Forever Unbridled Rallies Strongly To Win Longines Distaff
| 9th at DMR, $2m | GI Longines BC Distaff | (1 1/8m) | Winner: Forever Unbridled, m, 5 by Unbridled’s Song |
Forever Unbridled | Horsephotos
Charles Fipke’s Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song), who chased home Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) when third in an epic 2016 GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, staved off a late rally from GI Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman (Quality Road) to win the race’s 2017 renewal Friday at Del Mar and complete a perfect three-for-three season.
“I’m just blessed,” said winning trainer Dallas Stewart, who captured the 2001 Distaff with another daughter of Unbridled’s Song, Unbridled Elaine. “She’s such a great filly. A championship was on the line and she’s three-for-three. She ran great and I’m proud of Johnny [Velazquez] and how he rode her.”
Of a rider controversy that will have Fipke paying both Velazquez and Joel Rosario, who had the original call on the mare in the race, Stewart added, “Joel is a great rider and those are two great jockeys, but I’m focused on the horse. She’s had that spacing and she’s been very successful with that.”
Forever Unbridled was racing third-last out of the stretch for the first time as 2016 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Champagne Room (Broken Vow) took them along at what appeared to be a pedestrian tempo, with ‘TDN Rising Star’ Paradise Woods (Union Rags) her closest pursuer.
Forever Unbridled, sixth in the early going, was taken out into about the four path at midway for a clear shot when push came to shove. John Velazquez hit the gas at the three-eighths and the homebred mare showed her trademark acceleration, rolling up outside of a hard-ridden favorite Elate to challenge Paradise Woods for the lead. Shooting to the front from there, she was a bit wayward late, but the wire came in time as Abel Tasman closed well from second-last. Paradise Woods held for third.
“The whole key was I wanted to save ground on the first turn and I was able to do that,” said winning rider John Velazquez. “I got her in a comfortable position where I thought she was going well. At the three-eighths pole I followed Jose Ortiz’s horse [Elate] and all of a sudden she stopped and I had to go a little sooner than I wanted to. I got to the lead a little too soon for me but, I mean, it was perfect.”
Trainer Bob Baffert was proud of the runner-up effort of Abel Tasman.
“Down the backside I was a little bit worried, but down the stretch she tried hard and she ran her race,” Baffert said. “She just got beat by a really good filly today. Dallas Stewart had her ready today and in the paddock, the winner looked like the horse to beat. We’re so proud of our mare. She gave us the biggest thrill winning the Kentucky Oaks and she showed up again today but just came up a little bit short. She ran her heart out but just came up second. Sometimes second is good.”
Jose Ortiz, who finished fourth aboard Elate, said of the beaten favorite, “It was a good race for her. She broke well and we got a good position. She went well all the way around there. But when it came time in the stretch, it just wasn’t there. She ran out of gas. But she’s only a 3-year-old and she’ll come back next year and be even better.”
Stellar Wind (Curlin), the 3-1 second choice in the Distaff, bobbled at the break, but recovered to chase the early pacesetters. In tight quarters nearing the stretch, she was forced to steady slightly before retreating to last.
“We were in a good spot,” jockey Victor Espinoza said of Stellar Wind. “But, today just wasn’t her day.”
Forever Unbridled won last year’s GI Apple Blossom H. and GI Beldame Invitational before her third-place effort in the 2016 Distaff. She had made only two previous 2017 starts, winning the June 17 GII Fleur de Lis H. before tackling champion Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) late in the Aug. 26 GI Personal Ensign S.
“She had an injury, not a bad injury, after the last Breeders’ Cup, and we did surgery on her,” Stewart said of the long layoff. “Chuck could have retired her. She was already a Grade I winner, but it wasn’t severe, and Chuck said, ‘I want to keep going with her, and he did. A lot of people–I mean, nine out of 10 guys, I think, would have retired her. But Chuck, being the guy he is, a sportsman and loves racing, and wanted to see this happen for her, and he did it.”
