With so many grade I races being run last weekend, it's not surprising that the grade II and III events across the country got a bit overlooked. But given how these races may still have a serious impact on the Breeders' Cup, despite their lesser grades, I thought I ought to type up a quick recap of a few races that I didn't cover sufficiently at the time. Thus, the following post!
Eddie D Stakes (gr. III)
The three-year-old colt Unbridled's Note, coming off of a third-place effort on dirt in the King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I), was the mild favorite at 3-1 while facing eleven rivals. With Corey Nakatani aboard, the son of Unbridled's Song settled into the fourth position early on as Chosen Miracle led the way through fractions of :22.30 and :44.28. He then turned in a strong rally inside the final quarter mile to get up and win by 1 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock for 6-1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf in 1:12.45 seconds. Chosen Miracle stayed on well in the stretch to finish second, a neck in front of the late-running Mensa Heat. Comma to the Top finished fourth in an even effort, while the well-regarded pair of Red Sun and Calimonco failed to fired and finished ninth and eleventh, respectively.
Matron Stakes (gr. II)
Kauai Katie was favorite at 1-5, and the undefeated filly ran to her odds while bringing her record to 3-for-3. After tracking Baby J through a :22.88-second opening quarter mile, Kauai Katie moved up to take the lead prior to the quarter pole and finished up under a hand ride to win by 7 1/2 lengths in 1:11.26 seconds, slightly faster than Overanalyze would run two races later. Baby J held on well to finish second, while Seasoned Warrior raced evenly for third. Unabashed and Doubled trailed the field in that order for much of the race.
Futurity Stakes (gr. II)
Seven two-year-old colts went to post in this historic six-furlong test, with Weekend Hideaway the favorite at 1.85-1. But the winner turned out to be Overanalyze, an overlooked contender from the barn of Todd Pletcher. Ridden to victory by John Velazquez, Overanalyze was bumped at the start and soon found himself in last place as Handsome Jack and Carried Interest dueled through fractions of :22.80 and :46.43. Passing the eighth pole, those two were still in front, but Overanalyze was rallying powerfully down the center of the racetrack, and the colt cruised past the leaders at the sixteenth pole en route to a convincing 3 1/4-length triumph. The final time was 1:11.46. Carried Interest outfinished Weekend Hideaway by three-quarters of a length for second, while Handsome Jack finished another two lengths back in fourth. Gulfport, a maiden facing winners, got off to a poor start and raced wide throughout before tiring to finish fifth. Drum Roll and Special Jo never contended while completing the order of finish.
John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (gr. II)
Slim Shadey turned this ten-furlong turf race into a showcase of speed, dominating the race in a fashion reminiscent of the remarkable Presious Passion. With Garrett Gomez aboard, Slim Shadey went straight to the lead and set fractions of :24.02, :46.92, and 1:10.53, which garnered him an eight-length lead. Favored Turbo Compressor attempted to close the gap in the homestretch, but after drawing to within 2 1/2 lengths of the leader at the eighth pole, he was unable to really get any closer. Slim Shadey stayed on strongly to win by 2 1/4 lengths in the exceptional time of 1:59.17 seconds. Interaction finished up well to secure third in a very tight finish that saw six horses separated by just 1 1/4 lengths. Bourbon Bay, who finished eighth, actually ran quite well in his first start since April and figures to continue onward to the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. I), where the fitness garnered from this race should greatly improve his chances.
Oklahoma Derby
Politicallycorrect stamped himself a ticket to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) with an impressive victory in the $400,000 race. Sent off at 10-1 under Kent Desormeaux, the son of Kitten's Joy settled off the pace in fifth place, and actually dropped back to seventh with just three-eighths of a mile remaining, but finished up strongly on the far outside while drifting outward to get up for a three-quarter length victory, stopping the clock for nine furlongs in 1:50.23 seconds. Willy Beamin, coming off of a victory in the King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I), tracked a moderate pace for six furlongs before taking over the lead in the stretch and giving way late to finish second. He ran well in defeat, but nine furlongs is probably stretching his limits. Called to Serve and Suns Out Guns Out turned in decent efforts to complete the superfecta, but both seemed to flatten out a bit after making menacing moves at the top of the stretch.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment