Saturday’s Full BB Roundup: Benchian Fingers Breaks Juvy Filly Record
The action was hot, and the horses were a little faster, on the second day of the 2014 Breeders‘ Bowl on Saturday.
I Won’t Look Back topped off a fantastic season by winning the big daddy of all the BB races, the $5,000,000 Classic. He just missed breaking Ello Guvnor’s record set in last year’s Classic.
But probably one of the bigger stories of both Breeders’ Bowl days was Padrebri Racing’s filly Benchian Fingers smashing the record in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenily Filly on Saturday.
THE CLASSIC — 10 Furlongs 3 YO And Up $5,000,000 FAST
MRLUCKY229 Racing nearly got a BB record when I Won’t Look Back, its three year old son of Malibu Moon, won the $5,000,000 Classic.
After tossing a 120 speed figure in the Grade 1 Jockey Guild Gold Cup in his last start, I Won’t Look Back threw a 118 speed figure in Saturday’s dominating performance in the Classic. He finished the ten furlongs in a time of 1:59.65, just missing breaking the record set by Ello Guvnor last year (1:59.62).
The colt who won this season’s Grade 1 New Yorker, the third leg of the Triple Crown, tracked early leaders Shaguar and Evil Sunrise for about half of Saturday’s Classic, before he made his winning move. He held off a late charge by another three year old, Andrew’s Impact, owned by Sonofaus Racing, to beat that one by 2 ½ lengths.
Lenny271 Racing’s Evil Sunrise got caught up in a pretty wicked duel on the front end with Shaguar early, but the four year old son of Pivotal, who finished second in last year’s Classic, held on for third.
I Won’t Look Back paid $20.80, $9.70 and $8.10 across the board in the Classic. The 1-10 exacta with Andrew‘s Impact paid $244,50, and the 1-10-9 trifecta with Evil Sunrise third paid $2,975.70.
VYZ Racing’s Outback Curium, the longest shot in the Classic at 29/1, finished fourth and Given Racing’s Rhaegar’s Fury picked up the fifth place check.
THE TURF — 12 Furlongs 3 YO And Up $3,000,000 FIRM
Nnovak Racing’s Montjeuelry turned in one of Saturday’s more dominating performances when he coasted to the win in the $3,000,000 Turf.
The four year old scratch-bred son of Montjeu scored his third grade 1 win in four tries this year, when he beat Given Racing’s Superdragon to the wire by 4 ¼ lengths.
Montjeuelry scored convincing wins in the Group 1 King Geoff and Queen Beth in Surrey and the Grade 1 Canada Turf this season on his way to his superlative performance in the BB Turf on Saturday. His seventh win in his 11th career start upped his career earnings to over $4.4 million.
Super1 Racing’s Pleasant Walk finished third, a length behind Superdragon.
Montjeuelry paid $16.80, $8.40, and $6.10 across the board, and the 14-6 exacta with Superdragon paid $127.20, the second lowest exacta payout of the two days of BB races. The 14-6-1 trifecta with Pleasant Walk third paid $1,999.90.
Bacchus Racing’s K’s Fallibilism finished fourth, and Magoo2912’s Nine Two Five picked up the fifth place money in the Turf.
THE SPRINT — 6 Furlongs 3 YO And Up $2,000,000 FAST
It was probably the most thrilling of all the BB races, when the top nine finishers in the Dirt Sprint all finished within three lengths of each other, giving new meaning to the term “blanket finish.”
But the glory belonged to Dixiedotco Racing’s Oristano, who eked out a win in the The Sprint, when he just got up in time to beat Wanderlust II by a nose.
Oristano, a four year old son of Bernardini, rushed up late to just barely win the Grade 1 Iceberg in New York by ½ a length last time out, before his breathtaking win in The Sprint on Saturday.
It looked like Wanderlust II, owned by Lebowski00 Racing, had the $2,000,000 Sprint on the fast dirt course all but wrapped up before the late surge by Oristano dashed his hopes.