Pedigree Notes:
Dallas Stewart purchased Lemons Forever for $140,000 as Keeneland September Yearling and trained and co-owned the 47-1 2006 GI Kentucky Oaks upsetter with Willis Horton. Charles Fipke purchased the mare for $2.5 million at the 2007 Keeneland November sale. Her third foal is 2014 GI Ballerina S. winner Unbridled Forever. She produced a filly by Medaglia d’Oro in 2016 and, with no foal reported in 2017, she was bred back to that stallion.
“The night I bought [Lemons Forever] was the night I actually met Dallas,” Fipke said. “The thing is I had looked at all of the mares, and I always like to buy the best-conformed mare, and the best-conformed mare in the whole place was Lemons Forever, who had won the Kentucky Oaks. And just before she sold, they showed a picture of her winning the Kentucky Oaks, and she won by a big margin. I thought to myself, this is going to be expensive. And it was.”
Unbridled Forever produced a colt by Medaglia d’Oro this year and was also bred back to the Darley stallion.
Friday, Del Mar
LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF-GI, $1,840,000, DMR, 11-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:50.25, ft.
1–FOREVER UNBRIDLED, 124, m, 5, by Unbridled’s Song
1st Dam: Lemons Forever (GISW, $648,940), by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Critikola (Arg), by Tough Critic
3rd Dam: Hola Keats (Arg), by Keats
O/B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Dallas Stewart; J-John R. Velazquez.
$1,100,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 17-8-3-4, $3,186,880.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++.2–Abel Tasman, 121, f, 3, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister
2nd Dam: Wheatly Way, by Wheatly Hall
3rd Dam: Family Way, by Cyane
($65,000 RNA Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-China Horse Club
International Ltd. and Clearsky Farms; B-Clearsky Farms (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $340,000
3–Paradise Woods, 121, f, 3, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Wild Forest, by Forest Wildcat
2nd Dam: Uforia, by Zilzal
3rd Dam: Long Legend, by Reviewer
‘TDN Rising Star’ O-Steven Sarkowsky, Martin & Pam Wygod
B-Herman Sarkowsky (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $180,000.Margins: HF, 3, 1. Odds: 3.70, 4.90, 5.30.
Also Ran: Elate, Mopotism, Champagne Room, Romantic Vision, Stellar Wind.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
KEESEP Topper Mendelssohn Scoops the Juvenile Turf For Ballydoyle
| 8th at DMR, $1m | GI BC Juvenile Turf | (1m) | Winner: Mendelssohn, c, 2 by Scat Daddy |
Mendelssohn | Horsephotos
Between the $3-million sale-topping sticker price at Keeneland September and larger-than-life shadow cast by his legendary older half-sister and three-time Breeders’ Cup winner Beholder (Henny Hughes), the expectations couldn’t have been set any higher for Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy).
The G1 Darley Dewhurst S. runner-up lived up to the billing on the big stage as the lukewarm 9-2 favorite in Friday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, sitting the box seat en route to a one-length tally.
‘TDN Rising Star’ and GII Summer S. winner Untamed Domain (Animal Kingdom) was spun wide at the top of the lane after racing far back early and kicked on gamely for second ahead of GIII Pilgrim S. runner-up Voting Control (Kitten’s Joy), who took a multiple-horse photo for third.
“He’s progressed with every race,” winning trainer Aidan O’Brien said of Mendelssohn, who was also pre-entered in Saturday’s Juvenile on dirt. “We were afraid to change him up, so we kept him on the grass. He’s stepped up every time. This is marvelous. It’s been a big team effort this year.”
Hustled along from his rail draw, the bay sat in an ideal spot in third through fractions of :22.83 and :46.87. He popped off the fence to challenge for the lead three-sixteenths of a mile from home and wasn’t for catching in the stretch.
