Mud Frolic
When the rain poured down 90 minutes before post time turning Hawthorne’s track into a muddy mess, trainer Vladimir Cerin worried that Super Frolic wouldn’t like the going. He was wrong: Super Frolic dug into the slop and won Saturday’s Hawthorne Gold Cup by a head over Lord of the Game (Los Angeles Times). “I thought this horse might run big,” said jockey Victor Espinoza. “He ran huge against better horses in the Pacific Classic.” Favorite Perfect Drift finished fourth.
Weekend Racing Recap
“The king lives up to his name” (Globe and Mail). Bobby Frankel’s Leroidesanimaux stretched his winning streak to eight when he won the Atto Mile at Woodbine on Sunday. Frankel was pleased with the way Leroi handled the soft turf and felt certain the colt was headed to the Breeders’ Cup Mile despite not being nominated. “I’m sure the owner wants to supplement [to the Breeders’ Cup] and if he’s doing really well, we’ll probably go. The only concern today, which will be in the Breeders’ Cup, too, at Belmont, was the soft ground. At least that’s one good thing we got out of the way, that he can handle soft ground,” said Frankel (Blood-Horse).
Folklore marked herself the early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with a sharp 14 length win in Saturday’s Matron Stakes at Belmont. “She was jumping out of her skin in the post parade; she was ready to run today,” said jockey Edgar Prado after the race (Daily Racing Form).
The Matron didn’t get off to a very good start — Along the Sea, who finished third behind Miss Norman, spooked in the gate, bursting through the door before the start. India tried to follow, striking her head against the gate and knocking one side of her door open. Along the Sea was caught and reloaded; India was backed out, and despite bleeding from her mouth, also reloaded. “India got all shook up there,” said rider John Velazquez. “I knew we should have scratched right then. She was all nervous, and she has never been like that” (Blood-Horse). The field favorite, India broke slowly when the gate opened for real and “threw in the towel early,” finishing last.
The Futurity wasn’t without trouble either. Disco’s Son stumbled breaking from the gate, throwing rider Javier Castellano. The riderless horse then ran along the rail in front of the field for the rest of the race, complicating things. Jerry Bailey, aboard winner Private Vow, found a silver lining in the incident (Daily Racing Form):
“I’m sorry Javier came off, and I hope he’s all right, but you couldn’t map it out any better,” Bailey said. “For a horse to set a pace like that on the other two and give me a lead [horse] turning for home, because my horse kind of messes around when he makes the lead, it was perfect.”
Castellano was uninjured. Trainer Steve Asmussen said that Private Vow may start in the Champagne and is likely for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. “He came here to Belmont because if he belonged in the Breeders’ Cup I didn’t want him going anywhere else first, and that’s what we’re trying to get to,” said Asmussen.
Even money favorite Shaniko earned his first stakes win with a four and a half length victory in Saturday’s Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway. Trainer Todd Pletcher, while thrilled by Shaniko’s performance, was decidedly noncommittal when it came to saying whether or not the four-year-old colt’s next race might be the Breeders’ Cup Classic. “Today certainly makes you feel more confident. At some point he will deserve to step up to bigger leagues than today off that performance. But we just have to see where that will be” (Courier-Journal).
Weekend Results
Island Sand paid $13.20 to win in the Delaware Handicap, despite having Jerry Bailey aboard (Blood-Horse). I’m not usually an advocate of betting jockeys, but Bailey has been unquestionably hot in filly and mare stakes races this month. On Saturday, he won the Virginia Oaks with My Typhoon (Daily Press). A week ago, it was the Princess Rooney with Madcap Escapade. And before that, it was Splendid Blended in the Vanity Handicap, Wend in the New York Handicap, and Stellar Jayne in the (ungraded) Misty Galore Stakes. That’s quite a record.
The Delaware Handicap was Bailey’s first ride on Island Sand. He picked up the mount only 10 days ago, when his agent Ron Anderson called trainer Larry Jones after hearing that regular jockey Terry Thompson was off with a pelvic injury. Bailey said that Jones told him the filly was a “grinder,” but “She was really in hand and tugging on me all the way … I caught up to Pat [Day] in a hurry” (Phila. Daily News).
