Filly and Mare Turf Diary

FILLY & MARE TURF DIARY

JUNE 5, 2007

by Kellie Reilly

Since our last edition, we've witnessed three stirring performances from

stars who reinforced their high divisional standing. I'll review those efforts

and look ahead to the next major contest on the horizon.

The Gamely Breeders' Cup S. (G1) at Hollywood Park on Memorial Day was the

stage for yet another powerhouse, front-running display from CITRONNADE

(Lemon Drop Kid). Although she wasn't the quickest into stride from the gate,

the Bobby Frankel trainee didn't have any trouble cruising to take command.

Citronnade got away with a fairly moderate pace beneath David Flores, and she

kicked clear from the stalking VACARE (Lear Fan) at the top of the

stretch. While she summarily dismissed one top rival and opened up a 1

1/2-length lead, Citronnade was about to be challenged by another, in the shape

of her own stablemate, PRICE TAG (GB) (Dansili [GB]). Citronnade never

slackened, but responded generously in the drive to preserve a three-quarters of

a length victory in a sharp 1:45 3/5 for nine furlongs.

Citronnade has now chalked up four stakes victories in a row in California.

With her high cruising speed and ability to finish strongly, the bay is clearly

a first-class performer who can inflict more damage as the season progresses. On

the other hand, she has had the advantage of being the controlling speed in each

of her three graded stakes victories. Citronnade has won stakes from off the

pace last fall, but not against top company. Wherever she turns up next, I'm

hoping that she will get a sterner test, either through pace pressure, or by

showing a different dimension. Until she faces a modicum of adversity, it's hard

to get a measure of her considerable talent.

Price Tag was valiant in defeat. She was shouldering 123 pounds, four more

than Citronnade, and after rating in fourth, she was always going to find it

hard to reel in her loose-on-the-lead stablemate. Despite all of that, and

losing ground coming into the stretch, the Juddmonte Farms homebred rallied

boldly enough to make Flores get after Citronnade. Price Tag didn't look like

overtaking her, but she did manage to gain ground late, even though the winner

blazed her final furlong in :11 2/5. They can't come home much faster than that

at the end of a 1 1/8-mile race. This was a highly meritorious runner-up effort,

especially considering that she crossed the wire 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Vacare.

Vacare lost her unbeaten status, and in the process, the form of her Queen

Elizabeth II Invitational Challenge Cup S. (G1) victory last October was

emphatically reversed. Citronnade was never in the hunt on that occasion,

winding up ninth in her only loss on the turf, but she gained her revenge in the

Gamely. Still, Vacare is probably better than this bare result, and her

connections (owners Jon and Sarah Kelly and trainer Christophe Clement) deserve

great credit for shipping out West when she could have stayed home at Belmont

Park. We haven't heard the last of her, and she's eligible to rebound on the

East Coast.

On a much sadder note, THREE DEGREES (Ire) sustained such a severe

suspensory injury while finishing fourth in the Gamely that she had to be put

down immediately afterward. She was under pressure a long way out, but she kept

battling away while on her left lead through the stretch before going horribly

wrong. The winner of the 2005 Honeymoon Breeders' Cup H. (G2), the lovely gray

had placed in three Grade 1 events, including a rattling second to Price Tag in

the Matriarch S. (G1) last November. Three Degrees was a game and genuine mare

who will be greatly missed.

Thankfully, there was no such tragedy in the May 26 Sheepshead Bay H. (G2),

which also featured a clash of stablemates in HONEY RYDER (Lasting

Approval) and SAFARI QUEEN (Arg) (Lode). Like Citronnade and Price Tag in

the Gamely, the Todd Pletcher mares were a study in contrasting styles, only

this time the closer with the top weight on the outside -- Honey Ryder -- got up

in time.

Racing without her customary blinkers, Honey Ryder lagged near the back of

the pack early, while Safari Queen settled into her close stalking position in

third. Safari Queen got first run on her stablemate, pouncing on the far turn

and drawing two lengths clear in the stretch. Honey Ryder was just getting

warmed up after going wide off the turn, however, and produced a telling change

of gear under her top impost of 123 pounds. Approaching the wire, it looked like

it would be close, but Honey Ryder's closing rush was so swift that she actually

had a length to spare over Safari Queen.

By winning the Sheepshead Bay for the second year in a row, Honey Ryder

proved that she's in fantastic shape after her unsuccessful Dubai venture, where

she wound up 11th in the Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) versus males. I'm thrilled that

she could get another chance against males in the July 7 United Nations S. (G1)

at Monmouth Park, according to Daily Racing Form. Her alternative

engagement would be the July 14 Robert G. Dick Memorial Breeders' Cup S. at

Delaware Park, but

she's already collected two trophies in that event. There'd be precious little

to gain by winning that for the third time, while it goes without saying that

the United Nations offers much more prestige. Also, with the Breeders' Cup at

Monmouth this year, the UN would serve as a potentially informative race over

the course.

Unlike the Gamely and Sheepshead Bay, the Ouija Board Distaff H. (G3) was all

about a single filly outclassing her opponents. LADY OF VENICE (Fr) (Loup

Solitaire) was much the best on paper, and so it proved at Lone Star Park on

Memorial Day, despite the soft ground. Garrett Gomez rode the chestnut with the

utmost confidence, settling her at the tail of the field, steering her to the

outside to ensure a clear path into the stretch, and Lady of Venice did the

rest. The Patrick Biancone filly delivered a blistering turn of foot to inhale

the field, and once the race was safely in the bag, Gomez throttled her down en

route to a 1 3/4-length victory.

It's terrific to see Lady of Venice back to her brilliant best. The Martin

Schwartz colorbearer was scintillating in her first two races last year, the

Appalachian S. and Regret S. (G3), and she looks to inherit the mantle of her

retired stablemate, Gorella (Fr). It would be poignant if the first filly to win

the Ouija Board were able to follow in that superstar's footsteps and earn an

Eclipse Award as champion turf female. Lady of Venice has a lot to accomplish

between now and then, but she already has the dizzying acceleration of a

champion. Her next objective is the July 6 CashCall Mile (G2) at Hollywood Park.

Saturday's Just a Game H. (G2) on the Belmont undercard will be a key prep

for the CashCall Mile. Champion WAIT A WHILE (Maria's Mon) headlines the

prospective field, which includes MY TYPHOON (Ire) (Giant's Causeway),

MAURALAKANA (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]), TAKE THE RIBBON (Chester House)

and a reappearing KAREN'S CAPER (War Chant).

In our next issue, I'll assess the CashCall Mile and American Oaks

Invitational (G1) at Hollywood.