, and her defeat probably has a lot to do with the fact that she went too
fast through a couple of those early quarter-miles. At this writing, horseman
Graham Motion is likely to enter Rosinka in the Beverly D.
On the upswing: GENUINE DEVOTION (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire])
extended her winning streak to four when posting a wire-to-wire victory in the
July 6 Locust Grove H. (G3) at Churchill Downs. Although the Kiaran McLaughlin
filly got away with steady fractions, she did not get a free pass on the front
end, but was hounded every step of the way. Genuine Devotion spurted away from
the field in the stretch, but the utterly dependable BROWNIE POINTS (Forest
Wildcat) gave her a scare when she unleashed her trademark late run. The wire
came in time for Genuine Devotion, who was receiving five pounds from the
runner-up. Considering that this one-mile test was her first attempt at two
turns, Genuine Devotion acquitted herself well, but it’s doubtful that she would
be asked to go much farther. Furthermore, she’s got a way to go to match the
massive star potential of her juvenile half-brother, the undefeated
Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer), who routed his rivals in the July 27 Phoenix
S. (Ire-G1) for Aidan O’Brien.
Top sophomore: PURE CLAN (Pure Prize) is the pro tem leader of the
three-year-old filly brigade after taking the July 5 American Oaks Invitational
(G1) in admirable style at Hollywood Park. Settled well off the early pace by
Julien Leparoux, the Bob Holthus trainee gradually put herself into the race
down the backstretch. Pure Clan steadily advanced along the rail, improving her
position on her own initiative, but not pulling or dragging. Midway on the far
turn, she was just behind the leaders, matching strides with French shipper
SATAN’S CIRCUS (Gone West) to her outside, and Leparoux began asking Pure Clan
for more run.
Up until this point, her rail-skimming trip had been an advantage, but as the
turn led into the stretch, it suddenly turned into a detriment. In front of Pure
Clan were the tiring leaders, who were blocking her path and stalling her
momentum. There was no escape route to her outside, for Satan’s Circus was in
the process of sweeping by and taking the lead. After being stuck in a holding
pattern, Pure Clan finally found a sliver of room between the two weakening
pacesetters, and she did not hesitate to charge right through it and overpower
Satan’s Circus. The farther Pure Clan went, the stronger she looked, pulling
away by three-quarters of a length at the wire to extend her turf record to
four-for-four.
Thus for the third straight year, the American Oaks went to a filly with
strong form on the dirt. Although her margin of victory was identical to that of
last year’s heroine, Panty Raid, Pure Clan’s manner of victory was much more
authoritative. And although she did not pulverize her rivals the way Wait a
While did in 2006, Pure Clan promises to follow her lead and become a long-term
presence in this division. Holthus plans to keep her among her own age group for
now, with the August 16 Del Mar Oaks (G1) her next likely engagement, and the
October 11 Queen Elizabeth II Invitational Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland
another objective down the road.
Waiting in the wings: Another with the QEII on her agenda is MY
PRINCESS JESS (Stormy Atlantic), who has developed a killer instinct of late.
Purchased by Lael Stables (of Barbaro fame) and transferred to Barclay Tagg
after her victory in the May 8 Gaviola S. at Belmont, the dark bay has won both
of her starts for her new connections, each in contrasting ways. In the June 28
Boiling Springs S. (G3) at Monmouth, My Princess Jess made an impressive move on
the far turn while still in hand, opened up by 3 1/2 lengths in midstretch, and
held off the deep-closing MUCH OBLIGED (Kingmambo) by a neck at the wire. The
final time was a smashing 1:39 4/5 for 1 1/16 miles.
My Princess Jess followed up in dramatically different fashion in the July 25
Lake George S. (G2) at Saratoga, leading me to dub her “Joltin’ Jess.” Smothered
on the inside, she was denied the opportunity to blow the race apart entering
the stretch this time. Instead, she was closeted behind ALWAJEEHA (Dixieland
Band) and the pacesetter STEALIN’ KISSES (Sky Mesa) until midstretch, when a
seam opened up. Like Pure Clan in the American Oaks, My Princess Jess roared
through en route to a convincing score. Unlike Pure Clan, however, she slammed
the filly to her inside, Stealin’ Kisses, before disposing of Alwajeeha by
three-quarters of a length.
Joltin’ Jess left no doubt of her supremacy as she finished her final
sixteenth in a shade less than :6 on the soft inner turf. But while she was
incontestably the moral winner, she was not certain to be declared the official
winner until the stewards conducted an inquiry into the mugging of Stealin’
Kisses, who never recovered from the body blow and reported home fifth. I was a
little surprised that there was no change, primarily because it could be argued
that Stealin’ Kisses lost a placing — she was definitely beaten by the top two
when the interference occurred, but she was still sticking on gamely on the
rail, and it’s no open-and-shut case that she was bound to be fifth anyway. What
is certain is that she lost any possibility of a better placing once she bounced
off the rail, clipped heels, bobbled and checked. In any event, I’ve seen horses
disqualified, wrongly, for much less than this — why were they not given the
same latitude accorded to Joltin’ Jess? Suffice it to say that consistency in
these sorts of rulings would be nice.
Finally, on a less controversial note, we must credit I LOST MY CHOO (Western
Expression) with a barnstorming late run in the July 19 Virginia Oaks (G3) at
Colonial Downs. Under a perfectly judged ride by Edgar Prado, the Phil Serpe
trainee inhaled the one-time runaway leader in deep stretch and cruised to a 1
1/2-length score. I Lost My Choo still has something to prove against the likes
of Pure Clan and My Princess Jess, but she’s on an upward curve at present.
On the horizon: Our next issue will preview the likely field for the
Beverly D.