|
|
FILLY & MARE TURF DIARY AUGUST 22, 2009 In this edition, we'll review the recent "Big Three" races, ranking each in order of its impact on the division, and catch up with the three-year-olds. Still the champ: The August 1 Diana S. (G1) at Saratoga must take precedence, as reigning champion turf female FOREVER TOGETHER (Belong to Me) got back on the winning track with a deceptively strong performance to defend her title. Unlike her stunning victory in the 2008 Diana, when the Jonathan Sheppard mare produced a last-to-first rally from the clouds, her 2009 score was much narrower and more subtle. For that reason, my initial reaction to her second straight Diana trophy was one of slight concern: Is the five-year-old still in championship form? Is she getting a bit wise, and perhaps not as determined to extend herself? Is she maintaining only a tenuous grasp on divisional leadership, leaving a sliver of hope to her rivals? Being of the philosophical persuasion that sensory evidence is not to be trusted implicitly, I did not want to draw all sorts of conclusions on the testimony of my eyes alone. By looking at the objective data -- the internal fractions and weights -- a completely different verdict appeared, one in favor of Forever Together. The two Dianas unfolded in contrasting ways, creating different visual impressions, but Forever Together produced a similarly dazzling turn of foot in each. In the 2008 Diana, a fast pace on good ground stretched the field from the beginning, and furnished the ideal set-up for a deep closer. Forever Together, 15 lengths behind the leader at the half-mile mark, flew home to win going away by three-quarters of a length from Dynaforce (Dynaformer), who was herself 3 1/2 lengths clear of RUTHERIENNE (Pulpit) in third. Both Forever Together and Dynaforce carried 118 pounds. In the 2009 Diana, again on good ground, the pace was only steady. The advantage in the 1 1/8-mile affair thus lay with the forwardly-placed types, to the detriment of the late-running Forever Together. CARRIBEAN SUNSET (Ire) (Danehill Dancer), who had tracked in third early, sliced between rivals to grab the lead in midstretch and set sail for the wire. Meanwhile, Forever Together, who was eight lengths off this leisurely pace at the half-mile point, was already in hot pursuit. Coming with a relentless charge, she reeled in Carribean Sunset, to whom she was conceding five pounds as the 123-pound highweight. Carribean Sunset finished her final furlong in roughly :11 4/5, forcing Forever Together to blaze her last eighth in approximately :11 2/5 to thrust her head in front. Forever Together posted a slightly faster closing split a year ago, but carrying less weight. Whether Forever Together earned "style" points or not, she got the job done in less than ideal circumstances, and you can't ask for more than that. It's not easy to win two Dianas in any event, as illustrated by the short list of two-time Diana winners -- *Miss Grillo (1946-47), Searching (1956, 1958), Tempted (1959-60), Shuvee (1970-71), Hush Dear (1982-83) and Glowing Honor (1988-89). Carribean Sunset ran by far her best race ever in the United States, and is finally recovering the top-class form she displayed last season in England and Ireland. She also showed great pluck to stay on along the inside late, briefly threatening to come again and pip Forever Together on the line. The champion always looked to have her measure, though. Because of the moderate early pace, the margin between second and third was not as gaudy as last year. Rutherienne, a well-beaten third in 2008, occupied the same spot this time around, but she was desperately unlucky not to have finished closer. Trained, like Carribean Sunset, by Christophe Clement, Rutherienne was steadied twice, caught in traffic and stuck in a holding pattern when her stablemate made her move. By the time she broke free, Rutherienne closed well enough to gain a couple of lengths, but was still three-quarters of a length behind Carribean Sunset at the wire. A mischievous counterfactual: What if the brilliant DIAMONDRELLA (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]), who upset Forever Together in the Just a Game S. (G1) last time out, had run in the Diana, instead of awaiting the August 29 Ballston Spa S. (G2)? There's no guarantee that the Angel Penna Jr. mare will be as effective at two turns as she is in sprints and one-turn miles, which is why her cautious conditioner