THREE-YEAR-OLDS & UP DIARY
AUGUST 6, 2008
by James Scully
It wasn’t pretty, but BIG BROWN (Boundary) needed it. He had to win Sunday’s
Haskell Invitational (G1). And while he wasn’t the same Big Brown we witnessed earlier
this year, winning was all that mattered. With the 1 3/4-length decision,
there’s optimism for the future.
Big Brown raced only three times before winning the Kentucky Derby (G1), and
the grueling Triple Crown series takes a toll on lightly raced horses. It
exacted a heavy price upon CURLIN (Smart Strike), who brought only three starts
into the 2007 Derby before heading through Baltimore and Long Island in the
five-week endurance test. Curlin faced better company when checking in third
behind Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun in last year’s Haskell, but he still
didn’t show up with his best at Monmouth Park that afternoon. The well-built
chestnut performed at a much higher level when capturing the Jockey Club Gold
Cup (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in his next two starts.
Don’t put similar improvement past Big Brown. He didn’t bring his “A” game on
Sunday, but he was all heart through the stretch. The once-beaten colt appears
to have put the Belmont S. (G1) experience behind him. Big Brown took a big step
back at Belmont Park in the final leg of the Triple Crown, but he’s headed in
the right direction following the Haskell.
Of course, there’s more than one way to look at it. Critics will argue that
we’ve seen the best of Big Brown; he’s not the same horse without steroids and
will never run back to his spectacular efforts in the Derby and Preakness (G1).
Who was he facing on Sunday? COAL PLAY (Mineshaft) was exiting a third in an
allowance/optional claiming event at Monmouth and had dropped his last two
stakes attempts by 41 1/2 lengths. He had no business putting a scare into Big
Brown.
Similar to stablemate Da’ Tara (Tiznow), Coal Play’s effort is difficult to
explain. He ran so much better than ever before. Da’ Tara posted a 5 1/4-length
upset in the Belmont and finished last in the Jim Dandy S. (G2) next out.
Perhaps Coal Play won’t be so much of a flop in his upcoming starts, but he
still has much to prove.
Big Brown’s connections remained committed to the Breeders’ Cup, but the
Classic (G1) and Turf (G1) are both options. The strapping bay would have to
deal with a synthetic surface that that he’s never raced over in the Classic,
but he’s proven on turf, breaking his maiden by 11 1/4 lengths last summer at
Saratoga. On Monday, his connections announced their intention to point toward a
turf race in September. With Curlin’s connections exhibiting an aversion toward
the prospect of racing over an unknown Pro-Ride surface in the Classic, a
return to the grass at Santa Anita remains an option. The prospect of the two
best dirt horses meeting in the 1 1/2-mile Turf at Santa Anita is a potential PR
nightmare for the Breeders’ Cup. It’s a situation that could get very
interesting over the next couple of months.
Big Brown received a 110 BRIS Speed rating for his Haskell effort, equaling a
career-best in the Florida Derby (G1). The Haskell didn’t answer every question,
but it served as a good starting point for his fall campaign.
Veteran Pundit: COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor) made short work of his
10 rivals in the Whitney H. (G1) on July 28, surging off the far turn to win in
hand by 4 3/4 lengths, and there was an 8 1/2-length difference between
runner-up STUDENT COUNCIL (Kingmambo), who at least performed commendably from
off the pace, and third-placer GRASSHOPPER (Dixie Union), who led up a band of
stragglers who were no factor whatsoever. He didn’t beat the best company, but
Commentator looked awesome doing it, earning an excellent 109 BRIS Speed number.
The New York-bred deserves plenty of praise.
Trainer Nick Zito will likely keep Commentator at two turns for his next
start, but, with the exception of Saratoga, the seven-year-old gelding does his
best running in one-turn events. He’s more of a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup
Dirt Mile (if it was run over dirt) than the Classic, and I’d be surprised to
see him wind up at Santa Anita in late October. The Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct
in late November is a perfect target at the end of the season.
Macho Breakthrough and Fire Starter: MACHO AGAIN (Holy Bull) and PYRO
(Pulpit) were no match for Big Brown this spring in the Triple Crown races, but
they’re looking like more dangerous adversaries following the Jim Dandy S. (G2)
on July 27. Preakness runner-up Macho Again didn’t enjoy the cleanest trip,
altering course to the outside for the stretch run en route to the half-length
decision, and Pyro suffered a more eventful journey, racing at the back of the
pack after missing the break over the speed-favoring track.
Macho Again kicked on strongly after turning for home and dug in late to
repulse the late surge of the runner-up, recording his first graded stakes win
in the process. He was slow to come to hand earlier this year for Dallas
Stewart, dropping into a six-furlong allowance in late February to gain a
confidence-building win, and didn’t get much out of a seventh-place effort over
Polytrack in the Lane’s End S. (G2) in early March. The gray colt’s fortunes
began to change in the Derby Trial S., where he posted a game half-length
decision that earned him a career-best 103 BRIS Speed rating, and Macho Again
then finished second at Pimlico. His Belmont effort was a dud, but Macho Again
is now back on the upswing for Stewart. He could continue to show more in the
Travers S. (G1) on August 23.
