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TURF DIARY MAY 13, 2009 With six months to go until Breeders' Cup 2009, the time has come to renew our acquaintance with the turf scene. Will this year resemble 2008, when the continual ebb-and-flow failed to yield a definitive divisional leader, leaving the door open to the plundering Europeans? Will the turf division remain a mass of flotsam and jetsam, or will a true champion emerge to bring order from the chaos? The early returns suggest the former, but it's far too soon to judge. Pure genius: EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) once again proved that he's right up at the head of the class with a gritty title defense in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day. The Helen Pitts-Blasi charge was well placed by Julien Leparoux, just off the early pace, and he always looked to be traveling beautifully. Despite having to go wide turning for home, Einstein quickly engaged the tough-as-nails COWBOY CAL (Giant's Causeway), who had gotten first run on him, and simply outdueled him to win by a head. Each completed the last furlong in roughly :12 2/5, a respectable time on rain-softened ground, and pulled 2 3/4 lengths clear of third. While Einstein could exert significant gravitational pull on the division, the seven-year-old rates as a triple-surface threat, and as such, has a universe of options open to him. Indeed, the Woodford Reserve was his first start on grass since his troubled fifth in last summer's Arlington Million (G1). Since then, he has captured the historic Clark H. (G2) on the dirt at Churchill Downs, finished third in the Donn H. (G1) at Gulfstream Park, and added synthetic to his repertoire with his professional score in the Santa Anita H. (G1) on Pro-Ride. Einstein will once again desert the turf in search of further main-track glory in the June 13 Stephen Foster H. (G1) at Churchill, where he will bid to improve on last year's runner-up effort behind dual Horse of the Year Curlin. Sneakily good: COURT VISION (Gulch) ran a better-than-appears third in the Woodford Reserve. Toting the top weight of 124 pounds, conceding five pounds to both Einstein and Cowboy Cal, the Bill Mott pupil was anchored in last for virtually the first six furlongs before making a bold, but arguably premature, move. Court Vision was right in the thick of things at the top of the stretch, but he had spent himself getting into that position, and he could not keep pace with the top two inside the final furlong. Interestingly, Court Vision had endured a similar trip in his reappearance in the February 1 Gulfstream Park Turf H. (G1). After advancing on the far turn, Court Vision loomed boldly in midstretch and threatened fellow IEAH Stables runner KIP DEVILLE (Kipling), only to stall late. Not only did the top-class Kip Deville repel his bid, but 24-1 shot JUST AS WELL (A.P. Indy) rolled home in the waning yards to snatch runner-up honors by a head. Perhaps Court Vision should revert to the tactics that served him so well in last fall's Hollywood Derby (G1), where he was held up by Ramon Dominguez and only unleashed at the last minute to conquer Cowboy Cal. If his explosive kick can be deployed in this manner, instead of being compromised by middle moves, he is bound to rake in big prizes this season. Kip the mile king: Kip Deville must still rank as North America's top miler on the overall strength of his resume, despite his unflattering 10th in the March 28 Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1). Perhaps the nearly nine-furlong trip was a shade too far in world-class company at Nad al Sheba, even though he stayed every yard of nine furlongs in the Gulfstream Park Turf. Or, perhaps more to the point, "Kip" just cannot take his game abroad. I was a little surprised that he wasn't closer to the pace set by the impressive winner Gladiatorus (Silic [Fr]). The very fact that Kip was not in his usual attacking mode was an early indicator that he wasn't going to fire. Still, as the winner of the 2007 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), and runner-up to the brilliant Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) last season, he figures to reassert himself back on American soil. Kip's shadow has hovered over subsequent graded stakes. KISS THE KID (Lemon Drop Kid), a rallying fourth in the Gulfstream Park Turf, came back to land the 7 1/2-furlong Appleton S. (G3) on March 28 with a strong closing rush. It must be acknowledged, however, that he benefited from the nightmare trip that befell PASSAGER (Fr) (Anabaa), who was making an eye-catching move between horses when the hole closed and he had to take up. For all that, Passager was beaten a total of 1 1/4 lengths in third. With a clear pathway, he would have been right alongside Kiss the Kid. Maker's Mark question mark: The Maker's Mark Mile S. (G1) at Keeneland has been won by Kip for the past two seasons, and if he had not abdicated his throne in favor of Dubai, he probably would have garnered his third straight trophy on April 10. Instead, the royally bred MR. SIDNEY (Storm