The big disappointment in the Delaware Handicap was 6-5 favorite Isola Piu Bella, who reared up in the gate and was slow breaking. “She just left her race in the gate,” said jockey John Velazquez. “That was it. She just left her race in the gate” (News Journal).
The only one of trainer Nick Zito’s 11 Triple Crown starters to run in the money in any of those races this spring, Sun King went wire-to-wire in the Leonard Richard Stakes. “You saw the real Sun King again,” said a happy Zito after the race, who credited an equipment change with the victory (News Journal). “The blinkers were a minor thing that made a big difference. He was on his game today. Did you see him gallop out after the wire? If the race was longer he would have won by a pole.”
Richards runner-up Golden Man accomplished the unusual feat of placing in two graded stakes races on back-to-back days. The day before the Richards, Golden Man finished third in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth (Washington Post). His accomplishment is not unprecedented: Rushaway won the 1936 Illinois Derby and Latonia Derby on back-to-back days (Thoroughbred Times).
Smokume won the Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont (New York Post). “This feels pretty cool,” said jockey Chantal Sutherland, who earned her first US graded stakes win on the horse.
And on Saturday …
R Lady Joy held off Round Pond to win the Delaware Oaks (Phila. Inquirer). The longshot’s win stunned the crowd, but not trainer Kirk Ziadie. “I told my owners after her last race that if you give me two months to get her ready, we’ll go to the Delaware Oaks and I don’t care who is in it, we’ll win,” he said. Trainer John Servis made no excuses for Round Pond, the overwhelming favorite, but said that the sloppy track and the filly’s performance reminded him of another disappointing loss earlier this spring:
[Servis] said it brought back memories of the start the Porter-owned Rockport Harbor had in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland (Ky.) in April. Rockport Harbor had problems with the sloppy track and ran out of the money as the favorite…. “Watching her go into the first turn, I thought of the Lexington all over again,” Servis said. “I knew we were in trouble then. The filly just didn’t seem to take to the track” (News Journal).
Owner Rick Porter said Round Pond “came out of the race great” and may run in the Alabama on August 20.
English Channel is now halfway to the Grand Slam (Washington Post).
Desert Boom Wins Jewel
Second choice Desert Boom won the Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes over favorite Lord of the Game (Daily Racing Form). “It was a great race,” said trainer Art Sherman. “When our horse gets on the lead, he’s double-tough … That was a good horse that he outran” (San Francisco Chronicle).
There’s a rumor on at least one racing forum that the NTRA Claiming Crown Contest was hacked. One poster explains how he was able to change his picks post-race, another confirms. Hm … nothing about this on the Claiming Crown Contest site, except for an odd message on the Leaderboard: “Currently, results are being audited for the leaderboard.” This is all speculation, it must be noted. There’s been nothing announced or confirmed. The winner is to be named Monday.
Claiming Crown
I love the idea of the Claiming Crown. It’s a fantastic event — celebrating the claimers that make up the majority of races, treating cheap horses like stakes horses. Some of the starters are both, such as Lord of the Game, claimed for $10,000 last Janauary and now a grade 2 winner. Only five will start against the Cornhusker victor in the $150,000 Jewel Stakes, where Lord of the Game is easily the best. “When you look down at his record, the only horses who have beaten him were Pollard’s Vision and Badge of Silver,” said trainer Tom Tomillo said in reference to Lord in the Game’s third-place finish in the National Jockey Club Handicap. “He gave Badge of Silver all he wanted (so) I think they’ll have to beat him. He’s tough” (Blood-Horse).
Weekend Racing
It’s a big weekend of racing coming up at Delaware Park, with six stakes races carded for Saturday and Sunday, including the $1 million Delaware Handicap, which has attracted six graded stakes winners (Daily Racing Form), and the Delaware Oaks, which will feature Sis City and Round Pond (Blood-Horse). The once hot High Limit will make his first start since the Kentucky Derby in the Leonard Richards Stakes. A bevy of familiar names from this spring’s Triple Crown season — Sun King, Sort It Out, and Scrappy T — are set to start as well. An impressive win from any one would add some depth to three-year-old division, as Surf Cat did last Saturday in the Swaps (LA Times). Although, as the Times article points out, Surf Cat’s rise to prominence off one win is “indicative of the frailty of the game,” as is the fact that neither Surf Cat, nor last weekend’s Gold Cup winner Lava Man, is nominated for the Breeders’ Cup.
Papi Chullo is entered in the Richards as well, but it’s safe to say the maiden will scratch — Papi is entered in the fifth race at Belmont on Friday, where he gets Rafael Bejarano aboard and is the 7-5 morning line favorite.
Lost in the Fog, 8-for-8
The only real question about Sunday’s Carry Back Stakes at Calder was by how much Lost in the Fog would win. I thought he’d see a little challenge from Hot Space, the colt making his second career start who scored a 96 Beyer winning a maiden special in mid-June. But no, Lost in the Fog loped along in the lead from the start with rider Russell Baze aboard making no moves until the stretch, when he drew away easily under mild urging to win by more than seven lengths. Lost in the Fog made it look so effortless, it’s hard to believe that he ran a record race (SF Chronicle). His time for the six furlongs was 1:09.3, faster than any previous Carry Back, and faster than the other two grade 2 sprints on the card. Now 8-for-8, Lost in the Fog will be pointed to the King’s Bishop at Saratoga on August 27. Trainer Greg Gilchrist said he’s planning to get the unbeaten colt to upstate New York early: “I think I’ll get him into Saratoga a couple of weeks ahead of the race. I’ve never been to Saratoga, and I’ve heard all the stuff about the track, it being the ‘Graveyard of Champions’ and all that, and I’d like to work him at least once over the track before he runs there” (LA Times).
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Madcap Escapade was another big winner at Calder yesterday, bouncing back from a defeat in her last race to win the Princess Rooney Stakes by more than five lengths (Daily Racing Form). Happy Ticket finished second, suffering her first loss in 10 starts. No disgrace there. As Happy Ticket’s trainer Andrew Leggio said, “She ran great and I’m sorry she didn’t win but she got beat by a real nice horse although I’d like another chance at the winner going seven furlongs in the Ballerina.”
Saturday Winners
Lava Man wins the Hollywood Gold Cup, Surf Cat wins the Swaps (LA Times). With his eight and three-quarters lengths win in the Gold Cup, Lava Man — who was claimed by trainer Doug O’Neill for $50,000 less than a year ago — set a record for winning margin in the race. Count O’Neill among those surprised by Lava Man’s dominating performance: “When we claimed him … I thought we were getting a horse that might run for $40,000 or $50,000 on grass. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we were getting a Grade I winner.” Favorite Limehouse finished fifth: “He never showed up,” said jockey John Velazquez.
Summit Postponed
Calder’s Summit of Speed has been postponed to Sunday (Daily Racing Form). Heavy rain, high winds, and a power outage caused by Hurricane Dennis prompted the rescheduling.
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Speedy picks for the Summit of Speed: In the Carry Back Stakes, Lost in the Fog, followed by Hot Space. In the Princess Rooney, Sensibly Chic and Happy Ticket.
Hollywood Gold Cup, Swaps
An eye injury will keep Perfect Drift out of Saturday’s Hollywood Gold Cup (ESPN). “It’s a little ulcer on his eye,” said trainer Murray Johnson. “It has healed well, but I’m not sure that he would be 100 percent and did not want to put him under any stress. It’s just that this race is on the other side of the country.” That the race is on the other side of country isn’t keeping the well-traveled Limehouse away. “Hollywood Park will be the 10th track at which he has raced, and he has already won races at five different tracks” (Daily Racing Form). On the undercard, Northern Dancer winner Don’t Get Mad is the likely favorite in the Swaps (Blood-Horse). He’ll face competition from Indian Ocean, winner of the Affirmed.
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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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