Trinniberg sharp in Breeders' Cup Sprint victory

The three-year-old colt Trinniberg made amends for his poor showing in last year's Breeder' Cup Juvenile Sprint when he held off fellow sophomore The Lumber Guy to win the $1.5 million Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) by three-quarters of a length.

Ridden to victory by Willie Martinez, Trinniberg flashed his typical early speed from the start, challenging Sum of the Parts for the lead through an opening quarter mile in :21.41 seconds. Fast Bullet and The Lumber Guy were also close to the pace, followed by Amazombie, Poseidon's Warrior, Smiling Tiger, Jimmy Creed, Gantry, Hamazing Destiny, Justin Phillip, Coil, Boxeur des Rues, and Capital Account.

Following a half-mile in a blazing :43.73 seconds, Trinniberg took command of the lead and quickly opened up a commanding advantage, coasting past the eighth pole in front by 1 1/2 lengths. The Lumber Guy put in a strong, sustained rally to challenge for the victory, but Trinniberg had enough left in the tank to hold on for victory in the spectacular time of 1:07.98 seconds.

Smiling Tiger put in a good late rally to edge Sum of the Parts for third, while Justin Phillip, Fast Bullet, Coil, Amazombie, Jimmy Creed, Hamazing Destiny, Gantry, Capital Account, Boxeur des Rues, and Poseidon's Warrior completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by Shivananda Parbhoo and owned by Sherry Parbhoo.

-Keelerman

Breeders' Cup Workout Report -- October 25th, 2012

As is to be expected with little more than a week left until the Breeders' Cup, the majority of the day's workouts were at Santa Anita Park, although there was a sprinkling of action at various other tracks across the country.

At Betfair Hollywood Park . . .

Hazardous, a two-year-old gelding pointing toward the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, seemed sharp enough going a half-mile in :49.20. Trained by Carl O'Callaghan, the son of Candy Ride is coming off of a 13 1/4 length victory in a claiming race at Santa Anita, signaling him as a colt of pretty good quality -- although he'll be taking a pretty big step up in class and will be one of the longer shots in the Juvenile Sprint field.

At Calder Race Course . . .

Last year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (gr. I) winner Musical Romance, gearing up for a defense of her title, breezed five furlongs in a bullet :59.80 over a sloppy track. Trained by William Kaplan, the five-year-old mare has had an excellent season this year, with victories in the Princess Rooney Handicap (gr. I) and Inside Information Stakes (gr. II) among her victories. I would expect that today's workout will be her final prior to the Breeders's Cup, where she is expected to be among the favorites.

At Churchill Downs . . .

Breeders' Cup Turf entrant Optimizer was the lone Breeders' Cup contender on the work tab. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained three-year-old could not have found a tougher spot to make his debut against older horses, but after breezing five furlongs in 1:00.80, it is apparent that he is as ready as he can be.

At Delaware Park . . .

Marathon entrant Not Abroad, coming off of a strong victory in the Maryland Million Classic Stakes, was sharp breezing a half-mile in :48.40. Fourteen furlongs may be stretching Michael Petro-trainee's limits, but he did finish second in the twelve-furlong Greenwood Cup (gr. II) earlier this year, giving support to the belief that he might be up to handling the extended distance of the Marathon.

At Parx Racing . . .

The star of the morning was Poseidon's Warrior, winner of the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) two starts back and most recently third in the Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (gr. I). Trained by Robert E. Reid Jr., the four-year-old colt breezed a half-mile in :49.88 seconds, one of the slower works of the morning.

At Santa Anita Park . . .

A total of eleven Breeders' Cup pre-entrants were out for serious training this morning, including eight from the barn of Doug O'Neill. Those eight were, in alphabetical order . . .

