Filly & Mare Turf Diary

FILLY & MARE TURF DIARY

MAY 15, 2007

by Kellie Reilly

Since our last edition, we've witnessed strong performances from two mares who are on the brink of

breaking into the division's highest echelon. After reviewing their efforts, I'll

mention three other recent graded stakes that don't have quite the same import.

In the April 25 Bewitch S. (G3) at Keeneland, SAFARI QUEEN (Arg)

(Lode) put

her five overmatched rivals to the sword, reiterating her preference for the

12-furlong trip. The Todd Pletcher trainee traveled strongly just off the pace,

moved aggressively between horses to take dead aim on the leader with more than

a half-mile to go, and asserted her superiority in the stretch. A brawny type

with a powerful neck, Safari Queen is the equine equivalent of a mastiff, and

she didn't care at all that she was spotting the field six pounds as the

124-pound highweight. The chestnut reeled off her final quarter in :23 1/5 while

maintaining a two-length margin over a game BARANCELLA (Fr) (Acatenango), who

was vainly chasing Safari Queen for the third straight time. Barancella was

herself 12 lengths clear of the third-place finisher, underlining the strength

of her runner-up effort.

A champion in her native Argentina, Safari Queen has now won four of her last five outings, all in graded stakes

company at marathon distances. She gives Arindel Farm a potent one-two punch in

the division, with champion WAIT A WHILE (Maria's Mon) already in its

arsenal.

With Safari Queen needing every yard of 1 3/8 miles, and excelling at 1 1/2

miles, I doubt that she'd ever be on a collision course with Wait a While. Also,

note that Safari Queen would have to be supplemented to the Breeders' Cup Filly

& Mare Turf (G1).

It will be fascinating to see if Safari Queen ever gets the chance to square

off against another stablemate, HONEY RYDER (Lasting Approval), or if Pletcher

will keep the distance-loving mares apart. The May 26 Sheepshead Bay H. (G2) has

been mentioned as a possible target for both, although that might come a bit

quickly for Honey Ryder, who only recently returned to the worktab after her fruitless foray

to Dubai. Unless they settle accounts on the track, I'd still have to give the

edge to Honey Ryder.

Turning to the middle of the distance spectrum, MASSEUSE (Dynaformer)

marked herself as one to follow with a hard-fought victory in the April 28

Beaugay H. (G3) at Aqueduct. After settling into an outside stalking position

early, the James Toner mare collared STORMY KISS (Arg) (Bernstein)

entering the stretch, and the pair engaged in a riveting duel for the remainder

of the 1 1/16-mile affair. Stormy Kiss at first appeared to be holding

Masseuse's challenge, but just barely. Masseuse never relented, and she kept

finding more to thrust her neck in front in the shadow of the wire.

Stormy Kiss emerged with great credit in defeat, especially considering that

she was making her turf debut. On the other hand, the race really set up better

for her, and Masseuse had a stiffer task. Stormy Kiss raced in second through

snail-like splits, and she struck the front first. Masseuse had to make up a

little more ground, on yielding turf that she didn't care for, at a distance

short of her best, but she still got the job done through a final sixteenth in a

spirited :6 1/5.

In the process, she reeled in an accomplished performer in Stormy Kiss, an

Argentinean Group 1 winner who captured the Honorable Miss H. (G2) at Saratoga

last year. Barclay Tagg has a wide range of options with Stormy Kiss now that

she's proven her effectiveness on the turf.

Masseuse was posting her first stakes victory. That bald fact does not tell

the whole tale, however, as her career has been interrupted by injury. She

proved her class in her stakes debut in the 2005 Virginia Oaks, when beaten a

mere neck by MY TYPHOON (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), but she didn't race

again until the summer of 2006. Sent off as the 7-5 favorite in her second start

back in the Matchmaker S. (G3), Masseuse was pulled up with a muscle injury

shortly after leaving the gate. After another lengthy spell on the sidelines,

the dark bay returned to action in the March 17 Hillsborough S. (G3) at Tampa

Bay Downs and finished a creditable third to CASSYDORA (GB) (Darshaan)

and My Typhoon. That set her up well for the Beaugay.

After the Beaugay, Toner revealed that he had "big goals picked out" for

Masseuse, with her immediate aim being either the June 16 All Along Breeders'

Cup S. (G3) at Colonial Downs or the June 23 New York Breeders' Cup H. (G2) at

Belmont. Toner is well acquainted with high-class turf distaffers, having

conditioned champion Soaring Softly as well as multiple Grade 1 queens Wonder

Again and Memories of Silver, so Masseuse could be a star on the rise.

In contrast, stars weren't on display in the May 5 Churchill Distaff Turf

Mile S. (G3) on Kentucky Derby Day. The race lost its luster when its headliners

-- Matriarch S. (G1) winner PRICE TAG (GB) (Dansili [GB]) and Grade 3

queen LADY OF VENICE (Fr) (Loup Solitaire) -- were withdrawn. The

yielding ground was a contributing factor for both scratches, but trainer

Patrick Biancone told Daily Racing Form that Lady of Venice also had a

cut on her knee and wasn't at her best.

While she didn't have to face those stalwarts, TAKE THE RIBBON

(Chester House) still ran a terrific race to get up by a nose at the wire, just

foiling QUITE A BRIDE (Stormy Atlantic). Both fillies completed their

final furlong in :11 and change, with Take the Ribbon's time marginally faster.

Her effort was all the more commendable as it came in her seasonal reappearance

after a six-month layoff. The Wally Dollase trainee placed at the Grade 1 level

in 2006 and could well make her presence felt in elite company this year,

although she'll likely to find one or two a bit too good for her.

Casting further doubt on the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile was the

non-performance of Grade 1 heroine MAGNIFICENT SONG (Unbridled's Song),

who never looked like getting involved from off the pace in her 2007 bow. The

Pletcher filly switched leads a few times in the stretch, possibly not enjoying

the ground, as she checked in a one-paced fourth.

Even less significant was the April 21 Santa Barbara H. (G2) at Santa Anita,

which didn't attract a single North American graded stakes winner. NAUGHTY

RAFAELA (Brz) (Royal Academy) drafted in splendid isolation in fourth,

watching three rivals duke it out up front, and she closed well enough to take

the spoils by one length. On this evidence, Naughty Rafaela doesn't figure to be

among Bobby Frankel's leading lights unless she improves quite a bit. 

In contrast, CHARM THE GIANT (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) made a much

bigger impression when landing the April 25 Wilshire H. (G3) at Hollywood Park.

A homebred campaigned by Deborah McAnally, and of course trained by Ron, the bay

had eight horses in front of her at the top of the stretch, but she conjured a

blazing burst of speed to jet past them all and win going away by 1 1/2 lengths.

Granted, she beat a lot of the usual suspects here, but she did it in grand

style.

Out of multiple Grade 2 winner Olympic Charmer (Olympio), Charm the Giant is

at the top of her game right now as a five-year-old. She is under consideration

for the Gamely Breeders' Cup S. (G1) on Memorial Day at Hollywood, but her

conditioner has sounded uncertain about taking on the division's top guns at

present.

Indeed, the Gamely is shaping up to be the highlight of the season so far.

The undefeated VACARE (Lear Fan) is scheduled to ship from New York to

confront CITRONNADE (Lemon Drop Kid), with Wait a While listed as

possible.