Week of May 20, 2013

By Valerie Grash, Hello Race Fans Contributing Editor

May 20, 2013

Oxbowâ€™s upset victory in the Preakness leaves us bereft of a Triple Crown winner yet again, but with familiar names in the winnerâ€™s circle, a sense of nostalgia reigned supreme this weekend.

It wasnâ€™t the result that many had hoped for. With a much-respected Hall of Fame trainer and legendary owners, Orb was a sentimental choice to break the 35-year Triple Crown drought. Alas, the stars did not align for the son of Malibu Moon as the 3-5 favorite never looked comfortable on the Pimlico track and finished a rather dull (and distant) fourth, 9 lengths behind the winner, Oxbow. Sent off at odds of 15-1, the D. Wayne Lukas trainee grabbed the early lead and, under the wily guidance of veteran jockey Gary Stevens, set moderate fractions which no one sought to challengeâ€”much to their disadvantage. Only the late-running Mylute was able to close on the high-cruising Oxbow, finishing third, just a half-length behind the runner-up Itsmyluckyday who looked to make a bold move as they entered the stretch, only to flatten out and finish nearly 2 lengths behind Oxbow.

Owned by Calumet Farm, Oxbow didnâ€™t garner much respect off his inconsistent efforts this year, but he is extremely well-bred. A son of Breedersâ€™ Cup Classic winner Awesome Again, Oxbow is out of an unraced full sister of two-time Breedersâ€™ Cup Classic victor Tiznow; another full sister is the dam of last yearâ€™s Belmont Stakes runner-up Paynter, another Awesome Again colt who then won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational before being sidelined by a serious bout with colitis and laminitis. Miraculously, Paynter has recovered and has posted a series of eight steady workouts in anticipation of returning to the races, specifically the Breedersâ€™ Cup Classic.

For Oxbow, a run in the Belmont Stakes next appears likely. There, heâ€™ll likely take on Orb again, and possibly stablemate Will Take Charge, as well as some who skipped the second jewel of the Triple Crownâ€”Derby runner-up Golden Soul, third-place finisher Revolutionary and Peter Pan winner Freedom Child. In addition to Revolutionary, trainer Todd Pletcher is considering a number of his runners for the Belmont, most notably Arkansas Derby winner Overanalyze and Blue Grass runner-up Palace Malice. Heâ€™s also strongly considering entering a filly, Unlimited Budget who finished third in the Kentucky Oaks.

Oxbowâ€™s Preakness win wasnâ€™t the only surprise Stevens and Lukas sprung on Saturday. One race prior to the headline event, the two likewise combined on Calumetâ€™s 24-1 longshot Skyring who led the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes victory on a merry chase, winning in wire-to-wire fashion over Willcox Inn and Skyringâ€™s more highly-regarded stablemate Optimizer. If you were lucky enough to play the â€œHall of Fameâ€ daily double, your $2 investment returned a whopping $557.40.

Saturdayâ€™s other graded stakes at Pimlico included the grassy Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap, also won in wire-to-wire fashion by Chad Brown-trained Pianist under the guidance of jockey Mike Smith. Her stablemate Samitar, who went off as the odds-on favorite, finished fourth behind runner-up Hard Not to Like and third-place finisher Appealing Cat. Chad Brown also saddled the winner of the Grade 3 Allaire DuPont Distaff, Summer Applause who was reunited with jockey John Velazquez; the duo had previously captured the Grade 2 Top Flight Handicap. On Friday, Brownâ€™s Last Gunfighter continued his 6-race win streak dating back to his maiden win last October, winning the Grade 3 Pimlico Special by 4 lengths over 7-year-old Maryland legend Eighttofasttocatch; it was another 9 lengths back to 8-year-old Richardâ€™s Kid. Given the rich history of this raceâ€”with winners including War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Twilight Tear, Assault, Citation, Cigar, Skip Away, Real Quiet and Invasorâ€”this yearâ€™s contest was a crushing disappointment, with a field of has-beens and never-was horses. Time for another downgrade, to non-graded status, me thinks.

