2014 Breeders’ Cup: Distaff Day Observations
It may have been a tough day at the windows for yours truly, but I can never be too upset about a few lost dollars while seeing some of the finest athletes in the world doing their thing on the beautiful stage provided by Santa Anita Park and the San Gabriel Mountains. And on this afternoon, on Breeders’ Cup Distaff day, there were plenty of championship performances in which to appreciate.
When Goldencents gets the lead, Goldencents does not lose. Or at least he hasn’t in a long time. The most heavily favored horse of the whole Cup did not disappoint. In fact, I will go as far as to say, he was the most impressive horse of day one. Off just a beat slow, Goldencents was instantly behind Vicar’s In Trouble who was off and running and ready to set some very fast fractions. Goldencents and Rafael Bejarano would have none of that. Hustled hard into the first turn, the defending champion grabbed the lead through fractions of :22 and :44 and change, while being hounded by Vicar’s In Trouble. The pair was quickly way ahead of the rest. It would have been plenty to knock out an ordinary horse, but Goldencents was gritty as beach sand, and when the talented Tapiture threw the kitchen sink at him, he dug down deep all the way to the wire. It wasn’t as easy as last year’s Dirt Mile, but I appreciated this one even more.
There is no filly in the world better on dirt than Untapable. She proved it today. Running the same stalk and strike race that she has run in every single one of her starts against fillies this year, the soon to be champion carried jockey Rosie Napravnik to an emotional victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. For Untapable, it was a coronation for the new queen of American racing. For Rosie, it was the perfect stage to announce her retirement to start a family. Talk about going out in style.
The rail opened up for Lady Eli, as the Red Sea parted for Moses, and she was plenty horse enough to take full advantage. She was impressive at Saratoga, she was impressive at Belmont, and now in the third start of her unblemished career, the daughter of Divine Park announced herself as a rising star among turf fillies with an impressive 2 ¾ length victory in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Good trip? Yes. Good filly? Without a doubt.
I went to the Breeders’ Cup and a hootenanny broke out. Kicking off the World Championships’ festivities in smashing style was the world traveler himself, Hootenanny. Still a juvenile, the son of Quality Road has already been there, done that, in such places as Kentucky, Maryland, England, and France, and he has run well at all of them. Putting my silly worries, that a mile might be beyond his best distance, to shame, the Wesley Ward trained colt powered his way to victory over the stubborn speed horse, Luck of the Kitten. In so doing, he not only proved himself as the finest juvenile turf colt in the land, but he also keyed a 1-2 finish for his trainer, who previously had never won a Breeders’ Cup race.
As far as the track, Day one of the Breeders’ Cup favored speed, but not crazily so. Unfortunately, it was also littered with chalk, a trend which I’m hoping does not continue into tomorrow.