Such improvement practically overnight…quick! Somebody tell Andy Beyer! 
:lol:
'Love me some Colonel John, so I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Hot Stuff…but I won’t be holding my breath for G1 greatness I don’t think.
Following the poor effort of Danger to Society in the Holy Bull stakes trainer Kenny McPeek losses him to trainer Rick Dutrow under order by owner Lansdon Robbins.
McPeek said he is “clueless” why the horse ran so poorly. And he is equally as clueless why the horse was taken from him off the one bad race following two victories in as many starts.
“Dutrow has been (Robbins’) go-to guy for a long time,” McPeek said. “We will be fine. I’m more motivated than ever.”
This Saturday (2/7) will be a key graded-stakes West Coast prep race too with the Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita … the field, post-positions, etc
$200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes - Grade 2
Feb 7, 2009 at Santa Anita
Race 8 scheduled at 4:07 p.m.
Distance: 1 1/16 Miles
Surface: Pro-Ride/Synthetic
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
- Bittel Road (KY), 122, John R. Velazquez
- Pioneerof the Nile (KY), 122, Garrett K. Gomez
- Papa Clem (KY), 115, Rafael Bejarano
- I Want Revenge (KY), 115, Joseph Talamo
- Mark S the Cooler (KY), 115, Corey S. Nakatani
- Oil Man (IRE), 115, Mike E. Smith
- Brother Keith (KY), 115, Tyler Baze
- Shafted (KY), 117, Joel Rosario
- Charlie’s Moment (FL), 117, Jose Valdivia, Jr.
I Want Revenge, ‘Pioneer’, and Brother Keith are going to be tough.
Previously mentioned as a possible starter was ‘All Saint’ the $3,000 purchase who won the California Breeders Championship the day after Christmas. Well I missed it but he actually raced on Jan 24th in the Sunshine Millions Dash Stakes. He finished 6th.
Not Bittel Road? We’re about to get a heavy rain Thursday and Friday, so mud will be a factor.
[QUOTE=justalittlex;3859034]
Not Bittel Road? We’re about to get a heavy rain Thursday and Friday, so mud will be a factor.[/QUOTE]
‘Mud’ at Santa Anita for the Robert Lewis Stakes? Or do you mean a sloppy mix of wet Pro-Ride? I thought that the manufacturers (and the CHRB) were singing the praises of synthetics being great with water
Across the nation to the East Coast will be the ungraded prep, the Whirlaway, which will give an indication of who will next enter into the Grade 3 Gotham on March 7
$100,000 Whirlaway Stakes (ungraded)
Feb. 7 at Aqueduct.
Race 8 off at 3:49 p.m. EST
Distance: 1 1/16 Miles (Dirt)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
- Haynesfield (NY), 122, Ramon A. Dominguez
- Hehasnosay (KY), 118, Eddie Castro
- Peace Town (MD), 120, Julian Pimentel
- Mike From Queens (KY), 118, Rajiv Maragh
- Zooger (KY), 118, Channing Hill
- Cellar Dweller (KY), 118, A. R. Napravnik
Also worth noting if indeed a filly will be entered into the Kentucky Derby this year …Stardom Bound races Saturday too still under her trainer - Bobby Frankel - for new owners IEAH but will transfer to Rick Dutrow at some point.
$300,000 Las Virgenes Stakes - Grade 1
Santa Anita on the synthetic surface
Race 6 - off at 3:05 p.m. PST
For 3-Year-Old Fillies
Distance: 1 Mile
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
- Navigator (KY), 116, Victor Espinoza
- African Skies (GB), 116, Joseph Talamo
- Century Park (FL), 118, Tyler Baze
- Nan (KY), 116, Corey S. Nakatani
5. Stardom Bound (KY), 122, Mike E. Smith - Haka (KY), 116, Rafael Bejarano
- Saucey Evening (CA), 118, Garrett K. Gomez
- Toro Bonito (KY), 116, John R. Velazquez
- Pinkarella (KY), 116, Joel Rosario
Another highly touted runner - Patena - who was the runner up to ‘Fire’ in the LeComte Stakes (Grade 3) and a majority stake was sold to IEAH is going to start next in the Louisiana Derby (Grade 2) March 14 .
