Happily Unbridled

There will be no more prep races for Colonel John. He’s going to train right up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

His last race was a testing one in which he won by a flaring nostril over Mambo in Seattle in the Travers Stakes (gr I) on August 23 and his connections feel he may bounce if he runs again before the Classic. Trainer Eoin Harty had initially said that either the Goodwood (gr I) at Santa Anita on September 27 or the Louisiana Super Derby (gr II) at Louisiana Downs on September 20 were options for this son of the great Tiznow. But co-owner Bill Casner said Wednesday that he will head straight into the Classic.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic will be Colonel John’s first start against older horses. Will the 62-days off without a race before the Classic help or hurt Colonel John? It’s possible that another race would take too much out of him if it’s a tough race like the Travers, but it’s also possible that he will not be able to keep his form for two months. He’ll be competing against some of the best horses in the world, including Big Brown (is it too much to hope that Curlin will show up too?) and the top horses from Europe and Japan — remember Casino Drive? — so he will have to be at the top of his game.

We’ve always liked Colonel John for many reasons, not the least of which is that his sire, Tiznow, won the Classic twice, so we think there’s a good chance that he will be able to run with the best. Can he win? I don’t know. Right now I’m not convinced that he can … but he’s a good horse and he always gives his all when he runs. He should be a decent price so you’ll want to use him in your exotics at least. A long shot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic can often be the best shot!

Go Baby Go!

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!