The Factor, Caleb's Posse, Quantum Miss, Dance City, and Bandbox were among the three-year-olds who turned in impressive performances last weekend. Sway Away, Cal Nation, and J P's Gusto were among those who did not. Elite Alex, Alternation, Glint, and Dreaminofthewin were among those who chose to wait for another day.
All in all, it was a fascinating weekend. Here are my recaps of all the best racing action.
FEATURE RACE RECAP: The Rebel Stakes (gr. II)
The Rebel Stakes has been won by some very fine horses in the past. First run in 1961, Temperence Hill, Sunny's Halo, Demons Begone, Pine Bluff, Victory Gallop, Smarty Jones, Lawyer Ron, Curlin, and Lookin at Lucky are among the many good horses to have won the race. Last year Lookin at Lucky used it as a stepping stone en route to honors as champion 3yo male of 2010. Only time will tell if The Factor is as good as the above-mentioned runners, but he certainly looks talented enough.
Sent off as the favorite, The Factor was expected to win the mile and a sixteenth race. He had already earned two consecutive triple-digit Beyer speed figures and had shown a tremendous amount of speed. But he had never raced beyond seven furlongs -- could he carry his speed around two turns?
The Factor answered that question emphatically: yes.
In the field of nine -- reduced from thirteen due to the scratches of Alternation, Dreaminofthewin, Elite Alex, and Glint -- The Factor broke quickest of all. Under Martin Garcia, the Bob Baffert-trainee went straight to the lead and led by 2 1/2 lengths after an opening quarter mile in a quick :23 1/5. Sitting second was longshot Saratoga Red, with Archarcharch tracking him on the inside. He was followed by J P's Gusto, who was two lengths clear of Bluegrass Jam, Picko's Pride, and Caleb's Posse. Sway Away was eighth, eleven lengths off the pace, and J W Blue was last off all.
The Factor continued to set a hot pace, rattling off a half-mile in :46 3/5 and three-quarters in 1:10 4/5. The positions behind him remained relatively unchanged, but the remainder of the field was beginning to bunch up.
Five-sixteenths from home, Saratoga Red was still closest to the favorite, with Archarcharch and J P's Gutso looming behind him. But it was Caleb's Posse who was coming on strongest, rallying furiously in the five path. For a brief moment, it appeared as though The Factor would have competition in the stretch -- but that moment was indeed brief. The Factor found another gear at the top of the stretch, and powered away from Caleb's Posse. With an eighth of a mile to go he was three lengths in front, and he extended that lead to 6 1/4 lengths at the wire. He completed the race in 1:42.19. It was a truly dominating performance, one which has likely secured him a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
Give credit to Caleb's Posse, who ran second at 24.80-1 despite going very wide on the far turn. Archarcharch rallied mildly for third, while Saratoga Red finished fourth in what was only his third start.
The complete results were. . .
1 The Factor
2 Caleb's Posse
3 Archarcharch
4 Saratoga Red
5 J W Blue
6 Sway Away
7 J P's Gusto
8 Picko's Pride
9 Bluegrass Jam
My selections were:
1 Picko’s Pride
2 J P’s Gusto
3 Alternation
4 The Factor
5 Archarcharch
6 Sway Away
7 Saratoga Red
8 J W Blue
9 Caleb’s Posse
10 Bluegrass Jam
And J.R.'s picks were:
1 J P’s Gusto
2 Sway Away
3 J W Blue
4 Archarcharch
5 Picko’s Pride
6 Alternation
7 The Factor
8 Caleb’s Posse
9 Bluegrass Jam
10 Saratoga Red
It's safe to say that neither of us had any idea what we were doing! We both greatly underestimated both The Factor and Caleb's Posse's talent. Hopefully we'll do better next week!
OTHER RACE RESULTS
The other major stakes race for three-year-old colts run last weekend was the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park. The impressive winner was the odds-on favorite Bandbox, who tracked the early pace before gradually drawing away for an authoritative 1 1/2 lengths triumph. However, I got the impression watching the race that it could have been more.