O’Brien was tallying a 12th winner on championship weekend and fourth Juvenile Turf win since 2011. Ryan Moore was riding his ninth Breeders’ Cup winner, having been aboard this barn’s Wrote (2011), George Vancouver (2012) and Hit It a Bomb (2015) previously. This is O’Brien’s record 27th Grade/Group I victory of the year.
Mendelssohn, a debut eighth going seven furlongs at The Curragh July 15, stretched to a mile there with a one-length maiden win as the favorite Aug. 13. A dismal seventh–beaten 33 1/2 lengths–in the G2 Howcroft Champagne S. at Doncaster Sept. 16 was quickly erased with a good runner-up finish at 50-1 behind stablemate and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile entrant U S Navy Flag (War Front) in the Dewhurst with first-time blinkers. Mendelssohn was receiving first-time Lasix for his U.S. debut.
“We always talk a lot of him,” O’Brien said. “His first run he was very green. His second run Ryan [Moore] rode him, and he was very green again. We were a little bit worried to how green he was. Then he went to Doncaster, and the same thing, very green. So when he came back, we decided to put a pair of blinkers on him to see if he could get rid of that greenness, and we did.”
O’Brien continued, “He’s a late foal, so physically he’s very big and strong, and every week he’s getting better. We knew that he was kind of a really American dirt pedigree horse. But we felt we didn’t want to stop the progression, that’s why we left him on the grass rather than putting dirt in on top when he wasn’t ready for it. We had it in our head that if everything went well today, he could be a horse we could train for the [GI] Kentucky Derby. Especially now when we have the Kentucky Derby trials at home.”
Pedigree Notes:
Mendelssohn becomes the first Breeders’ Cup winner for the late Scat Daddy and his dam joins bluehen mares Primal Force (Macho Uno/Awesome Again), Sweet Life (Sweet Catomine/Life Is Sweet) and Hasili (GB) (Banks Hill/Intercontinental) as the only mares in the history of the Breeders’ Cup to produce multiple winners.
“I think it goes without saying we’ve been looking for the next Scat Daddy, because in his short life, he was a great stallion, and hopefully this fellow will do the trick,” winning co-owner Michael Tabor said. “I think one or two people quibbled about his yearling price, which was $3 million, but I don’t think they’re quibbling now. So that in itself is satisfaction. So hopefully he’ll be the next Scat Daddy, but who knows.”
In addition to four-time champion Beholder and GISW and leading young sire Into Mischief, 1998 Hoosier Debutante S. victress Leslie’s Lady is also represented by a Medaglia d’Oro colt of this year. She was bred back to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Clarkland Farm purchased Leslie’s Lady for $100,000 at the 2006 KEENOV sale.
Friday, Del Mar
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF-GI, $920,000, DMR, 11-3, 2yo, c/g, 1mT, 1:35.97, fm.
1–MENDELSSOHN, 122, c, 2, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: Leslie’s Lady (SW, $187,014), by Tricky Creek
2nd Dam: Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music
3rd Dam: One Last Bird, by One for All
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($3,000,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs.
John Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Clarkland Farm (KY); T-Aidan
P. O’Brien; J-Ryan L. Moore. $550,000. Lifetime Record:
G1SP-Eng, 5-2-1-0, $706,652. *1/2 to Judy B (Marquetry),
MGSP, $184,883; Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday), GISW,
$597,080; Beholder (Henny Hughes), Ch. 3yo Filly, Ch. 3yo Filly,
2x Ch. Older Mare, MGISW, $6,156,600. Werk Nick Rating:
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.2–Untamed Domain, 122, c, 2, Animal Kingdom–Ciao, by Lear Fan.
‘TDN Rising Star‘. ($90,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-West Point
Thoroughbreds; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-H. Graham Motion.
$170,000.3–Voting Control, 122, c, 2, Kitten’s Joy–Manda Bay, by Empire
Maker. ($85,000 Ylg ’16 OBSAUG). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.;
B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
$90,000. Margins: 1, HF, HD. Odds: 4.80, 12.80, 9.30.