Boxuer des Rues - Pre-entered in both the Sprint and the Turf Sprint, this four-year-old son of Smart Strike breezed in company with Cogito and proved much the best while clocking six furlongs in 1:13.80.
Cogito - His six-furlong time was an unimpressive 1:14.60, but given that all of his racing experience has come on turf, it's probably wisest to forgive this poor main-track breeze and assume he'll perform better when returned to his favorite surface.
Handsome Mike - Winner of the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) breezed in company with the two-year-old Know More and while his time of 1:15.20 was slightly better than the juvenile's clocking, Know More did appear capable of leaving Handsome Mike behind at any time if asked.
He's Had Enough - Working alongside the talented group I winner Private Zone, this Breeders' Cup Juvenile candidate breezed six furlongs from the gate in 1:12.40, the fastest time of the morning. And according to DRF.com, he missed the start of the work by a couple of lengths, which makes the clocking even more impressive.
Know More - As mentioned above, he worked in company with Handsome Mike and seemed to be the stronger of the pair, even though his final time of 1:15.40 was slightly slower than his stablemate's. He has been pre-entered in both the Juvenile and the Juvenile Turf, with the latter race being the more likely goal.
Quail Hill - Breeders' Cup Marathon entrant is coming off of a runner-up effort in the Ralph M. Hinds Handicap at Fairplex Park, in which he set the pace before ending up second, five lengths behind Worth Repeating. His 1:14.80 clocking for six furlongs wasn't particularly quick, but then again, you don't want to be sharpening your speed when preparing to traverse fourteen furlongs!
Richard's Kid - Three-time grade I winner is pointing toward a start in the Classic, where the ten-furlong distance and projected quick pace should help set up his late run. Working in company with the two-year-old maiden Cinco de Mario, Richard's Kid's final time for six furlongs was only 1:15.40, but he wasn't really asked for much in his final serious Breeders' Cup prep.
South Floyd - Runner-up in the Tim Conway Stakes, this son of Any Given Saturday went six furlongs in 1:15.40 in preparation for a start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint.

Also on the Santa Anita work tab were Suggestive Boy (Mile, 6f in 1:13.60), Beholder (Juvenile Fillies or Juvenile Sprint, 5f in 1:01.60), and Moulin de Mougin (Juvenile Fillies Turf, 5f in 1:02.20.)

-Keelerman

The Lumber Guy cuts down rivals in Vosburgh Stakes

The Lumber Guy, part of an entry that included the highly-regarded Sean Avery, left his entry mate behind in the Belmont homestretch to win the $400,000 Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (gr. I) by 1 1/4 lengths.

Ridden to victory by John Velazquez, The Lumber Guy got away to decent start at the beginning of the six-furlong sprint and soon settled into third position, tracking a moderate pace of :22.57 and :45.06 seconds set by Poseidon's Warrior and Little Drama. Sean Avery was tucked along the rail in the fourth position, followed then by Zero Rate Policy, Justin Phillip, Rothko, Fort Loudon, and Caixa Eletronica.

Poseidon's Warrior continued to lead into the homestretch and to the eighth pole, but The Lumber Guy was making a strong challenge on the outside and soon took over the advantage. Sean Avery briefly loomed a threat along the rail, but flattened out. The only serious challenge came from Caixa Eletronica, who rallied quickly in the homestretch to get up for second, but The Lumber Guy easily held him off to win decisively in 1:09.22 seconds.

Poseidon's Warrior outfinished Little Drama for third, while Sean Avery, Justin Phillip, Fort Loudon, Zero Rate Policy, and Rothko completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by Mike Hushion and owned by Barry Schwartz.

-Keelerman

Vosburgh Stakes Entries: Wide-open sprint draws field of 10

2012 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) winner Poseidon's Warrior, 2011 Alfred G. Vanderbilt winner Sean Avery, and eight-time stakes winner Royal Currier are among a wide-open field of field of ten sprinters that have been entered in the $400,000 Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (gr. I), to be run on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The six-furlong race, which is a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), lacks any clear-cut favorite, and all ten of the entrants have won stakes races. It figures to be among the closest and most exciting races of the "Super Saturday" card at Belmont Park.

Post Positions

PP	Horse	Weight	Jockey	Trainer
1	Poseidon's Warrior	114	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	Robert E. Reid, Jr.
2	Little Drama	114	Rajiv Maragh	Michael Mareina
3	Zero Rate Policy	114	Jose Lezcano	Teresa M. Pompay
4	Sean Avery	124	Joe Bravo	Allen Iwinski
5	The Lumber Guy	119	John Velazquez	Mike Hushion
6	Fort Loudon	124	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito
7	Rothko	114	Julien Leparoux	Steve Asmussen
8	Royal Currier	122	Stewart Elliott	Patricia Farro
9	Caixa Eletronica	114	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
10	Justin Phillip	122	Ramon Dominguez	Steve Asmussen

-Keelerman

POSEIDON'S WARRIOR WINS THE ALFRED G. VANDERBILT HANDICAP!

Poseidon's Warrior pulled off a tremendous upset this afternoon in the $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga, rallying past Emcee to win at odds of 36-1 while favored Shackleford finished last.

Ridden to victory by Irad Ortiz Jr., Poseidon's Warrior was the quickest horse out of the starting gate, but soon settled back into the third position as Emcee and Rothko led the way through quick fractions of :21.99 and :44.61. Shackleford, coming off of a victory in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), was down along the rail in fourth while being urged to stay in contention, with Justin Phillip, Sloane Ranger, Jersey Town, and Hamazing Destiny behind him.

Rounding the turn, Emcee and Rothko continued to race well on the front end, but Shackleford soon found nothing left in the tank and began to retreat. Entering the homestretch, Emcee put away Rothko and briefly opened up a clear advantage, but Poseidon's Warrior was staying on strongly while drifting out a bit, and Justin Phillip was still in contention even farther outside. Inside the final sixteenth, any one of those three could have won, but Poseidon's Warrior proved to have the most left for the finish, rallying past Emcee and holding off a bid from Justin Phillip to win the prestigious six-furlong sprint by a neck. The final time over a muddy track was a quick 1:09.40.

Justin Phillip edged out Emcee for second, while Hamazing Destiny, Rothko, Jersey Town, Sloane Ranger, and Shackleford completed the order of finish. The winner is owned by Swilcan Stable and trained by Robert E. Reid Jr.

-Keelerman

SARATOGA STAKES ANALYSIS -- August 5th, 2012

The $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) was expected to be an interesting race -- isn't every grade I interesting? -- but not really anything particularly special. That all changed when it was announced that Shackleford, winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), would be entered.

Originally, the connections of the top sprinter had decided to give their star a rest following his brilliant Met Mile win, with the plan being to bring him back for the Forego Stakes (gr. I) at the end of the Saratoga meet. But Shackleford was training so well that they decided to give him a shot at this race as well. There are a couple of concerns, mainly the fact that Shackleford has never raced in such a short race before, but he is so classy and talented that another superb effort -- even a victory -- would surprise no one. However, jockey John Velazquez is going to have to make sure that Shackleford breaks sharply from post position one; otherwise, the race favorite could find himself trapped along the fence with nowhere to go.

The horse with the best shot at pulling off an upset is the lightly-raced Emcee, owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. The brilliant colt has won three of his five starts, and has recorded a trio of triple-digit Beyer speed figures. He hasn't raced since winning a seven-furlong allowance race at Belmont on May 5th, but he has been training very well since then and may have enough speed to beat Shackleford to the lead, even though he does appear best as a pace-stalking type. True, he was soundly beaten by Shackleford when fourth in the Carter Handicap (gr. I) two starts back, but a poor start compromised his chances and one shouldn't hold it against him.

Aside from the two favorites, it's difficult to say for sure which of the other entrants are contenders and which are not; they're so evenly matched, they might all be contenders! Rothko has been a consistently good horse throughout his career, finishing first or second in seven of his nine starts, including a runner-up finish to The Factor in the 2011 Malibu Stakes (gr. I). Two starts back, he won Churchill's Aristides Stakes (gr. III) in decisive fashion, but his most recent effort yielded a surprising defeat as the odds-on favorite in the Iowa Sprint Handicap at Prairie Meadows. Perhaps the track was speed favoring, or perhaps he didn't care for the mud, but while the defeat was unexplainable, it was still another good effort. If Rothko simply runs his usual race, he looks like the third-best runner here. Should he improve, he could potentially contend for the win.

