Blame, Quality Road go separate ways following Whitney

BLAME (Arch) came out of his thrilling victory in Saturday's Whitney

Invitational H. (G1) over heavy favorite QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality) in good order, trainer Al Stall, Jr.

reported Sunday morning, and will make his next start in the $750,000

Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park on October 2.

"Seth Hancock (of Claiborne Farm) was here this morning and we firmed

things up -- the Jockey Club Gold Cup will be his next race," Stall said of the 1

1/4-mile

race. "It will be that, and then the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). We'll take him back

to Keeneland in a couple of weeks, let him train there, and bring him back up to

Belmont."

Stall said he watched the Whitney replay several times in the Saratoga Room

at the track after the race and was

happy to report that "he won every time."

"I thought if he were in striking distance at the three-eighths pole, he had

a shot," Stall said. "He really does have a great punch from the three-eighths

pole, and Garrett (Gomez) was just reeling Quality Road in, reeling him in.

Inside the eighth-pole, you could see he had a little more momentum than Quality

Road."

The Whitney was Blame's fifth straight victory, following the Stephen Foster

H. (G1) and William Donald Schaefer S. (G3) from from earlier this season and

last year's Clark H. (G2) and Fayette S. (G2).

Quality Road, who set moderate fractions and was overtaken in the final

strides by Blame to miss by a head, also came out of the Whitney in fine shape,

trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning.

"It was a tough beat," Pletcher admitted. "He was basically alone on the lead.

He's generally a little more focused when he has a target (but) there wasn't

anyone eager to take the lead (Saturday), so we kind of inherited it. He's one of

those horses that does things so easily, he was kind of waiting on the

competition."

While disappointed with the loss, Quality Road's first in four starts this

year, Pletcher said the four-year-old bay remains on schedule to

make his next start in the $750,000 Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga on September 4.

"If he continues to do well, I see no reason to change our plans,"

the conditioner said of the nine-furlong Woodward. "It was still a very good effort and we

lost to a very good horse."

Pletcher added he was looking forward to a rematch with Blame down the road.

"I probably think more about the losses than I do about the wins, but at the

end of the day we still have goals; the Woodward and hopefully the Breeders' Cup

Classic if he goes," he said. "He got beat spotting an extremely good horse five

pounds. Not taking anything away from Blame; we look forward to trying him at

equal weights."

For video of Sunday morning interviews with Stall and Pletcher, please click

here.

Though he didn't get his preferred trip in Saturday's Whitney Handicap,

MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska) emerged from his third-place finish in good order and

trainer Derek Ryan was pleased with the colt's effort.

"He looks pretty good (this morning), no problems," Ryan said. "(Pressing the

pace), that's not his style. He likes to sit back a little bit. When they're

going that slow, if he (hadn't pressed Quality Road), the other horse wouldn't

have won either. He was closer than he ever has been in any of his races. It

wasn't by design, but it wasn't (jockey Rajiv Maragh's fault); at least he had

the initiative and the brains to go on with it. I think he rode him the best of

anyone. It didn't set up for him, but he didn't get him in any trouble."

Musket Man won the Super S. at Tampa Bay Downs in February in his first

start of the year, then was second in the Carter H. (G1) at

Aqueduct on April 3 and third in the May 1 Churchill Downs S. (G2),

all run at seven furlongs. Runner-up to Quality Road in the Met Mile (G1) at Belmont Park on May 31, the Whitney was his first start over a mile

since he finished third in the 2009 Preakness S. (G1) behind eventual Horse of

the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). The game dark bay went to the sidelines after the

Preakness and did not race for nearly nine months.

"We'll probably keep him going long now for the rest of the year," Ryan said.

"One of these days he's going to get a legitimate pace and a race will set up

for him. I'll probably either run him back here (in the Woodward) or wait for

the Hawthorne Gold Cup, then the Breeders' Cup."

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Sunday morning that 2009 Kentucky

Derby (G1) winner MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone) "came out well" following his fifth-place

finish in the Whitney. Racing along the rail with Calvin Borel aboard, Mine That

Bird trailed the field and passed one horse at the finish.

While Lukas was disappointed with Mine That Bird's performance, he believes

the four-year-old gelding still may have needed the race, his second start of 2010.

"I was very disappointed on how far back he was in light of the fact he just

worked out here in 1:12 and they ran in 11 and change," Lukas said. "He's

supposed to be a lot closer. He might need to get a race under his belt to be

mentally sharp because he's fit. He didn't even take a breath."

As for the future of Mine That Bird, Lukas said he is considering the

Woodward.

"Right now that would be the next stop," Lukas said. "I'll talk to the owners

get their input but that's definitely an option."