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THOROUGHBRED BEAT JANUARY 25, 2008 by James Scully Horse of the Year -- Jess Jackson prefaced his announcement Monday night that CURLIN (Smart Strike) would remain in training with the declaration "We need heroes," and 2008 promises to be a big year for the big horse. Steve Asmussen has his eye on the $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on March 29, with the likelihood of a prep beforehand, and racing fans at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park are hoping the well-built chestnut will re-surface at their venues. The $500,000 New Orleans H. (G2) on March 8 is a possible starting point. Sunshine Millions -- This event gets stronger each year. Saturday's Sunshine Millions, an eight-race program restricted to California- and Florida-breds, drew Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) heroine GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) as well as Grade 1-proven runners NASHOBA'S KEY (Silver Hawk), BENNY THE BULL (Lucky Lionel), GOTTCHA GOLD (Coronado's Quest), DIAMOND STRIPES (Notebook), DEAREST TRICKSKI (Proudest Romeo) and GEORGIE BOY (Tribal Rule), but there's plenty of uncertainty surrounding the four California races given the recent rainfall at Santa Anita. Track officials canceled Thursday's card due to drainage problems, and everybody is waiting to see whether the Classic, Filly & Mare Turf, Filly & Mare Sprint and Dash will be transferred cross-town to Hollywood Park. Oaks casualty -- Trainer Bill Mott recently announced that MUSHKA (Empire Maker) probably won't make it back in time for this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1), and that's unfortunate considering how impressive she was in last year's Demoiselle S. (G2), winning the 1 1/8-mile event in a faster time than Court Vision's (Gulch) Remsen S. (G2) one race later. That leaves champion INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) and multiple Grade 1 queen COUNTRY STAR (Empire Maker) as the top two contenders for the fillies' classic. Traction -- ARSON SQUAD (Brahms) isn't the same horse. SURF CAT (Sir Cat) doesn't get the same traction. Bruce Headley can keep running these horses on synthetic tracks, but he's not getting their best. Arson Squad captured his last dirt start, winning the Strub S. (G2) 11 months ago. Since then, he's recorded five consecutive unplaced efforts, competing over Del Mar's Polytrack, Hollywood's Cushion Track and Santa Anita's Cushion Track. A dull sixth in the January 12 San Pasqual H. (G2) most recently, the multiple Grade 2 hero was one of the best older horses in California last winter, earning 100+ BRIS Speed ratings. His numbers have dropped 10-to-15 points since February. Four-time Grade 2 winner Surf Cat also appears to be a missing a beat. The drop-off isn't as extreme as his stablemate's, but I didn't enjoy watching him finish a non-threatening third in Monday's Palos Verdes H. (G2). After winning four consecutive starts on dirt, Surf Cat has dropped three straight on synthetic tracks. As John Sadler said following the December 26 La Brea S. (G1), "Some (horses) don't like the synthetics, so you hope you have some that really will move up on it." That prompts a simple question: Why keep racing top-class horses over synthetic tracks if they don't like it? Good eye -- Sadler picked up his first training title during Hollywood Park's Autumn Meet, and he's tied with Doug O'Neill atop the current standings at Santa Anita. His ability to move horses forward on all-weather tracks is a key to his success, with DEAREST TRICKSKI and ZAPPA (Afternoon Deelites) serving as prime examples. Claimed for $32,000 off a runner-up finish in early August, Dearest Trickski promptly won four straight under Sadler's direction, including a 1 1/2-length tally in the La Brea last out. A $10,000 claimer at Lone Star Park nine months ago, Dearest Trickski is now a Grade 1 winner due to synthetic tracks. Zappa has made a similar ascension. He was claimed four times in 2007, running for a $25,000 tag on multiple occasions before being snatched up for $32,000 at Bay Meadows in early April. Sadler got the now six-year-old gelding onto synthetic tracks, and Zappa improved by leaps and bounds. He earned his first stakes win in the San Pasqual. Top breeder -- Kudos to Adena Springs for their fourth consecutive Eclipse Award, and fifth overall, for leading breeder. Horses bred by Adena earned more than twice as much as the second-leading breeder in 2007. While their accomplishments are unprecedented (no operation has been named champion breeder four straight times), the Kentucky-Florida-Canada operation hasn't been the biggest supporter of the Breeders' Cup nomination process. Despite Awesome Again winning the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) (he's also sired Classic winner Ghostzapper), Frank Stronach was forced to cough up $180,000 to supplement daughters Spun Sugar (foaled in 2002) and Ginger Punch (2003) each of the last two years. I would imagine every Adena-bred foal by Awesome Again (and maybe a few other sires) is automatically being nominated nowadays.
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