The Across The Pond Stakes
Grade II
A mile and five eighths
Firm Turf
$250,000
Fillies and mares, 4 years old and up
Race ID: 3385.3316
Ascot gives us a field of ten fine fillies to enjoy along with our Breeders Bowl entrée.
FANDEPGROOM’s dam, stakeswinner SULTRY SHIN, was a Deputy Minister product who preferred the dirt, parlaying that preference to the lion’s share of her $299,852 in earnings. Her 4-year-old daughter, however, is a different matter: by Fantastic Light, she has shown ample ability on the green stuff. She has become a specialist in this distance range, with a string of nice allowance and stakes runs stretching back to February, and is ranked 33rd in her classification. She comes in for trainer tenpin8 off a nice Grade 3 score in the Canary Stakes in New South Wales, coming from off the pace to win as the lukewarm favorite. She has the ability, the distance will be no problem, and solid apprentice V Ronica is up. That said, some in here look faster.
DIVINE DIVINITY(IRE) is a 4-year-old scratchbred with a solid turf pedigree [HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE) x PEINTRE CELEBRE (IRE) x IRISH RIVER(FR)] coming in off the Grade 1World Cup Ladies Turf in Ohio. She set the pace in that 2-miler under top jockey B Gulch, but faded badly late to finish seventh. Her recent stakes runs at today’s distance when she could get a clear lead have been quite impressive, however. With WELL WHAT(FR) to her outside, there is no guarantee she will get that clear lead today, but jockey J Dyson will try for trainer shamran5.
The regally bred WEXFORD COUNTY [SADLER’S WELLS x ROBERTO x MR. PROSPECTOR] has been out of the exacta just once, suffering that indignation in her last race, a Grade 2 event in Japan. She has been running 100+ in many of her races including that one, and prefers a style that has her closing from about mid-pack. Futurestar chooses J Wesselman to ride for this race, in which she has a fair chance at 9/2.
JUNK COLLECTOR(IRE), runshilohb’s Perfect Soul 4-year-old, has the look of the now horse. She arrives off a 106 speed number in the 10.5-furlong Perfect Water in Puerto Rico in September. Her deep-closing style has afforded graded stake placings and nice speeds at classic distances on turf the past two years. There’s never a guarantee she will relish the extra 2 to 3 furlongs, however, and with low percentage D Rideout up, she is a vulnerable 3-1 favorite.
Ksparrow11 sends DEPLOY THE BONE over from North Korea at 9-1. She is the lone stakes winner from her bargain sire, Husband, and she has advanced this summer from the starter and allowance ranks to contest a series of long turf stakes. She was seventh and nearly 10 lengths behind WEXFORD COUNTY two back in Japan, and her second in the MIGHTY MS. QUINN Bonanza last out was nice, but not graded quality. She could lay close under P Perren and hope to steal a piece here – those betting her on the win end might have hoped for longer odds.
Woette4 had WELL WHAT(FR) on the dirt until this summer, but oh what a difference the surface switch made. The 4-year-old Dream Well(FR) filly was bred for it, and she responded with three straight wins at this distance range before being beaten less than a length last out in the Timetraveler in South Dakota. She is generally making the pace, so with a 104 and a 100 in her past two, the others will their work cut out to catch her late. Jockey M Van Dam has flashed some ability, so 10-1 looks juicy for this one. A win would vault her out of the 139th position in her classification.
WARRIOR’S MISSLE is one of two 5-year-olds in here, and the mare has done steady if unexciting work in stakes and allowances in this category. She’s topping out about 93 for speed numbers, which is slow for this group, but shows some flexibility in running style that may serve well. Jockey Ja White is having a down year but is usually solid, and nabbs may have a plan to surprise the group at 16-1. With a dirt sire in Cryptoclearance and not much room for improvement at her age, it may not be right to expect a win.
SATIN SMOOTH has a dirt-looking pedigree [SMARTY JONES x MR. PROSPECTOR x DANZIG], and half-brother FINAL THOUGHTS was a graded stakes-winning dirt sprinter. Despite that, this 4-year-old filly seems to prefer the lawn. She looked to be no more than a moderate sort as a two-year-old, lacking more than a maiden win. She took a full year off, and switched to turf for good in 2007. She is riding a six race win streak – that’s SIX races, you hear? – and has taken each added furlong in stride as she marched through her conditions into stakes company. Her last win, in the Heart of Marble here at Ascot, garnered her a 104 speed number and my admiration. The farm304 star will likely be near the middle of the pack early, and she drops J Wesselman for R Williams. At 8-1, she is my pick to win it all.
WESTERN PASS and 16% jockey B Webb team up to try to recreate graded stakes glory for bomber93. She won the Grade 2 Sour Kraut Cup in Queensland in June, but has not had the closing kick to win in four outs since then. She just finished third to FANDEPGROOM Down Under on October 6th, but hopes to make her 0 for 2 dam proud again by recapturing her midsummer form. She is an interesting candidate at 7-1.
GONE OFF SAKE, the outside mare and the other 5-year-old in the lineup, returns to Eurasia after a disappointing trip to the Southland this fall. She was a creditable third in the GOLDEN ROBIN Stakes in Mississippi in September, but had no clear excuse when fifth two weeks ago in a Louisiana stakes. She took the last two thirds of the Australian Triple Tiara in 2005, but then took more than a year off before returning with a slow run in a French allowance this August. Earlyspeed puts T Foster up and hopes her late run can beat the likes of WELL WHAT(FR).