Happily Unbridled

Cribnote blew the turn and Vineyard Haven ridden by Alan Garcia reaped the reward. Vineyard Haven captured the gr I, $250,000 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga on Monday. The son of Lido Palace finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Cribnote … yes, in spite of bolting far to the outside at the top of the stretch, Cribnote kept coming, making up an amazing amount of ground and was still gaining on the leader at the wire. He finished 2 lengths ahead of the third place winner, Munnings, who got off to a very poor start and still finished well.

Vineyard Haven, trained and co-owned by Bobby Frankel, covered the 7 furlongs in 1.23:40.

Jockey Alan Garcia used this victory to clinch the Saratoga riding title. This win was also Frankel’s fourth Grade I win of the Saratoga meet. Frankel’s other Grade 1 winners were Ginger Punch in the Go For Wand and the Personal Ensign, and First Defence in the in the Forego.

Vineyard Haven is certainly a colt worth watching as we enter the last few weeks before the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. However, I was much more impressed by Cribnote, (a son of 2004 Kentucky Derby contender, Read the Footnotes) who, after bolting to the outside, ran much farther than Vineyard Haven so the 1 1/16 mile of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile will not be a problem for him. Cribnote may just be my early favorite in the Juvenile …

Go Baby Go!

Mani Bhavan recorded her third win in as many starts on August 31 when she won the 7-furlong Spinaway Stakes (gr I) for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga. This impressive daughter of Storm Boot crossed the finish line 1 1/4 lengths ahead of runner-up Jardin who appeared to have enough momentum to at least threaten the winner but, drifting in greenly in the lane, she lost all chance to best Mani Bhavan. (Ok, I know you’re asking … what does Mani Bhavan mean? Mani Bhavan is a mansion in Mambai owned by the Mani family who were friends of Gandhi and this mansion acted as the focal point of his political activities from 1917 to 1934. Gandhi’s association with the charka began in 1917, while he was staying at Mani Bhavan.)

Mani Bhavan has never even been headed in her three starts and is extremely quick out of the gate. Just 18 days ago, she won the Adirondack Stakes (gr III) at Saratoga by seven lengths. The filly is owned by Puglisi Racing and YTB Stables and is trained by Steve Klesaris who is based in Delaware.

We’ll need to keep an eye on Mani Bhavan … if she shows up in the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in October, she’ll be a formidable foe.

Go Baby Go!

Although Curlin made his debut at Saratoga a winning one, it wasn’t as visually impressive as many of his races have been and it seemed to take all he had to get past the long shot front runner, Past the Point.

Past the Point, a 40-1 shot, set quick fractions in the 1 1/8 mile race and led into the upper stretch with Curlin “uncoiling” behind him. It looked like Curlin would run right by and win going away but once he drew even with the pacesetter, he seemed to tire and labored during the final 1/8 of a mile to finally prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. The plucky Past the Point was making his grade 1 debut for trainer Eoin Harty and proved the best of the rest by finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Wanderin Boy with A P Arrow finishing fourth.

This was Curlin’s first start in seven weeks and the connections appear to be pointing him towards the 10-furlong Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr 1) at Belmont Park on September 27. There is apparently no decision to enter Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in October; it is more likely that Curlin will ship overseas for the Japan Cup.

Even though the great Curlin appeared to be a bit less than his best yesterday, his determination and willingness to win prevailed and he was back in the winners circle where he belongs. This is possibly Curlin’s final year of racing so we need to enjoy every moment of his last few races … no matter what happens in the next few weeks, we know we’ve seen a champion that is one of the best horses racing fans have seen in the past 15 years.

Thanks for the thrills, Curlin!

If you haven’t heard, Curlin, reigning horse of the year, is back in action today at Saratoga in the Woodward Stakes. This superstar owned by Stonestreet Stable and trained by Steve Asmussen, has never run at Saratoga before but was installed as the 3-5 morning line favorite. He’ll be ridden again by Robbie Alberado and breaks from post 5.

Seven other horses are entered in the 1 1/8 mile race which is run on the dirt. Curlin’s last race was on turf in which he finished second to Red Rocks; his connections were considering a try at an international campaign on the turf prior to this second place finish but have apparently decided to keep Curlin on the dirt. This may also be the reason that Curlin may not run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year in Santa Anita since that track is no longer a dirt track but has been changed to a synthetic surface to comply with the State of California mandate. Turf horses seem to perform better on the synthetic surface than dirt horses do so the synthetic may not be to Curlin’s liking.

Curlin had a busy year in 2007 by winning the Rebel Stakes, the Arkansas Derby, the Preakness, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic which was run (in the mud) at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. This year he traveled to Dubai to win the World Cup by a record 7 3/4 lengths and then returned to the US and won the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in June.

Curlin is routinely outstanding in most of his races and the fans expect nothing less today … of course, this is still a horse race and anything can happen.

These are the horses in post position order, followed by trainer, jockey and morning line odds:
1. A.P. Arrow, Todd Pletcher, Cornelio Velasquez, 20-1
2. Loose Leaf, Ken McPeek, Eibar Coa, 15-1
3. Past the Point, Eoin Harty, Edgar Prado, 15-1
4. Divine Park, Kiaran McLaughlin, Alan Garcia, 3-1
5. Curlin, Steve Asmussen, Robby Albarado, 3-5
6. Dr. D.F.C., Rodrigo Ubillo, Aldo Arboleda, 50-1
7. Out of Control, Bobby Frankel, John Velazquez, 12-1
8. Wanderin Boy, Nick Zito, Julien Leparoux, 8-1
Each assigned 126 pounds

Go Baby (Curlin) Go!

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!