Cat), a $3.9 million Keeneland yearling, capitalized on Kip's absence to earn his first career stakes victory. Reveling in the yielding ground, he plowed to the front at the top of the stretch and hurled back a stiff challenge from Passager to win by a half-length. Trudging home third, another 5 3/4 lengths back, was Just as Well. This result can be read two ways: either Mr. Sidney is a rising star, a true late bloomer who has massive scope for improvement with just eight lifetime starts under his belt, or the race is a question mark, in gigantic font, bold face. On the plus side, Mr. Sidney is clearly on the upswing for a Hall of Fame trainer in Mott. His dam is multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Tomisue's Delight (A.P. Indy), a full sister to Horse of the Year Mineshaft, who only reached his peak at four. On the other hand, this was not the deepest field ever to assemble at Keeneland, and it did not help that its lone Grade 1 winner, THORN SONG (Unbridled's Song), blew the start, hustled up, spectacularly faded leaving the backstretch, and wound up last. Furthermore, I'm not entirely sure that Passager ran his best race. Although he had plenty of soft-ground form in France, I don't think his action looked as fluent at Keeneland as it had on the parched sod of Gulfstream. To my eyes, Passager was reaching out and leveling off at Gulfstream, but when confronted by the yielding turf at Keeneland, he maintained a more guarded stride, as if he were coping with it well enough, but working to get over it and not really relishing it. Considering that Passager was making only his third U.S. start in the Maker's Mark, he is one to keep an eye on when he reappears for Roger Attfield. Kilroe clarity: The March 7 Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) at Santa Anita attracted a strong field worthy of its status, produced an electrifying finish, and has accordingly become a key early-season race on the West Coast. GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat) was 11 lengths off the pace at the half-mile mark, and had seven horses in front of him at the eighth-pole, but the Christophe Clement colt passed each and every one of them. Summoning a telling burst of speed, Gio Ponti nipped the mercurial mare VENTURA (Chester House) in the last stride to score by a nostril in 1:33 3/5. Even allowing for Ventura's tendency to idle while she's ahead, and the fact she carried the same weight as Gio Ponti (118 pounds), it was nonetheless a first-rate effort by the winner. Gio Ponti sizzled his final half-mile in a little more than :45, and his last eighth in :11. If he can repeat that effort on Breeders' Cup Day at this same course and distance, he would be a serious threat in the Mile. Gio Ponti's success sets the stage for an intriguing counterfactual. Since he and Court Vision were archrivals last year, with Court Vision taking two of their three meetings, what might have happened if Court Vision had tackled the Kilroe Mile? Upholding the form, or cutting corners: DIXIE CHATTER (Dixie Union) got the perfect stalking trip in the Kilroe, gained the lead in midstretch, but was overwhelmed by the raw speed of Ventura and then Gio Ponti. Undaunted, Dixie Chatter fought on determinedly to finish a respectable third, beaten by three-quarters of a length. Next time out in the April 4 Arcadia H. (G2), the Richard Mandella trainee promptly upheld the Kilroe form. After saving all the ground on the rail, he slipped through and drove home to score by three-quarters of a length from MR NAPPER TANDY (GB) (Bahamian Bounty), who had been sixth in the Kilroe. While Dixie Chatter took the inside route in the Arcadia, MADEO (Mizzen Mast) was hung out nearly in the center of the course turning into the stretch. He took some time to gather his momentum, and although he eventually rallied, it was too late. Madeo settled for third, a neck adrift of fellow closer Mr Napper Tandy. Madeo surely lost far more ground than his margin of defeat, and he was also spotting three pounds to Dixie Chatter (119 to 116), and five to Mr Napper Tandy. Does that necessarily mean that he would have won with a better trip? Like Gio Ponti and Court Vision, Madeo and Dixie Chatter traded decisions during their sophomore campaigns in 2008, so I don't think the matter is conclusively proven one way or another. Madeo has the lovely, raking stride of a top-tier turf horse, but Dixie Chatter is a bull dog who does not yield easily. The Arcadia's form looks rock solid, and in turn, that makes the Kilroe look all the stronger. Mr Napper Tandy returned to capture the April 25 San Francisco Mile (G2) in startling last-to-first fashion at Golden Gate Fields. It was a relatively soft spot, to be sure, but Mr Napper Tandy deserves credit for being the only closer to land a blow. On April 26, Madeo came back to claim the 1 1/16-mile Inglewood H. (G3) at Hollywood Park, producing a smart change of gear to get up in time. The top three were separated by only two heads, with pacesetter STORM MILITARY (Arg) (Bernstein) just hanging on for second from the