Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

AUGUST 10, 2006

by James Scully

Invasorable -- INVASOR (Arg) (Candy Stripes) continued to amaze U.S.

racing fans with a stirring victory in Saturday's Whitney H. (G1), and he's

earning sensational Speed ratings. The four-year-old registered a 115 BRIS Speed

rating in the Whitney, holding sway over a fast-closing SUN KING (Charismatic)

to defeat his most talented group of rivals to date, and this courageous effort

followed superb performances in the Suburban H. (G1) and Pimlico Special H.

(G1), where he posted BRIS numbers of 118 and 112, respectively. Invasor has

come out of nowhere to be really, really good. Bred in Argentina, Invasor didn't

race in his native land. Instead, he went to the bush leagues, Uruguay, and

swept his five career starts. Sent to Kiaran McLaughlin in North America, nobody

expected much from the unbeaten colt stateside. He shipped to Dubai to open his

2006 campaign with a fourth in the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2) in late March and

returned to the races less than two months later as the fourth choice in a field

of five in the Pimlico Special. That trip didn't take anything out of Invasor,

who shrugged off his lone career setback to become a leading Horse of the Year

candidate in America. He's winning with authority (Suburban and Pimlico Special)

and incredible grit (Whitney), and his Speed figures make it all the more

impressive.

Cat and One -- Expectations of an easy Travers S. (G1) for Bernardini

(A.P. Indy) may have been premature. BLUEGRASS CAT (Storm Cat) looked better

than ever when trouncing his rivals in Sunday's Haskell Invitational H. (G1),

and BRIGHT ONE (Dance Brightly) stirred the pot with a smashing success in the

West Virginia Derby (G3). A highly rated Kentucky Derby (G1) prospect entering

this year, Bluegrass Cat failed to make a strong impression in his first two

starts at Tampa Bay Downs and went completely off form when fourth in the Blue

Grass S. (G1). The Todd Pletcher trainee turned things around with a runner-up

finish to Barbaro at 30-1 on Derby Day and recorded a commendable second in the

Belmont S. (G1). The nearly two-month freshening did Bluegrass Cat a lot of good

in the Haskell, as the well-built colt completely dominated his opposition and

finished fast in the 1 1/8-mile event, registering a 114 Late Pace rating while

drawing off to a seven-length decision under a hand ride. Bluegrass Cat is a

much more formidable now than he was in the spring. Bright One might not be

experienced enough to handle the class hike and 1 1/4-mile distance in this

year's Travers, but there's a lot to like about the rapidly improving colt.

Trained by Dale Romans, the chestnut broke his maiden on June 17 and captured

the one-mile Forestry H. at Churchill Downs in mid-July. Stretching out to two

turns for the first time in Sunday's West Virginia Derby, Bright One was never

challenged en route to a 5 3/4-length, wire-to-wire score, and he earned a

whopping 107 Speed rating. This one has a bright future.

Divine spirit -- OUIJA BOARD (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]) delivered another

memorable performance when winning Saturday's Nassau S. (Eng-G1) at Goodwood,

outdueling five-time Group 1 winner and defending Nassau queen ALEXANDER GOLDRUN

(Gold Away [Ire]) to win by a nose. The five-year-old Ouija Board is a treasure

in this day and age of limited campaigns. A six-time starter this season, she

has campaigned in England, Japan, Hong Kong and America in her last eight

starts, and the hard-knocking mare could head to Ireland for her next outing in

the September 9 Irish Champion (Ire-G1) versus males. Trainer Ed Dunlop is also

pointing her toward a third appearance in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf

(G1) in early November. An earner of nearly $3.5 million, Ouija Board is as

durable as they come nowadays.

Distaffers -- HEALTHY ADDICTION (Boston Harbor) repulsed the bid of

Louisiana invader HAPPY TICKET (Anet) in Sunday's Clement L. Hirsch H. (G2),

notching her third stakes victory of the year as Happy Ticket suffered her third

runner-up finish in her last four starts. Now 21-9-6-1 overall, Healthy

Addiction captured three straight stakes last year, including the Lady's Secret

Breeders' Cup H. (G2) at Oak Tree, prior to a 13th in the Breeders' Cup Distaff

(G1) at Belmont Park, and the five-year-old mare had failed to earn a

triple-digit Speed rating in six consecutive starts before the Hirsch (103).

She's extremely game in Southern California, but Healthy Addiction looks

vulnerable elsewhere. Happy Ticket was never a serious threat to the winner, and

she dropped two straight decisions earlier this year in which she surrendered

the advantage after getting a head in front in midstretch. It will be

interesting to see if she can turn things around in the coming months. SUMMERLY

(Summer Squall) appears headed in the opposite direction. Winner of last year's

Kentucky Oaks (G1), she made her 2006 bow in the Ashado S. at Saratoga last

Friday and turned in a sharp front-running win. She'll step up to graded company

next time and looks like a very intriguing prospect for the Distaff, which will

be held over a favorable track for her at Churchill Downs.

Spa turf runners -- Saratoga featured a pair of up-and-coming turf

runners last week. In Sunday's Fourstardave H. (G2), REMARKABLE NEWS (Ven) (Chayim)

made all the pace and drew clear to a 2 1/2-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile

event, recording his first U.S. graded victory in the process. Trained by Angel

Penna Jr., the four-year-old colt broke his maiden last September at Belmont and

posted wins in five of his next six starts, including the Connaught Cup (Can-G3)

at Woodbine in May. The chestnut colt entered the Fourstardave off a troubled

runner-up finish in the Poker H. (G3), and he appears to have plenty of room for

further improvement. AFTER MARKET (Storm Cat) continued to impress with a 2

1/4-length romp the following day in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame

S. (G2). Unbeaten in four career starts, the Bill Mott-trained three-year-old

entered the Hall of Fame off a convincing win in the Lexington S. (G3), and he's

the first foal out of multiple Grade 1 heroine and $1.6 million earner

Tranquility Lake (Rahy).

Stones -- The Rolling Stones are coming to Churchill Downs on

September 29. And the crowd won't be seated in the infield. Instead, the stage

will be set up on the inside of the turf course in the stretch, opposite the

grandstand. About 50,000 seats will be available. If it works out well, the Twin

Spires will probably continue to host major concerts in the future. I knew the

recent renovation wasn't done with just live racing in mind.