Any Given Saturday Dominates the Haskell at Monmouth

Preview of Three Grade 1 Turf Stakes on Arlington Million Day, August 11th

A Column by Steve Davidowitz
August 8, 2007

Arlington Heights, Illinois, August 8th. When Any Given Saturday was unlucky enough to lose a hard-fought nose decision to 2006 Juvenile Champion Street Sense in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 17th, many horsemen and horseplayers expected him to challenge Street Sense in the Triple Crown races.

Unfortunately, trainer Todd Pletcher had not yet figured out how to win Triple Crown races and watched in disappointment as Any Given Saturday turned in a lackluster performance in the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 7th followed by a weak eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1) four weeks later.

A foot bruise was discovered shortly after the Derby, and Pletcher turned his attention to the outstanding filly Rags to Riches to point her for a possible start in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes (G1). Pletcher reasoned that no horse on earth was better bred for the Belmont than this hugely proportioned filly whose half-brother Jazil had won the Belmont the year before.

When Rags to Riches did deliver an amazing performance to narrowly defeat the dead-game Preakness winner Curlin in the Belmont, the three-time Eclipse Award winning trainer stepped back and something clicked.

What clicked is deeply embedded now in Pletcher's thinking, as he expressed himself after watching Any Given Saturday crush two of the this year's Triple Crown stars, Hard Spun and Curlin, in the $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday, August 5th.

"We came to Monmouth (for the Haskell) specifically to give Any Given Saturday a chance to run over the track that will host this year's Breeders' Cup Classic, " Pletcher said. "We'll now look backwards from the Breeders' Cup Classic (which will be run at Monmouth Park on October 27th) and decide what race or races gets him there with the best chance to run another top effort."

In other words, Pletcher has finally realized that rich races are fine, but only those rich races that will help a top-class, improving horse reach peak form on the day when the sport's biggest rewards are on the table.

That is why Pletcher is leaning negatively against wheeling Any Given Saturday back in three weeks to challenge Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the $1 million Travers (G1) at Saratoga on August 25th. That is why he is looking at a race in mid-September as a bridge to the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

"Winning the Travers would be great, and I won't rule it out completely until I look at the horse more carefully over the coming weekend, but if we do go in the Travers, I'm not sure what the next race would be. I definitely do not want to run him back in the Classic without giving him a chance to recover."

In addition to the Travers at 1 1/4 miles against Street Sense, Pletcher's choices include a pair of races against older horses, the $150,000 Brooklyn Handicap (G2) at nine furlongs on September 16th and the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G2) at 1 1/4 miles on September 30th. Should he come back in the Travers, there will be no question in Pletcher's mind that the horse needs the race to keep moving forward, rather than another rich pot to win, or a shot to take the measure of the Derby winner who beat him in such a close contest five months ago.

As for the details of his Haskell triumph and the performances by Hard Spun and Curlin, who finished second and third respectively, here are some key points.

Curlin was the big disappointment in the Haskell, failing to match strides with Any Given Saturday when that rival came alongside as both were about to overtake Hard Spun entering the stretch. I saw two things that probably contributed to Curlin's third-place finish.

* He looked about 50 pounds overweight in the paddock, as if he needed another workout or this race to propel him towards tip top racing condition.

* While unable to catch Hard Spun in the final furlong, Curlin did seem to perk up nearing the wire and galloped out well past Hard Spun after the finish, further indicating that he may have needed this race badly.

Hard Spun, tracking the pace set by previously unbeaten Cable Boy, took over briefly on the final turn and held relatively well for second while unable to match strides with the winner in a performance that surely should convince trainer Larry Jones that he needs to rethink plans to run Hard Spun in the 1 1/4 mile Breeders' Cup Classic. After the race, Jones said he might run Hard Spun back in the 7 furlong, $250,000 King's Bishop Stakes (G1) on the Travers undercard.

Turning Hard Spun back in distance may prove to be a wise move, but only if Jones uses that race as a springboard towards the newly created $1 million Breeders' Cup Mile that will be run at 1 mile and 70 yards around two turns at Monmouth on Friday, October 26th. From what I saw in the Haskell, Hard Spun will never defeat Street Sense or Any Given Saturday at a classic distance. I also doubt he will be able to handle a fully cranked up Curlin or the older horse, Lawyer Ron.

For his part in the Haskell, Any Given Saturday came out of a pocket entering the stretch to uncork a strong, visually impressive rally to edge past a rallying Curlin before turning on the afterburners to burst into the clear en route to a very fast, 4 1/2-length victory without using up all his reserve energy. The 113 Beyer Speed Figure he earned was the highest rating by a 3-year-old this year. At the bottom line, Any Given Saturday delivered the kind of performance that would give Street Sense and/or a fully cranked up Curlin fits.

