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THOROUGHBRED BEAT OCTOBER 30, 2008 by James Scully Oak Tree proved to be a terrific host for the 25th running of the Breeders' Cup. The weather was perfect, the facility was in excellent shape and enthusiastic fans relished two great days of Thoroughbred racing. Euros -- Our international rivals proved wildly successful on Saturday, with European-based horses accounting for five wins and four seconds (I'm leaving the Doug O'Neill-trained Square Eddie [Smart Strike]) off the scorecard). RAVEN'S PASS (Elusive Quality) and GOLDIKOVA (Ire) (Anabaa) highlighted the international brigade with brilliant performances in the Classic (G1) and Mile (G1), respectively, and one can only hope that we will see both back at Santa Anita in 2009. After finishing second in three consecutive Group 1 events, Raven's Pass took his game to a new level this fall, capturing the Queen Elizabeth II (Eng-G1) and Celebration Mile S. (Eng-G2) prior to his 1 3/4-length score in the Classic. Trained by John Gosden, the three-year-old colt is a fantastic talent who has the opportunity to establish quite a legacy next season. Goldikova ran her winning streak to four with a 1 1/4-length victory, and her stride through the stretch was something to behold. Bottled at the top of the lane, jockey Olivier Peslier did everything he could to keep her from running over horses. Once they found a seam, Peslier let her go and Goldikova accelerated in breath-taking fashion. American stars -- ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) exemplifies the saying "running downhill." Racing in her customary last-place position through the opening three-quarters of a mile in the Ladies Classic (G1), the unbeaten dynamo faced no traffic concerns -- she just circled the competition. Ground loss doesn't matter when a horse is so much better than her rivals, and Zenyatta was a true superstar on Friday. To cap it all off, owner Jerry Moss announced that Zenyatta will likely be returning to the races next season. Bravo! MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet) had been training well for the Sprint (G1), but after suffering a hock injury earlier this year and finishing 10th in his lone start this season, the August 24 Pat O'Brien H. (G2), I doubted his chances of repeating. He proved me wrong. Just like last year in the slop at Monmouth Park, the five-year-old unleashed a powerful turn of foot on the far turn to rally into contention and kept his momentum going through the stretch, drawing clear for an impressive 1 3/4-length decision. He's phenomenal when the lights are the brightest. MIDSHIPMAN (Unbridled's Song) looked the part in the post parade for the Juvenile (G1) and ran to his looks once the gates opened, delivering the only front-running victory in the 14-race Breeders' Cup program. I can understand the pride factor in wanting to run their horses in the Dubai World Cup program, but I would ask Sheikh Mohammed what's more important -- winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) or the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2). Midshipman might be good enough to do both, but there's no denying the reality of the situation; the colt will have a much better chance at Churchill Downs under the care of Bob Baffert because nobody does a better job of preparing a three-year-old than the silver-haired wizard. I don't see how sending him 3,000 miles away to the desert and transferring him to the care of Saeed bin Suroor will be anything but a detriment for Midshipman. And besides, Sheikh Mohammed still has the ammo to win the U.A.E. Derby in Donativum (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux), Coronet of a Baron (Pure Prize) and Desert Party (Street Cry [Ire]). Similar to Zenyatta, STARDOM BOUND (Tapit) didn't disappoint her many backers on Friday's female program, circling rivals with a spectacular move on the far turn. The gray miss didn't keep pouring it on to the wire like her older counterpart, but she still managed to win the Juvenile Fillies (G1) comfortably under Mike Smith, who moved into a tie with Pat Day for second on the list of Breeders' Cup winners with 12. Hall of Famer Jonathon Sheppard is a renowned turf conditioner, and that's why it's surprising he waited so long to put FOREVER TOGETHER (Belong to Me) on the lawn. He did the same thing earlier this decade with With Anticipation, who raced 28 times on the dirt before becoming a five-time Grade 1 winner on turf, and Forever Together made eight starts on the main track before being transferred to her best surface earlier this season. Winner of the Diana S. (G1) and First Lady S. (G1), the four-year-old filly delivered a stirring late run to capture the Filly & Mare Turf (G1), closing down the middle of the course to win convincingly in her first start past nine furlongs. Forever