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JUVENILE DIARY AUGUST 25, 2007 by Tom Joyce I was disappointed that THE ROUNDHOUSE (Fusaichi Pegasus) didn't win the Saratoga Special S. (G2), but I knew in my heart that it probably wasn't the right race, or the right distance. The chestnut is doing his best to become the modern-day version of Silky Sullivan (the loveable come-from-the-clouds closer from the late 1950s), and despite running second to KODIAK KOWBOY (Posse) in the Saratoga Special, I have not lost the faith. Parenthetically, it should be noted that his half-brother, Circular Quay (Thunder Gulch), was my Kentucky Derby (G1) horse this year, which may explain my fascination with this creature. Per usual, The Roundhouse trailed the field in the early going. Garrett Gomez got him rolling approaching the quarter-mile pole and angled him to the far outside at the apex of the turn for home. He set him down in upper stretch, but it was too late -- Kodiak Kowboy had shaken loose from the field. The Roundhouse closed determinedly, passing every horse in the race, except one. It was an excellent performance considering Kodiak Kowboy smoked six furlongs 1:09 2/5 and finished his final sixteenth in :6 2/5. Clearly, The Roundhouse is dying for a route of ground, and I can't wait to see how he acts around two turns. I know Kodiak Kowboy is a good horse, but I have some doubt about his ability at the highest level of the game. He was a good-looking, three-length winner of the Saratoga Special, but he really got an ideal trip. He broke forwardly and sat in a pocket while full of run around the turn. As if on cue, he split the leaders turning for home, then quickly drew off after several right handed reminders. After additional left handed encouragement, he was energetically ridden out to the wire, a driving winner. My concern is that he doesn't appear to be the kind of horse who will settle and punch going two turns. Trainer Steve Asmussen said that Kodiak Kowboy will be pointed toward the seven-furlong Futurity S. (G2) on September 15 at Belmont Park, which is also the target for SARGENT SEATTLE (Vindication), the 2-1 morning line favorite who was scratched from the Saratoga Special after spiking a fever. RILEY TUCKER (Harlan's Holiday), named for trainer Bill Mott's 15-year-old son, dueled for the lead on the rail down the backstretch and around the turn with LITTLE NICK (Tiger Ridge) before settling for third, 5 1/4 lengths behind The Roundhouse. The colt was an extremely impressive first-out winner at Belmont Park, but for some reason, he was not ridden that vigorously in the stretch in the Saratoga Special. I would expect him to show more in his next start. Little Nick was fighting for a part in midstretch, then was allowed to gallop in after being bumped by BETATRON (Tale of the Cat) near the sixteenth-pole. The latter closed well for fourth, but was disqualified for the incident and placed behind Little Nick. Both of these should be respected against lesser company. The other graded race for this division was the Best Pal S. (G2) on August 12 at Del Mar. Amazingly, only four horses went to the post. Perhaps graded races with fewer than six entrants should be automatically downgraded (just like turf races that are taken off the turf) and then reviewed by the American Graded Stakes Committee. The committee could then decide if the race in question was worthy of its original status. Granted, there were two scratches, LEONIDES (Richter Scale) and SLAM SLEW (Grand Slam), but it is astonishing that only four two-year-olds in Southern California lined up for a $150,000 purse. Besides, it's not like there was some monster in the race that scared everyone away. Leonides was scratched after spiking a fever, but he is back in training and on target for the September 5 Del Mar Futurity (G1). Slam Slew came down with an illness and will miss the Del Mar Futurity, according to trainer Richard Mandella. The Best Pal was fairly unexciting. SALUTE THE SARGE (Forest Wildcat) broke in, stalked restricted stakes winner GEORGIE BOY (Tribal Rule) in the early stages, was taken off the rail going into the turn, rallied three-wide to take the lead turning for home, then edged away from the pacesetter after a couple of reminders to complete the 6 1/2-furlong distance on Polytrack in 1:19 2/5. Salute the Sarge, who won the Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3) in his previous start, will bring a perfect three-for-three record into the Del Mar Futurity. Another interesting juvenile pointing toward the seven-furlong test is DRILL DOWN (El Corredor), who is all the rage after breaking his maiden at Del Mar in his second start in 1:12 4/5. Michael Baze, the regular rider of both horses, said he will stick with Drill Down. Kent Desormeaux has reportedly picked up the mount on Salute the Sarge. Georgie Boy is expected to return in the Del Mar Futurity, as are recent maiden winners E Z'S GENTLEMAN (Yankee Gentleman), DIXIE CHATTER (Dixie Union) and KANAN DUME (Malibu Moon). Back East, there has been a bevy of noteworthy two-year-old winners at the Spa. Some of these are: SLEW'S TIZNOW (Tiznow), a full brother to Lexington S. (G2) hero Slew's Tizzy, drew off to a 4 1/4-length triumph covering seven furlongs in a solid 1:23 2/5 on August 18. CAVE'S VALLEY (Stephen Got Even) cruised to a 7 1/2-length score going 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03 3/5 on August 17. PAINT (Include) was a first-out winner for trainer Nick Zito on August 15. THE LEOPARD (Storm Cat) caught IMMORTAL EYES (Greatness) with a well-timed late move to break his maiden in a sharp 1:09 4/5 on August 11. Z HUMOR (Distorted Humor) broke his maiden by 5 3/4 lengths over a fast closing READY'S ECHO (More Than Ready), who was in another zip code on the turn, on August 8. MAJESTIC WARRIOR (A.P. Indy), out of multiple Grade 1 winner Dream Supreme (Seeking the Gold), was a debut winner going 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17 2/5 on August 4. GEORGETOWN (Storm Cat) was a quick five-furlong winner on August 1. And, finally, WAR PASS (Cherokee Run), also trained by Zito, was an open-length debut winner on July 28. Currently, the leader of the division is the Todd Pletcher-trained READY'S IMAGE (More Than Ready), an authoritative four-length winner of the Sanford S. (G2) on July 26. MAIMONIDES (Vindication), a dazzling 11 1/2-length debut winner for trainer Bob Baffert at Saratoga, is not far behind. Other top-level types include Sanford runner-up TALE OF EKATI (Tale of the Cat), Sanford fourth SOK SOK (Trippi) and FED WATCHER (Songandaprayer). A horse that is flying under the radar is Tyro S. winner LANTANA MOB (Posse). PRUSSIAN, from the last crop of the great sire Danzig, is the current favorite for the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after his front-running 6 3/4-length romp in his debut on August 17 at the Spa. The colt ran 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon Turf Course in a sparkling 1:42 3/5 in spite of the temporary rails being set 18 feet out from the hedge. In the next edition, I will review the September 3 Hopeful S. (G1), which should add further clarity to the always fascinating juvenile division.
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