preferred the step-by-step approach of the 1 1/16-mile Ballston Spa rather than the 1 1/8-mile Diana. For whatever it's worth, I think that Diamondrella's pedigree is strongly supportive of her staying 1 1/8 miles. Sheppard has indicated that Forever Together will likely resurface at Keeneland to defend her title in the October 10 First Lady S. (G1) en route to the November 6 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Santa Anita. Clement plans to split up his distaffers. According to Daily Racing Form, Carribean Sunset is headed to the September 9 Palomar H. (G2) on closing day at Del Mar, while Rutherienne is bound for the Ballston Spa. Conjuring up a winning streak: Last Sunday's John C. Mabee S. (G1) at Del Mar ranks as the next most informative race of the recent trio, not because the 1 1/8-mile contest was particularly deep, but because MAGICAL FANTASY (Diesis [GB]) has racked up a three-race winning streak in the Breeders' Cup's backyard in Southern California. Returning from a two-month freshening for Paddy Gallagher, the 123-pound highweight relaxed well off a slow pace, angled out for the drive, and stormed home to score by a convincing length, going away, over the honest yardstick GOTTA HAVE HER (Royal Academy). According to the Trakus data available on Del Mar's website, Magical Fantasy clocked her final furlong in :11.29, but neither her mile position nor her final time on Trakus squares with the official chart. Estimating from her three-length deficit at the mile mark on the official chart, and her final time of 1:47, Magical Fantasy appears to have fired a sub 11-second final eighth. Either way, she was in high gear. Magical Fantasy, by turning the 2008 Del Mar Oaks (G1)/2009 Mabee double, thereby achieved an historical feat of her own. Only Country Queen, Hall of Famer Flawlessly and Amorama (Fr) have accomplished the double in the contemporary period, since the Mabee (once known as the Ramona) became a grass race in 1970. With her potent late kick and ground-devouring strides, Magical Fantasy rates as a legitimate contender for the Filly & Mare Turf. If her development into a top-tier filly as a four-year-old has come as a pleasant surprise, it's worth remembering that her three-quarter brothers also reached their peak as older horses. Keen Hunter (Diesis [GB]) landed the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (Fr-G1) at four, while Altibr (Diesis [GB]) won a Dubai Group 2 at four and the Shadwell Turf Mile (G2) at five. Magical Fantasy is simply following the family's late-maturing pattern, suggesting, in hindsight, that she did inordinately well to take the Del Mar Oaks last year. Plans call for Magical Fantasy to use the local course-and-distance prep, the October 10 Yellow Ribbon S. (G1), as her springboard to the Breeders' Cup. D-Day at Arlington: The August 8 Beverly D. S. (G1) on Arlington Million Day featured a strong cast, but the early crawl on rain-softened ground renders the literal result questionable in terms of divisional standing. The classy DYNAFORCE moves up a few lengths in these conditions, and the Bill Mott mare made the most of her perfect trip. Indeed, the Beverly D. was run as if straight out of her playbook. Dynaforce stalked the early leader TIZAQUEENA (Tiznow) through very slow fractions, had to work hard to subdue the tough pacesetter in the stretch, but finally asserted her authority and edged 1 1/4 lengths clear. The Aga Khan's French shipper ALNADANA (Ire) (Danehill Dancer), who raced in third for much of the way, found a seam in the lane and stayed on to garner runner-up honors in a three-way finish with a belatedly-closing PURE CLAN (Pure Prize) and a tiring Tizaqueena. Pure Clan, who had demolished both Tizaqueena and Dynaforce in the Modesty H. (G3) on firm turf last time out, did well to finish as close as she did in the Beverly D., considering her severe tactical disadvantage. Last of the octet until reaching the stretch, Pure Clan finally got traction inside the final furlong, when she made solid headway to grab third and just missed second. The fact that she beat Tizaqueena by a scant nose, after drubbing her by 4 3/4 lengths and 2 1/2 lengths earlier this campaign, proves that the Beverly D. result cannot be taken at face value. In different circumstances, especially the firm turf sure to prevail in the Breeders' Cup, I'm convinced that Pure Clan would defeat this group. The Bob Holthus filly is entitled to rebound wherever