6/13/2010

CHURCHILL'S BIG SATURDAY

Blame game in Stephen Foster

In a precursor of what might come in the November 6 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm's homebred BLAME (Arch) reached the Churchill Downs winner's circle at the conclusion of Saturday's $671,700 Stephen Foster H. (G1), wearing down 9-5 favorite and speedball Battle Plan (Empire Maker) with a determined stretch bid under Garrett Gomez. Those two separated themselves from the rest of the pack and now appear as leading threats in an older male division presently led by Quality Road (Elusive Quality).

Battle Plan, who was last seen taking the New Orleans H. (G2) in late March, went to the front as expected under Javier Castellano, setting fractions of :24 2/5, :48 3/5 and 1:12 3/5 while maintaining a lead of a length to 1 1/2 lengths. Chased in second by General Quarters (Sky Mesa), the lightly-raced five-year-old son of champion Flanders eventually repelled a bid offered by that rival, and opened up four lengths on the field in deep stretch.

The only real threat to the long-time leader was Blame, who was less than five lengths from Battle Plan throughout despite a wide draw and who angled out four-wide turning for home. Though Battle Plan had put some distance between himself and the rest, that exertion took a noticeable toll in the final yards as Blame finished full of run in what has become his patented style. The final time of 1:49 1/5 over a fast track was three-fifths of a second slower than the time posted by Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) in winning the Fleur de Lis H. (G2) earlier in the program.

"I was wide going through both turns. I tried to use him a little to try and get over in the first turn and as far as I could get was four wide," Gomez said. "My main concern was trying to come home off that pace.

"He's a true professional and a pleasure to be around. I'll let him answer how good he can be."

Blame, an overlaid 7-2 second choice, paid $9.80, $4.20 and $3. Battle Plan gave back $3.40 and $3.20 after finish 2 3/4 lengths clear of 7-1 fourth choice General Quarters, who paid $4 with his one-length edge over 22-1 Giant Oak (Giant's Causeway) for third. The exacta paid $30, the trifecta $129.60 and the 11-2-6-3 superfecta returned $1,342. Following Giant Oak under the wire were Demarcation (Gulch), Arson Squad (Brahms), A. U. Miner (Mineshaft), Duke of Mischief (Graeme Hall), Honest Man (Unbridled's Song), Macho Again (Macho Uno) and No Advantage (Posse).

"We'll look at the Whitney, Woodward and Jockey Club (Gold Cup) -- something like that -- with the ultimate goal being the (Breeders' Cup) Classic," said trainer Al Stall Jr., referring to the Grade 1 contests conducted in New York this summer and autumn. "That's why we gave him the six months off just to have a fresh horse the second half of the season, which we're here now. I love when a plan comes together, which is very rare in horse racing."

While the date of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park has still not been confirmed, the August 7 Whitney and/or September 4 Woodward, both at Saratoga, might showcase a pre-Breeders' Cup battle between Blame and Quality Road, one many racing fans would look forward to with great anticipation. Whether the improving Battle Plan would join the fray is uncertain as he is trained, like Quality Road, by Todd Pletcher, who might prefer to keep his two star older horses apart.

Bred in Kentucky, Blame has compiled a career mark of 10-7-1-2, $1,068,214. Successful in a Keeneland maiden in his second start at two, he cleared his entry-level allowance condition over older foes at Churchill two starts later then made his stakes debut a winning one out in the Curlin S. at Saratoga, defeating subsequent Pennsylvania Derby (G2) and Ohio Derby (G2) hero Gone Astray (Dixie Union). After running second to Regal Ransom (Distorted Humor) in the Super Derby (G2), Blame rebounded to beat older horses in the Fayette S. (G2) at Keeneland and the Clark H. (G2) back at Churchill. He kicked off his four-year-old campaign with a facile, 1 1/2-length victory in the May 15 William Donald Schaefer S. (G3) at Pimlico.

