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HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS JUNE 18, 2010 by Dick Powell After winning her first 16 starts, I felt strongly that ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) was in deep water for Sunday's Vanity H. (G1) at Hollywood Park. She was giving major weight to all the entrants including nine pounds to St Trinians (GB) (Piccolo) who had won her first four starts in North America and then was the betting favorite when taking on males in the Santa Anita H. (G1). Plus, in her first two starts this year, she didn't need to run very hard so there was no definitive proof that she, at the age of six, was the same mare that she was last year. But what convinced me to commit a sacrilege and play St Trinians was the presence of Martin Garcia in the irons. He has a raw, physical talent that hasn't been seen in many years and it shows when horses just seem to run for him. Coupled with a strong head on his shoulders, you have a budding riding superstar. He was riding St Trinians for the first time and it all added up to making a bet with my head and not my heart. Shame on me. With the exception of bobbling at the start, Garcia and St Trinians did everything right. Garcia kept her clear on the outside ahead of Zenyatta and made a strong move around the turn. When they hit the top of the stretch, Garcia asked her to run and her response was dramatic. With her eggbeater running action, she took a clear lead approaching the eighth-pole and looked like she might hold on. Unfortunately, for every five of St Trinians' strides, Zenyatta only has to use four and she was flying on the outside. With less than 100 yards to go, it still looked like St Trinians was going to win but even with Zenyatta flicking her ears, she was able to catch her at the wire. It was the 17th installment of racing's Perils of Pauline and the only participant that thought she was going to win was Zenyatta herself. So, the bullet was dodged and the streak continues. Zenyatta continues her ascent to the stratosphere of great Thoroughbreds and we wait for her next appearance. St Trinians will have to lick her wounds and get ready for future races. With her unusual running gait where it looks like all four legs go in different directions at the same time, my guess is that the Vanity took more out of her than it did for Zenyatta who basically ran about a half-mile. *** RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) was back in action on Saturday at Churchill Downs in the Fleur de Lis H. (G2). Carrying 124 pounds, last year's Horse of the Year got back on the winning track with a dominating victory over four vanquished rivals in the very fast time of 1:48.78 for the 1 1/8 miles. It's always hard to gauge visually how well a horse is running, but it certainly looked to me that she was back to her old self. Her head carriage looked steady and her stride looked effortless. Rachel's final time was faster than BLAME's (Arch) when winning the Stephen Foster H. (G1) four races later, and she will try to emulate Affirmed's four-year-old campaign when he lost his first two starts and then ran the table. *** As we said above, some jockeys just seem to have the innate ability to get their horses to run. The jockey has perfect timing with the horse's stride and through hands and heels is able to communicate instructions to the horse. It is hard to describe but I know it when I see it. Martin Garcia obviously has it, and another young rider that has caught my eye is Alex Gonzalez out at Hollywood Park. Newly arrived after moving his tack down from Golden Gate, where he was in the top five, the 18-year-old apprentice will have his book handled by veteran Vince DeGregory. Watching Gonzalez in his first week of riding the southern California circuit, it's obvious that horses run for him. He already has three winners in 20 mounts and will have his apprentice allowance until October. With DeGregory hustling his mounts, he should be a major factor. Apprentice riders just getting careers started are given an apprentice allowance to make up for their lack of experience. Once they ride five winners, they have the "bug" for 12 months. Gonzalez is at a point where he now has a ton of experience and will have a major advantage the next four months riding with five pounds off. It could be similar to when Joe Talamo moved his tack from Louisiana to Southern California. He was already an accomplished rider, and with five pounds off, he took full advantage with his services in great demand. *** I like to bet two-year-old races, but there haven't been many here on the East Coast. Belmont has only run two, so I had to look elsewhere. Luckily, the opener at Monmouth Park on Saturday was for juvenile maiden claimers going 4 1/2 furlongs on the main track. Going into the race, I liked CLIFFORD'S JOY (Put it Back) for a number of reasons. Trainer Jason Servis wins with 25 percent of his debut maiden claimers and the sire produces a healthy 14 percent debut winners. He had Jose Lezcano in the irons and was 4-1 in the morning line. Amazingly, he opened up at 10-1 and then drifted even more in the betting. When I bet him he was 11-1 and I fully expected his price to come down. The rule of thumb with maiden races is to watch the board and Clifford's Joy was ice cold on the board. Eventually he drifted up to 15-1 which usually indicates that there is no buzz on the horse and the connections feel that he might need a race to get ready. Well, Clifford's Joy wound up winning and he showed why BRIS Ultimate Past Performances are the best. I like to see a combination of nature and nurture -- a strong first-out pedigree with a trainer that is proven to get his horses ready for their debut. Clifford's Joy had both, and it was enough to overcome the betting public's lack of interest.
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