Also Ran: Catholic Boy, Beckford (GB), Masar (Ire), My Boy Jack, Flameaway, Sands of Mali (Fr), James Garfield (Ire), Rajasinghe (Ire), Snapper Sinclair, Encumbered, Hemp Hemp Hurray. Scratched: Tap Daddy, Pubilius Syrus.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
‘TDN Rising Star’ Battle of Midway Takes Dirt Mile Thriller
| 7th at DMR, $1m | GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile | (1m) | Winner: Battle of Midway, c, 3 by Smart Strike |
Battle of Midway | Horsephotos
Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) outbattled a game Sharp Azteca (Freud) down the stretch to eke out a narrow victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Friday at Del Mar. Let go at a generous 14-1, WinStar Farm and Don Alberto Stable’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ was left no choice but to sit a trip three and four wide for the opening five-eighths of a mile, advanced entering the lane. He engaged pacesetting Sharp Azteca in upper stretch and outfought that one in a stride-for-stride battle to the wire. Awesome Slew (Awesome Again) tracked inside and ran on late for third, just outfinishing Practical Joke(Into Mischief).
“I talked to Flavien [Prat] and we agreed there was a lot of speed in the race,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who was winning his third Breeders’ Cup race and second Dirt Mile, said. “At the break he was able to follow John Sadler’s horse [Accelerate] and got a good position. This horse has always been a fighter and he showed that today. He showed a lot of courage in winning this race.”
Prat was doubling his Breeders’ Cup win tally, having won the Turf Sprint aboard Obviously {Ire}) (Choisir {Aus}) at Santa Anita last fall.
“I let him break and find position and was wide early,” Prat said of his winning trip. “I thought there would be more pace. Then down the backside he relaxed well and gave me a really good kick. He was training really well in the morning.”
Favored Mor Spirit (Eskendereya), making his first start since a towering success over Sharp Azteca in the GI Met Mile in June, had run his race by the time they’d reached the quarter pole and finished well back.
“I was afraid that with Mor Spirit going in that I couldn’t get enough into him,” admitted trainer Bob Baffert, who also saddled Dirt Mile 10th-place finisher Cupid (Tapit). “He just got tired. I was disappointed in Cupid. Maybe it was too short for him. He chased a little bit. If they don’t show up, they don’t show up. I’m happy for Jerry Hollendorfer. I’m a big fan of his, so I’m happy for him.”
Battle of Midway graduated on debut at Santa Anita Jan. 21 for Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm and was third in the Feb. 12 GII San Vicente S. before winning a Mar. 9 optional claimer in Arcadia. In his final outing for Porter, the bay colt was second, beaten a half-length by Gormley (Malibu Moon), in the Apr. 8 GI Santa Anita Derby. Making his first start for WinStar and Don Alberto at Churchill on the first Saturday in May, Battle of Midway came home third behind Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) in the GI Kentucky Derby.
Battle of Midway won the June 24 GIII Affirmed S. and was a troubled sixth in the July 30 GI Haskell Invitational. In his only previous start at Del Mar, the colt romped home a 6 1/4-length winner of the Aug. 26 Shared Belief S. He was coming off a runner-up effort in the Sept. 24 GIII Oklahoma Derby.
Hollendorfer said, “Our horse finally found himself here at Del Mar in the Shared Belief Mile and ran a huge race, winning by six and running a big number. So we felt all along that we could run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile with him liking the racetrack and him looking like he could be a pretty good miler. We used the Oklahoma Derby as a prep for this race, and we got a little bit unlucky in the first turn. He got bounced around, but he still ran a very game race and never gave up. So we never gave up on him either.”
Explaining how the deal to purchase the Derby contender this past spring came about, WinStar’s Elliott Walden said, “[Don Alberto advisor] Fernando Diaz was the one who put it together. Fernando and I have done a few deals together with [Don Alberto principal] Carlos Heller. Fernando called me and said that Jerry Hollendorfer really believed in this horse, and Mr. Porter was selling him, and Jerry wanted to keep him. He felt like he was a really, really good horse. So I called Jerry, and Jerry, we haven’t done a lot of business together, but it’s been a great experience, and we’ll do some more.”
