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SPRINT DIARY JULY 15, 2008 by Vance Hanson Whether they like it or not, horsemen and fans alike will have to get used to the idea that in order for their charges or favorites to win divisional honors in the sprinting categories over the next two years, some semblance of ability on, if not outright fondness for, synthetic surfaces will be essential. This, of course, is entirely due to the fact the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held at Santa Anita both this fall and next year. Also, participation in the Breeders' Cup has been a virtual requirement in order to nail down a sprint championship. Since the Breeders' Cup's inauguration in 1984, only Housebuster (1990) and Smoke Glacken (1997) have been able to bypass the big day and come out on top in year-end tallies. With that in mind, it would appear horses that have some positive experience over synthetic surfaces should be given some additional consideration as the championship races unfold, and to a large extent that might mean putting more emphasis on what occurs in the top sprints in Southern California as the summer and fall progress. Another thing to keep in mind is, as this is being written, Santa Anita has begun overhauling their main track surface which will be composed of Pro-Ride material, the first of its kind at a North American racetrack. While some Pro-Ride elements have been in the track's composition for several months already after the original Cushion Track failed to drain properly, it remains to be seen how the actual changes will affect individual performances, if at all. This new surface will not be raced over until the beginning of the Oak Tree meeting on September 24, five weeks before the Breeders' Cup, and right now the most crucial prep will likely be the Ancient Title S. (G1) on September 27, one of the few opportunities to get a test run over the new surface. Benny the Jet: After a seemingly lackluster, last-jump score in the True North H. (G2) on June 7, it was nice to see BENNY THE BULL (Lucky Lionel), the pro tem leader among sprinters, display more authority in last Saturday's Smile Sprint H. (G2) on Calder's Summit of Speed program, making a sensational run down the middle of the track to score by two widening lengths. Upon further examination, however, the performance remained below the standard of excellence he displayed in races like the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G1), Sunshine Millions Sprint, and even his runner-up effort in the Forego S. (G1) last summer. Of the four major Summit of Speed races, which were all run consecutively at six furlongs, Benny the Bull's final time was the slowest. While still an exciting individual, his reputation has taken a few blows of late, and at mid-season it's somewhat discouraging that he is being outperformed by three-year-olds and fillies. Let's not forget, too, that he was unplaced in his only previous start on a synthetic surface. Beasts of the East: There is no shortage of possibilities with the potential to overthrow Benny the Bull in the coming months. BUSTIN STONES (City Zip), who has been laying low since running his undefeated mark to six races in the Carter H. (G1) in April, is on track to reappear in the July 26 Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G2) at Saratoga. Richter Scale H. (G2) winner COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor) ran a superb second in the Metropolitan H. (G1) over a mile and will likely be kept at that distance or shorter for the time being, though he has often been inconsistent at maintaining his good form for long stretches. LUCKY ISLAND (Arg) (Lucky Roberto) took the Belmont Spring meeting by storm with dominating victories in the Bold Ruler H. (G3) and Tom Fool H. (G2), and the once-beaten four-year-old might arguably be the best one going now. Best of the West: With the built-in advantage of having synthetic surfaces to run over virtually year-round, the California contingent deserves a long look. STREET BOSS (Street Cry [Ire]), who swept the Los Angeles H. (G3)/Triple Bend Invitational H. (G1) double at the Hollywood Spring/Summer meeting, is the one to topple right now. Behind, but perhaps not too far, are 2007 Ancient Title S. winner IDIOT PROOF (Benchmark), who has not raced since finishing second to Benny the Bull in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1); Grade 1 winner IN SUMMATION (Put It Back), a dual graded winner at Santa Anita last winner; and BARBECUE EDDIE (Stormy Atlantic), a non-stakes winner who has been knocking on the door against some of the above going back to last summer. The Travelers: Two major league talents that have been less provincial than some of their sprinting colleagues this campaign are REBELLION (GB) (Mozart [Ire]) and ELITE SQUADRON (Officer), who were separated by just a head in the Commonwealth S. (G2) at Keeneland on April 12 with Rebellion getting the upper hand. That one has since taken down the Ack Ack H. (G3) over Hollywood's Cushion Track, and will be making another trip West from his Fair Hill, Maryland, base for Saturday's San Diego H. (G2) at 1 1/16 miles. He might instead be pointed toward the Breeders' Cup "Dirt" Mile with a strong performance there, but a future in sprinting can not be discounted either. Elite Squadron easily captured the Churchill Downs S. (G2) on dirt following the Commonwealth, and most recently finished a half-length second to Street Boss in the Triple Bend, so is one who can not be taken lightly as the division starts to come more into focus in the coming months. On the comeback trail: Strange as this sounds, but I had entirely forgotten about defending champion MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet) until seeing his name on the July 6 worktab at Santa Anita, when he scorched a bullet three furlongs in :35 1/5. Unraced since finishing second in the Cigar Mile H. (G1) last November, Midnight Lute's campaign is likely to be brief as he attempts a successful title defense. We'll see how well he bounces back when he does reappear, and if he can produce anything close to what he showed in the Forego S. and Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) last season, the rest had better beware. One we can't wait to see more of this season is FABULOUS STRIKE (Smart Strike), who rose from the relative obscurity of his Penn National base last season to blow seven rivals out of the water in the Vosburgh S. (G1), thus stamping himself as a legitimate Breeders' Cup contender we were anxious to wager on. Unfortunately, illness prevented him from participating