First, the bad news – last year’s Belmont champ Summer Bird has been retired.  It’s particularly unfortunate, as he seemed to be coming into his own toward the end of last season, just before the injury.  Given the economy and the timing of his retirement (he’s essentially missed [...]]]>

Is Gio Ponti still on Dubai time?

First, the bad news – last year’s Belmont champ Summer Bird has been retired.  It’s particularly unfortunate, as he seemed to be coming into his own toward the end of last season, just before the injury.  Given the economy and the timing of his retirement (he’s essentially missed the North American breeding season), it seems that he legitimately did not heal properly and was poised for a comeback; it’s a shame.  I’m still very grateful to him for making my experience at the Belmont last year a remuneratively-rewarding one – hopefully, he’ll enjoy his retirement.

In better news, the Belmont always has an interesting undercard, and while this may not be the starriest ever, it’s got some solid competition – here’s our take on each stakes race:

Woody Stephens
While the big names in this race may have been pointed to Triple Crown races earlier in the season, they’ve all found their place as talented sprinters.  D’Funnybone and Discreetly Mine could both find the winner’s circle, but I like Eightyfiveinafifty – if he can remember which way to run.

Just A Game
While everyone has low prices on the morning line, including the interesting Phola and Cherokee Queen, I think Proviso and My Princess Jess will be the first two across the line.

True North
While Custom for Carlos looks tough here, it’s a fairly open race. I’m backing Bribon to win.

Acorn
It’s part of the Triple Tiara – again! And it’s a tough group of fillies: Amen Hallelujah is a deserving favorite, Tidal Pool has proven useful and I am a fan of the longish morning line odds on Crisp.  Tanda could also pull a mild upset, but I suspect it will be Amen Hallelujah, followed closely by Crisp.

Manhattan
Gio Ponti, a horse who deserves considerably more coverage than he receives, is back in action in what looks like the most interesting race on the card (sorry, Featured Race!), with seven G1 winners in the lineup.  This is no easy spot for him, though – his last race was the Dubai World Cup, and beyond the Dubai jinx, he’s probably not as fit as he might be.  That leaves room for Court Vision and Take the Points, although I’m somewhat partial to Grand Couturier, who will be ridden by ‘Jockey Stud‘ Alan Garcia.  Still, we should see Gio Ponti move forward, even if he’s not back in top form this time out.

Check back shortly for our Belmont Stakes analysis…

Eight Belles Stakes – 1.19 pm

While discussion continues apace over the possibility of a Zenyatta-Rachel Alexandra matchup at Oaklawn, some of their potential competitors in the older horse division are looking to burnish their credentials this weekend.  Musket Man, who finished a reasonably creditable third behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, will return in the Super Stakes at [...]]]>

Quality Road

While discussion continues apace over the possibility of a Zenyatta-Rachel Alexandra matchup at Oaklawn, some of their potential competitors in the older horse division are looking to burnish their credentials this weekend.  Musket Man, who finished a reasonably creditable third behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, will return in the Super Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.  The competition won’t be quite of the same caliber, but as it’s his first race since the Preakness, it’s a good way to ease back in.  The seven-furlong distance may be more his cup of tea as well – despite good finishes in both the Derby and Preakness, he looks like he might excel as a sprinter/miler.

And while the race is flying a bit under the radar, the Strub could have some eventual Santa Anita Handicap implications.  Misremembered is looking like the likely favorite, but there it also features a few talented horses aiming to get back into the big leagues, notably Square Eddie.  The race goes off  after the Robert B. Lewis for 3-year-olds, and is being somewhat eclipsed by it – but we’ll look at that shortly.

Also on Saturday, Quality Road is taking on a slightly tougher field in the Donn Handicap.  And while I still think Quality Road’s best distance is one mile, he should have no difficulty with the 1 1/8 mile distance here – nor should he have too much trouble with the field.  That’s not to say there are not some nice horses in it – Dry Martini can step up on occasion, and the same is true of Delightful Kiss.  I’m curious to see if Duke of Mischief comes into his own to trouble the favorite; it should be an interesting race.  One hopes that Quality Road will continue with his recent good gate behavior.

On Sunday, Richard’s Kid is looking to return to winning form in the San Antonio; he did not show much last time out, but neither did Gabby’s Golden Gal before her last win – clearly, she just needed a race, and the same is likely true of Richard’s Kid.  It’s also got an interesting field, with Mast Track (now trained by John Sheriffs), Nownownow and American-bred, British-trained Giganticus, who is trying his luck at US racing for the first time.

Moving to the turf, Court Vision headlines the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Sunday; while he has proven very effective indeed on the grass, he may be tested by Never On Sunday.  The French-bred son of Sunday Break has not won since last May (nor run at all since October), but he’s been taking on very serious competition in the form of Vision d’Etat and Goldikova overseas; this may prove comparatively easy for him.  But Take the Points also looks strong, and Yate’s Black Cat has to win a race sometime, right? Granted, he never has, but…

And so to the 3-year-olds – both the boys and girls are in action this weekend.  Blind Luck seems to have scared off much of the competition in the Las Virgenes; trainer Michael Talla, who sends out the interesting Crisp, noted that:

“Racing against Blind Luck is challenging in the sense that she’s the second-best three-year-old on the West Coast. The first one is Lookin At Lucky,” Sadler said. “We’re up against it, but you’ve got to get them started.”

