Three-Year-Old Filly Diary

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY DIARY

JUNE 15, 2005

by Hunter T. Houlihan

Some of the top three-year-old

fillies in the country were upset over the last two weekends, with

SPLENDID BLENDED (Unbridled's Song) making her 2005 bow a losing one in the

Acorn S. (G1); RUNWAY MODEL (Petionville) and CULINARY (El Amante) going down in

the Dogwood Breeders' Cup S. (G3); and MEMORETTE (Memo [Chi]) coming up short in

the Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks (G2) last Sunday. But with those losses, the

division is now flourishing with new contenders for top sophomore filly honors.

Easily, the divisional leader right now is

Acorn queen ROUND POND (Awesome Again). The John Servis trainee had been deeply

missed since winning the April 15 Fantasy S. (G2) at Oaklawn, after which the

bay's conditioner said she would skip the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 6 and point

instead toward the May 20 Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2), for which she was also a no

show. She returned to record her fourth win in a row when taking the one-mile Acorn on

June 4.

The Acorn field consisted of a nice

bunch, including the aforementioned Grade 1-winning Splendid Blended, Beaumont

S. (G2) winner IN THE GOLD (Golden Missile) and La Troienne S. (G3) victress

SEEK A STAR (Mutakddim), but it was Round Pond who proved to be the horse to

beat. Piloted by Stewart Elliott, the filly bobbled leaving the gate and raced

up near the pace on the inside before heading eventual fourth-place finisher Splendid Blended

after a wide move turning for home. SMUGGLER (Unbridled), who tracked in second

for much of the contest, made a nice run in the stretch but had to settle for

the place, 1 1/2 lengths back. Both the runner-up and Splendid Blended should be

considered in their next start.

The John Ward-conditioned MISS

MATCHED (Formal Gold) kept her 2005 record unblemished when taking the Dogwood

over another nice field, making it three for three this year. Culinary and

Runway Model, both sent off at 2-1, kept Miss Matched at a healthy 7-1 and the

second-longest shot in the seven-horse field. The dark bay was gunned right for

the lead by Shaun Bridgmohan, where she was never collared throughout the entire

1 1/16-mile test. With her first stakes win, the filly vindicated her runner-up

finish in last year's Spinaway S. (G2) and put herself in contention as a top

three-year-old of 2005.

Culinary suffered a rough,

three-wide trip throughout the contest, and the runner-up should be used next

time. On the other hand, Runway Model has not visited the winner's circle in

five tries this year, but after showing excellent form as a two-year-old, has

not moved forward at three.

BROOKE'S HALO (Southern Halo) also

wired a graded stakes field, taking the June 12 Hollywood Breeders' Cup. The

Jeff Mullins-trained lass barely held off Memorette in the final jumps, but

Victor Espinoza kept the chestnut working to the wire as she recorded her first

stakes tally. This author is curious to know how she'll perform without the lead

if she doesn't get it next time, and if she will be anywhere near her 7-1

Hollywood odds. 

June 25 brings the first leg of the

Triple Tiara, the 49th running of the Mother Goose S. (G1) at Belmont Park. Round Pond, In the

Gold, Splendid Blended, Smuggler and Seek a Star have all been nominated, as

well as a slew of top sophomores, including Kentucky Oaks victress SUMMERLY

(Summer Squall), Ashland S. (G1) queen SIS CITY (Slew City Slew), Black-Eyed

Susan winner SPUN SUGAR (Awesome Again), PLEASANT CHIMES (Pleasant Tap) and

SENSE OF STYLE (Thunder Gulch). With this caliber of competition, perhaps the

ladies will start their Triple Crown in a more formful fashion than this year's

anticlimactic Kentucky Derby (G1).