she turns up next. Another who deserves an asterisk for her Beverly D. performance is fifth-place finisher POINTS OF GRACE (Point Given). The Malcolm Pierce trainee really needs to be on or near the lead to produce her best, so her chances were diminished right out of the gate when she was bumped, got in tight, steadied and was shuffled back. With a clean break, Points of Grace would have been in the mix early, and given how the race unfolded, it's more than likely she would have been in the hunt late. I'm not about to give up on this lightly-raced filly. Although I haven't been a vociferous cheerleader for BLACK MAMBA (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe), the Southern California invader didn't run a yard in these conditions either, and her last-place effort is a toss-out as well. (I keep using the circumlocutions of "rain-softened ground" and "these conditions" because of the discrepancy in the sources regarding the official state of the turf course. All day, we kept hearing repeatedly on television coverage that the course was "yielding," yet the charts describe the surface as "good.") Another mischievous counter-factual: What if Darley Stable's CRITICISM (GB) (Machiavellian) had run in the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D., her originally-reported target, instead of the Diana, where she faded badly to finish ninth of 10? As it turned out, the Arlington showpiece was tailor-made for a front runner of proven distance capacity like Criticism. It was not tailor-made for fellow Darley colorbearer Tizaqueena, who is now set to cut back to a mile in the First Lady and clash with Forever Together. Dynaforce is on course for a title defense in the October 3 Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park, where the weather may again prove cooperative. To be fair, she has run well on firm going on occasion, but she was never in contention in last year's Filly & Mare Turf. Unless Dynaforce does something spectacular on firm turf in the interim, it's hard to make a case for her at Santa Anita this season. Points of Grace will return in the September 20 Canadian S. (Can-G2) at her Woodbine base, and Black Mamba is expected to tackle males in the August 30 Del Mar H. (G2), as trainer John Sadler continues to mull an assault on Australia for the November 3 Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1). Day at the beach: Godolphin's COCOA BEACH (Chi) (Doneraile Court), a disappointing last of four in her seasonal reappearance in the Floral Park Heatherten S. at a sloppy Belmont, moved forward back on turf in the August 5 De La Rose S. at Saratoga. Launching a bold bid turning for home, the dark bay shifted in, but straightened up and drove to a neck decision. A claim of foul was lodged because of the incident at the top of the stretch, but Cocoa Beach was rightly allowed to keep the victory. While Cocoa Beach took a step forward, her effort in the De La Rose is still some way below her stellar form of last fall, as illustrated by her comprehensive coup in the Matriarch S. (G1). Assistant trainer Rick Mettee forecasts further improvement. She'll need to raise her game in her next expected start, the Ballston Spa, against the likes of Diamondrella. Cocoa Beach's presence in this division could be only temporary, since she captured last year's Beldame S. (G1) on dirt and finished an excellent second to Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) on Pro-Ride. Godolphin has an embarrassment of options for her, so when the Ballston Spa announcement was made, the Brisnet Editorial office erupted with contrasting emotions. I celebrated with a fist-pump, thrilled to keep Cocoa Beach in my sphere of influence for the time being, while my colleague Jennifer Caldwell was deflated, since she will not be factoring in her Ladies' Classic Diary just yet. In light of Cocoa Beach's class and versatility, I was surprised to see in the DRF that, before the Ballston Spa was confirmed, the September 19 Noble Damsel H. (G3) at Belmont had been penciled in as a likely target. The grassy Noble Damsel is a fine enough race for the level, and a perfectly suitable spot to bring back a Grade 1-caliber animal off a layoff, but for Cocoa Beach's third start of the season? A Grade 3? Seriously? Hopefully that idea won't see the light of day again. I'd sooner hand her over to Jennifer's division. Captain loves the slop: Well, it certainly didn't happen the way I envisioned