JC / Railbird

Quality Road

All In Fun

Tim Wilkin:

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is going to be the race of the year. Zenyatta vs. Quality Road. I like the female horses. I am a fan of Rachel Alexandra and I respect the heck out of Zenyatta. But, sorry, ladies. I am taking the boy in the Classic. Quality Road is the best horse in the country.

Based on the :13.34 final furlong he ran in the 1 1/8 mile Woodward against modest competition? I hope there are a lot of bettors like Wilkin playing this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. That means a price on Zenyatta, who will win.

3:00 PM Addendum: Quality Road “got a straightforward Beyer Speed Figure of 106” for the Woodward, the lowest since Saint Liam’s in 2005.

Posted in Racing on September 5, 2010 / Tagged All-In, Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic, Quality Road, Rivalries, Zenyatta

A Lucky Classic?

Well, I suppose it’s possible:

A defeat for dirt leader Quality Road and a sub-par success for all-weather leader Zenyatta were two further indications that Bob Baffert may be about to get lucky in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The first clue came last week, when his stable star ran away with the Haskell Invitational, posting the best performance by an American three-year-old this year.

But with the leading older horses having the chinks in their armour exposed on the weekend, it now looks increasingly likely that the elite division could be set for a changing of the guards in November.

Although, I’m not sure what chink is being referred to re: Zenyatta. The sub :24 final quarter? Or maybe the final sixteenth in :5.94?

Related: Eight reasons Pull the Pocket likes Zenyatta. Point #2, right on.

Posted in Racing on August 9, 2010 / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic, Churchill Downs, Farfetched, Lookin at Lucky, Quality Road, Racing Post, Speed, Speed Ratings, When Figures Obfuscate, Zenyatta

Rachel, Quality Work

Rachel Alexandra put in her final work for the ungraded Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, breezing four furlongs in :49.60 over the Oklahoma track this morning. The Pink Sheet posted pre-work, post-work, and an impressionistic in-motion photo of the move, which took place shortly before 6:00 AM and looked “nice, loose and happy” to trainer Steve Asmussen. The field for the Lady’s Secret won’t be drawn until Wednesday, but Monmouth announced yesterday that Hark, Queen Martha, Stage Trick, Starship Angel, and Yes She’s a Lady were all possible. Combined, the five have won 17 of 56 starts, and none are graded stakes winners.

At Belmont Park on Sunday, Quality Road worked a bullet five furlongs in :58.69 for the G1 Whitney on August 7. He’s looking well.

It’s that time of year, when buzz babies appear. “I have a really nice two year old running today at Hollywood Park named SMASH,” trainer Bob Baffert tipped his Facebook friends on Sunday morning, but the Smart Strike colt needed no touting for his debut. Sent off at 1-2, Smash won the five-furlong maiden special by 2 1/2 lengths in :57.63 over the Cushion Track. “Look at this guy level out,” said track announcer Vic Stauffer. And he did it with such ease.

Life At Ten gets a Beyer speed figure of 98 for winning the G2 Delaware Handicap with a final time of 2:03.21. Bit of trivia: That’s the lowest since Amarillo was given a 96 in 1998. The race was the 5-year-old mare’s sixth straight victory, and a record-tying fourth for trainer Todd Pletcher, who said Life At Ten could start next in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga. (If only Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta also showed up …)

A few updates to the disabled list: General Quarters is most likely out of the Arlington Million. The one-horse-stable star exited the Arlington Handicap, in which he finished sixth, with an injury. “He came out with a bum ankle,” said trainer Tom McCarthy. (Get well soon, GQ.) There’s good news about Drosselmeyer, sent for exam after showing some soreness following a July 4 workout. “There were just several general hot spots that came up, not any one thing or any one spot.” The Belmont Stakes winner will be turned out for 60 days and return to training in the fall, reports the Thoroughbred Times, with a goal of making the Dubai World Cup. (No Breeders’ Cup, then? Too bad.)

Posted in Racing on July 19, 2010 / Tagged Drosselmeyer, General Quarters, Life At Ten, Quality Road, Rachel Alexandra, Smash