There were two other world-class performances in major stakes last weekend:

The 3-year-old filly Dream Rush was a dominating front-running winner of the $250,000 Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on August 4th. She will probably be pointed towards the newly created $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on October 26th but could go instead against male rivals in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on October 27th.

Nashoba's Key, a versatile undefeated 4-year-old filly, was trapped inside through the turn, but came out in mid-stretch to uncork a devastating rally to win the $294,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles on the Del Mar Polytrack. This was the sixth straight win for Nashoba's Key, and trainer Carla Gaines is thinking of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) instead of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff where Rags to Riches might wind up.

Speaking of 'Rags', Pletcher is hinting strongly that he will probably bypass the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga on August 18th in favor of running the star 3-year-old filly in the $300,000 Ruffian (G1) against older fillies and mares at Belmont Park on September 8th or the $250,000 Gazelle (G1) against other 3-year-old fillies at Belmont on September 15th. Her main goal of course is the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff, but many fans of the game are already lamenting her probable absence from the Alabama, or the Travers, or perhaps even the Breeders' Cup Classic. From what we saw in the Belmont Stakes, Rags to Riches can run with any horse in the world, male or female.

Arlington Million Day preview:

On Saturday August 11th, Arlington Park will host three Grade 1 turf events that annually attract international fields - the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds; the $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes at 1 3/16 miles for fillies and mares; and the prestigious Arlington Million, also at 1 1/4 miles, for 3-year-olds and up.

Both the Secretariat and the Arlington Million will offer newly designed 'win-and-you're-in' tickets to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Monmouth Park on October 27th and the Beverly D. will award a similar automatic entry for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. As usual, all three high-profile turf events will match strong American-based turf pros against accomplished contenders from top foreign yards.

The Secretariat - to be run for its 32nd time - seems a paceless race that may resemble a typical European turf event in which the eventual winner will have to kick in at the quarter pole and outfinish a tight pack.

Among the probable candidates are Europe's Admiralofthefleet, who easily won a Group 3 stakes at Chester in May and showed significant promise when fifth against top-flight older horses in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on July 17th. The top American contenders include Lattice and Going Ballistic, the 1-2 finishers in Arlington's American Derby on July 21; Pleasant Strike, the beaten favorite in that Grade 2 prep for this event; and Red Giant, an improving winner of the 1 1/4-mile Virginia Derby (G2) at Colonial Downs on July 21st. Lattice, by the way, is trained by Hall of Famer Billy Mott who has won this race before. Red Giant is trained by the ubiquitous Todd Pletcher.

In the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D., which will have its 19th running on Saturday, the key issue is whether the fleet Citronnade can add a fifth straight graded stakes victory while fending off speedster Jennie R., who could force Citronnade into uncomfortable, rapid early fractions. Should that pace scenario develop, the Beverly D. will probably boil down to a stretch battle between Honey Ryder, Irridescence and Lady of Venice.

Honey Ryder, another high-profile Pletcher-trained horse, was a rallying fourth in this race last year against a slightly stronger field. This year she has won a graded stakes against her own sex while finishing second against top males in the Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup in February and to multiple Grade 1 winner English Channel in the United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park on July 7th.

Irridescence is a 6-year-old world traveler from South Africa owned by America's Team Valor stable, trained by internationally respected Michael De Kock. A winner of two Group 1's in South Africa, Irridescence also defeated two-time Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Ouija Board and a field of world-class males rivals in the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth (G1) last year. This year, she has a pair of seconds in her two outings.

Lady of Venice's strongest credentials include a win in the $1 million CashCall Mile at Hollywood Park in July and a winning history at longer distances in 2005 as a 2-year-old in France.

In the Million, which is being run for the 25th time, last year's winner - the venerable 9-year-old gelding The Tin Man - will be faced with a more competitive pace than he got away with last year. He will also have to deal with the improving stretch runner After Market, winner of the nine furlong Eddie Read (G1) at Del Mar on July 22nd, along with European imports Danak, Pressing and French import Doctor Dino. The latter comes into this race with consecutive third-place finishes to highly ranked Dylan Thomas in the Prix Ganay (G1) at Longchamps in April and to a strong international field in the $1.9 million Singapore Airlines Cup (G1) in Singapore in May.

In addition to the Arlington races, several other high-class turf performers will be competing in the 1 1/2 mile Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga on the same day. In next week's column I will have a review of all four of these important turf races, plus a preview of the Alabama.

Please Note: Steve Davidowitz will be at Arlington Park on Arlington Million Day to sign copies of his popular new book, The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing.

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.