Wise Dan is the Titan of the Turf
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Photo:
Eclipse Sportswire
I will admit that over the course of this calendar year I
have been one of the ones who have wanted to see three-time Eclipse Award
winner Wise Dan do more. I was a
little put out that he garnered a clean sweep of the Horse of the Year,
Champion Male Turf, and Champion Older Male awards last year, particularly
since I thought Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Little Mike more than deserved the Champion Male Turf award. The fact that
Lopresti and Fink decided to take the exact same route to the Breeders’ Cup
this year as they did last year and admittedly were trying to keep their
champion undefeated also left me less than impressed.
I wanted to see more. I wanted to see them stretch him out
past 9 panels or try marching to victory in a Grade 1 dirt race. It seems as
though fans of the “Titan of the Turf” are not likely to see either of those
things happen despite what Lopresti and Fink said after the Eclipse Awards
ceremony back in January. While I am not thrilled with the fact that they are
not challenging him, I think I am pretty well over it at this point. There just
doesn’t seem to be any reason for hoping for something that is not going to
happen, and at this point, I’m just content to sit back and watch Wise Dan do
what Wise Dan does best: rule the turf mile division.
Naysayers of the Wiseman’s Ferry gelding doggedly return to
the same argument that they used during the mighty Zenyatta’s career: who has
he beaten? While it is a valid point, it should in no way or form take away
from Wise Dan has done to date. Like Ann and Jerry Moss and trainer John
Shirreffs, Charlie Lopresti and Morton Fink have told Wise Dan’s
competition exactly when and where the gelding is going to race. There is no
guessing involved. No will he or won’t he? It is there in black and white and
who chooses to show up to try to defeat the grand gelding is not up to either
Wise Dan or his trainer or owner. They should not be berated for who Wise Dan
has defeated. If you want to scold someone, scold the connections of the horses
that are ducking Wise Dan in favor of an easier spot.
With that said, it is hardly surprising that only five
showed up to face Wise Dan in today’s G1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. It is a race that Wise Dan easily won last year and in
winning today’s edition, he became the only horse to win the prestigious race
twice. Of the field that he faced last year, only Riding the River came back to take another shot this year. Also
part of the field were Excaper, Za Approval, Trade Storm, and Dimension.
Excaper went immediately to the lead despite hitting the
gate, and Dimension went right with him, hounding him through a quick 45:44
half mile. While the two leaders dueled early, an eager Wise Dan with John
Velazquez in the irons sat just behind the leaders. Unlike in some of his past
races this year, the field in today’s race was strung out over several lengths,
so there was no fear of getting trapped on the rail or between horses today. As
the field arrived at the top of the stretch, Velazquez tipped Wise Dan to the
outside, his cue to go. With no urging from Velazquez, Wise Dan simply inhaled
the leaders and drew away to a 3 ½ length win. Za Approval, Trade Strom, Riding
the River, Dimension, and Excaper completed the order of finish.
Even though Velazquez sat chilly during the
entire stretch drive, Wise Dan broke the course record for the mile, stopping
the timer in 1.31:75. The final time
only tells half the story, though. The ease with which Wise Dan posted that
sparkling track record time is the truly spectacular part of the story. He was
completely in hand the entire time even though he had always been within two strides of the dueling pacesetters. He was not urged nor all out. In fact,
in the winner’s circle, he looked as though he could easily go another circuit
and still thump the field. I was actually waiting on him to decide to buck
Velazquez right off because he looked so full of himself.
So long as everything goes according to plan, Wise Dan will
carry his undefeated 5 for 5 2013 record into the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes,
and from there, it will be on to the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Popular consensus or
not, Wise Dan looks well on his way to garnering another clean sweep of the
Eclipse Awards this year. He has been unstoppable no matter the circumstances,
and he truly has earned the title “Titan of the Turf.”
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