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THOROUGHBRED BEAT NOVEMBER 1, 2007 by James Scully I'll review 10 points of interests entering the Breeders' Cup as well as some other thoughts on the weekend. 1 -- Pletcher Factor. ENGLISH CHANNEL (Smart Strike) made the day for Todd Pletcher, dominating the Turf (G1) with a smashing seven-length decision. OCTAVE (Unbridled's Song), who trailed early in the Distaff (G1) before offering a strong rally up the rail on the far turn, gave a fine account of herself in finishing third by a half-length, and HONEY RYDER (Lasting Approval) recorded a commendable second, beaten three parts of a length, following a wide trip in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Those were the highlights as the three-time reigning Eclipse Award winner compiled a 10-1-1-1 mark. Champion WAIT A WHILE (Maria's Mon) was withdrawn due to the soggy conditions. Classic (G1) runners ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (Distorted Humor) and LAWYER RON (Langfuhr), who checked in sixth and seventh, respectively, disappointed. 2 -- Baffert, Frankel and Zito. Bob Baffert went two-for-three on Saturday, saddling INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) to a wire-to-wire victory in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) and MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real Quiet) to a come-from-behind win in the Sprint (G1). Indian Blessing tired late, but it didn't matter as her rivals struggled home behind her. Midnight Lute turned in one of the most impressive stretch moves in Breeders' Cup history to win going away by 4 3/4 lengths. The connections of runner-up Idiot Proof (Benchmark), who looked like a winner at the quarter-pole after collaring pacesetter Talent Search (Catienus), had to be heartbroken. The winner came out of nowhere. Midnight Lute broke a step slow and was far back early. He closed up the inside part of the track on the far turn and swung out for the stretch drive with six horses in front of him. He ran by them in a flash. Frankel skipped the rain-soaked Breeders' Cup festivities but was still responsible for GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again), who cemented her status as the nation's best filly or mare with a gutsy win in the Distaff (G1). She raced along the rail (which was obviously good both days) the entire way, but needed to get past a determined Hystericalady (Distorted Humor) in the final furlongs. Her rival leaned in and bumped her a couple of times, nearly knocking her completely into the rail and off-stride, but Ginger Punch would not be denied. The flashy chestnut overcame tight quarters with a late surge to win by a neck, and Frankel wound up going one-for-four in this year's Breeders' Cup. One of his starters, PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus), was denied the chance to compete (along with Arravale [Arch]) in the Filly & Mare Turf due to the bad antics of Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill), who was simply unprepared for the race. The Nick Zito-trained WAR PASS (Cherokee Run) left an excellent impression in the Juvenile (G1), winning in wire-to-wire fashion by 4 3/4 lengths, and he didn't coast home like counterpart Indian Blessing. Pyro (Pulpit) ran a big race from off the pace, finishing 12 lengths clear of third, and the runner-up is going to be a major player on the 2008 Triple Crown scene if he remains healthy. War Pass was the star on Saturday, though, blazing his way through early splits in :22 3/5, :45 2/5 and 1:09 3/5 before finishing fast. His 114 BRIS Speed rating was surpassed only by Curlin (Smart Strike) (121) and Corinthian (Pulpit) (118) on the dirt. Zito went for one-for-three in the Breeders' Cup. 3 -- Parisel. Francois Parisel temporarily replaced the suspended Patrick Biancone and saddled six runners in the 11-race program, winning the inaugural running of the Juvenile Turf with NOWNOWNOW (Whywhywhy), who trailed his 11 rivals through the opening three-quarters of a mile over the yielding turf at Monmouth. The bay colt closed with a rush to reach contention in midstretch and gamely overhauled Achill Island (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) in the final yards to win by a half-length, providing young riding sensation Julien Leparoux with his first Breeders' Cup victory. Nownownow was the highest-priced winner in the Breeders' Cup at 12-1, paying $27.20. Parisel also saddled COSMONAUT (Lemon Drop Kid) to a respectable third in the Mile (G1) at 14-1. 4 -- Dylan Thomas. Winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1), DYLAN THOMAS (Ire) (Danehill) was the lone odds-on horse in the 2007 Breeders' Cup, leaving the starting gate in the Turf at 4-5, but the Irish raider was under a ride early and never a factor in the stretch, checking in fifth. Jockey Johnny Murtagh slammed the course condition afterward, but Europeans railing against rain-soaked turf seems a bit hollow. 