The Kentucky-bred is out of the multiple stakes-placed Seeking the Gold mare Liable, who is herself a half-sister to globetrotting Group 1 star Archipenko (Kingmambo) and stakes-winning producer Limit (Cox's Ridge). Liable has also produced stakes victor Tend (Dynaformer), a juvenile full sister to Blame named Might, and a 2010 filly by Tiznow. This is the family of supersires Nureyev (Northern Dancer) and Sadler's Wells (Northern Dancer).

Colizeo scores in Northern Dancer

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred COLIZEO (Distorted Humor) set the pace along the rail in Saturday's $136,375 Northern Dancer S. (G3) at Churchill Downs and just withstood the pressing Worldly (A.P. Indy) late to take his stakes bow by a neck. Jockey Garrett Gomez guided the Todd Pletcher trainee through fractions of :24 4/5, :49, 1:13 1/5 and 1:37 before finishing up the 1 1/16-mile fast-track test in 1:43 3/5.

"He set a nice easy pace up front and really showed he had some talent today," Pletcher said. "We've taken our time with him and he's run against some talented horses. If you look at the allowance race at Gulfstream, he ran against the likes of Fly Down (Mineshaft) and First Dude (Stephen Got Even). He ran a good race and keeps taking a step forward after every race. He has potential. We'll see how he comes back and look at our options for his next start."

"We didn't feel like there was a whole lot of pace in the race and he ran pretty good like that the other day so ideally I wanted to ride him like I did the other day," Gomez said. "(Jockey) Robby's (Albarado) horse (Worldly) kept coming on and I thought I had him where I wanted. I asked mine for a little more and his horse would come back and eyeball me again. I thought once I really asked my horse I thought I would run away with it. I had a hard time doing that today. This was a good test for the horse."

Colizeo entered this event off a wire-to-wire win against allowance rivals under the Twin Spires and was sent off the 8-5 favorite against his five rivals in this one. The sophomore paid $5.40, $3.80 and $2.80 while starting the $30.40 exacta and $201.20 trifecta. Worldly had to steady a bit heading into the first turn while in close quarters, and jockey Robby Albarado lodged a claim of foul against Gomez on Colizeo for that interference. The stewards disallowed the claim, and Worldly gave back $6 and $4 as the 5-1 fourth pick once the race had been made official.

"On the first turn I just got pinched back and squeezed," Albarado explained.

Vow to Wager (Broken Vow) tracked in third throughout and filled that spot on the wire, returning $4.20 at 8-1. Max Silverhammer (Wild and Wicked) rounded out the 4-1-5-7 superfecta that was worth $1,121.80, while Prince Will I Am (Victory Gallop) and Crider (Closing Argument) completed the order under the wire. Spoon River Lew (Maria's Mon) was withdrawn.

Colizeo took four tries to break his maiden, finally getting the job done on January 22 at Gulfstream Park by 5 1/2 lengths. He ran fourth behind Dwyer S. (G2) winner Fly Down, who was second in the Belmont S. (G1), and First Dude, second in the Preakness S. (G1) and third in the Belmont, in his first try against allowance rivals, but finally passed that condition prior to this one. By taking his stakes debut, Colizeo now sports an 8-3-2-0 career mark and more than doubled his earnings to $154,077.

The Kentucky-bred Colizeo is the first registered foal out of Colony Band (Dixieland Band), who captured a stakes stateside as well as in France. Colony Band placed in Grade/Group 3s during her career and since heading to the breeding shed has produced an unraced juvenile filly named Accordia (Smart Strike), a yearling colt called Colony Strike (Smart Strike) and a 2010 filly named Colona (Pulpit). Colizeo's third dam is French Group 2 heroine Fabulous Hostess (Fabulous Dancer) and he comes from the same family as Group 1 scorer Reve d'Oscar (Highest Honor [Fr]) and this year's Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) heroine, Bethrah (Marju)

Rachel runs away with Fleur de Lis

Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick's RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) returned to her winning ways on Saturday with a dominating 10 1/2-length victory in the $214,000 Fleur de Lis H. (G2) at Churchill Downs. Despite losing her two prior races this season, the betting public backed the bay miss as the prohibitive 1-9 favorite in this test and she rewarded that faith with payouts of $2.20 and $2.10 after show wagering was canceled.

