Happily Unbridled

Holy Moly … what an exciting weekend this was for horse racing fans! From long shot winners (BIG payouts) in allowance races to Colonel John winning the Travers by a flaring nostril over Mambo in Seattle … quite reminiscent of Victory Gallop’s win over Real Quiet in that famous Belmont Stakes in 1998. What a thrill to watch these two courageous and determined horses fighting to reach the wire first. Robby Alberado, Mambo in Seattle’s rider, was certain he’d won the race and raised his whip in victory; however, when the tote board lit up, it was Colonel John’s number that came up the winner. Garrett Gomez on Colonel John rode a masterful race to get his horse in the ideal position so his nose was perfectly on the wire for a win that was literally won by an inch.

Hystericalady, a 5 year old daughter of Distorted Humor, came through with a romp by eight lengths in the Molly Pitcher, a race she also won last year by 6 1/4 lengths. This was the Jerry Hollendorfer’s trainee third consecutive win in Grade II competition.

Midnite Lute, the 4-5 favorite in the Pat O’Brien at Del Mar failed to fire and had no impact on the race that was won by Lewis Michael while setting a 7 furlong track record over the Polytrack in a final time of 1:21.17.

In The Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on August 24, Intangaroo came from far out of it to cruise past the front runners and won going away. This was a “Win and You’re In” race which means an automatic post in the $1 million Sentient Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on October 24 at Santa Anita. Miraculous Miss also rallied from off the pace to get second. She was three-quarters of a length ahead of the 2-1 betting favorite, Sugar Swirl, who settled for third.

Also on August 24 at Del Mar, Garrett Gomez — yes, the same Garrett Gomez who had just won the thriller at Saratoga on the other coast — guided Go Between to a head victory over Well Armed in the $1 million Pacific Classic. This was also a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in October so this emerging star, a 5 year old son of the great Point Given and a horse who obviously loves the synthetic surfaces, will no doubt be a favorite in that race.

The Del Mar Mile Handicap, contested on the Del Mar turf course, was won by Whatsthescript, ridden by — who else — Garrett Gomez, by three-quarters of a length. This too was a “Win and You’re In” race so the Irish-bred Whatsthescript earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. However, this horse is not eligible and would need to be supplemented. Stay tuned to see if the connections take that leap of faith in this talented colt by Royal Applause.

Those are just a few of the plethora of exciting races that took place last weekend on both sides of the US. But now let’s take a look at some unbelievable payouts for some of the undercard races. First, the 4th race at Saratoga on August 23rd … an allowance race contested at 1 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf course. Missinglisalewis, ridden by Alan Garcia, got the win and paid $62 for that win. Cardiff Road came in second paying $21.40 for the place and the trifecta was rounded out by Beneath the Crown who paid $8 to show. Victory Assured got the 4th spot … a $2 Exacta wager paid $1293, $2 Trifecta paid $19,482, and a $2 Superfecta paid $89,625. That’s just a pretty darn good day at the track.

But wait, there’s more … just 3 races later, the 7th at Saratoga, again at 1 1/16 on the firm inner turf course, Slambino, ridden by Channing Hill, slammed the competition to pay $179 for the win. Second was Blazing Dynamo who paid $21.60 to place and Key Event showed up third and paid $16 for the show. Holiday Trip came in fourth. The payouts for this $80,000 race were off the charts. $2 Exacta paid $2565, $2 Trifecta paid $105,914, and — you need to sit down for this one — the $2 Superfecta paid $1,523,188. I haven’t heard if anyone hit that life-changing score but if someone did, please call me … I need a mentor!

With the Breeders’ Cup less than two months away, there’ll be more of these heart-stopping wins and devastating losses … it’s a very exciting time for us horse racing fans … Go Baby Go!