Serious gives boys the attitude in Nearctic

Serious Attitude proved much the best against 11 male challengers (Michael Burns Photography) Making a pit stop in Toronto on her way to Lexington, Kentucky, where she is scheduled to be sold at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale the day after the Breeders' Cup, Derek Willis and trainer Rae Guest's SERIOUS ATTITUDE (Ire) (Mtoto) did a little value-enhancing exercise at the expense of 11 male rivals in the $502,794 Nearctic S. (Can-G1) at Woodbine. The six-furlong, good-turf dash victory included an automatic entry into the November 6 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G2) for the winner, but a cutback to five furlongs might not be in the offing for the four-year-old filly, who earned the second top-level win of her career Saturday under Garrett Gomez. Dismissed with some justification at 23-1, Serious Attitude was winless in six starts dating back to July 2009 heading into the Nearctic. Indeed, she had only placed once during that span, the only time she faced fillies and mares. She wasn't an immediate factor in the Nearctic, hovering near the back of the field as Sneaking Uponyou (Snuck In) led 2-1 favorite Bridgetown (Speightstown) and Fatal Bullet (Red Bullet) through splits of :22 4/5 and :45 3/5.

Through the long straight, the speed began to pack it in as Grand Adventure

(Grand Slam) began to rally up the inside and Serious Attitude, who saved ground

most of the way, was swung off the inside and began to weave her way through the

congested field. Grand Adventure held a narrow lead a furlong out, but Serious

Attitude was full of run and blew by that one in the final yards to win by 2 1/2

lengths. Grand Adventure finished 3 1/4 lengths ahead of Fatal Bullet, who

re-rallied for the show after losing ground in the fifth furlong.

Serious Attitude returned $48.20, $20.30 and $10.50. Grand Adventure, at 9-2,

paid $6.20 and $4.30, while Fatal Bullet was good for $4.60 at 5-1. The exacta

paid $368.30, the trifecta $3,366.10, and the 10-2-9-1 superfecta was worth

$22,086.10.

Field Commission (Service Stripe) was a neck behind Fatal Bullet in fourth

and was followed under the wire by Bridgetown, Sneaking Uponyou, Signature Red,

Bogue Chitto (Crafty Prospector), Towzee (NZ) (Towkay), Amico Fritz (Ger)

(Fasliyev), Woodbourne (Danzig) and Balthazaar's Gift (Xaar).

Serious Attitude was among the top runners of her generation at two, when she

won all three starts including the historic Cheveley Park S. (Eng-G1) as well as

the Dick Poole S. Unfortunately, she rarely came close to validating that form

the past two seasons. Outside of a win in the 2009 Summer S. (Can-G3) and a

second in the May 8 Kilvington S., she was unplaced in such premier fixtures as

the One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1), Prix Maurice de Gheest (Fr-G1), Golden

Jubilee S. (Eng-G1), July Cup (Eng-G1), Park S. (Eng-G2) and Diadem S. (G2).

"She was good all year and we knew that she had another great race in her,"

Guest said. Her record now stands at 12-5-1-0, $654,599.

Bred in Ireland by Paddy Twomey, Serious Attitude was produced by the winning

Zameyla (Cape Cross [Ire]), a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Seraphina (Pips

Pride), stakes winner Army of Angels (Ire) (King's Best) and the stakes-placed

Alegranza (Lake Coniston [Ire]) and Brantwood (Lake Coniston [Ire]). Zameyla has

also produced the unraced juvenile colt Ed Starr (High Chaparral [Ire]), and

this is the family of 2001 Prix de la Foret (Fr-G1) winner Mount Abu (Foxhound).