Sprint Diary

SPRINT DIARY

APRIL 22, 2005

by Jordan Strickler

The seven-furlong Carter H. (G1) on

April 9 was a tale of two types of sprinters. FOREST DANGER (Forestry) proved

that he is the one to beat at seven furlongs or a mile, while DON

SIX (Wild Escapade) established that he is more of a six-furlong horse. Don Six

set the pace through blistering fractions of :21 2/5, :43 1/5 and 1:07 2/5. If

the race had of ended there, all would have been fine in the shedrow of Scott

Lake, but the remaining ground remained spelled trouble for the five-year-old

Don Six.

Forest Danger came from off the pace, with MEDALLIST (Touch Gold) in tow,

to catch the pacesetter in deep stretch. The Todd Pletcher-trained winner eventually proved

best by 1 3/4 lengths over Medallist as Don Six held for the show. Forest Danger showed the world that

he can take it to the best of them at seven furlongs, but Don Six remains

perhaps the country's best sprinter going shorter distances.

It was good to see CLOCK STOPPER

(Gilded Time) take his first trip to the winner's circle since June of last year

in Saturday's Commonwealth Breeders' Cup S.

(G2) at Keeneland. Since that last victory over optional-claiming rivals, the five-year-old

gelding had finished second or third seven times, all in stakes races. It's almost a shock that

he didn't get confused with no horses in front of him in the stretch Saturday.

Unfortunately, the Dallas Stewart trainee exited the race with a bowed tendon in

his left front leg. He's expected to be sidelined for at least six months.

GATORS N BEARS (Stormy Atlantic)

offered a fine showing on the front end of the Commonwealth and finished only three parts of a length

back in second, earning a 111 BRIS Speed rating.

CAJUN BEAT (Grand Slam) also

suffered an injury during the Commonwealth and was vanned

off the track with a career-threatening ankle

injury. It was a shame to see Cajun Beat's career dwindle after he left the

shedrow of Steven Margolis, who took him to a record of 6-3-3-0, with two Grade

3 wins and a victory in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Granted, three of his

races under Bobby Frankel were Grade 1 races, but Cajun Beat was forced to

abandon the front-running style that proved so successful under

Margolis, to a stalking style that scored him only one victory.

In other sprinting news, Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) winner

SARATOGA COUNTY (Valid Expectations) will retire at the end of the year and make

a new home in Summerfield, Florida, at Dr. Tom Simon's Vinery Stud. Owners

Richard and Evelyn Pollard still have plans to point him toward a series of

major races later in the year, including the Breeders' Cup

Sprint at Belmont Park.