The Best Races Last Week Were Outside The United States

The Queen's Plate in Canada plus several at Ascot in England

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
June 25, 2008

Racing hasn't been a provincial sport since the advent of the Washington D.C. International at Laurel Race Course in the early 1950s and the United Nations Handicap at Atlantic City Race Course a few years later.

When the Arlington Million was born in the 1980s, it instantly attracted strong international fields to keep the flame of world-class Thoroughbred competition alive in distant continents. As such, it didn't take long for dozens of top horses from Europe, Asia, South and North America to support a longer list of richly endowed Breeders' Cup races in America in the fall and even richer races for world-class horses in Dubai in March. Now the trend towards Olympic-style Thoroughbred competition extends to Japan and Hong Kong with signs that Australian horses are also going to get in the mix.

That's one reason why the five-day meeting at historic Ascot in England last week received more attention in America than most prior races in Europe. At the same time, the Queen's Plate at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada was an interesting race, as usual, with a chance to provide a potential contender or two for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August, if not the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on October 25th.

Get your Travers Stakes betting odds at Bodog Racebook!

The entire Ascot race meet of high-class stakes races was shown live on the TVG satellite television network. There are many samples of these races available for Internet viewing on Ascot's official website and YouTube, a valuable resource for horseplayers seeking a first-hand look at important contemporary races and races of historical significance.

While the fractional splits and running positions in European races aren't reported to the accuracy of stakes races in America, it was impossible not to be impressed by a 3-year-old colt named Henrythenavigator, who turned in the best performance I saw during Ascot's five days of intense high-class sport.

Royal Ascot, Tuesday, June 17th

Please note: Royal Ascot is an old, old racecourse, having first opened in 1711. Yes, that's 1711! But Royal Ascot also features one of the best-maintained turf courses in the world, in use for only five premium racing days each June. It's also important to note that seven official course conditions have been formally assigned by British racing authorities for races at Ascot as well as all other turf courses in the United Kingdom: Heavy; Soft; Good to Soft; Good; Good to Firm; Firm; Hard.

* The $489,2000 ($US) St James Palace Stakes (G1), first run in 1834, at approximately 1 mile with one turn on a clockwise course with an uphill section, for 3-year-olds on 'Good to Firm' turf with some wet spots.

Pace: Briskly set by Minneapolis, who faded badly after the top two finishers rallied strongly from the rear of the pack in the final quarter mile.

Official clocking: 1:38.70, a new course record! It's strictly a subjective guess, but my guesstimation of a Beyer-style Speed Figure would be 112.

Henrythenavigator was heavily backed down to $4-$7 odds and turned in a most impressive rally from the rear of the pack to reach a contending position before he was steadied and had to alter course approaching the final furlong to overpower the competition while splitting horses in mid-stretch. The performance firmly stamped him as the finest turf miler in Europe if not the equal to any turf miler in the world. Trained by world-class horseman Aidan O'Brien and confidently ridden by jockey Johnny Murtaugh, this colt looms a formidable contender in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita on October 25th, a race on the long-term schedule. In that race, Henrythenagivator is likely to meet last year's Breeders' Mile winner Kip Deville plus a large field of proven milers from points around the globe.

One of those rivals might be John Gosden's Raven's Pass, who was a strong second in this race as if he just might make it a lot closer later in the year. Henry Cecil's Twice Over was a respectable third, getting to the front in the upper stretch only to caught by the top two in the final furlong.

Colonial Downs, Virginia, Saturday, June 21st

* The $600,000 Colonial Turf Cup (G3, but it deserves a higher grading), 1 3/16 miles on soft turf during a heavy rainstorm for 3-year-olds.

Fractional Splits: 25.26. .50.91. .1:18.26. .1:45.55. . .
2:04.42
- Very slow fractions that were hard to evaluate given the deteriorating course conditions. Yet the final 3/16 miles were clocked in a relatively fast 18.87, which suggests that the stretch run was in better shape than most of the course while the winner was quite impressive as well.
Beyer Speed Figure: 93
- About four lengths below par, due in part to the slow pace and difficult course conditions.