Rachel Alexandra broke to the inside of Jessica is Back (Put It Back), but regular rider Calvin Borel angled his filly to an outside clear path. The four-year-old filly stuck her head in front of that rival through a quarter in :23 4/5, but Jessica is Back fought her way into the lead through fractions of :47 1/5 and 1:11. Rachel Alexandra, meanwhile, was pressing the pace three wide and had pulled even as the pair rounded the turn.

Distinctive Dixie (Fusaichi Pegasus) was beginning her run by this point, but Rachel Alexandra wasn't waiting around for no one. Drawing off from this group as a reigning Horse of the Year should, the lass stopped the clock in 1:48 3/5 for nine fast-track furlongs.

"She's just getting back. You have to give her a chance," said Borel, who captured his fourth win of the afternoon on the filly. "I think you'll see a great future now. She did everything right today."

"She's a machine and she ran a great race today, and hopefully this is a step in the right direction for the rest of the year," trainer Steve Asmussen said. "We will take her back to the barn and there will be a lot of petting her, and peppermints, and loving on her."

Distinctive Dixie managed to overtake Jessica is Back in the lane and was two lengths clear of that rival on the wire. The five-year-old mare paid $5.60 as the 18-1 second longest shot on the board and ended the $14 exacta. Jessica is Back, the near 6-1 second choice, completed the 4-3-5 trifecta that was worth $23.40. Multipass (Olmodavor) and Made for Magic (Cape Canaveral) rounded out the field under the wire. Rachel Alexandra didn't need the lights to shine at Churchill (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography)

Rachel Alexandra was honored as the 2009 Horse of the Year following an unbeaten, and unprecedented, three-year-old campaign. She captured eight races in all last year, including a 20 1/4-length, record-setting victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the Fantasy S. (G2) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), all under the tutelage of trainer Hal Wiggins. Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables brokered a deal to buy the running sensation from breeder Dolphus C. Morrison following her dominating win under the Twin Spires and transferred her to Asmussen. Two weeks later, Rachel Alexandra returned to deny Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone) the second leg of the Triple Crown when taking the Preakness S. (G1) by a length.

The filly switched back to her own division and dominated yet another field when going in the Mother Goose S. (G1), then tried the boys again, this time in the Haskell Invitational (G1). She had eventual champion three-year-old male Summer Bird six lengths behind in second in that test and rounded out her Eclipse Award-winning season with a gutsy head score in Saratoga's Woodward S. (G1) against older males in early September.

Rachel Alexandra garnered champion three-year-old filly honors as well as Horse of the Year, but she wasn't able to continue her winning streak as a four-year-old. Following a disrupted training regimen due to a wet winter at Fair Grounds, the miss filled the second spot in the New Orleans Ladies S. on March 13. Plans to take on undefeated dual champion Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) in the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn were scrapped following the New Orleans, and Rachel Alexandra didn't resurface again until the La Troienne S. (G2) on April 30 under her beloved Twin Spires. She just missed by a head in that one, but put on a display here to move her record to 17-12-4-0 while bumping her earnings to $3,206,730.

The Kentucky-bred Rachel Alexandra is the first registered foal out of the stakes-winning and Grade 2-placed Lotta Kim (Roar), who has also produced an unraced three-year-old colt by Empire Maker named Empire Ruler. Lotta Kim is a half-sister to 2001 Pocahontas S. winner Lotta Rhythm (Rhythm), who was third in that same year's Golden Rod S. (G2), as well as 2008 Tejano Run S. victor High Blues (High Yield). Also included in the female family is 1991 Miss Preakness S. heroine Missy's Music (Travelling Music) and Grade 3 winner Devil Diamond (Devil's Bag).

from brisnet.com