Belmont Park
Weekend Notes
Please Henry Cecil, writes Steve Dennis, run Prix Vermeille winner Midday in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before the Breeders’ Cup: “She’s a virtual shoo-in at Churchill Downs, so why not give the Arc a crack on the way?
What makes a horse do this? As in the Yorkshire Oaks, Sariska refused to leave the starting gate in the Vermeille, compelling her connections to retire the 4-year-old filly immediately after the (non)race. “I’m proud of everything she has achieved but she does not want to play ball on the track,” said trainer Michael Bell, who reported on his website earlier in the week that Sariska had performed well in gate work at Lingfield. John Sparkman addressed the subject last month, noting that “when a horse reveals temperamental quirks, racing folk are always quick to look to the pedigree to find reasons for such behavior.” Sariska’s half-sister Gull Wing did pull the same stunt. An expression of the genes or equine will? Fascinating, either way.
At Belmont on Saturday, Heisman, a 2-year-old full-sibling to Any Given Saturday, won his first race running the final quarter in :28 seconds. That is not notable. It is though that Heisman was starting off a sixth-place finish in his debut, a six-furlong Saratoga maiden special won by Stay Thirsty, who finished second to Sovereign Default in his first start and second to Boys at Tosconova in the Hopeful Stakes. The hype was all about Boys after the Hopeful, but Stay Thirsty — a Bernardini baby, half-brother to Andromeda’s Hero and Superfly, with enough class to run well against his precocious peers — seems more likely to develop into an interesting 3-year-old.
The Keeneland September sale kicked off tonight and people in the blugrass must be relieved that big spenders are still around. The average price of the 69 yearlings sold was $347,319, up 49% over 2009, the median $250,000, up 25% (stats via Keeneland’s sortable auction results). And more good news: “The buy-back rate was 25.8%, down significantly from 41.2% in 2009.” Neither Sheikh Mohammed nor Coolmore was particularly active (the former purchased a Bernardini colt for $450,000, the latter an A.P. Indy for $600,000), but Shadwell bought six for a gross total of more than $2.8 million, including a striking Bernardini colt for $800,000. Of the young sires represented, the 2006 champion 3-year-old was the most successful both by number sold (three) and gross (almost $1.4 million).
First punch in another round of racetracks versus ADWs? TVG declined to show all but three races from opening day at Belmont Park, citing contractual obligations. “We have a plethora of tracks running today that are exclusive to TVG,” said TVG executive Tony Allevato. “NYRA is not an exclusive track.”
Today at Belmont
Foolish Pleasure covers the most promising first-time starters in the second, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special for juvenile fillies. Ambitiously spotted is Suffolk Downs-based Jewel of Rockport, a Rockport Harbor baby out of Box of Jewels, who’s a half-sibling to Golden Ballet, dam of Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer. Precocious himself, Rockport Harbor’s offspring have been slow to find the winner’s circle: None of the freshman sire’s first 11 runners have done better than second in 15 starts. With her unexceptional recent works, Jewel of Rockport, 20-1 on the morning line, doesn’t figure to be the first winner for her sire, but, depending on how she does today, could be one to watch for in local juvenile races this summer.
Results: Sixth for Jewel of Rockport, “never a factor,” but surely Afaaf, a $300,000 Keeneland purchase and half-sibling to stakes winner Rule, was more disappointing to her connections after tiring and finishing fourth as the 2-1 second favorite. Stopspendingmaria, a Montbrook filly making her second career start for trainer Todd Pletcher, won by hustling early and drawing away in the stretch, finishing seven lengths ahead Networking, who was another nine lengths ahead of third place finisher Hey Valentina.
Weekend Notes
New York Daily News racing columnist Vic Ziegel takes a buyout. “I’m gone,” said Ziegel, who was with the paper for 24 years. “It’s cool.” (New York Post)
DRF columnist Jay Hovdey joins the racing blogosphere, while Ed DeRosa of Thoro Times settles in at Big Event Blog. (Thanks for the shout-out, EJXD2.)
“Rough weekend for stars.” Perhaps the most lacking in excuses for a flop was Music Note, who came off a seven-month layoff to finish a career-worst fifth going over her favorite surface in the Ogden Phipps. Will she improve next out? Or was the sub-par work of two weeks before, then her Saturday performance, indication that the filly isn’t the same as she was last year?
Commentator wins the Kashatreya Stakes, points to a third Whitney score. The most interesting thing about Friday’s race was that the 8-year-old ran a :23.48 final quarter (following a leisurely 1:12.17 three-quarters). The most disappointing was Naughty New Yorker, making his first start since the 2008 Suburban and obviously in need of a race, finishing a tired fourth.
Back in the Picture
Received Watch Mail yesterday that Music Note had worked four furlongs in :48.24 at Belmont, a move that seemed much improved from her lackluster six furlong breeze the week before. Reporting in DRF, David Grening confirms my impression and writes that the filly is once again likely for the June 13 Ogden Phipps Handicap, which will be her first start since finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup. The Phipps may come up a short field, as only three other starters are confirmed: Apple Blossom winner Seventh Street, going for her second consecutive G1 win, Shuvee winner Seattle Smooth, and Color Me Up. [6/10/09 Update: Entries in, seven to start. Music Note highweight at 122, in post six. Seattle Smooth gets 121, post two.]
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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