Horse Racing “Backtrack”: San Vincente gets Drilled; Animal Kingdom shines and a “tip”?

Drill finally reversed form and won the 2012 San Vincente at Santa Anita Park this past Saturday in our Horse Racing highlight race of the weekend. After four straight poor efforts Drill, a son of the fleet but deceased Lawyer Ron, nosed out American Act for the thrilling win. Perhaps even more impressive was the return of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

Making his first start since being injured in the 2011 Belmont Stakes, Animal Kingdom broke slowly in an optional claimer race at Gulfstream on Saturday but that was the only anxious moment in my opinion. The good looking chestnut laid back off the early pace before unleashing a powerful run to the lead (under his own power), cruised down the stretch and under the wire a two length winner.

“They went slow enough where he just pulled me into contention all on his own,” Animal Kingdom’s rider John Velazquez said. ”I let him do what he wanted as opposed to wrangling him back behind horses. The second I started kissing at him in the stretch he picked it right up and took off. It was a great feeling today and great to have him back. He felt as good as ever.” 

Animal Kingdom went off as the 3/5 favorite and completed the one and one sixteenth miles (on the turf) going in 1:41.3. He will now be pointed for the March 10 Dubai World Cup.

Before I recap our highlighted race, other winners this past weekend included Daddy Nose Best, who won a knock down, drag out stretch battle with Lucky Chappy to take the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby by a nose at Golden Gate Fields this past Saturday.

“He’s been getting better with time, and he’s trained with a different mindset since his last race,” Darren Fleming said, who is Steve Assmusen’s assistant. “He’s been showing us he wanted more ground, so we’ve had to wait for the races to catch up to him. I was a little concerned about the lack of room (on the turn) but like Julien always does, he got him through there.”

Force Freeze was certainly impressive in winning the $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship.

The 7-year-old won by 3 3/4 lengths and ripped seven furlongs in an eye popping of 1:20.3, which was just two-fifths of a second off the track record.

 

2012 San Vincente Stakes:

At the start, eventual winner Drill settled in second place comfortably while the speedy American Act took early lead leaving the gate.  1-2 favorite Creative Cause dropped back to last under Joel Rosario, just behind Let’s Get Crackin.

American Act ripped off the opening quarter-mile in :22.3 and the half mile in :45.4. At that point, Drill drew closer on the outside.

In the stretch, Drill gradually overtook American Act nearing mid-stretch even though American Act fought back gamely along the inside in the final eighth of a mile.

“I just let him run his race,” winning jockey Martin Garcia said of Drill. “(trainer) Bob (Baffert) said to let him do what he wants, get him comfortable. I thought I had more horse (in the stretch run) but he was waiting (on American Act).”

American Act, who ran with his head higher than normal in the early going, was second by a length over Creative Cause with Let’s Get Crackin’ last in the reduced field. There were originally six entered but Captain Obvious and Smoking G, my second and third picks, were scratched.

As far as Creative Cause’s disappointing effort trainer Mike Harrington said “We got what we wanted out of the race. He’s a route horse, not a seven-furlong horse, We hope he moves forward off this. Did you see him gallop out? He’ll definitely move forward.”

Drill paid $9.60 and ran the seven furlongs in 1:21.1 but his future plan might be a bit up in the air.

“I wouldn’t run out and buy a future book (bet) on him,” said Baffert “He’d have to prove something to me going long. He’s one-turn right now. In time he might be able to do it because he’s learned to relax.”

 

 

Little Bets N’ Pieces:

 

*** I RARELY do this but if you read this in time, I have it under good authority that Castaway will run well in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park today. He is the number 11 horse in the first division as the race was spilt into two running.

 

*** 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace turned up the heat in her training for her 2012 debut. The good looking bay mare worked five furlongs in :59.4 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 3/5.

 

*** Todd Pletcher’s one- two punch of Algorithms and Discreet Dancer turned in their final works for the February 26 Fountain of Youth Stakes.

Palm Meadows clocker Brian Walls said Algorithms “looked unbelievable” while working four furlongs in :49 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 then pulled up six furlongs in 1:14 4/5.

Discreet Dancer worked five furlongs in 1:00 1/5, he was clocked with fractions of :12 2/5, :24, and :35 4/5, and after a final quarter in :24 2/5, galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.

With the aforementioned two, along with Union Rags, the FOY is shaping up to be quite a horse race. I will be, of course, breaking it down in next week’s update. 

 

 

 

*** Speaking of Union Rags, he breezed a half-mile in :48.4 from the starting gate on Sunday at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida as his final preparation for the FOY. 

“He did it easy and galloped out fine. He’s ready to go,” trainer Michael Matz said. “Other than running in a race, he’s as ready as he could possibly be.

“We’ve stood him a couple times in the gate. We wanted to pop him out today and we’ll stand him in the gate again on Thursday, and then he should be ready to go,” Matz added. “He’s going to be running against horses that have been racing and he hasn’t raced since November. He’s a big, quiet horse, so I thought a little reminder wouldn’t hurt.”

 

*** 2011 Australian Horse of the Year Black Caviar bounced back after a week rest and won for a record tying 19th straight win.

Group I winner Hay List put the almost all black champion to the test with about 400 meters remaining in the 1,000-meter (about 5 furlong) race on Saturday at Flemington but could not match strides with Black Caviar when jockey Luke Nolen asked for her.

“I’ve got to take my hat off to her, that mare, she’s bloody wonderful,” Nolen told Melbourne’s The Age. “She really touched me today. The chips were down and she showed a lot of courage.”

Black Caviar completed the distance in a :55.2.