Here are my recaps of last week's major action, including Creative Cause's impressive victory in the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park and Prospective's gritty victory in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II). Enjoy!
Graded Stakes Recaps
Palm Beach Stakes (gr. III)
Thoughts: Howe Great was highly impressive in winning this race, showing a new dimension while rating early on in second, but the horse that really impressed
me was the runner-up, Dullahan. A grade I-winning juvenile, Dullahan was making his first start of the year and couldn't possibly have been completely fit and ready to run, yet he still closed strongly from off the pace to be beaten just a length. The Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) in April at Keeneland is scheduled to be the next start for both colts.
San Felipe Stakes (gr. II)
Thoughts: I really, really liked Creative Cause's victory in this major Kentucky Derby prep race. He showed enough speed to work out an excellent stalking position, made an eye-catching four-wide bid around the far turn, and wore down Bodemeister in deep stretch to win clearly before galloping out well clear of the field. It was a phenomenal performance -- not only by the winner, but by the runner-up as well -- and both look like major contenders for the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) next month.
Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II)
Thoughts: This race may not have had the same brilliant runners that the San Felipe Stakes did, but Prospective certainly looked good winning this race. I loved the fact that this colt showed a great deal more speed in this spot, taking over the lead after the opening half mile, and I loved the way he dug in and turned back runner-up Golden Ticket in deep stretch. Now that he has shown he can win on the lead and from off the pace, it will make him a much tougher contender further down the road. Which race he will use as his final Derby prep is not known, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) or Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) are under serious consideration, the latter event especially, seeing that he did win the Grey Stakes (gr. III) over the Woodbine Polytrack as a juvenile.
Swale Stakes (gr. III)
Thoughts: In the months following the running of Saratoga's Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) last year, it appeared as though the race had been a particularly weak running of the prestigious juvenile stakes. That no longer seems to be the case, as Hopeful sixth-place finisher I'll Have Another came back to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II), and Hopeful runner-up Trinniberg came back and won the Swale last Saturday. The Swale was by far Trinniberg's best effort to date, as the colt -- wearing blinkers for the first time -- went straight to the lead and was never challenged en route to a dominating victory in a fast time. Although longer races may simply be out of this colt's range, it's clear that Trinniberg could be a major force in sprint races this year. Ever So Lucky, making his first start since finishing second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) last year, ran well to finish third but was never a threat to the winner.
Honeybee Stakes (gr. III)
Thoughts: It's clear that On Fire Baby is going to be a contender whereever she goes on the first Saturday in May -- the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) or the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). The promising filly had to work to defeat Amie's Dini in the Honeybee Stakes, but to be perfectly honest, the result was never really in doubt. What I really liked was the way that she closed pretty fast over a track that usually turns in very slow closing fractions. The Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) against fillies or the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) against colts are both options for her next start.
Cicada Stakes (gr. III)
Thoughts: Just how good is Agave Kiss? Her victory in the Cicada was simply stunning. The fact that she was able to open up a five-length lead early on under no urging was quite impressive. Sure, she didn't finish as fast as she could have, and runner-up Corderosa was catching her at the finish, but it was clear from the start that no one was going to beat Agave Kiss. This filly is going to be a major, major contender in the top filly sprint races later this year.
Other Race Recaps
http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/03/three-year-old-to-watch-achilles.html
The top three finishers in this race all look like very promising colts, and Achilles looked as though he could be set for a very big year following this impressive victory. He didn't show the quickest turn of foot, but he was able to sustain a strong run from a long way out and I like to see that in a young horse. Brother Francis, who finished third, ran great in his first start since finishing third in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) last December. The Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) is scheduled to be his next start.
At Santa Anita Park on Saturday, Bob Baffert revealed a pair of promising young fillies in My Selection and Splendid Fortune, who ran 1-2 in a 5-1/2 furlong maiden special weight. Both fillies showed a great deal of talent, with My Selection winning the race in wire-to-wire fashion while Splendid Fortune rallied strongly up the fence to be beaten just a half-length. Both fillies look stakes bound to me.
At Oaklawn Park, a six-furlong maiden special weight went to the promising Whinston, from the barn of Steve Asmussen. The colt showed excellent early speed and was able to maintain it all the way to the wire, closing his final eighth of a mile in a strong :12.25. Runner-up Arturius also ran very well, finishing much the best of the rest, and he lookes like one who will break his own maiden before too long.
The Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes, run on Saturday at Aqueduct, was won in impressive fashion by Hardened Wildcat, who rallied from nine lengths off the pace to win the six-furlong event by 1 3/4 lengths at the finish. His final two furlongs were run somewhere in the vicinity of :11.39 and :11.58, giving him a final quarter mile in an impressive :22.97 -- despite finishing up under a mere hand ride. While this colt may be best in sprint races, he certainly gave the impression of being able to run farther, and it will be interesting to see if his connections stretch him out in the future.
I will also take a moment to mention a race that was run on March 4th that I forgot to mention in my last race recap post. At Santa Anita, The Black won his second consecutive race when he blew past six rivals in a 6-1/2 furlong main track starter allowance race to win in very easy fashion by two lengths. You really have to see this colt's late run to believe it. Perhaps he hasn't been beating up on the toughest of competition, but I'm confident that we will be hearing from this horse in the future.
-Keelerman
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