Oristano ran the six furlongs in a time of 1:08.84, while Wanderlust II clocked in at 1:08.87. It was the closest margins of victory in all 14 of the BB races on Friday and Saturday.
Lenny271 Racing’s Shades Of Simmer finished third, just ¾ of a length behind Oristano.
For the 4 year old Oristano, the Sprint was his 24th career start, but only the third graded race of his career, giving hope to all those late bloomers out there.
Oristano paid $27.30, $14.50 and $8.70. The 2-1 exacta with Wanderlust II paid $338.20, and the 2-1-14 trifecta with Shades Of Simmer third paid $3,177.90.
Handshobby Racing’s Last Second Heave finished fourth, a length behind the winner, and Knightmare Racing’s Speight Knight was fifth, ¾ of a length behind Last Second Heave.
THE MILE — 8 Furlongs 3 YO And Up $2,000,000 FIRM
Haack Racing got on the BB win board when his three year old son of Frankel, El Gran Haack, squeaked out a 1/4 length win over New Street in The Mile on Saturday.
The son of Frankel owned by Otto Haack made a stunning comeback in The Mile, after he found himself dead last, over 15 lengths behind the leaders halfway through the race.
Bristolred Racing’s New Street beat El Gran Haack in the Grade 1 Canada Mile in the prep for the two colts last time out, when the pair threw 120 and 119 speed figures in that race in Ontario on September 21.
Saturday’s BB race wasn’t nearly as fast, but it was almost an instant replay of that Canada Mile race, when El Gran Haack came from dead last, 15 lengths off the pace there, to just miss beating New Street.
Pointblank Racing’s Excape led most of the way in The Mile on Saturday, hitting the six-furlong mark in a time 1:07.99. But that one was pressed by New Street most of the way. Excape held on for third, two lengths behind El Gran Haack.
El Gran Haack paid $25.90, $14.40 and $9.70. The 12-2 exacta with New Street paid $174.20, and the 12-2-9 trifecta with Excape third paid $1,592.40.
Tees Racing’s Stalking was fourth, just 2 ¼ lengths behind the winner, and MTK76 Racing’s Tearing Down Walls was fifth, just half a length behind Stalking.
F & M Turf — 11 Furlongs 3 YO And Up, Fillies And Mares Only $2,000,000 FIRM
Two 4 year old German-bred Monsun daughters battled for the trophy in the Filly And Mare Turf, with Schauspielhaus getting up by 2 ½ lengths to beat El Nina.
Schauspielhaus, owned by Given Racing, broke from the 11 hole and ran in the three path off the rail for the first four furlongs in the Filly And Mare Turf, before he could clear U Can’t Sea Me and Anna King and get a lead she would never relinquish.
Schauspielhaus ran the 11 furlongs in a time of 2:14.96 and had a pretty easy time of it on Saturday, holding off a late charge by Silversun Racing’s El Nina, who raced mid-pack most of the way before making her final charge at the Given Racing filly.
Praying With Impact, owned by Willyam13 Racing, finished third, 4 ½ lengths behind Schauspielhaus.
Schauspielhaus won her 11th race in 20 career starts. She paid $14.00, $7.60 and $5.90 in the Filly And Mare Turf. With El Nina in the 11-4 exacta, the payout was the lowest ($107.80) of all 14 BB events. The 11-4-9 trifecta with Prayingwithimpact third paid $673.30.
Daniel Racing’s Anna King finished fourth, and Deyoto Racing’s Social Banker picked up the fifth place money.
THE JUVENILE — 8.5 Furlongs 2 YO’s $2,000,000 FAST
While the German-breds were dominating in the Filly And Mare Turf, two Japanese-breds duked it out to finish first and second in The Juvenile.
In fact, Japanese-bred horses finished in four of the top five spots in Saturday’s Juvenile.
But the big winner was Willyam13 Racing’s Hehasneverfailedus.
The scratch-bred son of Symboli Kris S led from gate to wire in The Juvenile, holding off a strong late rush by LGBOST Racing’s Red Dot Sweater to win by ½ a length.
The two colts met last time out on September 27 in the Grade 1 North Fork Stakes, with Red Dot Sweater winning there.
Hehasneverfailedus ran the 8.5 furlongs on the fast dirt course in a time of 1:42.50, tossing a 101 speed figure. He was about 4/10 of a second off the record held by Exbourne’s Cryzig set last year.
Tees Racing’s Raven God, the only non-Japanese-bred colt in the top five in The Juvenile, ran third. The son of Raven’s Pass was just ½ a length behind Red Dot Sweater in the thrilling finish to The Juvenile.
Hehasneverfailedus paid $17.10, $8.00 and $5.90 across the board. The 11-7 exacta with Red Dot Sweater paid $169.50, and the 11-7-4 trifecta with Raven God paid $2,587.30.
Baggio Racing’s Seeking The Empire finished fourth, 1 ½ lengths behind the winner. Balata Racing’s Eden Street finished fifth, a length behind Seeking The Empire.
THE DISTAFF — 9 Furlongs 3 YO And Up, Fillies and Mares Only $2,000,000 FAST
The 17/1 longshot First Degree Bern settled into an easy trip in mid-pack, before she made her winning move on the far turn and held on to beat Kukaa Salama by 2 ½ lengths in The Distaff on Saturday.
The three year old daughter of Bernardini owned by Pleasnttap Racing ran the 9 furlongs in a 1:47.10. She has had a very good time in the BB races in her first two seasons on the track. Last year, she ran second to Bona Vita in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Filly. Then, after a strong win in the 2014 Bluegrass Oaks and a brief flirtation with turf racing in two starts prior to Saturday, she finally scored her first BB win in the Distaff.
Dixiedotco Racing’s Equine Royalty, a three year old daughter of Frankel, finished third in the Distaff, half a length behind Kukaa Salama.
In fact, the top five finishers in the 2014 Distaff were all three year olds.
First Degree Bern paid $36.80. $16.20 and $10.60 across the board in Saturday’s Distaff. The exacta with Kukaa Salama paid $461.30. The trifecta with Equine Royalty third paid $7,926.10. Both the exacta and the trifecta were the largest payouts of the two days of exotic wagering in the Breeders’ Bowl.
Murray1 Racing’s Silver Shot K was fourth, three lengths behind the winner. Super1 Racing’s Lost Girl was fifth.
JUVENILE FILLY — 8.5 Furlongs 2 YO Fillies $2,000,000 FAST
Saving the best for last here.
Well, at least she’s the only record breaker in the 2014 Breeders’ Bowl races.
She’s a scratch-bred daughter of Awesome Again who’s got Seattle Slew and Forty Niner back there in her pedigree. Pretty regal huh? Lots of blue in that blood, huh?
She’s owned by Padrebri Racing, she’s a perfect 6-6 now, and she won over $1.7 million in those six races. Just about everyone (except probably the fillies she was racing against on Saturday) was pulling for her to stay undefeated after the dust settled on the BB Juvenile Filly.
And, Benchian Fingers did exactly that.
She not only won the BB Juvenile Filly, but she beat the stakes record while doing it.
She stalked the early leaders, pouncing on them in mid-stretch before drawing off to win by 1 ¾ lengths, holding off a late charge from Daniel Racing’s Meztli Moon.
Spinround Racing’s Victory Andthe Sin was third, 3 ¼ lengths behind the winner.
Benchian Fingers broke the Juvenile Filly Stakes record set by Miniminus (142.69) in 2012. The daughter of Awesome Again ran the 8.5 furlongs on the fast dirt course in 1:42.62.
Benchian Fingers paid $16.50, $7.90 and $6.10 across the board. The 9-7 exacta with Meztli Moon paid $210.60. And, the 9-7-3 trifecta with Victory Andthe Sin third paid $1,998.20
Gowans Racing’s Sebastopol finished fourth, while Jacklad Racing’s Freesong finished fifth.