Turf Diary

TURF DIARY

MAY 22, 2007

by Kellie Reilly

In this installment, I'll review the major contests on the Kentucky Derby and

Preakness undercards, then turn to California, which will be the focus of

attention on Memorial Day.

The winners of the May 5 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. (G1) at Churchill

Downs and Saturday's Dixie S. (G2) at Pimlico -- SKY CONQUEROR (Sky

Classic) and REMARKABLE NEWS (Ven) (Chayim), respectively -- were both

exiting unplaced efforts in the April 13 Maker's Mark Mile S. (G2), underscoring

its strength and depth. Sky Conqueror was a closing fifth in that Keeneland

event, while Remarkable News was a troubled sixth after botching the break.

Their success compliments the Maker's Mark one-two, KIP DEVILLE (Kipling)

and SHOWING UP (Strategic Mission).

Sky Conqueror dug himself a hole at the start of the Woodford Reserve,

stumbling badly and going to his knees. Canada's champion turf horse righted

himself, but he was near the tail of the field for the first six furlongs. After

swinging out extremely wide on the far turn, Sky Conqueror hit top gear in the

stretch, and as his momentum increased, he began to veer in a bit, crowding

BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man) and bumping the filly DANZON (Royal

Academy). Sky Conqueror continued his relentless charge once straightened and

got up in the nick of time to catch BRILLIANT (War Chant), who had the

perfect trip, by a nose at the wire.

The Woodford Reserve was yet another significant prize plundered this season

by a Canadian, following the successful invasion of Florida by JAMBALAYA

(Langfuhr), who captured the Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf S. (G1) and Pan

American H. (G3). Sky Conqueror, who had defeated Jambalaya a couple of times

last year, is a high class horse indeed, as his third in the Canadian

International S. (Can-G1) last October proved. His connections have nominated

him to the Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-G1) on June 24, and while he probably won't go

to Japan for that prize, it shows just how highly regarded he is. It would be no

surprise if Sky Conqueror would try to make his mark on the international stage

later in the season. In the nearer term, the June 9 Manhattan H. (G1) has been

mentioned as one option, which would set up a clash with Showing Up.

Danzon was a highly creditable third while tackling males in the Woodford

Reserve, and she should be making an appearance in my Filly & Mare Turf Diary

this summer. Better Talk Now was a rather unlucky fourth in his seasonal

reappearance, considering that he didn't see much daylight until really late in

the game. EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck) looked flat when checking in

seventh, and trainer Helen Pitts later told Daily Racing Form that he

exited the race with pharyngitis and needed antibiotics. Things only got worse

for him in the Dixie.

The Dixie was a tragic affair that, as bad as it was, could have been

even worse. Mending Fences set a rapid pace before suffering a catastrophic

breakdown while approaching the far turn. With the fracture penetrating the

skin, and the inevitable contamination, there was no realistic option but to put

him down. His misfortune changed the complexion of the race, hindering more than

a few of his rivals and handing an unassailable advantage to the eventual

winner, Remarkable News, who had been tracking in second and found himself

alone, in the clear, in that dreadful instant.

As a result, the Dixie falls into that burgeoning category of the unknowable

"What if?" scenario: how much was the outcome affected by the fall of Mending

Fences? Should we put an asterisk next to Remarkable News as a fortunate winner,

and give the rest of the field a pass? I don't think it's that simple, nor is it

fair to Remarkable News, who still ran an excellent race to win in a fast time

of 1:46.36, a mere .02 seconds off the course record for nine furlongs.

To try to decipher this, let's concentrate on the two most notable

compromised runners. Arguably the most adversely affected was COSMONAUT

(Lemon Drop Kid), who was traveling well in third when Mending Fences went down.

The Patrick Biancone charge reacted quickly to jump over his stricken foe, and

then gathered himself to chase Remarkable News. Although Cosmonaut handled

himself superbly, he couldn't help losing valuable momentum, and Remarkable News

capitalized by opening up five lengths on him. Cosmonaut set sail after the new

leader and managed to make up more than four lengths through the stretch,

crossing the wire just three-quarters of a length back in second. With a clean

trip, it's hard to imagine the battleship gray wouldn't have come really close.

