Distaff Diary

DISTAFF DIARY

JULY 20, 2006

by Jennifer Caldwell

From this day forth, or until next year, the three-year-old fillies and the

mares will be combined into one comprehensive -- or not, depending on you

viewpoint -- diary. So let's get to it.

DUBAI ESCAPADE (Awesome Again) was expected to enter Saturday's Princess

Rooney S. (G1) on Calder's Summit of Speed day. She did that. The Eoin Harty

trainee, who was bringing an undefeated U.S. record into the six-furlong test,

was expected to go off the prohibitive favorite. She did that, too.

The one thing the four-year-old miss didn't do was win.

Settled just behind the pacesetter early on, Dubai Escapade kept up for the

opening half. However, once she made her move rounding the turn it was all over.

Instead of making up ground, the 1-5 shot began to back up, eventually finishing

next to last in the seven-horse field. Tracking the quick pace (quarter in :21

3/5 and half in :44 2/5) might have had something to do with her lackluster

performance, but Dubai Escapade will have to rebound in a big way

to keep her top status.

The winner of the Princess Rooney was 23-1 longshot MALIBU MINT (Malibu

Moon), who was coming off a nice neck second in the Winning Colors S. Her first

Grade 1 attempt came in the Humana Distaff H. (G1), but she

stumbled and lost the rider that day. On Saturday, she broke cleanly, was

content to run in fourth on the backstretch, then made a sustained rally while

wide to take her first graded score by 3 3/4 lengths. Though most of the focus

was on Dubai Escapade's loss, no one should take anything away from Malibu Mint.

The James Chapman-trained four-year-old easily proved best against some top

notch fillies and could move on to bigger and better things.

One day later and north of Calder, FLEET INDIAN (Indian Charlie) easily

managed to keep her win streak going as the 2-5 favorite in the $1 million

Delaware H. (G2). Taking her sixth straight score, the dark bay miss grabbed the

lead from her rail post as soon as the gates opened and strolled home a 5

1/2-length winner, earning a stellar 109 BRIS Speed rating. That was by no means

her best number, as the Todd Pletcher charge posted a 111 Speed figure for her 12

1/2-length score in the Sixty Sails H. (G3) in April. Delaware Park's marquee

event was Fleet Indian's second attempt at 1 1/4 miles, as she ran fifth in the

Alabama S. (G1) in 2004, but the five-year-old mare has yet to find anything to

stop her since switching to Pletcher's shedrow over the winter.

BEHAVING BADLY (Pioneering) is another top class sprinter among the fillies

and mares this year. So far during her career, the five-year-old has compiled a

11-8-2-0 record. Winner of the Santa Monica S. (G1) earlier in the season, she

was a length short in the Humana Distaff in May while going seven furlongs and

returned to six furlongs on July 3 when taking the Genuine Risk Breeders' Cup

H. (G2) at Belmont Park. With Garrett Gomez holding the reins, the Bob Baffert

trainee was never far back and began her run three wide on the turn, finishing a

half-length in front of her nearest rival. She could end up racing at Del Mar

before that meet ends, according to her conditioner.

Now, a warning to anyone getting ready to register their Thoroughbred babies:

do not put the name of a track into your horse's name or that will be the only

place he/she will win. Case in point, HOLLYWOOD STORY (Wild Rush).

The dark bay mare didn't break her maiden until making her first start in

Inglewood, California, in the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1)

at Hollywood Park. She didn't score again until almost exactly a year later at

Hollywood, taking the Bayakoa H. (G2). Trainer John Shirreffs actually

brought her back in May of the next year to take the Hawthorne H. (G3) at, you

guessed it, Hollywood, but she's been languishing for a win ever since. That is

until July 2, when Hollywood Story broke through with a half-length win in the

Vanity Invitational H. (G1) at, yet again, Hollywood. She'll obviously not be in

contention for this year's Breeders' Cup, since it's not being held at

Hollywood!

ADIEU (El Corredor) came into Saturday's Delaware Oaks (G2) still seeking her

first win of the year and exited with a 2 1/4-length score. The bay sophomore

hasn't been doing bad this year, but she had not been at the same level as last season. With this victory, which came at the expense of 4-5 favorite

and Hollywood Breeder's Cup Oaks (G2) winner HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor),

Adieu got back on the right track and moved closer to the millionaire mark in earnings.

VICTORINA (Delaware Township) moved her record to 8-5-2-1 with a win in the

Azalea Breeders' Cup S. (G3) and earned her first graded victory in the process.

Though trainer Greg Gilchrist had a big disappointment on the day when Lost in

the Fog (Lost Soldier) failed to fire in the Smile Sprint H. (G2), Victorina gave

him a nice 1 1/2-length win to start Saturday off on a good note. After running near the back

early, the three-year-old miss pulled her way past her rivals when

asked by Russell Baze around the turn, then got to the front to take her third win of

the year.