Heller, whose family will be represented Saturday by GI F/M Sprint favorite Unique Bella (Tapit), added, “This has been a dream come true. I love this sport, and I’m absolutely delighted that I have this beautiful partnership, and we’re excited about tomorrow also. Such a beautiful race.”
Pedigree Notes:
Battle of Midway, a $410,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, was giving his late sire his fourth Breeders’ Cup winner and second Dirt Mile success, adding to that of Furthest Land over the Santa Anita all-weather back in 2009.
Mike Repole and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners teamed up to buy Battle of Midway’s yearling half-brother by Medaglia d’Oro for $900,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale from breeders Eric and Pavla Nygaard’s Thor-Bred Stables. The Nygaards purchased Rigoletta for $35,000 at the 2010 OBS April sale and the filly won that year’s GI Oak Leaf S. in their colors. The mare produced a colt by Empire Maker this year and was bred back to Tapit.
Rigoletta’s dam Almost Aprom Queen is a half-sister to the dam of 2011 champion female sprinter Musical Romance (Concorde’s Tune), who, like Rigoletta and Almost Aprom Queen, was bred by Ocala Stud. The O’Farrells’ operation purchased Rigoletta’s third dam Victorious Meg (Soy Nomero Uno) for $20,000 at the 1985 OBS October sale.
Friday, Del Mar
LAS VEGAS BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE-GI, $920,000, DMR, 11-3, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:35.20, ft.
1–BATTLE OF MIDWAY, 123, c, 3, by Smart Strike
1st Dam: Rigoletta (GISW, $184,070), by Concerto
2nd Dam: Almost Aprom Queen, by Montbrook
3rd Dam: Romantic Dinner, by Who’s for Dinner
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($410,000 Ylg ’15 FTSAUG). O-Don Alberto
Stable and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Thor-Bred Stables, LLC (KY);
T-Jerry Hollendorfer; J-Flavien Prat. $550,000. Lifetime Record:
10-5-2-2, $1,249,949. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.2–Sharp Azteca, 126, c, 4, Freud–So Sharp, by Saint Liam.
($35,000 Ylg ’14 OBSAUG; $220,000 2yo ’15 OBSAPR).
O-Gelfenstein Farm; B-Cloyce C. Clark (KY); T-Jorge Navarro.
$170,000. 3–Awesome Slew, 126, c, 4, Awesome Again–Slewfoundmoney,
by Seeking the Gold. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud
(FL); T-Mark E. Casse. $90,000.
Margins: HF, 4 1/4, HF. Odds: 14.20, 2.90, 14.10.
Also Ran: Practical Joke, Iron Fist, Giant Expectations, Gato Del Oro, Mor Spirit, Accelerate, Cupid. Click for the RACE=7&BorP=P&TID=DMR&CTRY=USA&DT=11/03/2017&DAY=D&STYLE=EQB”>Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
fonte : TDN
Mendelssohn victory gives rare insight into O’Brien’s genius
In the aftermath of Mendelssohn’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Aidan O’Brien was asked how he had turned a horse who trailed home last in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster into an international Group 1 winner in a matter of seven weeks. The question prompted Coolmore partner Michael Tabor to interject: “Don’t tell him!”
Well might Coolmore look to keep the secrets of O’Brien’s training regime all to themselves. His campaign keeps reaching new levels of magnificence – he now stands on 27 top-level wins for 2017, with Bobby Frankel’s old world record of 25 receding into the distance and the definition of brilliance being rewritten with each passing day.
It can be hard to understand just what it is that makes O’Brien such a master of his trade. The soft-spoken 48-year-old is quick to deflect praise onto others, peppering his post-race interviews with shoutouts to his team at Ballydoyle, to his riders and to his employers at Coolmore.