Old Fashioned having just arrived at Oaklawn Park from the Fair Grounds put in his first workout there this morning (Thur Feb 5) and showed why he’s one horse to be down right scared of - in a good way!
DRF 2-5-09 “Old Fashioned has sharp Oaklawn work”
Old Fashioned skipped over Oaklawn’s main track in his first local work on Thursday morning, when he breezed a half-mile in 48.40 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.80.
“Apparently, he’s getting over the track very well,” said Larry Jones, who trains Old Fashioned for Rick Porter. “This was good. He’s dead-fit. He’s ready.”
Just his gallop time at 5F would’ve ranked him 1st of 8 horses at Oaklawn!
He should rock the house when he starts Feb 16th in the $250,000 Southwest Stakes (Grade 3) and put the rest of this Derby class on notice.
The Malibu Moon babies (Pinkarella, Au Moon) are all drawing outside this weekend. Is this some kind of lunar event?
(I need to check on Babamoon’s post position in the WEBN S.)
Ouch is Square Eddie off the Derby trail?
"]He’ll be sidelined for at least month but its a very crucial month with development and prep races.
Paul Reddam’s Square Eddie, winner of the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) and runner-up in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), will be sidelined for about 30 days with a sore left shin, Reddam said Thursday.
Square Eddie was scheduled to make his dirt debut in the Feb. 16 Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at Oaklawn Park.
[Reddam]: "“This horse was training like no horse we’ve ever had. Doug said we can still try and make the Derby if we can get a prep in him. We were talking about giving him about 30 days, which makes it very tough. We just don’t know at this point. "
Highly thought of Dunkirk is not likely to burst into the Derby picture with a high profile start like the Florida Derby next time out:
Trainer Todd Pletcher said he was planning on taking the conservative route with Dunkirk and will look for an allowance race for his next start rather than thrusting the promising colt immediately into stakes company.
“I just don’t think it would be fair to toss him right in with horses who have already run five or six times off just his maiden win,” said Pletcher who will be at Santa Anita to saddle horses in three stakes on Saturday.
Here, here for Todd’s remarks!
Interesting insight from Larry Jones in regards to his horses who are early leaders for the Kentucky Derby: NOLA Feb 6, 2009 "Down to the Wire
But Jones still has two promising 3-year-olds – Lecomte winner Friesan Fire and It Happened Again – to run in the Grade III Risen Star on Saturday at the Fair Grounds
“I think Friesan Fire and It Happened Again are as good at this stage of the year as the other (Kentucky) Derby horses that I’ve had,” Jones said. "Old Fashioned is ahead of the curve. . . . I do rate Old Fashioned ahead of them a little bit – three or four lengths – but at this time of the year, three or four lengths can be made up by maturing. Friesan Fire and It Happened Again are very equal."
I wonder if Larry thinks that Old Fashioned has developed as much as he can for now with only a next step being taken with time - i.e., mid-summer
In the Whirlaway Stakes at the Big A it was yet another victory - with strong confidence - by Haynesfield. He did it with a 6 1/4-length victory over ‘Cellar Dweller’ then ‘Mike From Queens’. This was his 4th victory in a row and he looks strong for the March 7th Grade 3 Gotham.
Edited - correction with the finish
I didn’t think Stardom Bound or Pioneerofthe Nile looked astounding in their wins today, but I’m a novice. I’m watching the Pamplemousse.
[QUOTE=justalittlex;3866577]
I didn’t think Stardom Bound or Pioneerofthe Nile looked astounding in their wins today, but I’m a novice. I’m watching the Pamplemousse.[/QUOTE]
Stardom Bound was jammed up with traffic so some excuses yet I think the 2nd filly, Haka in that race - whose effort received little commentary - was more impressive with the late rally and just losing by 1 1/2 lengths. IMHO Mike Smith was celebrating the win way too early at the wire. Rewatch the replay and he’s ready to high-five anyone just prior to the wire. I bet he never saw Haka flying like an F-16 upon them … had that been at 1 1/4 in distance Stardom would’ve been overtaken by Haka.
Looking back I recall Sweet Catomine as being vastly more impressive against other females and despite all the drama and backstory to her ills before the Santa Anita Derby, was a better candidate for taking on the boys.