in the Monmouth Monsoon, but he recently had a nice comeback victory at odds of 1-20 in the Vincent Moscarelli Memorial S. at Delaware Park. If, like Midnight Lute, he returns to his best form this season, he will be a fabulous addition to what is already a deep, often inscrutable division. Another sprint champion, 2006 divisional winner THOR'S ECHO (Swiss Yodeler), was 1 3/4 lengths adrift of Benny the Bull in the True North in his first start in more than a year, but we've always been a tad suspect about this one's overall credentials. Indeed, we supported Bordonaro on our Eclipse Award ballot two years ago on the basis of his 2-1 win advantage over Thor's Echo that season. The Fleetest Fillies: DEAREST TRICKSI (Proudest Romeo) catapulted to the top among West Coast fillies with a 2 1/4-length triumph over a deep group in the A Gleam H. (G2) on June 28. Among the vanquished were the previously unbeaten MAGNIFICIENCE (Stormy Atlantic) and INTANGAROO (Orientate), already a multiple Grade 1 winner this year following upset scores in the Santa Monica H. and Humana Distaff S. The sectional battle between those three should continue to provide quality entertainment in the months to come. DREAM RUSH (Wild Rush), who was expected to solidify her claim as the East's leading female dasher, has failed to live up to those lofty hopes by opening her campaign with two straight defeats. Even if not fully cranked, the multiple Grade 1 winner really had no business losing the Vagrancy H. (G2) after setting an uncontested pace, and in last Saturday's Princess Rooney H. (G1), she offered little resistance when put to the test by eventual winner MISTICAL PLAN (Game Plan), who had not previously shown much sprinting prowess. MIRACULOUS MISS (Mr. Greeley), the runner-up in the Princess Rooney in only her second start of the year, is often hampered by her deep-closing style, but there's no getting around her talent. Not only did she run a close second in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last fall, she followed that up with a fine third behind Benny the Bull in the De Francis Dash. The rest of the East Coast contingent is in a bit of flux as several are in the midst of losing streaks or have shown a history of inconsistency. LOOKY YONDER (Johannesburg), RITE MOMENT (Vicar), ANY LIMIT (Limit Out) and WILD GAMS (Forest Wildcat), are familiar faces and do have their occasional moments of glory. The Sophomore Set: There's really no getting around J BE K (Silver Deputy) as the leading sophomore colt sprinter in the East. A three-time graded winner this year, his lone stakes defeats this season have been at a mile or longer, and the results of the Carry Back S. (G2) last weekend were somewhat inconclusive as GOLDEN SPIKES (Seeking the Gold) has shown a particular affinity for the Calder surface while being winless elsewhere. Out West the two leading lights, TWO STEP SALSA (Petionville) and BOB BLACK JACK (Stormy Jack), have been experimenting at longer distances with generally positive results, but we expect them to revert back to sprinting sooner rather than later. The explosive victory by the undefeated filly INDYANNE (Indian Charlie) in last Saturday's Azalea S. (G3) has put her in the mix for the upcoming Test S. (G1) at Saratoga, a race that is also likely to include last year's two-year-old champion INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie), whose recent victory in the July 5 Prioress S. (G1) was astonishingly fast given how slow the Belmont surface was playing that day. And we certainly can't forget ZAFTIG (Gone West), who embarrassed Indian Blessing in the Acorn S. (G1), though she might instead be pointed toward longer races once she completely recovers from a bruised foot suffered last month. On the left coast, MILLION DOLLAR RUN (Tejano Run), who used the Railbird S. (G3) to break her maiden back in May, and LETHAL HEAT (Unusual Heat), who has been running longer of late, are both highly accomplished sprinters. One to watch: The Midwest road to the Breeders' Cup Sprint is basically a short one, the August 23 Arlington Sprint S. and October 4 Phoenix S. (G3) at Keeneland being the most lucrative preps. One who might have a say in one or both is BASE COMMANDER (Officer), who recently returned from a long layoff with a one-length allowance score at Arlington on July 4. He had not raced since finishing a nose second in the Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3) last September, a race that in the past has yielded Breeders' Cup Sprint winners Reraise and Cajun Beat. Base Commander could sneak into Breeders' Cup contention by taking this road less traveled. The grass is always greener: Despite the fact no real narrative of top-level races currently exists, the Breeders' Cup's desire to be all things to all people has resulted in the creation of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at about 6 1/2 furlongs over Santa Anita's downhill course. While I'm sure the absence of a turf sprint exclusively for fillies and mares is only a temporary oversight on their part, and the likelihood of a turf specialist being in the running for divisional honors is minute, there is still money to be made in this race. To get the conversation rolling, a trio of contenders to keep your eyes on are GET FUNKY (Straight Man), FIRST DEFENCE (Unbridled's Song) and LOOKINFORTHESECRET (Cimarron Secret). Get Funky is seemingly best in the West following a recent score in the Robert K. Kerlan Memorial H. at Hollywood, and he was a Santa Anita course and distance winner last December in the Morvich H. (G3). First Defence was life-and-death to hold on in the six-furlong Jaipur S. (G3) at Belmont last out, but that was still a credible effort considering he made all the running while setting a sizzling pace over yielding ground in what was his turf debut. From a pari-mutuel/futures bet perspective, the most intriguing, however, is Lookinforthesecret, who has been knocking out minor stakes at such locales as Tampa Bay Downs and Canterbury Park with regularity, but who also scored a 1 1/2-length decision in the lucrative Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint at Calder back in April, a race that included the versatile In Summation. Our next installment, hopefully more synthesized, will look at developments following such races as the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H., Bing Crosby H. (G1), Amsterdam S. (G2), Honorable Miss H. (G2) and Test S., the results of which might start weeding out the pretenders from Breeders' Cup and Eclipse Award consideration.
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