By T. D. Thornton
Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify) didn't get much respect at 6-1 in the betting when throttling between rivals to seize a three-horse photo by a head in Saturday's GI California Crown S., and he likely won't be favored for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in five weeks, either.
But make no mistake: There were no fewer than 10 aspirants for the Classic in the entries worldwide last week, and only Subsanador's score at Santa Anita resonated as a true status shifter that elevated this Richard Mandella trainee into the top tier among America's older dirt routers.
The betting public for the Classic will gravitate toward 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), who boasts higher Beyer Speed Figures and more “headline horse” name recognition than a 5-year-old with Argentinian form (seven dirt wins, three at the Group 1 level) and only five starts in North America.
Debuting stateside last December out of trainer John Sadler's barn, Subsanador ran a subpar fourth as the 13-10 favorite in the GII San Antonio S. (a race in which he reportedly bled). But in the Mar. 3 Santa Anita H., Subsanador nearly wired the 10-furlong Grade I stakes at 22-1 odds before grudgingly yielding to 'TDN Rising Star' Newgate (Into Mischief).
Subsanador was privately sold to Wathnan Racing after the Big 'Cap, and in the process got transferred to Mandella. He then ran fourth in the 1 1/4-mile GII Hollywood Gold Cup S.
Mandella utilized the GIII Philip H. Iselin S. at Monmouth Park Aug. 17 as a well-orchestrated confidence-builder for Subsanador, who unleashed a powerful far-turn move to mow down the frontrunners and score by 1 ½ lengths.
Both Mandella and jockey Mike Smith have acknowledged that Subsanador is a work in progress because of previous tendencies to wait on horses or sometimes think the race is over once he surges to the front.
But on Saturday, Subsanador had no problem with being covered up at the rail while latching onto a primo stalking spot, always within 2 1/2 lengths of a pressured pacemaker whose first four quarter-mile splits were :22.89, :24.30, :24.07 and :24.91.
Smith tipped Subsanador out to the two path at the top of the lane and relentlessly chased speedster National Treasure (Quality Road) the length of the stretch through a final furlong in :12.51. Subsanador pulsed ahead of National Treasure two strides from the wire while simultaneously holding off the onrushing Newgate, who had picked up the chase and surged late to finish a nose behind in third.
The winning nine-furlong time of 1:48.69 equated to a 102 Beyer awarded to all three horses in that blanket photo.
Subsanador will be expected to produce a slightly higher winning number if he is to prevail in the Classic. He's paired 102 ratings in each of his last two starts, but his wins at Monmouth and Santa Anita both caught the eye more for “how he did it” rather than “how fast,” and both suggested there was room for additional improvement.
Subsanador gives the impression of a wave gathering serious momentum, and Mandella is honing a level of consistency in him that is has not been the hallmark of other A-listers who have taken turns atop the division this season.
Mandella has previously parlayed a win in this autumn Santa Anita stakes into a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He trained Pleasantly Perfect to that sweep in 2003, when the California Crown S. was known as the GII Goodwood Breeders' Cup H.
Farther back in the California Crown pack, fifth and six respectively, were Breeders' Cup aspirants Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) and 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic). Both will be lacking a positive final prep if they press on to the Classic.
Later on Saturday, another Wathnan colorbearer, the just-acquired Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), scored a neck victory in the GII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs. The sloppy-track Beyer was 98.
In other global stakes with Classic implications last week, Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) ran second at 2-5 odds in the Listed Nippon TV Hai at Funabashi Race Track on Wednesday. Fifth in that stakes was Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), who had been second at 26-1 odds in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic.
At Aqueduct on Saturday, 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice rallied from last to win a four-horse, muddy-track renewal of the GII Woodward S. The deep closer needed a little help from a leg-weary Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who shortened stride when failing to sustain an open-length lead in deep stretch. The winning Beyer was 98.
The Classic division lost a 3-year-old contender to retirement Saturday. Dornoch (Good Magic), winner of the GI Belmont S. and GI Haskell S., was diagnosed with bone bruising, forcing him out of what would have been his planned final start prior to stud career at Spendthrift Farm.
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