For those of us who make a living out of attempting to interpret brilliance, it can make for a difficult time: O’Brien’s reluctance to talk about himself means his genius, and it must be called that, remains stubbornly hard to pin down.
Yet in Mendelssohn’s one-length victory in the Juvenile Turf we were offered tantalising clues to help us understand what it is that makes O’Brien a titan of his sport. Remember: this is a colt who was beaten 16 and a half lengths on debut; who was last of seven, beaten 34 lengths, in the Champagne Stakes less than two months ago.
“We always thought a lot of him, but the first run he was very green,” said O’Brien.
“On his second run Ryan [Moore] rode him and he was very green, we were a little bit worried about how green he was – and it was the same thing at Doncaster, very green. So we put a pair of blinkers on to see if it would get rid of that greenness and it did. In his work he grew another leg.”
A second-placed run at 50-1 in the Dewhurst behind stablemate US Navy Flag revealed to the world O’Brien had managed to transform Mendelssohn into a serious Group 1 contender.
Suddenly ambitions were raised – this son of Scat Daddy was being considered as a Kentucky Derby contender. As such, he was entered in the dirt Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, with the Juvenile Turf as a second preference option. Yet O’Brien, on reflection, went for the turf race, despite still dreaming of the twin spires at Churchill Downs.
“We knew he had a real American dirt pedigree but we didn’t want to stop the progression, so that’s why we left him on the grass as maybe he wasn’t ready for the dirt,” said O’Brien.
Expressed in O’Brien’s self-effacing manner these are two simple decisions: a bit of headgear here, a change of target there. Yet taken together they have led to a Grade 1 win at the Breeders’ Cup with a horse who couldn’t beat a rival home seven weeks ago.
You’ve got to feel sorry for other trainers, really. The other day John Gosden, stood in the barns behind Del Mar, joshed about trying to strangle O’Brien after he won the Racing Post Trophy.
“One way or another we’ve got to get rid of him,” he joked. You can see where he’s coming from.
Of course, O’Brien is not merely deflecting when he heaps praise on his team, who under his direction bring about astonishing improvement in horses and then keep them firing at a high level run after run. And in Moore he has a jockey of rare brilliance too. Mendelssohn’s victory was no bad example of that.
Having been subjected to a rough-and-tumble experience in the preceding Juvenile Fillies Turf on Happily, who broke poorly and couldn’t get a run at this notoriously tricky track – Del Mar’s backstretch has seen more scraps than Madison Square Garden – Moore was taking no chances on Mendelssohn, who burst from the stalls like a coiled spring, tracking Sands Of Mali throughout before taking up the lead just over half a furlong out and quickly stretching into an unassailable lead.
It was a fine, no-nonsense ride that allowed his colt’s talent to do the business, although Moore, like his boss, was never likely to avail himself of the opportunity for self-praise.
“In these full fields breaks always are important,” he said. “The very same things can happen in 14-runner races round Lingfield – they’re sharp tracks and you always need draw and luck.”
Moore described riding in the Kentucky Derby in 2013, when he finished seventh on O’Brien’s Lines Of Battle, as the best day’s racing he’d ever experienced and he may now have another live contender for one of the world’s most famous races.
“He’s a big, strong colt and obviously he’s bred for the dirt,” he said.
“He’s a very talented horse, he travelled round there great. He’s a good horse, he ran a good race in the Dewhurst, and he’s just been a bit slow to get the message in his races. He’s still very much a work in progress.”
As if more evidence were needed, the fates of Europe’s other contenders on the opening day of Breeders’ Cup 2017 were very much testament to O’Brien’s achievements: aside from September, third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, they washed out, succumbing to a mixture of bad luck, tough draws, poor breaks and the sheer quality of the domestic opposition arrayed against them.
fonte : RacingPost
America, Breeders’ day 1: #Mendelssohn vince il Juvenile Turf G1 e regala il 27° G1 ad Aidan O’Brien. Ecco il racconto..
