It may be hard to believe, but for the first time in recent history, the reigning Horse of the Year -- Wise Dan -- and the horse he beat out for the honor -- Game On Dude -- are both back in training, seemingly just as good as ever, and gearing up for another thrilling battle for the golden Eclipse award.
Last week, we saw Wise Dan overcome a tough trip, a soggy racecourse, and a substantial weight assignment (128 pounds) to win the Firecracker Handicap (gr. II) at Churchill Downs, which marked his third victory of the season. Yesterday, we watched Game On Dude carry a career-high 127 pounds to a determined victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (gr. I). Not only was that triumph Game On Dude's fourth victory of the season -- his others include the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) and Charles Town Classic (gr. III) -- it was also his second straight win in the Hollywood Gold Cup. If not for a nose defeat in the 2011 renewal, Game On Dude would have joined Native Diver and Lava Man as a three-time winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup.
Granted, Game On Dude did get a pretty easy trip yesterday. Allowed to waltz through fractions of :25.00, :49.31, and 1:12.60, Game On Dude seemed to have the race sewn up on the far turn, but that was before Kettle Corn made a tremendous run along the rail to challenge Game On Dude in the homestretch. To be perfectly honest, I thought Kettle Corn was going to go on by, but Game On Dude responded gamely and held on well to win by a length in 2:01.88. Given that he was conceding Kettle Corn eleven pounds, it was really a pretty impressive performance. It should set him up well for a run in the Pacific Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar, a race Game On Dude has lost twice previously. He doesn't seem to be quite as good over the Del Mar Polytrack as he is over dirt and Cushion Track, but then again, I think Game On Dude is better this year than ever before, so perhaps he can overcome his disdain for Del Mar. However, before we move on to other subjects, allow me to speculate on one idea that occurred to me last night. Last year, trainer Bob Baffert mentioned that he was considering shipping Game On Dude to Saratoga to run in the Woodward, rather than take another shot at winning over the Del Mar Polytrack. Now remember, this is just speculation, but suppose that Baffert changes his mind and sends Game On Dude to the Woodward. That race is also on the potential agenda for Wise Dan. So, it's possible -- albeit unlikely -- that we could witness a Game On Dude/Wise Dan showdown in the Woodward. That would be, without doubt, one of the best races of the last several years.
Moving onward, let's give a lot of credit to the remarkable seven-year-old Flat Out, who showed a new dimension in tracking the pace en route to a decisive victory in the Suburban Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park. Once just a closer, Flat Out showed a great deal of tactical speed in the Suburban, sitting in second through fractions of :23.54, :47.22, and 1:11.14 before rocketing the final three-eighths in :35.73 to win by 2 1/2 lengths. It's so unfortunate that there won't be a Breeders' Cup at Belmont until at least 2015, for in my opinion, Flat Out would be almost impossible to beat in a Breeder's Cup Classic at Belmont.
Big Blue Kitten has long given the impression of being a talented runner, but the five-year-old son of Kitten's Joy put it all together in yesterday's United Nations Stakes (gr. I) at Monmouth to win the eleven-furlong turf race in a quick 2:11.98. Allowed to settle back in sixth-place early on, Big Blue Kitten commenced a rally inside the final quarter mile and charged up the rail to win by a decisive 1 1/4 lengths. Teaks North, winner of the United Nations in 2011, also finished well to claim second, but just couldn't match strides with the winner. Nevertheless, it's remarkable the way Teaks North has turned things around following his abbreviated 2012 campaign.
Another horse that ran well in the United Nations was 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. I) winner Little Mike, who was making his first start since a failed two-race campaign in Dubai. With jockey Joel Rosario aboard for the first time, Little Mike got off to an absolutely brilliant start that put him a couple of lengths clear of the field just a few strides out of the gate. Then, after setting fairly moderate early fractions, Little Mike blitzed through a mile in 1:35.91 and ten furlongs in 2:00 flat, after which he tired a bit in the final furlong and wound up fourth by 3 1/4 lengths. This should set him up well for a defense of his Arlington Million (gr. I) title at Arlington Park next month.
Calder's Summit of Speed was, as usual, a thrilling affair headlined by the grade I Princess Rooney Handicap and the grade II Smile Sprint Handicap (gr. II), the latter a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Starship Truffles proved much the best in the Princess Rooney, seizing command with a powerful run around the turn and drawing off to win by an uncontested 3 3/4 lengths. Favored Judy the Beauty ran well in defeat, rallying to be best of the rest after a very poor start, but I'm not sure she was going to beat Starship Truffles even with a perfect start.
The Smile Sprint was a much more exciting affair, with Bahamian Squall pulling away late to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Eclipse champion sprinter Trinniberg, who turned in an admirable performance to rally for second after being beaten to the lead by both Cajun Breeze and Artefacto. However, the horse that impressed me most was Jackson Bend, who ran wide every step of the way before rallying to be beaten a nose for second. Given that it was only his second start since an injury-induced retirement last summer, it's truly remarkable how well he ran yesterday. Hopefully, he'll turn up at Saratoga this summer for the Forego Stakes (gr. I), a race I definitely believe he can win.
Three other sprint races were run over the last few days that warrant mentioning. The first was the Parx Dash Handicap (gr. III) at Parx Racing, where the seven-year-old gelding Ben's Cat rallied for a convincing victory over favored Tightnd Touchdown. The record Ben's Cat has compiled since his debut in 2010 is simply amazing -- 33 starts, 22 wins, 3 seconds, 2 third, earnings of nearly $1.6 million, and seventeen stakes victories. Who knows how many more he'll pick up before retirement, which could be well off in the future given how well he's been running as of late.
The second of these sprint stakes was the Jersey Shore Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park, where the three-year-old colt Rainbow Heir brought his record to a perfect 4-for-4 with an easy five-length triumph. He did it the hard way too, setting fractions of :21.89, :44.76, and :56.77 en route to a final clocking of 1:09.43 seconds. He may very well be one of the better sprinters in the country, and should his connections choose to point him at the King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga next month, I think he'd have a great chance at winning.
The last sprint I'd like to mention was the six-furlong Hockessin Stakes at Delaware Park, in which the five-year-old Picko's Pride triumphed in the blazing time of 1:08.62. He got a pretty good setup with a speed duel in front of him, but I have long felt Picko's Pride to be a horse of exceptional quality, and perhaps this race was a sign of better things to come.
In the Swaps Stakes (gr. II) at Hollywood Park, Chief Havoc took advantage of a paceless race to win in gate-to-wire fashion, turning back challenges from Tiz a Minister, Dice Flavor, and Java's War to win the nine-furlong race by 2 1/2 lengths. It was certainly a sharp performance, but I think Tiz a Minister was probably the best runner in the race, given that he was attempting to close into slow fractions. I would be interested in seeing a Chief Havoc/Tiz a Minister rematch in a race with more early speed.
Likewise, the Dwyer Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont was run and won in similar fashion, with front-running Moreno waltzing through a slow pace before romping to a seven-length triumph. As impressive as he was, third-place finisher For Greater Glory was probably better, given that he reared at the start and lost six lengths right there before rallying off the slow pace to be beaten 7 1/4 lengths. I look forward to seeing where he turns up next, for assuming he gets off to a better start, he could wind up being an interesting contender in a race like the Travers (gr. I) next month.
-Keelerman
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