Numerous influential races that have affected the Triple Crown Trail were run last weekend. Stay Thirsty, Norman Asbjornson, and others turned in remarkable performances which earned them great accolades. Others, such as Dialed In, lost a little luster through disappointing defeats.
Here are some brief recaps of last week’s racing action.
FEATURE RACE RECAP: The Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I)
The Santa Anita Oaks winner typically ends up as one of the favorites for the Kentucky Oaks. Not this year.
The heavy favorite was Turbulent Descent, winner of the grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes last December. Although she had lost her 2011 debut to Zazu in the Las Virgenes Stakes, she was expected to rebound in a big way in the Oaks.
However, Zazu would be back to try and beat her again. The late-running filly had proven to be no match for Turbulent Descent in 2010, losing to that filly on two different occasions. However, since being switched to dirt she has proven to be a magnificent filly, and defeated Turbulent Descent in the Las Virgenes as mentioned above.
The finish of the Santa Anita Oaks would come down to those two, and no others would matter.
Quickest out of the gate was May Day Rose, who went straight to the lead under Martin Garcia. She was being tracked by A Z Warrior in second, with Kilograeme racing right behind them in third. Turbulent Descent had settled into fourth under David Flores, and Zazu was last of all.
The opening fractions were moderate, at least for Santa Anita Park, with May Day Rose leading the way through an opening quarter mile in :23.31 and a half-mile in :46.67. The positions remained unchanged during this time, with only the margins between runners fluctuating.
However, things began to change after that. Turbulent Descent began to inch closer while three wide. Zazu was following her. Kilograeme was forced to steady and drop back to last. May Day Rose still led the way through three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.67, but she was about to be confronted on all sides.
Turning for home, Turbulent Descent passed the leaders and began to draw away. Passing the eighth pole, she was two lengths in front of the field. But Zazu was closing like a rocket on the outside. With every stride the gray filly drew closer. But Turbulent Descent proved game to the finish, desperately hanging on to win by a neck. The final time was a quick 1:41.05.
A Z Warrior finished third, 5 ½ lengths behind Zazu. It was another 5 ¼ lengths back to Kilograeme, with May Day Rose coming home last.
After the race, Turbulent Descent’s trainer, Mike Puype, announced that his star filly will not be running in the Kentucky Oaks. He explained that the distance is too far for her. I reluctantly agree, for as strong a performance Turbulent Descent’s Santa Anita Oaks victory was, it does appear as though she would be more effective at slightly shorter distances, such as seven furlongs. The Acorn Stakes and Test Stakes this summer have been mentioned as potential goals.
And thus here are the results:
1 Turbulent Descent
2 Zazu
3 A Z Warrior
4 Kilograeme
5 May Day Rose
Here were my picks:
1 Turbulent Descent
2 Zazu
3 Kilograeme
4 A Z Warrior
5 May Day Rose
And here were J.R.’s picks:
1 Zazu
2 Turbulent Descent
3 May Day Rose
4 A Z Warrior
5 Kilograeme
This was one of the races which enabled me to take a narrow lead over J.R. our in Handicapping Contest. Had Zazu beaten Turbulent Descent to the wire, he would lead me now by nine points. As it is, I hold the lead by a single point. We’ll see if I can maintain the lead during this coming week!
OTHER RACE RESULTS
February 26th
• I completely forgot to mention the Turf Paradise Derby on my last race recaps post. This was unfortunate, for it was a race worth mentioning. Still, better late than never! The heavy favorite was Indian Winter, but it was a 40-1 shot who won. Beer Meister, twenty-two lengths behind in the early going, rallied furiously to win by two lengths. Indian Winter ran a disappointing third.
March 5th
• The Gotham Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct was won by the favorite, yet was nearly upset by a huge longshot. Stay Thirsty, sent off as the odds-on favorite, rallied strongly in the stretch despite being wide on both turns to win the event by 3 ¼ lengths. However, 47.50-1 shot Norman Asbjornson nearly pulled off a shocking victory, fighting on in the stretch to finish a game second. Toby’s Corner, winner of the Whirlaway Stakes, ran third. The Florida Derby is next for the winner.
• The Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes on the Gotham undercard ended with somewhat surprising results. Sensational Slam, sent off as the third choice, rallied with a huge run in deep stretch to win the six furlong event by three-quarters of a length in 1:10.61. Diski Dance, the fourth choice in the field of five, held on for second. Favored Rift finished a disappointing fourth.
• Positive Response has stamped himself as a serious contender for the Spiral Stakes later this month. Sent off as the narrow favorite in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, he went straight to the lead and turned back all challengers en route to a decisive seven length victory. The final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:45.13. Taptowne ran second, with Son of Posse third and Twinspired fourth.
• The fifth race at Gulfstream Park, a maiden special weight, yielded interesting results. Break Up the Game, a colt that I’ve had my eye on for some time, closed with an incredible rush to win the race by three-quarters of a length. He closed his final eighth of a mile in about twelve seconds, and appears to be a potential contender for the Belmont Stakes.
• Wilburn looked like a future star in a maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park, rallying from just off the pace to win the 6-1/2 furlong race by 3 ¼ lengths. The final time was 1:13.95. Chico d’Oro, the heavy favorite, ran a disappointing third.
• Another maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park warrants attention. Casino Host rallied from off the pace to win the nine furlong event by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:48.75. He looked good doing it and could end up being a serious contender in top races later this year. It was a very close race, for the second through eighth place finishers were separated by only 1 ¾ lengths!
• Smoke It Right brought his undefeated record to four straight wins in the Mountain Valley Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Sent off as the favorite, he went straight to the lead and never looked back, drawing away in deep stretch to win by 1 ¼ lengths. The final time was a moderate 1:11.26, but he looks like a colt with a bright future!
-Keelerman
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