I was a little shocked when Bob Baffert was asked about trying Pioneerof the Nile on dirt before the Kentucky Derby and he said “no”. Sorry West Coast folks but synthetics and dirt are not the same and more horses sink then swim when faced with dealing with kickback of dirt from other horses for the first time. Pioneerof is not a front running horse so he’ll be taking a fair amount of dirt for the first time.
Same issue with no dirt exposure will dog The Pamplemousse.
Pioneerof the Nile is the best 3 yo in this country IMO.
401 3-yr old Early Triple Crown nominations for 2009 (vs. 449 last year) which just means the $600 fee was submitted There is a second late deadline on March 28, but the fee goes up to $6,000 then.
(Each year, there are usually about a dozen late nominees.)
Complete listing here from the Daily Racing Form: PDF file - 2009 Triple Crown Nominations with best Beyer Speed Figs listed
Stardom Bound is one of four fillies nominated to this year’s Triple Crown, along with Abound, Laragh, and Sky Diva.
Worth pointing out - as the NY Daily News cited - is that the easy winner of Saturday’s $107,600 Whirlaway Stakes at the Big A was misspelled in the early TC nominations
Earlier in the afternoon, the 2009 Triple Crown nominations were released, with Haynesfield spelled incorrectly as H-E-Y-N-E-S-F-I-E-L-D.
Haynesfield may start next in the Grade III Gotham Stakes, run at the identical mile-and-a-sixteenth distance as the Whirlaway, on March 7 over the inner-dirt strip where he is now 3-for-3.
“He does everything right,” Sheets said. "He’s very easy to deal with. He does the right thing. He’s very determined. When horses get away from him, his ears come right up.
“We’ll see how it comes out of it. (The Gotham) is a likely distance, likely race, but we’ll see how he’s doing over the next few days and weeks.”
In the Gotham, Haynesfield may face his biggest task yet, as he’ll likely meet the undefeated Mr. Fantasy.
Sorry folks but no repeat of Clarence Scharbauer Jr.'s Alysheba in 2009 with his Indygo Mountain being pulled off the Derby trail following his Risen Star Stakes run. From Bistnet 2-8-09
One Risen Star alumnus definitely not going on to the Louisiana Derby is seventh-place finisher Indygo Mountain (A.P. Indy), who has been declared off the Triple Crown Trail. The Clarence Scharbauer Jr. colorbearer came out of the race well, but trainer Bret Calhoun has concluded that the colt needs more time to develop.
“We have no excuses,” Calhoun said Sunday morning. “We had a good trip yesterday. We just need to regroup with this horse. He had some problems earlier this winter and we need to take some time with him now. It doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for the big dance. He needs to freshen up a little bit. Luckily, Mr. Scharbauer has the other horse to keep his hopes alive this spring.”
As an aside those who were looking closely would note that Risen Star winner Friesan Fire wore red and white colors of Fox Hill Farm as he did in the Lecomte Stakes as well. However the co-owned horse with Vinery Stud wore Vinery’s colors in his allowance victory in December. He’ll wear Fox Hill’s colors in his next start March 14th: the Grade 2 $600,000 Louisiana Derby.
Props to the Louisville Courier-Journal’s Camille Weber with her creative and cute illustrations that go with this week’s Top 12: PDF format Courier-Journal ‘The Derby Dozen’ for Feb 8, 2009"
It includes a ‘Just the Facts’ box for each
Love the illustrations by Camille Weber.
Oddly some folks are suggesting the most impressive race this past weekend was Stardom Bound in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes - maybe they were watching another race?
There seems to be a tremendous amount of urging to get her to the Kentucky Derby but I don’t see it myself. How lackluster statistically was that victory in the Las Virgenes: try just a Beyer Speed Fig of 84 and that was after she worked for it with the win.
By comparison Haynesfield was credited with a 90 BSF in the (ungraded) Whirlaway Stakes.
Bobby Frankel who still trains Stardom for IEAH said next she was going into the Grade 1, $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks on March 7. Other connections have suggested then possibly the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4. So plenty of chance to see if she really has the grit to make a KY Derby effort worth it.
I hear you, Glimmerglass. She’s a very pretty horse, and with the straight wins and Mike Smith, you think Zenyatta 2. But Zenyatta is a huge horse, and Stardom Bound didn’t look that big or determined to me, just based on standing there and looking…
