With the number of celebrated graded stakes races this weekend, one would think we’re already in the middle of the Breeders’ Cup. Among the stars racing this weekend across the states are Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird, Summer Bird, Quality Road, Colonel John, Well Armed, and Charitable Man. If you don’t have your DVR set, you’re bound to miss some exciting action somewhere. This guide will hopefully keep from being left out of conversation at the water cooler.
Beginning with Friday, the stakes action begins with the return of a well-rested Colonel John, last year’s Travers and Santa Anita Derby winner. Never having blossomed into the kind of champion he was supposed to be, Colonel John hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in the Grade I Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita in December. His last victory was in the Travers last August. Colonel John will be racing for the first time on turf in the Wickerr Handicap at Del Mar, though his trainer, Eoin Harty, is using the race as a prep for the Grade I Woodward on dirt at Saratoga. Well, whatever works…
On Saturday, Mine That Bird will be avoiding the Saratoga frenzy (and one filly who needn’t be named) by becoming the first Kentucky Derby winner ever to enter the field for the West Virginia Derby. His appearance in the Grade II race has become something of a tourist attraction and an anomaly, drawing buzz from as far away as England (though I couldn’t begin to tell you why the English give a crumpet about the West Virginia Derby). Facing a field of only five, Mine That Bird has been prepped to run a huge race and is aimed to win his first since the Kentucky Derby. The only graded stakes winner to be challenging him is Big Drama, who finished fifth in the Preakness to the Bird’s second place. The Derby winner will be using this race as a prep for the Travers at Saratoga at the end of August.
Also on Saturday is the traditional prep race for the Travers, the Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga. Headlining the race is Charitable Man, who finished a respectable fourth in the Belmont Stakes last time out, with a formidable group of contenders vying to make that last good start before the “summer derby.” The first three finishers in the Dwyer Stakes, Kensei, Convocation, and Warrior’s Reward, are all set to challenge; making an ambitious first start since his victory in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream is Saratoga Sinner, who had been sidelined with a chipped knee. If Saratoga Sinner comes back to the races in the form in which he left, Charitable Man better watch his back.
On Sunday, Monmouth Park will be featuring the Grade I Haskell Invitational, featuring the superstar filly, Rachel Alexandra, along with Belmont Stakes winner, Summer Bird. Arkansas Derby winner, Papa Clem, is also expected to face the two classic winners, as well as Munnings, an improving colt who won over older horses in his last start, the Grade II Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont. The $1.25-million Haskell will be the second time Rachel will be facing the boys, and her first start since romping in the Grade I Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont by 19 ¼ lengths. Though she beat the boys in the Preakness, Rachel has never gone up against Summer Bird, who skipped the second jewel of the Triple Crown to rest for the 1 ½-mile Belmont. As Rachel’s main competition in the field, Summer Bird is the horse with the biggest chance of upsetting the filly; while the Haskell is 1 1/8-miles, Summer Bird was a fast-closing third at the same distance in the Arkansas Derby, and has been improving since his Derby flop. If she wins the Haskell, Rachel Alexandra will likely set her sights on the Travers; unlike most of her competitors, the filly will not be Breeders’ Cup bound, due to her owner’s distaste for synthetics, so these summer races could be her final test this year. If you watch one race this weekend, make it the Haskell!
On the opposite side of the country, the Dubai World Cup champ Well Armed is making his first start since winning the world’s richest race by a record 14 lengths. The 6-year-old gelding will be trying for his second Grade II San Diego Handicap in a row in preparation for the Grade I Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August. He will be facing a soft field in the San Diego with a few exceptions, namely Informed, Ball Four, and the filly Life Is Sweet. While Life Is Sweet failed to threaten Hollywood Gold Cup victor Rail Trip in her last start, her bad trip can be blamed for a less-than-stellar effort. Watch for Well Armed to come back in a big way.
Finally, Monday (it’s still considered the weekend if you’re at Saratoga) is notable for the sake of one horse, and that horse is Quality Road. After he won the Florida Derby over a stubborn Dunkirk, Quality Road was the favorite going into the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately for this son of Elusive Quality, chronic quarter cracks kept out what may have been the best horse in the field. With a record of 4-3-1, Quality Road has the class to make the jump from a soft field in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes to propel his way to the Grade I Travers. He will be shortening up for this one, but his new trainer, Todd Pletcher, must be thinking of the race as a sort of glorified allowance. If Quality Road performs well in the Amsterdam and goes to the Travers with Miss Alexandra and Mine That Bird, we’re in for the race of the decade.
Because the author has gotten lazy… for race times, visit www.equibase.com. For TV listings, check the schedule on NTRA’s website.