5 -- European influence. For the first time since 1998, the international contingent was shut out. The few highlights consisted of ACHILL ISLAND, who just missed when second in the Juvenile Turf; a non-threatening second by 2-1 Mile favorite EXCELLENT ART (GB) (Pivotal), who was likely compromised by post 12; and a third-place effort by PASSAGE OF TIME (GB) (Dansili [GB]), who was beaten a length as the 5-2 favorite in the Filly & Mare Turf. The tragic breakdown of two-time European champion GEORGE WASHINGTON (Ire) was the low point of the entire weekend. Besides being a terrible loss, it was unfortunate to see Curlin's connections celebrating so demonstratively on the track afterward, right next to the accident scene. Go crazy in the seats following the race or en route to the winner's circle, but Curlin's connections probably wouldn't have appreciated George Washington's people acting like they did on the track if roles were reversed. 6 -- Weather. Rain, rain, rain. Wet weather drenched the New Jersey track, but Monmouth's main track remained safe despite the deluge. Seventy-three horses competed in the Breeders' Cup races over the sloppy track, with 72 returning safely. We've witnessed a number of breakdowns over Polytrack, Cushion Track and Tapeta in recent months, and a single accident could've occurred over any surface last weekend given the inches of rainfall. As unfortunate as it sounds, George Washington's connections didn't play to his strength and paid the price. He was strictly a miler. His connections bypassed the only logical spot for him because the $5 million Classic is much more prestigious than the $2 million Mile. They got away with taking him out of his element last year, but he wasn't going to be a factor against this year's deep field at 1 1/4 miles on any type of track. 7 -- Speed. Rainfall benefited front runners most of the afternoon on Saturday, especially at two turns, as the first three route races on the main track were won wire-to-wire. Midnight Lute closed from off the pace to win the Sprint. Ginger Punch and Hystericalady both raced closed to the pace in the Distaff. Curlin rallied from off the pace into contention approaching the far turn and propelled himself into the lead shortly after straightening into the stretch, utilizing a dynamic turn of foot to turn the Classic into a rout. On the turf, Nownownow closed from last to first on Friday. LAHUDOOD (GB) (Singspiel [Ire]) was always close before seizing command in upper stretch of Saturday's Filly & Mare Turf. English Channel and runner-up SHAMDINAN (Dr Fong) were also prominent during the early stages of the Turf, alternating between second and third before claiming the top two spots. 8 -- Synthetic-to-dirt. Horse making the transition went winless, and it wasn't pretty for juveniles trying a traditional racing surface for the first time. From the seven Breeders' Cup dirt races, 28 contestants made their previous start on synthetic track. HARD SPUN (Danzig), HYSTERICALADY and IDIOT PROOF recorded runner-up finishes, and MISS MACY SUE (Trippi) and AWESOME GEM (Awesome Again) claimed third-place honors. Nine juveniles made their dirt debut on Saturday, with TASHA'S MIRACLE (Harlan's Holiday) doing best of all with a fourth in the Juvenile Fillies. 9 -- Jockeys. Garrett Gomez won the William Shoemaker Award for outstanding jockey during the Breeders' Cup, registering two wins and two thirds. This was his second Shoemaker Award after leading all jockeys at Belmont two years ago with a pair of Breeders' Cup victories. Cornelio Velasquez piloted home a pair of winners in KIP DEVILLE (Kipling) and War Pass. Elvis Trujillo, who rode at Calder at Saturday, captured his Breeders' Cup debut when guiding MARYFIELD (Elusive Quality) to an off-the-pace score in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Robby Albarado and Alan Garcia also garnered their first Breeders' Cup win. 10 -- Chalk. I was wrong about my prognostication; it wasn't a weekend to expect the unexpected. Most of the winners were among the public's top three choices, with results making sense as horses ran to form. INDIAN BLESSING, WAR PAR and MIDNIGHT LUTE were all favored on Saturday. GINGER PUNCH, who was 4.50-1 in the wagering along with Lear's Princess (Lear Fan), was nearly favored. English Channel was a clear second choice in the Turf. CORINTHIAN and Curlin were no surprise at 7-2 and 4-1, respectively. Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) queen Lahudood and Grade 1 hero Kip Deville, both mid-priced horses in the wagering, were the closest thing to a longshot winner on Saturday, and their prices drifted up from expected levels due to pre-race comments by their trainers. Kiaran McLaughlin left no doubt that soft ground was a problem for Lahudood, indicating that she could scratch during the week. To further mislead the public, McLaughlin said Lear's Princess would love it wet, stating "Let it rain" in regard to her chances. As a result, Lear's Princess left the starting gate as the Distaff favorite, and she was never a factor in finishing 10th. Lahudood was dismissed by many due to the footing, which she appeared to relish at Monmouth. Steadied repeatedly while in tight quarters most of the way, Lahudood drew off splendidly from her rivals upon reaching the top of the stretch in the Filly & Mare Turf. Kip Deville was the best American miler earlier in the season, capturing the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) at Santa Anita prior to his outstanding victory over a top-class field in the Maker's Mark Mile (G2) at Keeneland. He tailed off following the latter, but the gray colt was rounding back into form in his recent starts, finishing a very good second in the Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) prior to the Breeders' Cup. When trainer Richard Dutrow announced that Kip Deville had filling in his pastern early in Breeders' Cup week, forcing the four-year-old colt to postpone a scheduled workout, bettors took notice. That announcement drove up his price on race day, but Kip Deville left no doubt about his superiority with a convincing one-length tally at Monmouth. The Juvenile Turf, which featured 12-1 eighth choice Nownownow, was the only upset I witnessed. Other notes: Asmussen, Mott and Violette. Steve Asmussen entered this year's Breeders' Cup winless from six previous starts (zero-for-eight when counting two unplaced efforts with Scott Blasi in charge last year), and his best previous finish was a fourth. His three starters all ran well on Saturday. CURLIN, the 4-1 fourth choice against perhaps the deepest field in Classic history, rolled to an authoritative win after flopping in his previous start at Monmouth. PYRO, the 4-1 second choice in the Juvenile, gave an excellent account of himself, and KODIAK KOWBOY (Posse) surprised with his third-place finish at nearly 12-1 in the same event. It was a tough two days for Bill Mott. After reclaiming the Saratoga training title from Pletcher this year, the resurgent trainer saddled four unplaced runners in the Breeders' Cup, including a pair of last-place finishers. Richard Violette was also winless with a pair of last-placed runners. The Violette-trained DREAM RUSH (Wild Event) wasn't one of them, and I'm sure it was a tough beat for her connections. She dismissed all challengers through early splits of :21 1/5 and :44 in the Filly & Mare Sprint before weakening slightly to fifth, and Dream Rush remains a very classy sophomore filly who will be tough to handle wherever she appears next year. Questionable rides. Hindsight is 20/20, but I couldn't understand why John Velazquez didn't send Lawyer Ron from the rail in the Classic. Inside speed was good all day, but he wanted to settle behind Hard Spun, who parlayed a front-running trip into a runner-up finish. Hard Spun is as honest as the day is long and deserves plenty of credit for his performance, but Lawyer Ron was in position to seize the advantage following the break. Velazquez didn't want it, and Lawyer Ron didn't fire. Velazquez was all over the place with Honey Ryder during the early stages of the Filly & Mare Turf and kept his mount wide for the last three-quarters of a mile. She needed a better trip to challenge for the win. Joe Talamo, the 17-year-old riding sensation from Louisiana, got stuck in a tight spot aboard NASHOBA'S KEY (Silver Hawk) and couldn't get out until it was too late, finishing two lengths back in fourth in the Filly & Mare Turf. Talamo will keep improving his skills, but Nashoba's Key's connections probably didn't want their previously unbeaten filly to serve as a learning experience in the Breeders' Cup. Kenny McPeek and Kent Desormeaux must have decided that somebody needed to challenge Indian Blessing early, but the decision to send the late-running A TO THE CROFT (Menifee) after the speed completely compromised the chances of the multiple Grade 1 runner-up as she retreated to ninth. Horses for courses. IDIOT PROOF (near 6-1), HYSTERICALADY (9-1) and GOTTCHA GOLD (Coronado's Quest) (7-1) were all labeled horses for the course entering the Breeders' Cup, and the sloppy conditions and fall weather didn't dampen their affinity for the Jersey Shore oval, with all three running well for second in their respective events. In contrast, six-time Monmouth winner Park Avenue Ball (Citidancer), who appeared off form entering the Dirt Mile, was no factor finishing seventh, and Haskell Invitational (G1) winner Any Given Saturday never fired in the Classic. Oak Tree. The two-day format will continue to gain momentum in years to come, and I'm looking forward to the likelihood of sunny conditions (with hopefully no forest fires) at Santa Anita next year.
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