Weekly Random Racing Bits: WRRB

Today marks the first day of a new weekly post I have decided to write entitled Weekly Random Racing Bits, or WRRB for short. Each Thursday I will publish my WRRB covering, in no particular order, some of the past week’s racing and industry news. I hope it will be an enjoyable and informative post that will generate lots of feedback and conversation from readers. So without further ado, here is your Thursday “Weekly – double R – B”!

On Friday January 21^st at Gulfstream Park promising three-year-old colt Soldat won not only his allowance race by 10 ¾ lengths, he also won himself a spot on almost everyone’s Kentucky Derby watch lists. His next goal is the Fountain Of Youth Stakes where his mettle will be tested against much tougher competition.

Mucho Macho Man strutted his best stuff on the track at Gulfstream Park Sunday, blazing five furlongs in :59 flat while Black N Beauty breezed a half mile in :49. Both colts are pointing towards the Holy Bull Stakes (Gr.3) January 30^th.

Hopeful Stakes (gr.1) winner Boys At Tosconova will bypass the Holy Bull Stakes this Sunday after missing some training. Trainer Rick Dutrow made the announcement on Wednesday stating that there was nothing wrong with the colt but that it would be “Stupid to rush him.” Even without Boys At Tosconova the Holy Bull Stakes is shaping up to be the strongest Derby prep of the year so far.

On Sunday It Tiz made quick work of her first outing on the Santa Anita turf in the Megahertz Stakes, winning by half a length at odds of 8-1. Race favorite Éclair de Lune, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington, failed to mount a serious rally in the race, finishing 4^th.

Stradivinsky confirmed his favored status in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint on Sunday when the 8-year-old gelding with jockey Julien Leparoux up registered the 14^th win of his career. The 1 ¼ length win was the 5^th win in Stradivinsky’s last 7 starts.

Kathmanblu

Kathmanblu validated the confidence of her legions of fans on Saturday when she won her 3-year-old debut in striking fashion, taking the Sweetest Chant Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths with disdainful ease.  With the win Kathmanblu is off to a great start in her sophomore year and continues to be one of the favorites for her early May goal, Kentucky Oaks.

7-year-old Euroears capped off another fantastic week for trainer Bob Baffert when he captured the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr.2) over Smiling Tiger on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Wilkinson is the newest face on the Kentucky Derby trail after a gritty win in the Lecomte Stakes (gr.3) at Fair Grounds. In a year with several strong and consistent candidates stomping the trail it remains to be seen exactly where this young colt rates on the list but so far I really like this horse. He doesn’t stack up to Uncle Mo, To Honor and Serve, Tapizar or Boy At Tosconova yet by a long shot, but he shares the same last name as my piano teacher and best friend. That must count for something right?

Gran Estreno is like a fine wine, the longer he runs the better he seems to get. With his Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap (gr.3) triumph on Saturday he improved his record to three wins in his last four starts.

The least talked about stakes victory of the week was surely Bouquet Booth’s Silverbulletday Stakes win. Turning in a very game effort, 3-year-old filly Bouquet Booth fought off Daisy Divine at the wire after having opened up 1 ¼ lengths on the field in the stretch, to win by a neck for her second consecutive stakes victory and third consecutive victory overall.

Calibrachoa is the newest weapon in owner Mike Repole’s arsenal. After beind claimed last year, the 4-year-old Calibrachoa has already become a two-time stakes winner for Repole going undefeated in both starts for his new owner. On Saturday Calibrachoa determinedly held off Independence War to win the Toboggan Stakes (gr.3) by half a length.

Martin Garcia is back to racing in the United States after clearing up some trouble with an expired visa. First-call rider for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert before leaving the country 2 ½ months ago, Martin Garcia returns to riding today at Santa Anita.

Uncle Mo

Undefeated 2-year-old Eclipse Champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor Uncle Mo has been assigned high weight of 128 pounds for the 2010 Experimental Free Handicap, the highest assignment of any juvenile since Favorite Trick received 128 in 1997.

And last, but certainly not least, the celebrated 3-time Champion Older Mare and 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta is booked for her first mating with young sire Bernardini. An unexpected and somewhat skeptically received announcement.

Enjoy the week ahead and may all your horses win!

Review: The Weekend’s Biggest Performances

If you had to choose between the Sweetest Chant Stakes, Palos Verdes Stakes, LeComte Stakes and Soldat’s Allowance win which performance would you call the most impressive?