I also like La Nez in this race (although she is likely to scratch if it rains), but I hope to see Blind Luck continue her winning ways; it would be pleasant indeed to see her turn up in a Triple Crown race, given that she’s been nominated, just in case the filly division looks too weak for her.

The rain and a slight temperature have kept the aforementioned Lookin At Lucky in the barn, but his rivals (including his stablemate, Tiz Chrome) are getting things going in the Robert B. Lewis.  American Lion also contests this race, and it should start to clear up the 3-year-old male picture a bit – at least for California.

On Sunday, Derby preps shift to the turf as Interactif starts his year in the Hallendale Beach at Gulfstream.  My chief interest in Interactif is that he’s out of a Broad Brush mare – it would be nice to see that line continue.  I also like the notion of turf horses successfully switching to dirt – the more versatility, the better.

Finally, let’s return to the Apple Blossom possibility for a moment; by the seeming lack of involvement by the racing Powers That Be, we have avoided the embarrassment of seeing them proclaim ‘Girl Power!’ (thusly) – at least for the time being.

1 Court Vision, Richard Dutrow, Jr., R. Albarado, 12-1Looked good last time out, but this is a tall order.

2 Whatsthescript (IRE), John W. Sadler, K. Desormeaux, 15-1Third in this race last year; has not won since August of the same.

3 Cowboy Cal, Todd Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 6-1Won the Oak Tree [...]]]> #, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Court Vision, Richard Dutrow, Jr., R. Albarado, 12-1
Looked good last time out, but this is a tall order.

2 Whatsthescript (IRE), John W. Sadler, K. Desormeaux, 15-1
Third in this race last year; has not won since August of the same.

3 Cowboy Cal, Todd Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 6-1
Won the Oak Tree Mile last time out; as with Court Vision, the distance seems a better fit for him, but it’s a big stage.

4 Delegator (GB), Saeed Bin Suroor, L. Dettori, 3-1
A notch below horses like Sea the Stars and Mastercraftsman, but could snag a win if Goldikova has an off day.

5 Karelian, George R. Arnold II, R. Maragh, 20-1
Second to Court Vision last time out; big step up in class.

6 Courageous Cat, William Mott, G. Gomez, 20-1
3-year-old seems to be developing nicely – perhaps next year.

7 Ferneley (IRE), Ben Cecil, R. Bejarano, 20-1
Beat Allicansayis Wow, second to Ventura. Likely to finish behind Goldikova.

8 Zacinto (GB), Sir Michael Stoute, R. Moore, 8-1
Most recently second to Rip Van Winkle at Ascot.

9 Gladiatorus, Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Ajtebi, 20-1
Formerly the world’s highest-rated racehorse (according to Timeform), he’s been hit and miss since then.

10 Justenuffhumor, Kiaran McLaughlin, A. Garcia, 10-1
Ultra-consistent until last time out.

11 Goldikova (IRE), O. Peslier, 8/5
The reigning champ (pictured) should equal Miesque’s feat and repeat.

Picks: Goldikova, Zacinto, Delegator, Ferneley

All in all, this year’s Belmont was a great day out – perfect weather, a great undercard and an exciting Belmont Stakes. The fact that we left the track [...]]]> Apologies for the abrupt end of the live-blog on Saturday, but the wireless was getting increasingly temperamental – and we had some tickets that needed cashing.

All in all, this year’s Belmont was a great day out – perfect weather, a great undercard and an exciting Belmont Stakes. The fact that we left the track with considerably more money than we came in with was a nice bonus (even if it was followed with a smidgen of ‘but we had that and didn’t bet it’ here and there).

I was quite impressed by Benny The Bull’s return in the True North – I really wasn’t expecting him to be so close to his best form in his first race back after such a long layoff – but I’m also not sure he would have beaten Fabulous Strike under any circumstances. Given that the track was still only officially ‘good’ at that point, nearly equaling the record was certainly impressive all around – I’ll look forward to seeing the two hook up again later this summer. We did officially lose a bit of money, since I’d stuck with Two Step Salsa. Betting FAIL.

Our wallets bounced back with Diamondrella in the Just A Game; I had high hopes for Modern Look who made a brief run toward the end (Forever Together was boxed up for the majority of the race), but our across-the-board bet on Diamondrella more than made up for my losing Modern Look bet. I was actually surprised to see her go off at such long odds, given that she was coming off an even longer winning streak than Forever Together.