staying-on U S RANGER (Danzig), but both were readily dismissed by Madeo. Another Juddmonte revelation: Not satisfied with being represented by Madeo, Juddmonte Farms stallion Mizzen Mast has dispatched MIDSHIPS to fly the flag in Santa Anita's turf marathons. A good third to Court Vision and Cowboy Cal in his U.S. bow in the Hollywood Derby, the gray flopped in his four-year-old debut in an allowance/optional claimer. Bobby Frankel realized that the Juddmonte homebred would be best suited to front-running. Despite his name, Midships does in fact want to be at the forefront, and he has perfected the role of lone speed under the guidance of Victor Espinoza. In the March 21 San Luis Rey H. (G2) at 1 1/2 miles, the pair set steady fractions, slowed down the tempo midway, and then barreled to the wire with a lethal :23 2/5 final quarter. The about 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano Invitational H. (G2) unfolded in a similar vein, with Midships cruising along most of the way and only picking up steam late. Like his stablemate Ventura, Midships did not display such quality in his old days in England, and he has improved significantly since crossing the Atlantic. He will face stiffer tests of class in the future, but unless his rivals concoct a strategy to press him early, he's going to be tough to run down. More frustration: One might think that being an exquisitely bred multiple Grade 1 winner was all fun and games, but try telling that to ARTISTE ROYAL (Ire) (Danehill), who has had a frustrating time in three of his last four starts. The Neil Drysdale veteran was an equine pinball when 11th in the December 14 Hong Kong Cup (HK-G1); he was stopped cold in midstretch of the Kilroe, but regrouped to finish fifth; and in the San Luis Rey, he stumbled at the start and was relegated to last, whence he had no hope of catching Midships, but managed to grab third. Initially scheduled to return to Hong Kong for the April 26 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1), Artiste Royal skipped that engagement and was entered in the Woodford Reserve, only to scratch. The lone bright spot in the past few months was his remarkable victory in the January 19 San Marcos S. (G2), roaring from dead last to force his nose down on the wire. Surely Artiste Royal is poised to deliver that kind of effort again, perhaps as soon as his title defense in the June 6 Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1). Honorable mention: Before wrapping up this first issue of the season, several other performers should be praised. PRESIOUS PASSION (Royal Anthem) has run his heart out in all three of his races so far in 2009. Just collared by SOLDIER'S DANCER (Lost Soldier) in the January 24 Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita, at a 1 1/8-mile trip that's a bit short for him, the Mary Hartmann veteran returned to win a wild edition of the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida S. (G2) at Gulfstream on February 21. Presious Passion was embroiled in a wicked speed duel, opened up by seven lengths through a mile in 1:36 1/5, looked to be in serious trouble as the field closed in on him, and was about to be headed in midstretch, but he came again to score by a half-length. Finishing fourth that day was subsequent Maker's Mark Mile winner Mr. Sidney. The March 21 Pan American S. (G3) was Presious Passion's next port of call, and even though it was rained off the turf, he tried his utmost on the sloppy track before finishing second to BUDDY'S HUMOR (Distorted Humor). Presious Passion may not be the stuff that Eclipse Awards are made of, but he's a grand old gladiator. The Attfield-trained SPICE ROUTE (GB) (King's Best), a badly hampered third to Presious Passion in the Mac Diarmida, has shown useful versatility. Three starts back, the chestnut gelding had narrowly prevailed over Soldier's Dancer in the December 6 Tropical Turf H. (G3) going 1 1/8 miles at Calder. Last time out, Spice Route landed the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn S. (G2) on April 24 at Keeneland, over a field that included multiple Grade 1 heroes CHAMPS ELYSEES (GB) (Danehill) and BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man). Still only a five-year-old, Spice Route promises to be a consistently classy sort over a wide range of trips for some time to come. Finally, multiple Grade 3 winner COSMONAUT (Lemon Drop Kid) returned from a nearly 10-month layoff to garner the May 2 Fort Marcy S. (G3) in style. Prompting the pace of Godolphin's quirky TAM LIN (GB) (Selkirk), the seven-year-old gray always seemed to be in control of events, and so it proved as he strode to an authoritative 1 1/2-length triumph at Belmont Park. Cosmonaut is a Grade 1-caliber animal at his best, and he is eligible to break through with an overdue win at that level. On the horizon: Our next edition will review Saturday's Dixie S. (G2), the Shoemaker Mile (G1) on Memorial Day, the Charles Whittingham and Manhattan H. (G1) on June 6, and catch up with the turf three-year-olds.
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