Together will get the opportunity to spend an entire season on the turf in 2009, and she should be fun to watch. Tough luck -- It's a matter of debate whether the Pro-Ride adversely affected CURLIN (Smart Strike), but I don't think so. I think he can run on any surface, and he looked like the same horse to me when rallying into the contention on the far turn and striking the front at the top of the stretch. His performance in the final furlong (where he tired to fourth) was disappointing, but it brought back memories of his stretch run in last year's Haskell Invitational (G1) when he finished third. The Triple Crown exacted a heavy toll upon the colt when he came up flat last year, and I believe the same was true at Santa Anita following a long season in 2008. Remember, the Breeders' Cup was never part of his connection's plans this year. Curlin traveled to Dubai, tried the grass in July, and then raced in both the Woodward (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). If his connections had it to do all over again, he wouldn't have run in both races. He shipped to California the morning after the Gold Cup and came up a little flat on Saturday. Regardless of surface, Curlin didn't have any margin for error in the Classic, and it's a shame we didn't get to see his best race. He still deserves to be Horse of the Year. Mile runner-up KIP DEVILLE (Kipling) ran just as well, and perhaps even better, as he did when winning last year at Monmouth, but the competition was much stiffer due Goldikova. That wasn't Excellent Art (GB) (2007 second) or Cosmonaut (2007 third) he was battling this time around in the Mile. And I enjoyed the fact that Richard Dutrow got beat by a filly after listening to him chide Curlin for losing to Rags to Riches in last year's Belmont S. (G1). According to Dutrow's logic, Kip Deville can't be much for losing to a three-year-old filly. Of course, that isn't the case at all. Goldikova and Rags to Riches are as good as any male on their best days. SKY DIVA (Sky Mesa) didn't enjoy a clean trip in the Juvenile Fillies, but she finished up well once she found room to run in the stretch. On a weekend in which all of the Breeders' Cup races on Pro-Ride were won by horses making their last start on a synthetic track or turf, Sky Diva gave a very respectable account of herself, finishing third in her synthetic debut, and looks like a major player in her division next year. EAGLE MOUNTAIN (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) ran a big race in the Turf (G1), but came up a little short and easily finished second best after tracking ridiculously fast fractions. I give Michael De Kock plenty of credit for having the four-year-old ready for such a top-class performance off only one start -- a Group 3 event in early October at Newmarket -- this year. FATAL BULLET (Red Bullet) ran back to his superb win in the Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3) on Saturday, but he had the misfortune of running into a buzz saw in Midnight Lute. After dueling through an opening quarter-mile in :21 1/5, he disposed of the other speed and reached the half-mile mark in :43 4/5 with a clear lead. Fatal Bullet flattered himself in defeat, easily grabbing second, and the gelding looks set for a big year in 2009. Rider error -- Why enter a rabbit when your jockey is going to place your main hope just behind the pacesetter? Johnny Murtagh delivered an atrocious ride aboard the heavily favored SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) in the Turf, chasing his no-hope stablemate through fractions of :24 1/5 and :47 (:22 4/5 second quarter) in the 1 1/2-mile affair, and it was no surprise to see the colt come up empty in the stretch. Did Murtagh have no sense of how fast they were going up front? He also had Duke of Marmalade (Ire) (Danehill) too close to the stiff pace during the early stages of the Classic. Murtagh got outfinished by Frankie Dettori in the Juvenile Turf, and he waited too long to move aboard Heart Shaped (Storm Cat) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, missing by a nose. All of the other European jockeys delivered competent rides over the weekend. Ballydoyle and Aidan O'Brien brought a contingent of well-meant horses, but they didn't bring the right jockey in Murtagh and wound up getting shut out. Closers -- Pro-Ride received rave reviews from most of the participants (Steve Asmussen isn't part of the club), and form held over the safe surface. Synthetic tracks still have their critics, but I really enjoyed the two days of racing at Santa Anita. As far as any bias was concerned, closers owned the best running style. The top four finishers in the Classic were all eighth or worse after a half-mile. With the exception of Midshipman, the rest of the races were all won from off the pace.
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