New York, New York
New York, New York
12 Fillies Do It “Their Way”
Well, we spent the weekend in New York, and what a fantastic weekend it was. We stayed in the New York Marriott Marquis, a hotel right in Times Square, and took advantage of this location to do a whole lot of sightseeing. Oh yeah, we also made it to the track on Saturday, and I gotta tell ya, despite the grandeur of Times Square and the majesty of the Statue of Liberty, I was most awed by the performances we saw in the “Long Island Sprint”, a Grade II Stakes race, 6 furlongs on the fast dirt for fillies and mares 3 years old and up. It was P Davis Bobble Head day, and the equestrian superstar was up on the morning line favorite, Elegy (KY), but would all the hoopla surrounding his special day help or hurt his efforts? That question remained to be answered as the horses approached the gate for the start. No time for more speculation now as the last horse was loaded, and bang, they were off!
At the break Pulprats (KY) went to the front on the inside, followed closely by Quay Dancer (KY) right next to her. On the outside, Minister Of Humor (KY) was a close 3rd, with La Vinotinto right behind her, and Tenpin Touch (KY) was hanging tough on the rail. Doubt Fool was right behind her, followed closely by Falkish (IRE), Broken Prospects (KY), and Creeping Mon (KY). Behind them Elegy, Al Forest (KY), and Dummy And Spit (FL) went to the back. No reason to panic yet, as Elegy was getting the trip she prefers, and Davis was doing a great job holding the filly in check.
Quay Dancer and Pulprats continued to duel for the first 3 furlongs, exchanging the lead a couple of times. At the 3 furlong mark, Quay Dancer began to pull away from Pulprats, having finally won the duel, but from the back, Elegy started her run towards the front, followed by Al Forest. By the top of the stretch, Pulprats was falling behind, leaving the lead to Quay Dancer, but Elegy was charging hard from behind, as were Al Forest and Creeping Mon. As the finish line came in sight, Elegy finally passed Quay Dancer, and crossed the finish line going away, finishing the race in just 1:09 and 1/5, and posting a BSF of 107. Behind her, Quay Dancer held off the charging Al Forest to finish second, and Al Forest just did manage to catch Pulprats, finishing ¼ lengths in front of her and in third place. Creeping Mon was not so fortunate, and finished a length behind Pulprats, in fifth.
The capacity crowd really seemed to enjoy this race, although no doubt many were here to enjoy the Grade I Stakes “The Hand Maiden’s Indulgence”, and they gave Elegy a standing ovation as she made her way to the Winner’s Circle where her owner Chevrolet was proudly waiting. Unfortunately for Buster, his Upset Special, Broken Prospects, finished a disappointing 11th, right where the morning line put her. Let’s see what Buster said about our winners:
Elegy (KY): Elegy has won 11 of 35 lifetime starts, and all these wins have come in sprints. She has placed 3rd or better in an astounding 23 of her 35 starts, bringing home over 300K to her stable. She has not won yet at the Graded Stakes level, and will look to change that today. She is coming off 3 wins in her last 5 starts, and although 2 of those were at the allowance level, she has also posted her best Beyer Speed Figures ever, prompting me to wonder how much better she could get. Look for her to run mid to back of the pack, and fire late down the stretch.
Quay Dancer (KY): This 5 year old homebred mare has won nearly a quarter of a million in her lifetime, and is coming off 2 wins in her last 5 starts, including the Grade II “Dandelion Sprint”. She did not run her first race until January of 2008, but since then she has racked up 6 wins in 13 starts, winning at both the sprints and routes. I’m not sure what prompted her late start, but she has steadily gotten better over the last year. This would be her first win at the Grade III level. She is mostly a front runner, but she has won coming from the middle of the pack before, so I would look for her to decide whether the pace is to her liking, and run where she is most comfortable.
Al Forest (KY): She definitely has the speed to hang with this crowd, although she has not fared so well at the Graded Stakes level, finishing no better than 6th in 4 tries. We will have to see if she can overcome this hurdle today, and to do so, she will have to be at her sharpest. This field is not going to give anything away here. She likes to run from the middle to the back of the pack, so look for her to lay off early, and attempt to make a stretch run.
Congratulations to all the winners and their owners who made the “Long Island Sprint”, a Grade II Stakes race, 6 furlongs on the fast dirt for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, such an exciting and memorable race to watch. For those of you keeping track, Buster’s Upset Special now has a 1-3 2009 record, not too bad, I guess, but I wouldn’t spend too much on them. We’ll see all of you lovely people in week 3903, and until then, take care of yourselves and be safe.