Sailor's Cap, fresh from a good second-place finish to the improving Tizdejavu at Churchill Downs last month, rallied comfortably while wide to score by 6 3/4 lengths over the consistent Nistle's Crunch and longshot Your Round, who just did win the photo for third.

Court Vision and Adriano, who ran poorly in the Kentucky Derby, finished fourth and fifth respectively while lightly raced Kentucky Bear, a disappointment in the Preakness, opened up a sizeable lead through the first seven furlongs and faltered badly to last after being displaced by the winner coming out of the final turn. Sailor's Cap is clearly improving and very much at home on any turf course in any condition at nine furlongs or longer.

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 21st

* The $250,000 New York Handicap (G2), 1 1/4 miles on firm turf for fillies and mares 3 years old and up.

Fractional Splits: 24.34. .49.61. .1:13.86. .1:38.10. . .
2:01.31
- A sensible pace with a strong last 1/4-mile clocked in 23.21.
Beyer Speed Figure: 100
- About one length slower than par, but there was no doubt the top three finished the race with Grade 1 speed.

Mauralakana, carefully reserved by jockey Kent Desormeaux, rallied strongly on cue while wide approaching mid-stretch, took command and then gamely held off the solid late bids by Dynaforce and Hostess to complete a three-horse photo finish. At the wire, the winner had a neck margin over the second-place finisher, who in turn had a neck on Hostess.

Tejida, fourth at the wire, set the pace for more than a mile but couldn't handle any of the top three when the real test came.

Woodbine Racecourse, Sunday, June 22nd

* The $986,737 ($US) Queen's Plate (G1), 1 1/4 miles on Polytrack for 3-year-old Canadian-breds (there were 15 in the race).

While not as old as several races at Royal Ascot, the Queen's Plate was inaugurated in 1860, which makes it the oldest race in North America.

Fractional Splits: 23.40. .47.60. .1:13.55. .1:39.30. . .
2:03.59
- A fast first 1/2-mile on this track, which led to the last and next-to-last finishes for the two early pacesetters.
Winning Beyer Speed Figure: 93
- Well below par for a graded stakes, but the winning top two finishers did get their last 1/4-mile in about 24.20 to indicate that they may have significant room for improvement at similar distances.

Not Bourbon was in good position throughout and rallied to command while taking a wide turn and outlasted the fast closing betting favorite Ginger Brew, while both were almost five lengths clear of third-place finisher Solitaire. The latter was very wide and could have been closer with a better trip. Deputiformer was in contention on the turn but weakened through the final quarter as if he wants a shorter distance or perhaps even turf.

Added notes: Fabulous Strike, a top contender for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on October 25th, returned to action in a $75,000 non-graded stakes at Delaware Park on Saturday to beat two overmatched rivals in 1:09.56 for six furlongs. He went to the post at 1-20 odds and is likely to be seen in richer, more important sprint races during the summer.

On Saturday, June 28th, the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup will be run without three-time winner Lava Man, but the race is nevertheless coming up strong with Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker; Oaklawn Handicap winner Tiago; 2007 Pacific Classic winner Student Council; and the well-traveled and somewhat rejuvenated Perfect Drift. This G1 event kick off a series of 12 major stakes at Hollywood through the July 4th weekend.

At Belmont Park during the same time frame, the accent will be on dirt racing with eight major stakes including three Grade 1's, most notably the $400,000 Suburban Handicap on Saturday, 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds and up.

Steve Davidowitz has written two highly acclaimed books on Thoroughbred racing---Betting Thoroughbreds and The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing. He also is a regular contributor to Daily Racing Form's Simulcast Weekly and DRF Plus and his columns appear in the Bodog Racebook each week.