|
| The Cheltenham Festival opens on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. The first race is at 1:30 P M. It is a card of six races. The last race will be run at 4:40 P M. London is five and one half hours behind India. Go to Sportinglife.com and hit the link ‘racing.’ Then click on audio commentaries. You will be able to listen to the racing commentaries. There is also flat racing action in England. Take the time to listen to British announcers and I have no doubt that you will cultivate a batter appreciation of the art of ‘race calling.’ America, England and France have great announcers. Indian callers are excellent and I only wish we had a better sound system. Let us start with Autonomy’s win in the Indian 2000 Guineas. Yes, Dancing Dynamite and Juventus made the finish exciting. There is one fact that I want you to be aware of. It was an unusually fast pace and Richard Hughes kept Autonomy much closer to the lead than he would have wanted. It was a big field and there was no margin for error. Therefore, Autonomy had to expend more energy. A horse that stays several lengths off the pace is a horse that is better prepared to make a good late run and that is precisely what Dancing Dynamite did. Juventus raced a lot better than expected and has thrust himself into the big picture. Now, the argument that Dancing Dynamite will beat Autonomy over 2400 will be advanced. That argument has no merit. In his first meeting this year with Autonomy, Dancing Dynamite had the length of the stretch to get ahead. In the 2000 Guineas, he was making up ground fast and fell short. Yes, Dancing Dynamite came home faster only because jockey Srinath chose to let his mount relax in the early part. It looked like Autonomy was being collared but that does not necessarily mean that over a longer distance, Dancing Dynamite will have the winning move. Autonomy’s rider may employ tactics that will help him conserve his mount’s energy and wait as long as he possibly can. Yes, Dancing Dynamite has come close twice and the third time may be the charm. Autonomy has come out on top in two meetings and it is difficult to find a chink in his armor. Set Alight’s situation is unique. She has been sensational. Her path to the Indian Derby is being choreographed with extreme care. In the Morvi Cup, she was asked for an effort late and her acceleration was out of the ordinary. In the 1000 Guineas, she did only what was necessary. She is special. I will not use superlatives and say the Derby is a formality. There is more to come for Set Alight and she is the top prospect for the big race in April. However, the claims of her adversaries are not to be held lightly. I will make an attempt to speak to Richard Hughes and Chris Hayes. They have busy seasons ahead. They will be riding for strong stables. Sooner than later, we will know what Hughes and Hayes think. A paragraph on what happened in Dubai last Thursday. The third round of the Maktoum Challenge was run. Mike de Kock-trained Asiatic Boy came away triumphant. John Murtagh was aboard. Blue Square, the British betting outfit, slashed Asiatic Boy from 7-2 to 5-2 behind Albertus Maximus for the World Cup on March 28. Asiatic Boy was second to Curlin in 2008 in the world’s richest race. De Kock got training double when Front House took the City of Gold handicap. Kevin Shea rode Front House, de Kock’s Sheema Classic hope. The American star, Albertus Maximus continues to occupy the pride of place in the World Cup field. The son of Albert The Great won the Breeders’ Cup Mile last October on the pro-ride surface. In his 2009 debut, Albertus Maximus was victorious in Gulfstream Park’s Donn Handicap. Bought by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum after the BC victory, Albert Maximus is now being trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who sent out Invasor to win the 2007 World Cup. Unlike Curlin who had a prep race that he won, Albertus Maximus will be put on a plane on March 17 for the trip to Dubai. Trainer McLaughlin has expressed confidence. “Albertus Maximus is fabulous right now. He’s really a neat horse. He does not need a race in Dubai.” Another American horse is bound for Dubai. Indian Blessing, winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies in 2007 and bridesmaid in the 2008 BC Distaff Sprint, will take her chances in the Golden Shaheen on World Cup night. She will take on the boys. The ebullient Bob Baffert who trains Indian Blessing, is never at a loss for words. “If she could talk, she would say, take me to Dubai, I am ready. Put me in, coach. She is doing fantastic and she is coming out of her skin.” Here is news on the breeding front. Storm Cat’s last foal is a filly. The mare is Richwoman by Successful Appeal. Storm Cat was pensioned last year. The peerless Storm Cat is a son of Storm Bird. Storm Cat’s dam is Ter Lingua who is by Secretariat, the Triple Crown champion in 1973. Vertigineux is Zenyatta’s dam. Zenyatta won the BC Distaff last year. Now, it has been reported that Vertigineux is in foal to Henrythenavigator. Henry stands for $65,000. A prolific Grade I winner, Henrythenavigator, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by John Murtagh, won the English 2000 Guineas, the St James Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes in 2008. Henry ran second to Raven’s Pass in the BC Classic in his farewell race. Dermot Ryan, Manager at Ashford Stud, spoke. “We are delighted with the book of high class mares which Henry has attracted. I am glad to report that he has taken to his job extremely well.” Now about future plans. Stardom Bound will not meet the boys in the Santa Anita Derby. As the 2-5 favorite, Stardom Bound won the Oaks by the narrowest of margins. The Ashland Stakes, a Grade I race for girls on Keeneland’s polytrack, is Stardom Bound’s next target. The logical step thereafter is the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs the Friday before the Derby. Mike Iavarone, spokesperson for the group that owns Stardom Bound, explained. “We have to think of her welfare and do what is in her best interest. There is a good possibility she will run her ‘A’ race in the Ashland and then we can set her up for a run in the Oaks.” Friesan Fire is the 5-2 favourite in the Louisiana Derby to be run at the Fair Grounds on March 14. Gabriel Saez will be the jockey. Larry Jones trains Friesan Fire, a son of A P Indy. Friesan Fire has run at the Fair Grounds twice and has won twice. The Risen Star Stakes is his most recent prize. Rachel Alexandra is bound to be an odds on choice in the Fair Grounds Oaks in the same card. Only five fillies oppose Rachel Alexandra. Stardom Bound eked out a narrow win in the Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday. It was Stardom Bound’s toughest race. Trainer Bobby Frankel talked about what was going through his mind. “I thought she won watching the race live. I’m just lucky my heart is strong.” Winning jockey Mike Smith discussed the ride. “It seemed she got lost out there early. We got a terrible trip. We were wide turning for home. At the 16th pole, I thought I could grind them down but very worried. At the wire, she put her ears up and was playing with the pony coming back.” Gio Ponti, a 5-1 chance, lowered the colours of the heavily fancied Ventura in the Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on Saturday. It was Gio Ponti’s first win at the highest level. Christophe Clement trains Gio Ponti whose earnings went past the million-dollar mark. Ventura had the lead with 100 metres left but veered inward for a couple of strides. Ramon Dominguez, rider of Gio Ponti, said, “I was trying to save ground and follow Ventura. My horse is usually on the bridle but they were going pretty quick so he (Gio Ponti) was nice and relaxed.” Garrett Gomez, Ventura’s jockey, paid a compliment to his filly. “She took a couple of steps in. She was creeping around me. I straightened her out. She ran a real respectable race.” Colonel John’s withdrawal did not make Einstein the public choice in Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap. A three-time Grade I winner on grass, Einstein, made a successful debut on the pro-ride surface. The 2000-metre race was run in 2 01.93 seconds. The payoff was $12.00. The Brazilian-bred Einstein is by Spend A Buck out of Gay Charm who is by Ghadeer. Helen Pitts became the first female trainer to saddle the winner of the highly prestigious race. She was emotional. “It is an unbelievable feeling. He (Einstein) means so much to me. It is my biggest win. I may supplement him to the BC and it’s worth it.” Julien Leparoux, the winning rider, spoke about the trip. “We had a good trip. I got him covered up. The race went like we expected. He came running on the last turn and made a good run at the finish.” A contender for the Dubai Duty Free came to light at Randwick racecourse in Australia on Saturday. Tuesday Joy won the 1600-metre Grade I Patinack Chipping Norton Stakes in 1 34.8 seconds. Jockey Corey Brown rode the Gai Waterhouse trainee. It was Tuesday Joy’s fourth Grade I win and she was the even money favourite. Jockey Brown spoke about his mount. “She’s (Tuesday Joy) is the perfect racehorse. I elected to go forward and she got a super run. The further she went, the better she felt.” Her to his De Kock got a training double At Ellerslie in New Zealand, two Grade I races were contested on Saturday. Mac O’Reilly, trained by Dave Haworth and ridden by Hayden Tinsley, beat Sir Slick by a neck in the Sky City NZ Stakes. It was a 2000-metre race on the grass. The 3-1 chalk, Mac O’Reilly has established himself as New Zealand’s premier weight-for-age galloper. Also at Ellerslie, the Grade I Fort Diamond Stakes went to Kaaptan. A maiden, Kaaptan reserved his best to break the duck in a Graded race. Stephen McKee trains the winner who was ridden by Craig Grylls, an apprentice. Kaaptan was an outsider at 11-1. Jockey Felix Coetzee made a name for himself in Hong Kong. He partnered Silent Witness, a winner of many big races in Hong Kong. Jockey Coetzee has gone back to his native South Africa. He will now be stable jockey to Justin Snaith who leads in the training department this year. Coetzee is a three-time champion in South Africa. Sources: NTRA, Blood Horse, Racing Post and TV reports |
| [News Around Archives] |
|
|