Happily Unbridled

Indian Blessing was to be the favorite going into this $300,000 Grade I Ruffian Handicap race at Belmont Park on September 6. However, she was scratched by her connections (trainer Bob Baffert and owner Hal Earnhart) after they decided to keep her in the shorter sprint races. Fortunately, there is another filly in Baffert’s barn … Tough Tiz’s Sis. This is the daughter of one of our favorite race horses, Tiznow, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice and is becoming one of the best sires of this generation.

The Belmont Park track was sloppy on Saturday due to Tropical Storm Hanna making her way across the region. Tough Tiz’s Sis has run unsuccessfully on wet tracks three times before — she finished a distant seventh, more than 16 lengths back in her last start on a wet track, the Breeder’s Cup Distaff (gr I) last October — but on Saturday she showed that she’s apparently inherited her daddy’s love of the Belmont track as she splashed home to victory by 12 1/4 lengths. She was ridden by Edgar Prado whose only instruction from the trainer was to keep her face clean … she doesn’t like getting dirt (or mud) in her face and that fact certainly contributed to her poor performance in last year’s Distaff.

Copper State, Stage Luck, and Miraculous Miss rounded out the top four finishers. The winner was the third choice betting favorite and paid $10.60, $6.20 and $4.00.

Tough Tiz’s Sis is a tough competitor in her own right and it will be exciting to watch her in her next race … she was definitely the best of all in the Ruffian Handicap.

Go Baby Go!

Rallying from fifth at the top of the stretch and making a five-wide move, Backseat Rhythm got to the finish line first in the final strides in the Garden City at Belmont Park on Saturday. She was just 1/2 length in front of favored Pure Clan whose jockey, Julian Leparoux, claimed foul against Backseat Rhythm’s jockey, Javier Castallano, for interference in the stretch. After review by the stewards, the claim was disallowed.

Backseat Rhythm is trained by Patrick Reynolds and has won of four of six starts on the turf. The inner turf at Belmont on Saturday was yielding due the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna as she passed through the area, but the three year old filly by El Corredor handled it well.

According to her trainer, Backseat Rhythm is invited to the Queen Elizabeth II on October 11 at Keeneland.

Raw Silk, with Edgar Prado up, took the early lead, set easy fractions and led by a narrow margin into the stretch but was challenged by My Princess Jess on the inside and Ariage on her outside. These two dueled inside the sixteenth pole and were then joined by Pure Clan and Backseat Rhythm. Pure Clan held the place position and her entry mate, Ariage, finished ahead of My Princess Jess for the show spot.

Backseat Rhythm went off as the third betting choice in this race but seemed to love the yielding turf so we’ll be watching for similar conditions in her upcoming races …

Go Baby Go!

Today’s the day the multiple-graded stakes winning filly Pure Clan runs in the Grade 1, $250,000 Garden City Stakes for 3 year old fillies at Belmont Park in Elmont New York. Estimated post time is 2:03 EDT. The race is contested over 1 1/8 mile on the inner turf … maybe. Whether or not they even run on the turf is a question mark as the last remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna leave their mark across the east coast.

Pure Clan has won all of her turf races so far, including the Grade 1 American Oaks (Hollywood Park) but they have all been on firm turf and trainer Bob Holthus doesn’t know how she may handle a wet turf.

Pure Clan will be ridden by Julian Leparoux and breaks from Post 5. She is coupled with Ariege who is trained by Bobby Frankel. Both fillies are owned mostly by IEAH Stables.

Raw Silk ridden by Edgar Prado will most likely be the main speed in the race. She breaks from Post 1.

Backstreet Rhythm breaks from Post 4 and is ridden by Javier Castallano. She is 2 for 2 on the Belmont Turf so should be a contender.

The full field of fillies, jockeys, trainers, and their morning line odds are: