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Bernardini reigns supreme in Travers
High Cotton (Dixie Union) and Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat) shot to the front, with Bernardini taking up the space in between. As those three crossed under the wire for the first time, jockey Javier Castellano merely nudged Bernardini and his mount quickly moved to the fore, settling in along the rail. With Bluegrass Cat just behind and to his outside, the bay colt snapped off splits of :23 2/5, :48 and 1:12 3/5. Turning into the stretch, the much anticipated match race between Bluegrass Cat and Bernardini appeared set. However, Bernardini and Castellano had other plans. As Bluegrass Cat came up to issue a challenge, Castellano gave Bernardini his cue, and the powerful sophomore took off. Flying down the stretch, Bernardini easily put away his persistent rival, getting a mile in 1:36 4/5 before crossing under the line 7 1/2 lengths in front and completing 1 1/4 miles on the fast track in 2:01 3/5. "I did not expect to go to the lead like that, but my horse broke sharp, he wanted to go in the first turn," Castellano said. "I didn't want to fight him. I wanted to see him comfortable." As to the little spill he took during the post parade, the rider explained, "(Bernardini) was feeling good, the crowd and the people, as we galloped out he took a bad step. I lost my balance and fell to the side. I wasn't worried about it because he's a special horse and nothing bothers him." Bernardini, who pushed his earnings to $1,610,480 with the winner's share here, has now won five straight, with his only career loss coming in his debut in January at Gulfstream, where he ran fourth. He broke his maiden next out on March 4, and, since then, the bay has rattled off easy scores in the Withers S. (G3), Preakness S. (G1) and Jim Dandy S. (G2). The bay has won while leading from gate-to-wire as well as rallying from off the pace, and could utilize either one of those tactics when taking on older horses for the first time in Belmont Park's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on October 7 -- the next race trainer Tom Albertrani has on his charge's calendar. "A horse like this is great for racing," Albertrani said. "Cigar got a lot of attention from the nation and hopefully this horse might too. I think it's great for the sport when you see people come out and watch a horse like this compete. "I've been saying it for a while now," he added. "I put Bernardini in that category with a horse like Cigar and Dubai Millennium. This horse is only a three-year-old and he hasn't even hit his best stride. There's more to come from this horse as he gets older." And Albertrani should know, considering he was an assistant to Bill Mott when Cigar tied Citation's North American record of 16 straight victories. Sent off the near 2-5 favorite in the six-horse field, Bernardini paid out $2.70, $2.10 and $2.10 while starting the $5 exacta and $35.20 trifecta (5-7-3). Bluegrass Cat was much the best of the rest, finishing 6 1/4 lengths in front of Dr. Pleasure (Thunder Gulch) to return $2.50 and $2.60 at 5-2. Dr. Pleasure ran well to get third over Hesanoldsalt (Broad Brush), giving back $4.70 as the 40-1 longshot, while High Cotton and Minister's Bid completed the order of finish after the scratch of Kip Deville (Kipling). The Kentucky-bred Bernardini is out of Grade 1 winner Cara Rafaela (Quiet American), who ran second in the 1995 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and placed in the next year's Kentucky Oaks (G1), Ashland S. (G1), Santa Anita Oaks (G1), Mother Goose S. (G1) and Las Virgenes S. (G1). The 13-year-old mare has also produced 2002 Santa Anita Oaks third-place runner, Ile de France, an unraced juvenile filly named Blue Tigress and an unnamed 2006 filly, all three by Storm Cat.
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