Making his first start in over 6 months, Sage Valley won the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap over Hardened Wildcat; D. Wayne Lukasâ€™ Laurieâ€™s Rocket settled for third, the same position he ran last-out on the Kentucky Derby undercard, in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes. Interestingly, the final time for the Maryland Sprint (1:10.51) was just a tick faster than the time posted by 3-year-old Zee Bros (1:10.72) in the non-graded Chick Lang Stakes earlier on the Preakness card. The son of Brother Derek led before fading to sixth in the one-mile Grade 3 Derby Trial last-out, so it appears his future is definitely in sprinting. Sage Valley also wasnâ€™t the only son of Discreet Cat to win a stakes race at Pimlico on Saturdayâ€”2-year-old Debt Ceiling followed up his maiden win at Laurel with a victory in the 5-furlong Rollicking Stakes. Last seen winning a maiden $40,000 claimer, Silvertonguedtommy (Street Boss) took the early lead, but succumbed to Debt Ceilingâ€™s late charge and finished second. New Zone, a Wilko filly trained by John Salzman, Sr. who also guided the career of the legendary Xtra Heat, finished nicely, gaining third by a neck over another filly, Wesley Ward-trained Sweet Emma Rose (City Zip) who was the post-time favorite.

The fillies took center stage on Friday at Pimlico, with the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan being captured by Fifyshadesofhay, a result that certainly flattered the form of Kentucky Oaks runner-up Beholder. The Bob Baffert trainee did not go off as the post-time favorite, however. That honor went to Bill Mott-trained Emollient, devastating winner of the Grade 1 Ashland most recently. That first-attempt Polytrack win, combined with her previous poor effort in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, should have sent up red flags to handicappersâ€”after initially stumbling at the break, she moved into contention before tiring in the stretch, finishing 21-1/2 lengths behind the winner. Lightly-regarded Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks runner-up Marathon Lady took the lead briefly from Grade 1 Frizette-placed Toasting before both were passed by the winner.

Two non-graded stakes races of note took place on the Black-Eyed Susan undercard. In the Skipat Stakes, Dance to Bristol followed up her awesome 9-length victory in Charles Townâ€™s Sugar Maple Stakes with another tremendous win. Itâ€™s notable that the filly she beat in the Sugar Maple, Holiday Soiree, next out ran third in the Grade 1 Humana Distaffâ€”finishing less than 2 lengths behind the winner, Aubby K. To suggest that Dance to Bristolâ€™s connections should perhaps high a little higher with their filly is an understatement. The other notable contest was the 5-furlong Jim McKay Turf Sprint where 7-year-old Maryland legend Benâ€™s Cat continued his winning waysâ€”his 21st victory in 31 starts, to be precise. According to his 81-year-old trainer King Leatherbury, his next appearance will be in the June 1 Pennsylvania Governorâ€™s Cup at Penn National, most likely followed by a tilt at the Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap at Parx on Labor Day, September 2.

Elsewhere this weekend, favored Za Approval got up late to win the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes over Monmouth stalwart Tune Me In. Longshot Open Water shocked post-time favorite Lady of Fifty in winning the Grade 2 Marjorie L. Everett Handicap at Hollywood. She may have made 9 attempts before breaking her maiden, but since then 4-year-old filly Glorious View has been on fireâ€”she padded her resume by capturing the Grade 2 Vagrancy Handicap in gutsy wire-to-wire fashion. Recent Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie runner-up Fantasy of Flight mounted a strong attack, but was repelled by her rival and had to settle for second. Last-out Grade 2 Ruffian winner Withgreatpleasure wasted her energy pre-race, fractiously breaking through the gate before being reloaded; she belatedly ran on for third.

As a prep for the June 9 Woodbine Oaks, Sundayâ€™s Grade 3 Selene Stakes was suppose to belong to Nipissing, a Niigon filly undefeated at Woodbine last year who had posted a disappointing sixth-place effort in the Grade 1 Ashland in her 2013 debut. Alas, it was not to be, as the second-choice Coffee Cliqueâ€”notably carrying 7 pounds less weightâ€”roared to the lead as they entered the stretch, defeating runner-up Nipissing by 4 lengths. Recent Grade 3 Appalachian runner-up Overheard finished third, with the once-highly regarded Spring Venture in fourth.

Keep up with all the racing commentary and news at Raceday 360 Wire!

Last Week’s Races

2013 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Replay
Fifytyshadesofhay stalkes the pace and gets it done.

This video must be viewed at YouTube