Analysis of a High-Class Weekend of Racing

With Much More to Come

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
July 11, 2007

There were so many high-class stakes races last weekend that I will get right to my analysis of the most important races at Hollywood Park, Belmont Park, Calder Racecourse and Monmouth Park. The second half of the American racing season is off and running and many of these races included horses that we will see in action again during the summer as well as possibly an assortment of Breeders' Cup events.

HOLLYWOOD PARK, Friday, July 6:

The $1 million CashCall Mile (G2), one mile on the turf for fillies and mares aged three years old and up.

Patrick Biancone, the internationally successful trainer of numerous stakes winners in Europe, the Far East and America, is under suspicion for using snake venom as a stimulant for his horses. Yet, he still is winning major races while dealing with intense scrutiny from racing officials. By the way, there is no effective pharmacological test for snake venom. The highly potent, illegal substance was found in an unannounced sweep of Biancone's Keeneland barn last week and a stewards' hearing is likely to occur later this month.

In this race, the Biancone trained Lady of Venice scored a clear-cut victory over the Bobby Frankel trained Price Tag, a multiple G1 stakes winner in Europe and California last year. With her stretch-running victory Lady of Venice has now won seven of her ten lifetime starts on two continents, including five for seven in America and four for five at this specific one-mile distance to emerge as one of the top five female turf milers in training.

Price Tag, five for thirteen lifetime and two for eight at the distance, performed quite well and is fully capable of turning the tables on Lady of Venice in a nine-furlong race. Wait a While, a multiple G1 winner in 2006, was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher due to a spiked temperature the night before.

The $150,000 A Gleam Handicap (G2) at 7 furlongs for fillies and mares.

Somethingaboutlaura narrowly took over from 51-1 longshot Strong Faith in the final 1/16 miles to improve her Hollywood record to three for four and three for four at this tricky 7-furlong distance. That notwithstanding, Somethingaboutlaura continues to give the impression that she is strictly a G2 performer who might only win a G1 against a weaker than usual field.

HOLLYWOOD PARK, Saturday, July 7:

The $750,000 American Oaks (G1) at 1 1/4 miles for three-year-old fillies.

Todd Pletcher shipped the G2 winner Panty Raid cross country and she took down this Grade 1 stakes against an international field by holding safe favored Valbenny through the length of the stretch. Both fillies looked the part of solid Grade 1 grass performers and Panty Raid always has her ability on dirt to fall back on. The Australian filly Anamato, the Japanese filly Robo Decolette, the Irish filly Supposition and the French filly Just Little didn't live up to their advance billing.

Anamato did finish a fair third and might improve next time out and Robo Decolette probably needs 1 1/2 miles, but they will have to reach new performance levels if they hope to handle any of America's top turf fillies if kept here.

The $300,000 Triple Bend (G1) at 6 furlongs for three-year-olds and up.

Longshot Bilo took the lead at 9-1 and carried his speed all the way when speedy Silent Name failed to fire for reasons that were obvious to anyone who watched the post parade.

Silent Name was under the weather, or dehydrated, or off his feed. He was so far over the top that his ribs were showing starkly and he seemed to lack any interest in what was occurring. It surprised me, but the usually astute TVG analyst Gary Stevens, a Hall of Fame jockey with a good eye for a horse, went overboard with praise for Silent Name while not pointing out the loss of body weight, wasting much airtime reminding viewers how fractious and out of sorts the five-year-old horse had been prior to his poor effort in the Met Mile at Belmont on May 28.

While Silent Name wasn't fractious at all in this post parade, he nevertheless didn't resemble the fit and ready racehorse who won the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland on April 14. On Tuesday, July 10, trainer Gary Mandela admitted that Silent Name came back from the race sick, with a reaction to his pre-race Lasix treatment.

Meanwhile, the high-class absentee Surf Cat, prepping for longer and richer races, turned in a strong stretch rally to pose a stiff challenge to Bilo while making his first start in 14 months. For his part, Bilo is developing into an artificial track specialist and no doubt will get another crack at Graded stakes sprinters on the new Polytrack surface at Del Mar this summer.

The $300,000 Vanity Handicap (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on the Cushion track.

Nashoba's Key turned in a visually impressive gritty win over Balance for her second straight victory over the same rival, who did not have an easy trip. Hysterical Key, the 7-5 second choice could do no better than third with no real excuse. No doubt we will see these fillies again at Del Mar and no doubt this was the first, but certainly not the last, G1 win for the impressive apprentice jockey Joe Talamo, who also won his second career G1 later on the same card aboard Bilo in the Triple Bend.

BELMONT PARK, Saturday, July 7:

The $250,000 Prioress (G1) at 6 furlongs for three-year-old fillies.

Dream Rush, a very fast filly who tired badly in the one mile Acorn (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard, seemed to love the turn back to this shorter distance and annihilated her field by 5 1/2 widening lengths in fast time. While Dream Rush eventually might handle a mile, or even 1 1/8 miles, right now she looks like a candidate for the newly created $1 million Breeders' Cup Fillies Sprint (G1) that will be run on Friday, October 26 at Monmouth Park. Reminder: this year's Breeders' Cup races will be contested over two days.

CALDER RACECOURSE, Saturday, July 7:

It rained heavily in south Florida Friday and Saturday, which took the turf sprints off the grass and made them completely irrelevant to this discussion of top performances. For example, Unbridled Sidney, a top-notch turf specialist, had virtually no chance in the $100,000 Distaff Turf Sprint won by versatile betting favorite Smitty's Sunshine.

Likewise, an argument can be made that the results of all eight of the sprint stakes worth at least $100,000 on the Summit of Speed card were not necessarily true outcomes. Yet, it is hard to fault Black Seventeen's strong front-running win in the $300,000 Carry Back (G2) for three-year-olds at 6 furlongs. That was a blistering display of sheer speed, the kind of speed that will put him into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on Saturday, October 27.

Taking advantage of the sloppy conditions and a favorable weight spread, Mach Ride rallied to win the $500,000 Smile Handicap (G2), while favored speedsters Fabulous Strike and Smokey Stover didn't seem as fluid in the wet going.

In the $300,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (G1) for fillies and mares at 6 furlongs, the winning performance by California invader River's Prayer was a tribute to jockey Clinton Pott's fine handling.

Potts, a vastly underrated California-based jockey who learned his craft at low-profile Penn National racetrack in central Pennsylvania, was enjoying the first G1 victory of his career and his second big win on the card. Potts also rode Black Seventeen in the Carry Back. Bettors should realize that Potts is one of those reliable riders who seldom invites extra play in the pari-mutuels. That is a good reason for astute players to pay more attention to him.

MONMOUTH PARK, Saturday, July 7:

The $750,000 United Nations Handicap (G1) for three-year-olds and up at 1 3/8 miles on the turf.

English Channel, a hard-fought winner of this prestigious turf event last year, scored a relatively easy victory over the six-year-old mare Honey Ryder, who earlier this year finished a sharp second to Jambalaya in a G1 stakes against male rivals at Gulfstream Park. Thus, the three-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher not only won the G1 American Oaks at Hollywood, he also had the 1-2 finishers in this event. The well-regarded eight-year-old gelding Better Talk Now never mustered a serious bid, finishing a disappointing third.

Next week: I will share a few pet peeves about what's going on in American racing and provide updated rankings for all previously listed racing divisions as spelled out in my June 20 column (please see that column in the archives). Stay tuned: Del Mar and Saratoga will be ready to roll out their richly endowed meets in less than two weeks.

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.