The early pace was set by Bandbox, who opened a daylight lead while running fractions of :23.59 and :46.49. Bandbox was sitting in second, with Tap Star third, Concealed Identity fourth, and Ram last of all. The field continued along in this order until after three-quarters in 1:11.74. Then Bandbox made his bid for the lead and took it passing the eighth pole. Rush Now gamely gave chase, but was unable to stay with the winner, who completed the one-mile event in 1:37.25. Although the Kentucky Derby is unlikely, the Preakness Stakes is a possibility for the winner. No Easy Answer finished third, five lengths behind Rush Now.
The complete results were:
1 Bandbox
2 Rush Now
3 No Easy Answer
4 Tap Star
5 Concealed Identity
6 Ram
My pick was Bandbox; J.R.'s was Tap Star. The results of this race further bolstered my position atop the standings in our Handicapping Contest. J.R. is going to have to do some serious handicapping over the next several weeks if he intends to catch up!
Moving on, we come to the grade III Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct. A six furlong race for three-year-old fillies, the favorite was Quantum Miss. She had impressed everyone with a sixteen-length victory in the Blue Mountain Stakes at Penn National in late 2010, but ran a disappointing fifth of sixth in the Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) in January. Her performance was unexplainable, but bettors chose to give her a chance to redeem herself in the Cicada. She did so, but not by much. After breaking quickest of all, she became involved with a duel for the early lead with Roman Treasure. The pair ran an opening quarter mile in :22.49, after which Quantum Miss began to inch away. Following a half-mile in a quick :46.07, she led by a half-length. In the homestretch she drew off to a two-length advantage and appeared to be home free. But Coax Liberty, the co-third choice, was closing ground rapidly. Four lengths off the pace at the eighth pole, she drove home gamely but could not get past Quantum Miss, who held on for a half-length victory in 1:11.99. It was 3 3/4 lengths further back to Dream, who just edged out Roman Treasure for third. In Step, Wild About Sonny, and Full Moon Blues trailed the field.
A variety of allowances races at Gulfstream Park also yielded interesting results. On March 16th, there was a 6-1/2 furlong starter allowance race for three-year-olds. The odds-on favorite was Royal Currier, a stakes winning colt who had most recently run second to Fort Hughes in the Jimmy Winkfield. Regal Strike took the early lead and set a quick pace which included a half-mile in :44.94. He led into the stretch, but Royal Currier charged home under Elvis Trujillo to win the race by 1 1/4 lengths in a sharp 1:15.64. Second choice Passthepasta Plesa fallied late for second.
The next interesting allowance race was on March 19th. A one-mile race for three-year-olds, the odds-on favorite was impressive maiden winner Cal Nation. Bowman's Causeway, fourth-place finisher in the Fountain of Youth, was the second choice. Cal Nation's stablemate Dance City was also well bet.
Dance City broke well and was sent to the lead. He dueled with longshot I'm Steppin' it Up through testing fractions of :23.75 and :46.71. Cal Nation was right behind them in third, although a bit wide. Bowman's Causeway was sitting fourth.
Turning for home, Cal Nation made his bid for the lead and led by a head passing the eighth pole. But despite the fast pace, Dance City wasn't done yet. He gamely came back at his more heralded stablemate and won by a nose. Cal Nation finished second, with Bowman's Causeway 1 3/4 lengths further back in third. As if further emphasizing how good Dance City's performance was, the horse he dueled with early, I'm Steppin' It Up, faded to finish last. The Derby seems out of the question for the top two finishers, but it has been confirmed that Bowman's Causeway's next start will come in the Florida Derby, where he could get one more chance at making the Derby field.
Finally, we come to a March 20th allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream. For three-year-old colts, the slight favorites were the coupled entry of Bear's Chill and Rockin Heat. However, Suntracer pulled off a 17-1 upset in the twelve horse field, rallying furiously to win the mile and a sixteenth turf race by 1 1/2 lengths over fellow longshot Fort Larned. Bear's Chill finished a disappointing fourth, with Rockin Heat coming home ninth. Although I doubt that any of these colts will end up in a Triple Crown race, you never can tell where the next great horse will come from. . .
That's all for now! I will be posting my thoughts on tomorrow's great racing action either later this afternoon or early tomorrow morning. Enjoy the races!
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment