Big Race Recap 3392
Only two grade one races last week and the favorites did pretty well last week. Form really held true in the Millwood, and the filly mare turf sprint was as competitive as it looked on paper.
Race: 3392.5410 Millwood Cup – Grade I – $3,000,000
Track:
Restrictions: All horses, 3 years old and up
Distance: Two miles on the Turf
Well form held true as the top three favorites finish in the top three. Total Chaos took advantage of a lack of pace and cruised to victory. Total Chaos had not been setting the pace recently but when the gates opened and he broke well there he was on the lead. Once on the lead he relaxed and kept increasing his lead. He was going along easy and had a three length lead one mile into the race. He put the pressure on from there pushing his lead to nearly eight lengths. He would not be threatened in the stretch striding out to a four length victory.
Band of Budas was toward the back in the early stages of the race ten lengths back early and fifteen lengths off at the half way point. He was one of the few that had a little kick for the drive home and he started to gain ground on the pace setter while passing rivals. He had worked his way into fifth position near the top of the stretch and closed a bunch of ground in the stretch getting second in mid stretch finishing four lengths behind the winner.
Gold Doors was just in front of Band of Budas in the early stages. He was nearly thirteen lengths behind at the one mile mark of the race. Gold doors moved up through traffic to fourth before the top of the stretch. From there he started to make up ground on the pace setter but not as quickly as Band of Budas. He did not have a response when Band of Budas passed him in mid stretch but he would stay on the hold third six lengths behind the winner.
Race: 3392.3616 Triptych Memorial – Grade I – $500,000
Track:
Restrictions: Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up
Distance: Six furlongs on the Turf
Ganglord stalked the early pace and pounced her way to victory. Ganglord returned to her glory of winning the Equinics as a young three year old by winning her second career grade one. When the gates opened she had a good position sitting fourth outside the speed by a couple of lengths. Around the turn for home and into the stretch is where she won the race by closing the two length gap and taking a one length lead into the stretch. The runners on the lead she passed did not kick on so all she had to do was hold off the closers. Her jump gave her a huge advantage and the closers would not get close until the last jumps as she won by a length.
Buda for a Day is usually a runner that runs close to the early pace. She is usually the stalker but today when the gates opened she was thirteenth with one runner beat. She was nine lengths off the early pace before she decided it was time to make a move. Fro there she closed the gap pretty quickly but she had given up too much ground in the early stages. She would make up eight lengths in the stretch with a lightning quick move to finish second.
Dance Seeker was one of the favorites coming into the race. She ran her race but today it just was not good enough for the win. She broke well and established her early stalking position. She four lengths behind the early speed in good position. She made a mild move on the turn getting to third position and briefly holding second in the stretch. She could not make up ground on the winner in the stretch matching strides with her. She got caught late for second so had to settle for third two and a quarter lengths behind the winner.