By T. D. Thornton
There were only four graded stakes races on the national calendar this past Saturday. But two of them were 3-year-old races that were likely to spark above-average interest, because out of a combined 13 starters, five of the entrants in the two races had last tangled in the GI Kentucky Derby.
Yet despite the light national schedule and all the talk we've been hearing lately about the need for tracks to maximize the bettability of their races, the real baffler was that the
GIII Affirmed S. at Santa Anita and the GIII Ohio Derby at Thistledown were both scheduled to go off at the exact same post time of 5:30 p.m. (EDT).
The annoying practice of important races at different tracks going off right on top of each other has become so routine in North American racing that it seems pointless to complain about it. But this June 24 lack of post time coordination (and the presumed loss of handle revenue) would have been maddeningly simple to avoid. In the end, Santa Anita's race went off at 32 minutes past the hour and Thistledown, like a smaller craft yielding to the far larger battleship, wisely held off until six minutes after that. But customers who wanted to get a bet down on both races based on the advertised post times (or those wishing to parlay wagers) might have been forced to commit bankrolls and attention spans to one race or the other.
On the track, the two stakes unfolded very differently, even though each ended up with a Kentucky Derby starter gracing the winner's circle. Four mud-spattered Derby also-rans have now returned to win their next stakes starts, thickening the sophomore plot as the second half of the season approaches.
Battle of Midway (Smart Strike)'s utter manhandling of three outclassed challengers in the Affirmed S. resonates as the more powerful Saturday performance, stamping this 'TDN Rising Star' as an elite-level threat against the division's best moving forward.
The workmanlike score by Irap (Tiznow) in the Ohio Derby signals a developing ability to rate effectively from off the pace. But this useful two-time stakes victor still leaves the impression that his best efforts come when he gets clean trips and the favorites either don't fire or get significantly softened up during the running of the race.
If you liked the way Battle of Midway was in it to win it at the quarter pole of the Derby at 40-1 and wanted to bet him back in his next start off his third-place try in Louisville, you were forced to take 1-10 odds in the Affirmed, which drew a field of five but scratched down to four entrants. Battle of Midway assumed command from the outset, established a moderate tempo on the front end, swatted away the pesky B Squared (Square Eddie) coming off the far turn, and opened up fluidly and at will under a hand ride.
The Affirmed amounted to little more than a public workout for the $410,000 FTSAUG yearling, and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said after the race that the GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park could be next for the Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm color bearer. “There are a few real tough horses that might go in that race, but we might run in there anyway,” Hollendorfer said.
In the Ohio Derby, Irap (2.8-1 in the betting off an 18th-place try at Churchill Downs) broke running, but was immediately asked to rate by jockey Julien Leparoux, a tactic that differed markedly from when the duo last partnered for a close-to-the pace upset win in the GII Blue Grass S. Irap didn't look 100% comfortable biding his time on the inside, but Leparoux seemed committed to following 4-5 favorite Girvin (Tale of Ekati), who settled in the three path and just off the ambitious pace established by committed 18-1 frontrunner Fast and Accurate (Hansen).
By the entrance to the far turn, Fast and Accurate was in the process of plummeting to the rear of the pack and Girvin willingly seized the lead. But Girvin was immediately surrounded on both sides by two fresh challengers, Vibe (Astrology) and Game Over (Mineshaft), who were both part of a three-pronged betting entry. This attacking duo did the dirty work to help set the scene for Irap to pounce from off the pace, but Irap himself needed quite a bit of urging from Leparoux to get interested, including some stick work before the quarter pole to motivate the colt into a higher gear.
Irap charged hard at Girvin as these two separated themselves well clear of the others, and Girvin dug in determinedly, even though he seemed sapped while drifting out in the final half-furlong. The oddball well-before-the-wire pan camera placement at Thistledown made it appear as if Girvin had hung on for the win, but Reddam Racing's Irap prevailed by a nose when the photo-finish image was revealed.
Grass Isn't Greener…
Evangeline Downs has announced the closure of its turf course for the entire 2017 meet. As the Paulick Report first published on June 23, the opening of the grass season had been delayed since late May. No races have been run on the bare, splotchy course so far this season, and growth problems have now plagued the course for the better part of three years. A series of recent notices on the Evangeline overnights detailed that a turf consultant retained by the track had been in the process of “sprigging” the course (replanting stems and roots from mature grass) in an attempt to get it race-ready for later in the summer. But the July 1 overnight carried the notice that “the Legends Turf and Legends Starter will be cancelled. A decision on these races and other options are being discussed by the HBPA with a decision to be announced this week. All other turf stakes in the book are off the turf and a decision on racing them on the dirt or reallocating purse funds will be announced this week.” Presumably, Louisiana Downs some 200 miles north will be the beneficiary of the Evangeline course closure, at least in terms of the potential for bolstered grass entries. –@thorntontd
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