Pyro also has a lot going for him. A visually impressive winner of the
Louisiana Derby (G2) and Risen Star S. (G3) earlier this year, the Steve
Asmussen trainee went off form after finishing a lackluster 10th over the
Polytrack in the Blue Grass S. (G1). That effort basically rules out the
Breeders’ Cup Classic. After turning in a dismal eighth in the Kentucky Derby,
Pyro rebounded with a 1 3/4-length victory in the Northern Dancer S. (G3) at
Churchill Downs on June 8. The dark bay colt owns good tactical speed, so the
bad start in the Jim Dandy cost him severely. He managed to offer a terrific
rally, just missing on the wire after making up several lengths late, and Pyro
netted a respectable 101 Speed rating. He’s the one to beat in the Midsummer
Derby.
Mambo — For the second straight year, Neil Howard is making a splash
with an unheralded three-year-old at the Spa. In 2007, Grasshopper turned heads
when rolling to a six-length allowance score prior to a gutsy runner-up effort
to Street Sense in the Travers, and MAMBO IN SEATTLE (Kingmambo) is this year’s
attraction. The Churchill Downs-based colt brought a two-race winning skein over
allowance rivals into the Henry Walton S. on the Jim Dandy undercard, and the
bay colt displayed a lot of courage in holding off You and I Forever (A.P. Indy)
for the neck decision. Mambo in Seattle, who now shows a 7-4-2-0 mark,
registered a career-best 101 Speed rating. He’ll be tested for class in the
Travers next time out, but there’s a lot to like about the up-and-coming colt.
West Virginia Glory — Lael Stables’ READY SET (Touch Gold) rallied to
the lead in upper stretch and proved to be a resilient winner in Saturday’s West
Virginia Derby (G2), repulsing a dramatic bid from longshot WEB GEM (Fusaichi
Pegasus) to prevail by a head. The improving colt may continue to be a factor in
lucrative events like the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) and Indiana Derby (G2) for
Michael Matz in the coming months, but he’s not ready for Grade 1 rivals at this
stage of his career. His 95 Speed rating was on par with previous in-the-money
efforts in the Barbaro S. (G3) and Floor Show S.
Web Gem, another three-year-old from the Zito stable, nearly upset the apple
cart at 24-1 in the West Virginia Derby. The maiden winner brought poor form
into the 1 1/8-mile event, dropping six career attempts versus allowance rivals
and recording unplaced finishes in two previous stakes starts. The one-run
closer benefited from a wicked early pace that doomed fourth-placer CHEROKEE
ARTIST (Cherokee Run) and ninth-placer RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run). Z
FORTUNE (Siphon [Brz]) had no excuses, checking in eighth following a one-paced
effort.
Henry: Miler HENRYTHENAVIGATOR (Kingmambo) made it interesting in July
30 Sussex S. (Eng-G1) at Goodwood, but the sterling sophomore got the job done
by a head for Aidan O’Brien, remaining perfect in his fourth start of the season
— all Group 1 victories. Winner of the English (Eng-G1) and Irish Two Thousand Guineas
(Ire-G1),
the Ballydoyle colorbearer now will be pointed toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He’s got the class to be a serious factor against what might be a
less-than-stellar field, but it begs the question as to why Coolmore insists on
pointing milers toward 10-furlong races in America. The ill-fated George
Washington (Ire) didn’t deserve his fate at Monmouth Park last fall, but he
wasn’t suited to 1 1/4 miles either and competed in back-to-back Classics.
O’Brien is adept at stretching out a horse’s stamina — he did so in superb
fashion with Duke of Marmalade (Danehill) in the 12-furlong King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) recently — but he faces a tall order with
Henrythenavigator, who has never been past a mile.
Up Next — With the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) removed from
consideration, Curlin is now scheduled to return to the dirt in the Woodward S.
(G1) at Saratoga on August 30. His main competition in that spot figures to be
Metropolitan H. (G1) hero DIVINE PARK (Chester House).
The $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) will be contested on August 24, and
Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) winner MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast) will be one of the top
contenders. The likely pacesetter figures to be closely tracked by WELL ARMED
(Tiznow), who returned off a freshening to post a smart 1 1/4-length decision in
the San Diego H. (G2), and the classy turf performer OUT OF CONTROL (Brz)
(Vettori) remains a possible wildcard for Bobby Frankel if not entered to the
Arlington Million (G1) this Saturday.
Student Council will be looking to pick up all the pieces in Del Mar’s
centerpiece event. The defending champion captured the Pimlico Special H. (G1)
three starts back, finished a solid third in the Hollywood Gold Cup and second
in the aforementioned Whitney. He could be hard to deny once again.
We’ll review both races plus the Travers in our next installment.