Einstein lost all chance when he didn't cope with Mending Fences as fluently

as Cosmonaut did. As Robby Albarado tried to steer him clear of the fallen horse

and rider Eddie Castro, Einstein became unbalanced, and Albarado was pitched

from the saddle. Even if there had been no incident, however, I doubt that

Einstein would have threatened the top pair. He was racing farther back in fifth

at the time, and considering how strongly both the winner and runner-up

finished, I can't see Einstein gaining enough ground to reel in either of them.

In my imaginary reconstruction, he would have been third at best.

Remarkable News benefited in three primary ways. Obviously, he was clear of

the accident and built up a huge lead. He was also relieved of the pressure of

the chase at a key juncture while getting something of a breather. That

certainly helped him to hold off the charge of Cosmonaut. On the other hand,

Remarkable News was striding ominously well at every stage, and had there been

no casualty, he still would have had a lot to say about the finish. Without the

tragedy, we would probably have witnessed a terrific stretch duel and a much

tighter finish. While Cosmonaut could have prevailed, I wouldn't be so quick to

dismiss Remarkable News. A classy miler last year, the lightly raced

five-year-old will be a mainstay in this division all season for Angel Penna Jr.

Reformed claimer ON THE ACORN (GB) (Inchinor [GB]) has quickly become

a mainstay of the California turf scene, following up his score in the San Juan

Capistrano Invitational H. (G2) with a cozy victory in the Jim Murray Memorial

H. (G2) on May 12 at Hollywood Park. Although the winning margin in the Murray

was just a half-length, and wasn't as superficially stylish, I thought it was an

even better performance.

On the Acorn was cutting back to 12 furlongs after the about 1 3/4-mile

marathon of the San Juan, and he loped near the back of the pack off dawdling

fractions. Victor Espinoza rode him with the utmost confidence, sitting chilly

as several others in the field began making their moves. When a yawning gap

opened between horses leaving the far turn, On the Acorn shot right through it

and overhauled a loose-on-the-lead PROSPECT PARK (GB) (Sadler's Wells) in

deep stretch. Immediately after the wire, On the Acorn's ears were up, as if he

were looking for the next challenge. He certainly would have had a tougher task

if the sidelined FOURTY NINERS SON (Distorted Humor) had been able to

take part. The June 9 Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1) will be the acid test

for On the Acorn as he cuts back to a sharper 10 furlongs.

Also likely pointing to the Whittingham is the royally bred AFTER MARKET

(Storm Cat), the first foal from multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire

Tranquility Lake (Rahy). The powerfully made dark bay captured the National

Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2) and Lexington S. (G3) last year before

completely losing his way, but since switching to the John Shirreffs barn, he

has rounded into top form. He easily stamped his authority on the April 28

Inglewood H. (G3) at Hollywood, traveling strongly while stalking the pace on

the outside, then surging clear with raking strides. Again, there weren't any

world beaters behind him, but the lightly raced After Market has plenty of scope

for further improvement, and we haven't seen the best of him yet.

On Memorial Day, Hollywood will stage a particularly strong renewal of the

Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G1). Among those expected to line up are

Arlington Million S. (G1) hero THE TIN MAN (Affirmed), making his

nine-year-old debut for Richard Mandella; Kip Deville, bidding to extend

his winning streak to four; and a foursome from the San Francisco Mile S. (G2)

-- CHINESE DRAGON (Stravinsky), who returned from a year-long layoff to

take top honors last time out; VEGA'S LORD (Ger) (Lord of Men), who just

missed in second; CHARMO (Fr) (Charnwood Forest [Ire]), who finished

third while trying to defend his title; and BECRUX (Ity) (Glen Jordan),

last year's Woodbine Mile S. (Can-G1) winner who will try to rebound from his

subpar last-place effort in the San Francisco Mile.

In the 2006 Shoemaker, Aragorn (Ire) first staked his claim to supremacy.

Whoever emerges from this scramble will have bragging rights for some time to

come.