Big Race Recap BB Turf Races
Some very impressive performances on the turf this past weekend none more impressive than the three year old filly Culinary Cutie who took the boys in the Mile. Lex Luthor establishes himself as top dog in the long turf division and Magical Mia turns in a dominating performance. Mr Devious held sway in the Sprint.
Race: 3385.0914 Breeders Bowl Turf – Grade I – $2,000,000
Track:
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old and up
Distance: A mile and one half on the Turf
Lex Luthor takes the Turf in wire to wire fashion in the midst of a great season of racing. Lex Luthor did appear to be the best front runner coming into the race as well as the biggest threat to
This was Lex Luthor’s fourth grade one win this year and adds to an impressive list of prestigious wins for him. He has won the Derby de English, The Owner’s Stakes, The Japan Cup Classic, The Ark de Triumph and now the Breeders Bowl Turf. He was second last year in the Ark de Triumph and Breeders Bowl and turned that around this year. A great season and career thus far for Lex Luthor.
Ottoman Turks is one of those runners that seems to do his best on the lead. In his last two he has found himself pressing the early lead and hanging on well in the stretch. He broke well and was close to Lex Luthor in the early stages applying pressure. Once Lex Luthor moved away Ottoman could not keep up. He stayed on well in the stretch although not gaining any ground to hold on to second. He would finish three and a half lengths behind the winner and a quarter length ahead of
A glorious career is probably near the end for
Race: 3385.0912 Breeders Bowl Turf Distaff – Grade I – $1,000,000
Track: New Jersey
Restrictions: Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up
Distance: A mile and three eighths on the Turf
Magical Mia was true to her name. Her run was truly magical as she dominated a group of very good runners with an awesome time and speed figure. The trend for this race really does seem to hold up year after year. The fillies that run in the longer distances during the year tend to beat up on the fillies that run at a mile and a quarter. This back to back big time performances in big events.
Magical Mia was truly awesome today. She found her self in the first pack of runners off the pace sitting fifth about four and a half lengths from the pace setters. Coming off her last race at two miles she had plenty in the tank as the field round the turn and into the stretch. She pushed forward around the turn taking the lead at the top of the stretch. She accelerated through the stretch spurting away from rivals as her lead grew. She would romp home to win by four and a quarter lengths earning a 115 speed figure.
Nerf Herder was another mare that had been running at longer distances coming into this race. She had won a grade one two starts back and just missed at the World Cup coming into this race. Today she stalked the pace setter from third about two and a half lengths behind the early pace. She too moved up around the turn for home and was battling Magical Mia for the lead rounding the turn for home. She just did not have the same kick in the stretch as her rival but stayed on well enough to hold second from the late charging Kneel Before Zod.
The three year old Kneel Before Zod really ran a good race. She too had mostly been racing at longer distances coming into the race. She is a deep closer so she was next to last in the early stages more than fifteen lengths off the early pace. She really made a good drive for home once she got clear of traffic and gained a bunch of ground in the stretch. She just came up short of catching Nerf Herder at the wire finishing third four and a half lengths behind the winner a quarter length from Nerf Herder.
Race: 3385.0910 Breeders Bowl Mile – Grade I – $1,000,000
Track: New Jersey
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old and up
Distance: One mile on the Turf
Three year old fillies beat up on their male rivals. It was not the more noticeable of the three year old fillies in the race but twenty-three to one Culinary Cutie shocked them all going gate to wire earning a most impressive 118 speed figure. Culinary Cutie came into the race off of solid efforts at the mile and an eighth distances. Earlier in the year she had won a couple of graded mile races but was opted to cut back to a mile for the Breeders Bowl.
Culinary Cutie broke from the gates very well and was allowed to settle into a half length lead early She stretched that to more than a length by the half way point and as the field started to make the turn for home Culinary Cutie was picking the pace up and no one was really gaining any ground. She took a three length lead in the stretch and made that stand up as she powered home winning by two lengths at the wire in maybe one of the most impressive performances of the day.
Sip of Saki was the only elder male to make an impact in this race. He did his thing sitting mid pack in the early stages of the race. He was almost seven lengths behind the early pace at the half way point where he started to pick things up. He was still almost six lengths back at the top of the stretch but made a big run through the stretch to wrestle second from another three year old filly in the late stages of the race. He finished two lengths behind the surprising Culinary Cutie.
Earning third was another three year old filly Torch the Flame. Torch the Flame had been very good in mile events coming into this race winning three straight against her own sex. She stalked the early pace in the race from fourth position. She was just three lengths behind the winner at the half way point and moved into second around the turn for home. She was not gaining ground on the winner in the stretch but was managing to nearly match strides. She lost second in deep stretch finishing third three lengths behind the winner and more than two lengths better than fourth place finisher Hail Cesario.
Race: 3385.0905 Breeders Bowl Turf Sprint – Grade I – $750,000
Track: New Jersey
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old and up
Distance: Six furlongs on the Turf
A favorite finally wins a race as Mr Devious scores a quarter length victory. Four year old Mr Devious really has put together a strong year sprinting on the turf. Today he was up on the pace pressing the early pace setter. Around the turn for home he had wrested the lead from Digging the Grave and was set down for the stretch run. He started to edge away from the field but Cronus was just getting geared up from the back. Mr Devious was tiring in the late stages after the fast pace just holding on at the wire by a quarter of a length.
Cronus was near the back of the pack in the early stages. He was more than nine lengths behind the early pace in the race. He had moved up a bit around the turn for home but really kicked into high gear for the stretch motoring past runners making up six lengths on Mr Devious. He would just miss late having to settle for second. Cronus had really done well in the longer sprints and if he had a little more distance here probably would have won.
Seekin Destroy was sitting mid pack in the early stages of the race. He was eighth more than four lengths behind the early pace. He made a move forward and gained a couple of positions on the turn. He opened up in the stretch but could not catch Mr Devious through the stretch and lost second in the late stages to Cronus. Seekin Destroy has been a seven furlong specialist and did well with the cut back in distance.