Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

AUGUST 17, 2005

by James Scully

Million - POWERSCOURT (GB) (Sadler's Wells) hadn't officially won a

race in nearly 15 months, but he proved much the best in Chicago last year and

ran back to that form while maintaining a straight-line course through the stretch

in Saturday's Arlington Million (G1), winning by three lengths. Trainer Aidan

O'Brien, who had so much faith in Powerscourt that he didn't make the trip from

Ireland, will now point his charge toward the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Belmont

Park, but 12 furlongs is a much different challenge for the five-year-old horse.

Powerscourt hasn't fared well at 1 1/2 miles, dropping his last five attempts at

or about the same distance, and favors 10 furlongs, excelling in the Million

twice and romping by six lengths in the 2004 Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1). The

Breeders' Cup isn't a good fit.

Arc bound - Turf champion KITTEN'S JOY (El Prado [Ire]) is a Grade 1

winner at 1 1/2 miles and finished a fine second in Saturday's Arlington

Million, offering a good rally on the far turn to take a clear lead into the

stretch. The four-year-old colt got a little tired in the final furlong, but he

had knee surgery over the winter and had started only once, winning the one-mile

Firecracker Breeders' Cup H. (G2) at Churchill Downs, prior to Saturday.

Kitten's Joy will be much more fit next time and is expected to head to France

soon to prepare for his next start in the October 2 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

(Fr-G1) at Longchamp. An American-based horse is heading to France to take home their biggest

prize.

Fast-finishing third - FOURTY NINERS SON (Distorted Humor) was a

surprising 14-1 at post time and was full of run nearing the end of the far turn

in the Arlington Million, but jockey Corey Nakatani had nowhere to go behind

horses. He was forced to take a hold and wait and eventually had to swing out in

the stretch for clear running. The four-year-old colt closed boldly to overhaul

Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Better Talk Now (Talkin Man) and just missed the place by a nose to Kitten's

Joy, settling for third in a very commendable performance. Fourty Niners Son

opened his 2005 season with three straight allowance wins in Southern California

and finished third by only a half-length when making his stakes bow in the

American H. (G2). The improving chestnut followed with a second in the Eddie

Read H. (G1) and is developing into a top-class turf runner for trainer

Neil Drysdale.

Sharp sprinter - POMEROY (Boundary) returned to the scene of his best-career performance and dominated Saturday's Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G2) at

Saratoga, ripping splits :21 3/5, :43 4/5 and :55 4/5 before finishing the

six-furlong test in 1:08 3/5, good for a 117 BRIS Speed rating. Winner of last

year's King Bishop S. (G1) at Saratoga, Pomeroy earned his second stakes win at

six furlongs and established himself as a formidable candidate for the Breeders'

Cup Sprint (G1), which isn't coming up strong this year.

Military - GUN SALUTE (Military), who hails from 1998 Oak Tree Turf

Championship (G1) and Citation H. (G2) winner Military (Danzig), provided his

young sire with his first graded winner when capturing the American Derby (G2)

on July 23 and then earned his biggest victory in Saturday's Secretariat S.

(G1), wearing down the heavily favored ENGLISH CHANNEL (Smart Strike) in deep

stretch to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Gun Salute has now captured three of his last

four starts, but conditioner Bill Mott probably won't point the

three-year-old toward the Breeders' Cup this season, instead targeting sophomore

turf stakes likes the Hollywood Derby (G1) while looking forward to bigger and

better things next year. English Channel probably didn't show up with his best

effort and had a four-race winning skein snapped over the yielding ground, but

he still turned in a respectable performance and remains a serious threat

against older horses this fall.

Seaside - Del Mar's centerpiece event, the $1 million Pacific Classic

(G1), takes place Sunday and features a couple of horses who have found their

best form recently at Hollywood Park in SURF CAT (Sir Cat), who earned his first

stakes victory in the July 9 Swaps Breeders' Cup (G2), and Hollywood Gold Cup

(G1) winner LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew). Both are top contenders for the 1

1/4-mile event, but they'll have to deal with the classy six-year-old gelding

PERFECT DRIFT (Dynaformer), who finished second in last year's Pacific Classic

and enters off a sharp stakes score at Arlington, and CHOCTAW NATION (Louis

Quatorze), who runs his best races at Del Mar, winning the last two runnings of

the San Diego H. (G2). I'll box the latter two in an exacta and give a slight

edge to Choctaw.

Spa  - Saturday's Alabama S. (G1) lost a major player when

Smuggler (Unbridled) was recently declared out, leaving a couple of lightly raced

fillies, FOR ALL WE KNOW (Stephen Got Even) and SWEET SYMPHONY (A.P. Indy), as

top contenders for the 1 1/4-mile event. The former reeled off three impressive

victories before finishing fourth at 5-2 in her stakes bow, the Mother Goose

(G1), and the promising John Ward trainee should benefit from the experience.

Unbeaten Sweet Symphony exits a 2 1/2-length romp in a nine-furlong allowance at

Saratoga and will make her stakes debut for Mott on Saturday.