Week of November 4, 2013

By Valerie Grash, Hello Race Fans Contributing Editor

November 4, 2013

High drama, thrilling finishes and devastating lossâ€”this yearâ€™s Breedersâ€™ Cup had it all. Letâ€™s recap the weekendâ€™s memorable highs and lows.

While several favorites endured disappointing races, the most heartbreaking loss occurred in Saturdayâ€™s Juvenile Fillies when Grade 1-winning filly Secret Compass had to be euthanized after breaking down while entering the backstretch turn. Her fallen jockey John Velazquez was taken to the hospital and, suffering from internal bleeding, underwent emergency surgery to remove his spleen. His agent Angel Cordero, Jr. has indicated Velazquez will be out at least for the remainder of the year.

Unfortunately, Secret Compass wasnâ€™t the only horse adversely affected by Santa Anitaâ€™s extraordinarily early speed-biased dirt track on Friday. Argentine Group 2 winner Ever Rider was pulled up from exhaustion in the Marathon, a race in which he was the post-time favorite. Two races later, Grade 1 Triple Bend victor Centralinteligence suffered a lateral condylar fracture in his right foreleg, for which he successfully underwent surgery. Leading 3-year-old filly candidate Princess of Sylmar could not close against the bias in the Distaff, and thus ruined her Eclipse chances by finished dead-last, even behind 42-1 longshot Street Girl.

Over the two days, the most notable post-time favorites to experience defeat were Royal Delta in the Distaff, and Game On Dude in the Classic. Decisions have apparently not yet been made regarding their future plans, but others are already headed to the auction block and/or breeding shed including Classic also-rans Fort Larned (Adena Springs) and Paynter (WinStar), as well as Dirt Mile fourth-place finisher Verrazano (Ashford Stud), and a host of fillies and mares. Canadian superstar My Conquestadory was outkicked in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and had to settle for a fourth-place finish, while rags-to-riches Dance to Bristol â€œbled a littleâ€ according to her connections in Filly and Mare Sprint, ending up mid-pack. Last yearâ€™s Sprint champion Trinniberg, who hasnâ€™t enjoyed the best of years since his ill-advised jaunt to Dubai, finished ninth in the 12-horse fieldâ€”and came back bleeding from the mouth.

Having mentioned the low points, what were the top storylines?

1. Repeat Winners
In an era when too many good horses win big and then fade away, how refreshing was it to see so many previous Breedersâ€™ Cup winners successfully defend their titlesâ€”Wise Dan in the Mile, Mizdirection in the Turf Sprint, and Groupie Doll in the Filly & Mare Sprintâ€”or return to win a second Breedersâ€™ Cup race, such as last yearâ€™s Juvenile Fillies winner Beholder who captured the Distaff, or 2011 Juvenile Sprint victor Secret Circle who, with only one race under his belt after 18 months away from the track, won the Sprint? Wise Dan solidified his claim to a second Horse of the Year title, although he may have a bit of competition from Beholder. Mizdirection surprised nobody with her victory, but what about Groupie Doll? Ultimately, she was the 3-1 post-time favorite, but there was plenty of money spread around on Grade 1 Test winner Sweet Lulu, Grade 1 Gazelle victress Dance Card, and Grade 1 La Brea winner Book Review. Yet, the 5-year-old champ dug in and held off Judy the Beauty for the win. What a way to head off into retirement! Both Mizdirection and Groupie Doll are to be sold at auction this week, along with a host of other quality race mares now headed to the breeding shed.

2. Older Jockeys
Thereâ€™s an old adage that says â€œwith age comes wisdom.â€ When it comes to making the right decisions during a race, wisdom comes in handy. Just ask any trainer and owner smart enough to put the likes of 48-year-old Mike Smith or 50-year-old Gary Stevens aboard their horse. Both Hall of Famer jockeys enjoyed an exceptional weekend. Smith won the Bill Shoemaker Award as outstanding jockey for his winning rides on London Bridge in the Marathon, Outstrip in the Juvenile Turf and Mizdirection in the Turf Sprint. His total Breedersâ€™ Cup wins now number 20, more than any other jockey in the history of the event. In addition to his fourth-place finish on Royal Delta in the Distaff, Smith also guided 14-1 Emollient to an up-close fourth-place in the Filly & Mare Turf and 16-1 Laugh Track to a surprising runner-up finish in the Sprint. Stevens, who came out of retirement earlier this year, wasnâ€™t far behind, winning both marquee eventsâ€”the Distaff with Beholder, and the Classic with Mucho Macho Man. His mount Sheâ€™s a Tiger actually won the Juvenile Fillies race, but was disqualified and placed second. He also rode Havana to a runner-up finish in the Juvenile, and 8-1 Indy Point to a close-up third-place in the Turf. While the event overall missed the likes of John Velazquez, Ramon Dominguez and Calvin Borel, it was certainly a showplace for riding talent as well as horseflesh.