Around the Just A Game is when the MTV kids showed up and began filming; I still have no idea what that was all about or when it will air, but hey, if it’s getting 15-year-old kids to the track, why not? (Although I have to say we thought the kids in question were even younger – if, indeed, it was a dating show as rumored, I can’t think of many places beyond the track where a tween couple might go for a cheap afternoon out – but are they even old enough to bet?)

The Woody Stephens was another money-loser for us; I’d toyed with a last-minute across-the-board bet on Munnings after seeing how great he looked in the post parade, but we stuck with Hull and Everyday Heroes boxed with This Ones for Phil. Naturally, Munnings won impressively. Lesson learned – or not.

The Acorn was where we really got stung; we’d been boxing exactas all day, but did a straight one with Gabby’s Golden Gal underneath Justwhistledixie. You can look at that as having cost either $2, or something closer to $90. I think that one will bother me for a little while.

I finally made my way out to the paddock before the Manhattan – even on a relatively-lightly-attended Belmont day, getting from the seats to the paddock and back in time is no speedy matter, but I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see Better Talk Now up close (again – I may have more photos of him than of any other horse in training) – even though I didn’t hold out much hope of him doing well in the actual race. Of course, he looked wonderful in the paddock and I kept thinking how great it was that he looked so fit and ready to go at his age – but of course I left him out of my trifecta anyway. I was busy taking pictures of Wesley, whose third-place finish in the Dixie on Preakness day had rewarded me fairly handsomely, and I’d invested accordingly. I had some complicated tickets with Gio Ponti over Wesley and/or Court Vision and Cosmonaut, but none of them included either Better Talk Now or eventual second-place finisher Marsh Side (nor were any just on Gio Ponti – I’d assumed, for some reason, that he’d go off at something like 2-1 and figured it wasn’t worth the effort – whoops). But it was great to see Better Talk Now fighting on for third – clearly, he’s not done. I was disappointed with Wesley’s performance, but I’ll assume for future reference that he just doesn’t like soft turf.

Finally, it was time for the big race; after failing to find anywhere I could bet my dime superfecta (clerks couldn’t do one, which seems ludicrous, nor was there any place obvious to get a card for the betting machines), I put together a $1 version in which I threw out Chocolate Candy – I’d picked Mine That Bird, Dunkirk, Charitable Man and Summer Bird. However, we ended up deciding it would be too expensive to box and we didn’t want to bet it straight, so we nixed the idea. (Sigh.) Instead, we had an exacta box with Mine That Bird, Summer Bird and Dunkirk as well as an across-the-board bet on Summer Bird. When Charitable Man drifted up to 5-1, I also put a show bet on him – I just couldn’t get into the idea of him winning for some reason.

I had very different takes on the race in person and when I watched it back on television – like many, I thought initially that Calvin Borel moved far too soon on Mine That Bird (I was a little surprised he only had one other mount on the card, given how infrequently he visits Belmont, and thought that might have been a factor). I revised my opinion somewhat after checking in at home with my TiVo – I’m not sure he had much of a choice, since the little horse was clearly eager to go. Both Mine That Bird and Dunkirk ran tough, gritty races and deserve commendation – poor Dunkirk still seemed like he didn’t quite get what this was all about but was just hanging in there with pure talent. I can’t say I love how his career has been managed thus far – I would be very curious to see how he would do in a different training situation.

Of course, Summer Bird ran a terrific race to win – I was very dubious about Kent Desormeax riding, but it made more sense in the context of trainer Tim Ice’s personal relationship with him. I’ve never been a fan of Desormeax in the Belmont, but this time he got it right on and ensured that Summer Bird had the perfect trip. I hope to see him hook up with Mine That Bird, Dunkirk and Rachel Alexandra later this summer. I imagine that Birdstone’s $10,000 stud fee will be shooting up into the stratosphere after siring 2/3 of the winners in this year’s Triple Crown series (as well as Oaks runner-up Stone Legacy, among others) – he and Medaglia d’Oro seem to be on quite a streak lately – I wonder if Darley will try to swoop in for Birdstone as well.

And I have another note about Mine That Bird in response to the idiot at the track who was loudly proclaiming that he ‘should have been taken down’ (even though Dunkirk was obviously the subject of the post-race inquiry) and that he was a ‘worthless horse who will never win another race’ – stfu, dude! This little gelding won the Derby, was a close second in the Preakness and not far off for third in the Belmont – he’s assured a place in history for that alone, and he’s clearly bursting with talent. Obviously you are still bitter you missed him in the Derby and left him out of your trifecta on Saturday – but if you’re planning to write him off and never bet him again, well, I’m happy to think I’ll get slightly better odds on him as a result. I look forward to a long and prosperous career for him – and hopefully for everyone who ran on Saturday.

I look forward to discovering who will appear in the Haskell, the Travers, etc. – and am pleased we have such a good group working toward the Breeders’ Cup this fall (especially when you consider the older horses like Einstein, Brass Hat and Better Talk Now). Perhaps I will need to think about a trip to LA…

In the meantime, feel free to browse my Belmont day pictures here.

First up, the True North Handicap: