Here are my recaps of last week's major racing action, including the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) and the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), in which a number of horses stamped themselves as legitimate contenders for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). Enjoy!
Graded Stakes Recaps
Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II)
Thoughts: Although his task was made easier by the scratch of Algorithms, Union Rags won this race for fun and gave the impression that he had a lot left in the tank. It was really the perfect first race back, for Union Rags was able to settle off of a moderate pace before blowing past his rivals in the stretch. In addition, he crossed the wire under no urging at all. I must admit that I had my doubts about his fitness level heading into this race, but after that performance, it's clear that this colt is one of the strongest early Derby favorites in recent memory.
Risen Star Stakes (gr. II)
Thoughts: Initially, I was disappointed that El Padrino did not win this race by more than a head. But in retrospect, he ran his fourth quarter in something like :23.33, and his final sixteenth in :6.08. The reason he didn't win by more was because the runner-up, Mark Valeski, stepped up and ran a huge race in his own right. Both colts appear to be serious Derby contenders, especially Mark Valeski, who should only improve off of this race.
Davona Dale Stakes (gr. II)
Thoughts: You don't see 64-1 upsets every day, especially in major stakes races, so it came as quite a surprise when Yara wore down heavily favored Grace Hall to win the Davona Dale. Nevertheless, after looking back at her past performances, I would say that Yara's victory was legitimate -- not a one-time fluke performance. Grace Hall ran very well in defeat, leading into deep stretch before being caught late. She most likely wasn't 100% fit for this race, so I expect her to show improvement next time out.
Rachel Alexandra Stakes (gr. III)
Thoughts: Heading into the Rachel Alexandra, many people felt that Summer Applause would have every chance at securing victory, as the early pace was expected to be faster than in the Silverbulletday Stakes last month, in which Summer Applause had finished second. As it turned out, the pace wasn't all that much faster, but Summer Applause was able to overcome it in impressive fashion, rallying strongly in the homestretch to secure victory by one length. I thought it was a very professional effort, and I'm looking forward to seeing in the Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) next month.
Other Race Recaps
http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-year-old-to-watch-arm-force.html
Arm Force certainly caught a number of eyes (including mine) on Sunday at Gulfstream when he drew away powerfully to win a seven-furlong maiden special weight by 3 3/4 lengths. A full brother to the 2009 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner Well Armed, Arm Force showed a great deal of talent last week and looks like a rising star.
http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-year-old-to-watch.html
I've had my eye on Politicallycorrect for a while, but this promising colt sort of fell off my radar after a seventh-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Derby. However, he rebounded sharply on Sunday to win a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming race in dominating fashion. Equally impressive was runner-up Seve, who charged from last -- and 15 1/2 lengths behind at the three-eighths pole -- to finish a strong second.
http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-year-old-to-watch-our-entourage.html
It seems that Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher may have a Derby contender after all. Our Entourage, owned and trained by the same connections as the famous Uncle Mo, turned in a stunning performance on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, winning a 1 1/16th miles turf race by a length. What was most impressive about his performance was the final fractions of the race, for he closed his fourth quarter in about :23.22 and his final sixteenth in :05.65. It sounds like the Wood Memorial (gr. I) in April will be his next start.
http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/02/three-year-old-to-watch-bucktown.html
Could Bucktown be the latest Louisiana-bred star? He certainly looked the part on Saturday at Fair Grounds, when he set a blazing pace of :21.44 and :44.88 before drawing away to win by 6 1/2 lengths. It seemed like the track was playing a bit fast that day, but nevertheless, this was a highly impressive performance and one that bears close watching.
Santa Anita's Baffle Stakes on Sunday yielded intriguing results, for most of the favorites failed to fire. Stoney Fleece, the narrow betting choice at 2.30-1, did rally well in the stretch to finish second, but he couldn't get past Tones, a 14-1 shot that struck the front in the stretch and held off everyone else to win by a neck. He was ridden to victory by Eswan Flores, a young jockey securing his first stakes victory. Disappointing was the Bob Baffert-trained Brigand, who failed to seriously challenge while finishing sixth.
The Borderland Derby at Sunland Park also turned out a couple of promising runners that could have something to say next month in the $800,000 Sunland Derby (gr. III). The winner was Isn't He Clever, who settled into a tracking spot early on before blowing past the leaders in the stretch. Favored Zackn'mat made a strong late run to secure second, 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner while finishing ten lengths clear of the remainder of the field.
Out at Aqueduct on Saturday, the Busher Stakes was won by Sweet Seventeen, who narrowly held off a late run from Off Limits to win by a head. It's difficult to say just how high the quality of this race was, but It's Tricky won this race last year en route to a multiple grade I-winning season, so it's certainly possible that Sweet Seventeen and Off Limits could turn into nice enough fillies.
The last race I shall mention was a six-furlong maiden special weight at Fair Grounds, which was won in impressive fashion by Macho Macho. The son of Macho Uno was able to settle into second early on before blowing past the leaders on the turn to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths. The final time was a quick 1:09.94. Trainer Neil Howard may have a good one in this colt.
-Keelerman
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