La due giorni americana delle Breeders’ da Del Mar è ufficialmente cominciata nella serata di venerdì, ora italiana, e sono già arrivate le prime indicazioni in ottica europea. Raccontiamo quello che è successo nelle prime 5 corse di livello di apertura:
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Grade 1) (2yo Colts & Geldings) (Turf): Lo sciabordio delle onde di Aidan O’Brien è arrivata anche in America dove ha conquistato la vittoria numero 27 a livello di G1 cominciando con la prova per i 2 anni grazie all’interessantissimo Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) che ha risolto il Juvenile in erba con Ryan Moore in sella per i colori ovviamente del Coolmore, “boostando” la linea delle Dewhurst Stakes G1 nelle quali è arrivato secondo. Il figlio di Scat Daddy (Johannseburg) si è guadagnato automaticamente un posto in razza con questa vittoria frutto del tatticismo del suo interprete che ha posizionato il suo accanto allo steccato e vicino alla testa, producendo una brusca accelerazione per sottrarsi ai serrate degli americani Untamed Domain (Animal Kingdom) e Voting Control (Kitten’s Joy). Degli altri europei il migliore è stato Beckford (Bated Breath), con Masar (New Approach), favorito, solo sesto. Il tempo finale è stato di 1m 35.97s.
Allevato dal Clarkland Farm, fu acquistato da MV Magnier for $3,000,000 alle Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Si tratta di un fratellastro della campionessa Beholder (Henny Hughes), tre volte vincitrice di G1 alle Breeders, e dello stallone Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday), prodotto della fattrice Leslie’s Lady (Tricky Creek).
IL VIDEO DELLA BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF QUI. IL RISULTATO COMPLETO QUI.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade 1) (2yo Fillies) (Turf): Eppure la giornata per Padre Aidan non era cominciata bene nella prova per femmine per i 2 anni. A vincere infatti è stata Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), montata in maniera pulita dal centro gruppo e progressione finale da Javier Castellano. Al secondo è finita forte Best Performance (Broken Vow), altra americana, ma l’Oscar per la sfortuna l’ha guadagnato September (Deep Impact) con Seamie Heffernan che ha perso completamente il break, si è industriata in un laborioso recupero e alla fine ha conquistato solo un terzo posto. Ci ripetiamo come abbiamo fatto in passato. September ha un talento incredibile, in lei vediamo del potenziale da Oaks ma il fisico minuto certamente non l’aiuta. Speriamo possa fare un buon passaggio d’età. Ultima, senza mai essere un fattore, la campionessa Happily (Galileo) che è incappata in una giornata no abbinata probabilmente ad una cattiva digestione del tracciato molto stretto di Del Mar in erba.
La vincitrice è una figlia di More Than Ready (Southern Halo) che funziona per $60,000 alla winstar Farm. Rushing Fall è stata pagata $320,000 alle Fasig Tipton di Agosto.
IL VIDEO QUI. IL RISULTATO COMPLETO QUI.
Nella Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Grade 1) (3yo+) (Dirt) a vincere è stato a sorpresa Battle Of Midway (Smart Strike) a 18/1, per Jerry Hollendorfer ed i colori di una connection molto forte formata dalla Don Alberto Stable & WinStar Farm LLC. Battuto di mezza lunghezza Sharp Atzeca (Freud) e Awesome Slew (Awesome Again), altro a 18/1. Ottavo il favorito Mor Spirit (Eskendereya). IL VIDEO QUI. IL RISULTATO QUI.
Nella Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (Grade 1) (3yo+ Fillies & Mares) (Dirt) a vincere invece è stata la 5 anni Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) per Dallas Stewart con John Velazquez in sella, ed ha battuto l’altra attesa Abel Tasman (Quality Road). Male Stellar Wind (Curlin), ultima. IL VIDEO QUI. IL RISULTATO QUI.
