THOROUGHBRED BEAT
SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
by James Scully
Nine-week freshening: Following an easy win in Saturday’s Woodward S.
(G1), QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) will spend nine weeks on the sidelines
awaiting the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). The extended vacation wouldn’t be a major issue
with a proven 1 1/4-mile horse, but distance is a concern with Quality Road, who
could be better suited for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
Quality Road is zero-for-two at 10 furlongs, finishing third behind Summer
Bird and Hold Me Back (Giant’s Causeway) in last year’s Travers S. (G1) and
second to Summer Bird in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Both efforts came in the
slop, but his ability to handle longer distances became a significant talking
point after the 1 1/8-mile Whitney S. (G1) on August 7. Despite having
everything his own way on a fast track that afternoon, Quality Road could not
withstand the fast-closing BLAME (Arch) in deep stretch.
Blame will take a much more conventional approach to the Breeders’ Cup,
prepping in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 2. I don’t know how much of an
edge recency provides, but a two-month layoff didn’t help Medaglia d’Oro, who
twice finished second as the Classic favorite after a long rest. Nine
furlongs was Medaglia d’Oro’s best distance — he went
one-for-eight in races at 10 furlongs or longer — but the lack of a recent prep
probably cost the Travers winner against a 43-1 Volponi in 2002.
Quality Road is very good at 1 1/8 miles and his Met Mile (G1) victory,
where he registered a 113 BRIS Speed rating, was arguably his best race of the year.
He’s earned lower Speed numbers in his last two starts at a
route and will now face a difficult stretch-out off a nine-week layoff in the
Classic.
Afleet head turner: In the midst of his rally between horses at the
top of the stretch, AFLEET EXPRESS (Afleet Alex) cocked his head sideways for a
customary look at the Saratoga crowd, and he took another glance after taking the lead
near the eighth pole. That’s how the improving colt runs — he turns his head
toward the stands in every race — and Afleet Express has now won three of his
last four starts, including a nose decision in the Travers.
Javier Castellano delivered a great ride, saving ground along the rail before
adeptly guiding his mount between Trappe Shot (Tapit) and First Dude (Stephen
Got Even) at the head of the lane, and Jimmy Jerkens deserves praise for his
preparation. After winning the Pegasus S. (G3) at Monmouth Park, Jerkens eschewed
the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) in favor of a local prep in the Jim Dandy
S. (G2).
Afleet Express moved forward off his third-place effort in the Jim Dandy,
receiving a commendable 107 BRIS Speed rating for his Grade 1 debut in the
Travers, and is eligible to keep his momentum rolling in the $1 million
Pennsylvania Derby (G2) on September 25.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic will be a tall task, but we have
plenty to look forward to next year with the late-blooming Afleet Express. He figures to keep maturing
for Jerkens (keeping his head straight would be a positive) and could be a top
horse at four.
Tough beat: Big, sweeping moves appeared worthless on Travers Day; the
main track was extremely speed-favoring on the undercard with all six races
being delivered in wire-to-wire fashion. The Travers was the first dirt race at
two turns, but tactical speed remained an asset. Afleet Express was never more
than five lengths back at any point and advanced along the best part of the
track, the rail, through the far turn.
FLY DOWN (Mineshaft) was up against it with his late running style and wide
trip. After rating about a dozen lengths back in 10th during the early stages,
he circled horses with an impressive move on the far turn and entered the
stretch with a head full of steam on the far outside. Even as he refused to
switch leads and started lugging in, Fly Down looked like a winner in midstretch. He got his head in front right before
the wire, but lost on the bob.
It’s easy to say he was the best horse due to how the track was playing, and
the tough setback mirrored the meet endured by trainer Nick Zito and Jose Lezcano.
Hall of Famer Zito went two-for-42 at Saratoga this year, and Jose Lezcano
entered the Travers with five wins and nearly 45 second- and third-place
finishes combined.
Lucky’s health: LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike) returned to the worktab
on Wednesday, breezing a half-mile at Del Mar, and the colt can’t afford to miss
any more training time over the next two months. He got sick earlier this year
before running third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and missed a week of training after his
Preakness S. (G1) win due to an illness. The Bob Baffert-trained colt confirmed
his status as divisional leader with a dominant four-length score in the August
1 Haskell, but came down with a fever afterward and spent a
few extra days at Monmouth Park on antibiotics.
I’m hoping he can stay healthy because Lookin at Lucky is going to need a
prep before the Breeders’ Cup. He still has enough time to make the October 2
Goodwood S. (G1) at Hollywood Park if he continues to work over the next three
weeks.
Ladies’ Classic: RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d’Oro) performed extremely well for the opening nine furlongs of the Personal Ensign S. (G1),
running a talented Life at Ten (Malibu Moon) into submission by the conclusion
of the far turn, but ran out of gas in the final eighth of a mile.
Her runner-up finish proved she’s not a 10-furlong horse, but she didn’t rate a serious contender for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic regardless of
the Personal Ensign outcome. She was on a path toward the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1)
the moment she finished second to the unheralded Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled’s Song) in the
April 30 La Troienne (G2), her second straight disappointing setback as a
four-year-old. Her connections knew then that she wasn’t the same filly who went
three-for-three against males in Grade 1 events last year.
Co-owner Jess Jackson wasn’t going to retire her following the La Troienne
and has no reason to consider retirement now. Rachel Alexandra remains a top
contender for this year’s Ladies’ Classic, which will be held over her favorite
track at Churchill Downs, and that’s been the only realistic option for her
since the spring.
Spa sprints: After breaking on top in the King’s Bishop (G1),
DISCREETLY MINE (Mineshaft) was never seriously threatened en route to a 1
1/4-length decision. Given the fact that multiple Grade 2 winner D’ Funnybone
(D’wildcat) is off form and finished last, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt didn’t
defeat the strongest group of rivals on the Travers undercard.
He’ll now train up to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and will be one of the
favorites at Churchill, especially with the recent retirement of
Majesticperfection. One race prior to the seven-furlong King’s Bishop, the New
York-bred filly RIGHTLY SO (Read the Footnotes) ran faster than her male
counterpart in the Ballerina (G1). The front-running filly had her rivals put
away in upper stretch while drawing clear to a four-length decision.
Rightly So reached the three-quarters mark in 1:09.29; Discreetly Mine went
in 1:09.44. Discreetly Mine came home in :13.72, and Rightly So finished up
:13.29. She received a 106 BRIS Speed rating to Discreetly Mine’s 103.
I don’t know if we can glean anything useful from their times, but it was
interesting to see the former state-bred competitor (Rightly So placed in the
Broadway S. and Indistinctly S. earlier this season) outperform such a
well-respected Sprint contender on the same program.
Heartbreaking: Recent injuries to Majesticperfection and Kantharos
have ended their racing careers, and the losses were a terrible blow to the
Steve Asmussen barn. Majesticperfection was the horse to beat in this year’s
Sprint, with sensational victories in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) and Iowa Sprint
H., both at six furlongs, in his last two starts. The supremely talented
four-year-old registered BRIS Speed ratings of 112 on each occasion, and he
liked Churchill Downs, impressively capturing an allowance there this spring.
Kantharos opened his racing career with three brilliant performances, winning
by 11 3/4 lengths, 9 1/2 lengths and 7 1/4 lengths, and the chestnut toyed with
his overmatched rivals when capturing the August 16 Saratoga Special S. (G2) in
his final career outing. The Lion Heart colt appeared to have such a bright
future.