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“It will be great rocking chair talk with Julie, my wife. It is a significant accomplishment made possible by opportunities and hard work by other people,” Asmussen commented.
The Arc Trial over 2,200 metres was the feature at Newbury on Friday. Newbury, Ascot and Windsor are close to one another outside of London. Doctor Fremantle and Ryan Moore earned a photo verdict over Look Here and Jim Crowley. Doctor Fremantle’s win had a two-fold significance. Friday was jockey Moore’s birthday and the race marked the 150th win in 2009 for the British champion.
Campanogolist set the pace and Look Here, the 2008 Epsom Oaks champion, tracked the leader. Moore had the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Doctor Fremantle held up. Look Here, after a duel with Campanologist, began to assert herself with 600 metres to go. Moore produced his mount as Look Here was shaping like a winner. In the dash to the wire, Doctor Fremantle got his head in front. That was the third win in a Group race for Doctor Fremantle, a son of Saddler’s Wells.
Ryan Moore spoke. “He (Doctor Fremantle) has won three lesser Group races this year. He is a rock solid Group II horse and nearly a Group I. He keeps trying for you. He does well in photos, this horse. I just wanted to get him covered early.”
Soul Warrior is the 2-1 morning line favourite in the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs to be run today. The $750,000 event has attracted seven runners. It is over 1,800 metres on dirt. Soul Warrior, a Steve Asmussen trainee, was the upset winner in the West Virginia Derby in early August. Soul Warrior, a son of Lion Heart, will be ridden by John Velasquez. Regal Ransom, from Saeed bin Suroor’s yard, is the 5-2 second favourite and has a resume that merits a long look.
Trainer Asmussen explained his trainee’s progression. “We liked him all winter. He did not put it together until lately. We fired a splint after the Louisiana Derby, gave him a little time. He ran gangbusters in a first level allowance, was second in the Iowa Derby and got really lucky in the West Virginia Derby.”
Woodbine has two high profile Graded races this weekend. Ten horses go in the $750,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes over 2400 metres. Just As Well, from Jonathan Sheppard’s barn and to be ridden by Julien Leparoux, is the 5-2 choice. Just As Well ran second to Gio Ponti in the Arlington Million. Marchfield, yet to win a Grade I race, is one of Canada’s better grass horses. Patrick Husbands rides the Mark Casse-trained Marchfield who comes off a win in the Sky Classic stakes. Champs Elysees, winner of the Northern Dancer in 2008 and second to Marchfield in the Sky Classic, will take his chances too.
The other Woodbine attraction is the million-dollar Woodbine mile. Rahy’s Attorney won this race last year and he is a 9-2 chance. Ten run in the Grade I turf race. Slade Callaghan rides Rahy’s Attorney. Ian Black, trainer of Rahy’s Attorney, spoke. “I suspect that they’ll break the record. It is firm. My horse showed this spring he can handle a firm track. He set a track record himself.”
The Woodbine record stands at 1 32.72 for 1600 metres.
Bribon, a New York invader and winner of the Metropolitan Handicap, has been entrusted with the favourite’s role. Ventura, successful in the Breeders’ Cup last year, lines up. The winner of the Wodbine Mile gets a berth in the BC Mile Turf.
Midshipman, a son of Unbridled’s Song, won the BC Juvenile in October last year. The Godolphin-owned sophomore made his 2009 debut in an allowance/optional-claiming race at Belmont Park on Friday. A 9-5 chance, Midshipman was ridden by Richard Migliore. Midshipman stalked the pacesetter and struck the front midway up the lane though drifting in the last 200 metres. The margin was three and one half lengths in a time of 1 15.83 for 1,300 metres. Midshipman has now won four races in five outings and Friday’s win was his first victory on dirt.
Rick Mette trains for Saeed bin Suroor in the US. He was delighted. “What his next race is, we’ll figure it out. We felt we were sending out a fit horse. He lay close to a 44 3/5 half and I was surprised. He was pretty sharp. Richie (Migliore) said he was not rank, just a bit keen and Richie said he was hesitant about fighting him.”
The Keeneland September yearling sale has shown a downward trend in all categories. The first seven-figure sale was in the case of an Unbridled’s Song filly bought by John Ferguson for the Godolphin establishment. The filly is out of Strawberry Reason by Strawberry Road.
Pioneer Of the Nile will stand at Dr Tom Simon’s Vinery. By Empire Maker out of Star of Goshen by Lord At War, Pioneer Of the Nile, trained by Bob Baffert, raced for the Zayat Stables. The Santa Anita Derby was one Pioneer Of the Nile’s biggest wins. He had a record of 5-1-3 in 10 starts for earnings of $1,634,200.
Tom Ludt, the Vinery manager, welcomed the addition. “He is a horse we have admired for a long time. We love his record and his pedigree.”
Gone West has been euthanized because of complications following colic surgery. He was 25. The plan was to pension Gone West end of this year owing to declining fertility. Gone West was a strong representative of the Mr Prospector line. His dam was Secrettame by Secretariat.
A Grade I winner at three, Gone West won the Dwyer, the Gotham and the Withers in 1987. He won six times for earnings of 682,251. Da Hoss, Johar, Speightstown and Grand Slam are prominent Gone West offsprings. In Europe, Zafonic and Royal Abjar held the flag aloft. I will be remiss if I do not mention Mr Greeley, Elusive Quality and Proud Citizen.
There is a compromise in the Australian whip question. The Australian Racing Board had a rule that jockeys could use a (padded) whip with a forehand action no more than seven times in the last 100 metres and not in consecutive strides. The jockeys protested.
After negotiations, the rule has been amended. Now a rider can use the whip seven times inside 100 metres but at his discretion. Damien Olivier, a leading rider, commented. “This will give us greater discretion. There are only 12 strides in the last 100 metres and we can now use the whip for seven of them.”
The padded whip concept is to mollify critics and animal welfare activists.
The Centaur Stakes, a 1200-metre Grade II race, was run on Hanshin Racecourse in Japan last week. Hanshin is a right-handed track. The Centaur Stakes was a grass race. Ultima Thule, a 9.6 to 1 chance, was the winner. Masami Matsuoka rode. Masashi Okuhira was the winning trainer. The time was 1 07.08 seconds. The Centaur was the fifth leg of the Global Sprint Challenge that has eight races. Australia holds two, England hosts three, Japan runs two and Hong Kong has one. In Japan, the other race in the series is the Sprinters’ Stakes.
This is a ‘must report’ item. Linda Rice has become the first female trainer to win a major meeting title anywhere in the world. Trainer Rice edged Todd Pletcher out 20-19 at the recently ended Saratoga meeting. Rice had only 75 starters and Pletcher, a six-time Saratoga champion, had 135 entrants.
Rice was thrilled. “It is a real milestone. I have been in racing for quite a few years and to win at Saratoga is very special. Breaking the barrier for women, in general, is very significant too.”
Linda Rice hails from Wisconsin and makes her home in New York. She won her first race in 1987. She has 50 horses in her stable.
Today, Ayr and Newbury in England have some Graded races. The Ayr Gold Cup is the feature at the Scottish track. Newbury has the Mill Reef Stakes.
I am getting ready to leave for London on Sunday. This (autumn) visit to Europe is a big event in my calendar. The pace is slow. There is time for things other than racing. My wife will join me in London on Sep 30. I have sent in an application for media credentials for the Melbourne Cup in early November. I am awaiting a decision. Once I know, I will plan my trip to Los Angeles for the Breeders’ Cup.