Justin Phillip and Jersey Town are a somewhat inconsistent pair that could both contend on their best days -- but determining whether they are sitting on a good or bad effort is the question. To me, Justin Phillip appears vastly superior at Belmont Park than anywhere else; a good example of a "horse for the course". Occasionally, he has taken his game elsewhere and run well -- last year's King's Bishop Stakes, for instance -- but in general, you can expect him to fire big at Belmont and disappoint elsewhere. Jersey Town's form is not nearly as easy to predict, for his vast swings in ability are the result of foot issues that have hampered him throughout his career. When he is sound, he is terrific -- remember his amazing victory in the 2010 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I)? -- but when he is not, it affects his training enough to throw off his performances. His 2012 campaign has been limited to just one race, a close second in the Sir Shackleton Stakes on March 31st at Gulfstream Park. Coming into the Vanderbilt off of such a long layoff, I wouldn't expect Jersey Town to fire his best shot today, but he'll be one to watch in the Forego Stakes (gr. I) next month, assuming his feet stay in good shape.

The long shots in this race are Hamazing Destiny, Poseidon's Warrior, and Sloane Ranger. The first-mentioned horse has had a long career comprised of twenty-seven starts, and on occasion, he can fire big. He was the runner-up in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), and while his 2011 season was rather poor, he seems to be in the best form of his career this year. A victory in the Maryland Sprint Handicap (gr. III) has been the highlight thus far, with strong efforts in the Count Fleet Handicap (gr. III) and the King Cotton Stakes also on his record. Last time out, he finished fourth in the True North Handicap (gr. II) despite a less-than-stellar trip, so another good effort today is certainly possible.

As for Poseidon's Warrior, he was a pretty decent colt in 2011, recording four triple-digit Beyer speed figures while winning a trio of stakes races at Penn National and Delaware Park. But his two starts this year have not been nearly as good, with a fifth-place finish in the Mr. Prospector Stakes last time out being his best performance. He does seem to be poised for a step forward, and one can't deny that his recent workouts have been strong, but it's difficult to see him contending for a spot in the trifecta, although he could certainly influence the early pace.

Sloane Ranger has been keeping good company as of late, winning the Donald Levine Memorial Handicap over Golddigger's Boy -- who returned to finish second in the James Marvin Stakes (gr. III) here at Saratoga -- and also finishing a close third in the Monmouth Cup Stakes (gr. II) while just a head behind Flat Out, who finished third yesterday afternoon in the prestigious Whitney Invitational (gr. I). So clearly, Sloane Ranger has talent, and breaking from gate six, his jockey should have every opportunity to position his mount wherever makes sense; on the lead if the pace is slow, right behind if it is quick. He's 15-1 on the morning line, but he might be worth a look.

After giving this race a great deal of thought, I have decided to pick Emcee for the victory, although I will feel pretty silly should Shackleford prove victorious. My reasoning here is that Shackleford has never tried this distance before, and was only entered in this spot at the last second. Emcee has been prepared for this spot all along, and so I expect to see him get off to a great start, show speed from the start, and hand Shackleford defeat in a very close race.

-Keelerman

Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I), to be run on Sunday at Saratoga. The six-furlong race has drawn some of the best sprinters in the country, including Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) winner Shackleford, Aristides Stakes (gr. III) winner Rothko, Maryland Sprint Handicap (gr. III) winner Hamazing Destiny, and the lightly-raced but super-talented Emcee.

1 Shackleford
2 Emcee
3 Justin Phillip
4 Rothko
5 Poseidon's Warrior
6 Sloane Ranger
7 Jersey Town
8 Hamazing Destiny

-Keelerman