When last we saw Kathmanblu she was flashing across the finish line at Churchill Downs, more than 8 lengths ahead of her closest rival in the Golden Rod Stakes. That performance had her placed on everyone’s Kentucky Oaks radar and trainer Kenny McPeek made it clear that it was his star filly’s goal to run in the spring classic. On Saturday, January 22^nd, Kathmanblu did absolutely nothing to sway those aspirations, giving McPeek and thousands of fans a huge boost of confidence with a sparkling victory in the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Breaking cleanly from the gate in the Sweetest Chant, Kathmanblu was held well off the pace by jockey Julien Leparoux in 5^th position into the first turn and down the backstretch. On the front end War Prospector was winging it over the turf, opening up an 8 length lead down the backside. Approaching the final turn Leparoux got to work on Kathmanblu who responded immediately, moving up on the outside to edge into fourth position. Halfway around the turn Kathmanblu rushed up to third right off the flank of Excited, both fillies closing in quickly on War Prospector. Into the stretch Kathmanblu surged to the lead , opening up two lengths on Excited in a matter of strides. The final margin of victory was 1 ¼ lengths in a hand ride as Leparoux wrapped up on his filly approaching the wire, coasting under the line with ears pricked, the easiest of winners.

This filly makes running look fun and easy. Now she just needs to stay solid and healthy through early May to prove her worth in the Oaks.

Is it just me or does it looks like this year is shaping up to be the year of trainer Bob Baffert? On Saturday Bob Baffert sent out Euroears to capture a dazzling edition of the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr. 2) at Santa Anita Park. Breaking from the gate like a rocket, the 7-year-old athlete surged to the lead, outrunning heavily favored Smiling Tiger to the front end. From there it was pretty much over as Euroears blazed the way with sizzling fractions of :21.56 for the first quarter and :43.47 for the opening half. Entering the stretch  Euroears continued to pour it on, outrunning Captain Cherokee to the wire by 2 ¼ lengths in a winning time of 1:07.23 for the six furlongs.

A very impressive performance for sure especially when you looks at the fractions he set throughout the run. The Santa Anita main track has been playing extremely fast this meet with multiple records falling in the first month so it’s hard to gauge how much is the actual horse’s ability and how much is the tracks contribution. Regardless of those factors Euroears turned in a strong performance and will not go off as a 9-1 shot anytime soon again.

Wilkinson is the newest face on the Triple Crown trail and personally I think it’s a pretty good addition to the already

Wilkinson

talent-laden roster. Entering the Lecomte off a second place finish behind race favorite Justin Philips, Wilkinson showed incredible strength and determination to turn almost certain defeat into a rousing victory.

Pants On Fire lead the field almost gate to wire in the Lecomte, breaking like a shot and seizing the lead down the backstretch while Wilkinson rated just off the pace in fourth. Coming off the turn it was Pants On Fire still holding the lead and running strong with Wilkinson moving into second place on the rail. As they entered the homestretch jockey Garrett Gomez began working on Wilkinson, urging him on for all he was worth, just a length behind Pants On Fire. Inch by inch he worked his way up to Pants On Fire’s flank but seemed to be struggling to gain more ground. With just a matter of strides left to reach the wire Wilkinson suddenly found a new gear and rushed to the lead, winning by a head over Pants On Fire. Past the wire he galloped out more than a length ahead of his rival, looking fresh and full of run.

When a horse shows that much grit this early on in the year I take notice. He may not have beat a stellar field in the Lecomte but it was solid the way he looked in winning tells me he wants to go longer and is capable of giving some top sophomores a run for their money.

Soldat

It may not have been a Graded Stakes race or even a plain old ungraded stakes race, but when 3-year-old colt Soldat ran away from the field in the 9^th race at Gulfstream Park on Friday to win by more than 10 lengths, it was a stakes caliber winning performance. A performance that has now pushed the colt squarely into the Kentucky Derby trail spotlight.

Last year Soldat won the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes before finishing a weakening second in the Pilgrim Stakes (gr.3) over a yielding turf. In his next start Soldat turned in a gritty second place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf behind Pluck after fighting through on the rail to briefly gain the lead.

After his striking 9 furlong allowance victory on a sloppy track Soldat proved he is just as capable of handling the dirt as he is the turf. Now he just needs to prove himself over a dry track against a stronger field and he should get just that in his next planned start, the Fountain of Youth Stakes.

The colt earned an impressive 102 Beyer for his victory at Gulfstream. He has good speed, is able to run on dirt and turf and can go 9 furlongs with ease. Sounds good so far, I can’t wait to see him step up in the Fountain of Youth.