3. Euro Invasion
As expected, the European contingent excelled in most of the turf events. English Group 1-placed Outstrip and Irish Group 1-placed Giovanni Boldini ran one-two in the Juvenile Turf, while English Group 1 winner Chriselliam and former French galloper Testa Rossi took out the top two spots in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Irish Group 2 winner Dank, who last out captured Arlingtonâ€™s Grade 1 Beverly D in smashing style, won the Filly and Mare Turf by a half length over French Group 1 winner Romantica, with former French Group 1 runner-up and Grade 1 Garden City victress Alterite finishing third. Group 1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas victor Magician surprised three-time Group 1 winner The Fugue in the Turf. Shockingly, the Euros also succeeded trying dirt for the first time, with London Bridge winning the Marathon and, even more surprisingly, Declaration of War running an excellent third, just a head behind runner-up Will Take Charge (who was nosed out by Mucho Macho Man) in the Classic. Looking at his breeding, itâ€™s not hard to understand why Declaration of War performed as well as he didâ€”by the speedy dirt sprinter War Front, his dam is a half sister to Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags. Too bad the Classic was his final startâ€”heâ€™s joining the stallion roster at Coolmore for 2014.

4. Women Trainers
While female trainers are relatively plentiful in this country, they donâ€™t enjoy the vast patronage of mega-stable trainers like Todd Pletcher, so when it comes to big-race days they often get outgunned. Thatâ€™s why it was such a pleasure to see the ladies get the job done this year, beginning with the first Breedersâ€™ Cup race on Friday, the Marathon, won by English trainer Jo Hughes and London Bridge. Talk about a curious horseâ€”a New York-bred (the first to ever win a Breedersâ€™ Cup race) son of Arch, raced in Great Britain on synthetic and turf who was trying dirt for the first time before heading off to his new connections in Australia (Waratah Thoroughbreds) where heâ€™ll head back to turf. His dam is a half sister to 4-time Grade 1 turf winner Magical Fantasy, so he had a lot to recommend him in terms of breeding, if not actual experience. Jockey Mike Smith said after the race that he hated the dirt, which makes it all the more amazing that he won.

The first BC race went to a female trainer, and so too did the last and most important oneâ€”the $5 million Classic where Florida-based Kathy Ritvo became the first woman trainer to win the Classic. Just looking at his past performances it is readily apparent that Mucho Macho Man has had his â€œissuesâ€ during his career, ones that have kept him on the sidelines at times and caused his races to be spaced generously apart. All of which makes Ritvoâ€™s training job that much more astonishing, particularly in addition to her own health issues. In an age when so many male horses are retired early to stud, he wasnâ€™tâ€”not after his third-place finish behind Animal Kingdom and Nehro in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, or after a near-track record performance winning the 2012 Florida Sunshine Millions Classic, or after his narrow defeat to Fort Larned in last yearâ€™s Breedersâ€™ Cup Classic. On Saturday, at 4-1 he was second choice behind Game On Dude, but the first in many peopleâ€™s heartsâ€”a deserving winner.

How did the other BC female trainers do? In the tragically marred Juvenile Fillies, New York-based Leah Gyarmati had the favorite Sweet Reason, who finished a close-up fourth, while Florida-based Kathleen Oâ€™Connellâ€™s Scandalous Act was eased late to finish a distant sixth. In the Juvenile, Arlington Park-based Anne P. Smith sent out Grade 1 Breedersâ€™ Futurity runner-up Smartyâ€™s Echo who, making his first dirt start, finished tenth in the 13-horse field. California-based Kristin Mulhallâ€™s overmatched longshot Tale of a Champion faded from third to finish last in Turf.

5. Little Guys
In addition to seeing horses like Mucho Macho Man, Groupie Doll, Wise Dan and London Bridge win, letâ€™s give a shout-out to Juvenile Turf runner-up Giovanni Boldiniâ€”yes, heâ€™s trained by Aidan Oâ€™Brien for well-heeled owners Coolmore, but he was bred by 86-year-old Charles â€œBuckâ€ Woodson in Charles Town, West Virginia. Now thereâ€™s a breeding story worth telling. And how about Finger Lakes-based trainer Jeremiah Englehart whose 32-1 longshot Ria Antonia upset the Juvenile Fillies? A daughter of the recently-deceased Rockport Harbor, she actually began her career this summer, breaking her maiden against males at Woodbine over the Polytrack before being bought and transferred to Englehart who now has big plans for her in 2014. Oh, and what about Tightend Touchdown, who dead-heated with Reneesgotzip for second-place in the Turf Sprint? His connections lost him for $30,000 last December, but claimed him back exactly a month later for $35,000â€”all over Aqueductâ€™s inner track. Now they are $140,000 richer.

With the racing year winding down, the Weekly Roundup will be taking a few weeks off. Weâ€™ll return with a final roundup for 2013 on the Monday after Thanksgivingâ€”December 2â€”before beginning our winter hiatus.

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

Last Week’s Races

2013 Breeders’ Cup Marathon Replay
London Bridge kicks things off with an upset!

Video courtesy of Breeders’ Cup