it, but it was still good to see South African champion CAPTAIN'S LOVER (SAf) (Captain Al) stamp her class on this continent. The Todd Pletcher mare pulverized a scratch-reduced field in the off-the-turf Matchmaker S. on August 2 at Monmouth, gliding through the slop like a mudlark to score by seven lengths. With such a smashing dirt debut on her resume, Captain's Lover can go in a number of different directions now, but I hope that she'll get another opportunity to square off against Grade 1 turf rivals. Back in business: Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf heroine MARAM (Sahm) retained her unbeaten status when making her long-awaited sophomore debut in the August 8 John Hettinger S. at the Spa. Hitherto sidelined by issues ranging from bone remodeling to a popped splint, the Chad Brown pupil showed no signs of rust, but picked up right where she left off. Maram was always traveling well before rallying to the lead in the stretch, and although the margin was only a half-length, she was firmly in command. Indeed, her ears shot up right after she crossed the wire in 1:34 3/5 for the mile. The Hettinger form looks solid enough, with useful stakes performers filling the minor placings behind her. Maram is now aiming for the September 12 Garden City S. (G1) at Belmont, which will surely be the acid test of her career. Her perfect four-for-four mark is in jeopardy against divisional leader GOZZIP GIRL (Dynaformer), queen of the American Oaks Invitational (G1). SHARED ACCOUNT (Pleasantly Perfect), the winner of Friday's Lake Placid S. (G2) on soft ground at the Spa, is also a logical candidate for the Garden City. Shared Account is on the upswing for Graham Motion, so her third-place effort to the Brown-trained DAME ELLEN (Smart Strike) in the Perfect Sting S. back in June may not be a fair indication of her ability. On the other hand, I remain very high on the well-bred Dame Ellen for reasons outlined in my last edition. She has not worked since sustaining a foot bruise in late July, but once she puts that behind her, Dame Ellen could end up being a first-rate filly. Long-term investment: With Gozzip Girl staying home in New York, American Oaks runner-up WELL MONIED (Maria's Mon) is the horse to beat in Saturday's Del Mar Oaks. Whether she outclasses the field on Saturday or not, this tremendously-talented filly has a bright future. Given her rangy appearance, I have wondered whether Well Monied is anywhere near the peak of her physical development at present. I asked trainer Howard Zucker about this on an NTRA conference call earlier this week, inquiring whether she could be even better next season as a four-year-old. Zucker replied that he had thought that from the beginning, and was actually surprised that she was able to make one start as a juvenile. "But the good ones tend to do that," he said. Zucker went on to explain how "very immature" Well Monied still is, how he'd "swear she grew an inch last week," and that they just "took baby caps out of her mouth not a week ago that my other three-year-old shed back in March." He added that "It's really hard to keep flesh on that kind of growthy, rangy filly," and when she is no longer growing so much, she will be able to fill out. Her first few races were easy on her by design, basically "morning workouts," precisely because of her immaturity. Zucker revealed that he is "contemplating" possibly just one more start for Well Monied this season, after the Del Mar Oaks. Although it's not set in stone at this point, chances are that her three-year-old finale could come in the October 17 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland, since Zucker said it's more sensible for her to stay among her own age group. By putting her away after one more start, backing off her and not having to work her every week, Zucker believes that there'll be "a lot more horse there on the table next year." And just how much horse might that be? Earlier on the conference call, when discussing Well Monied's pedigree, Zucker brought up that she is by Maria's Mon, the sire of champion Wait a While. "I was thinking this would be my Wait a While because I've been waiting a while to get one this talented," Zucker said. On the horizon: Our next installment will recap the action from Saratoga and Del Mar, as well as the Garden City and Canadian, and look ahead to the major round of Breeders' Cup preps.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
