Watchmaker: Dirt preps formful despite wet weather

There was a lot of hand wringing Saturday – and Friday, too – over the impact weather had on the conditions for the big Breeders’ Cup preps at Belmont and Keeneland. More than a few said if the weather isn’t similarly wet and dreary on Breeders’ Cup Weekend at Keeneland – which we hope it isn’t, of course – then all of these preps may not have taught us anything.

It goes without saying the rain in Lexington, Ky., and Elmont, N.Y., had to have an effect on the stakes races run on turf. But as silly as it might sound, I’m not sure the same was true for the preps run on dirt.

Keeneland was certifiably sloppy Friday and had what looked from a distance like a tricky, drying-out muddy track Saturday. Belmont was a slop-fest Saturday. And yet, I can’t think of a single significant contender in any of the dirt preps in question who you can say with some certainty was compromised by the conditions. Moreover, there was no overt track bias in play at either Belmont or Keeneland to affect any horse. I think the dirt preps were formful, despite the conditions.

On to the notes

** I doubt Tonalist’s romp in the Jockey Club Gold Cup earned him any additional supporters for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It seems pretty obvious now Tonalist is just better at Belmont Park than he is elsewhere, which is not to say he’s a no-hoper when he races away from Belmont. But Tonalist still deserves credit for winning consecutive runnings of the Gold Cup (don’t forget, he also won the Belmont Stakes, among other races), even if he now is the sixth since the advent of the Breeders’ Cup to do so. The other back-to-back Gold Cup winners since 1983 were Slew o’ Gold, Creme Fraiche, Skip Away, Curlin, and Flat Out.

** Try as some might, I don’t see any way to paint Honor Code’s third at 3-5 in the Kelso in a positive light. On the sort of wet footing over which he won his debut, Honor Code was much closer early than he’s been in a long time. But you could see early on the far turn he was in trouble, first being put to a stiff hand ride and then the whip. In truth, Honor Code merely clunked up, and now he aims for the BC Classic off one of the weakest performances in his career and will be asked to go as far as 1 1/4 miles for the first time in his life. That’s a tough combination.

** Give Kelso winner Appealing Tale and runner-up Red Vine credit. Appealing Tale shipped across country and set a reasonably honest if unchallenged pace. Red Vine closed effectively. They are very nice horses. But if Honor Code were a serious BC Classic contender, he would beat that kind, even on an off day.

** I was impressed with and like the winners of both big 2-year-old male stakes – Brody’s Cause in the Breeders’ Futurity and Greenpointcrusader in the Champagne. Brody’s Cause, coming off a visually impressive maiden win, again looped his field from well off the pace, but this time he ran past Saratoga Special winner Exaggerator like that one was tied to the 70-yard pole.

The book on Greenpointcrusader before he even made his first start was that he needed distance. He got the chance to go as far as a mile for the first time in the Champagne, and he blossomed, winning off and leaving Hopeful winner Ralis, among others, reeling in his wake.

What is so intriguing about Brody’s Cause and Greenpointcrusader is they both give the strong impression they will only get better with distance and experience.

** I wish I could be as complimentary of Nickname, winner of the Frizette, and Gomo, who won Friday’s Alcibiades. Look, Nickname and Gomo now are both Grade 1 winners, and that makes them very valuable. But while lightly raced 2-year-olds can improve dramatically from race to race, Nickname and Gomo have yet to run even reasonably fast, and right now, they just seem a distinct cut or two below Songbird, Rachel’s Valentina, and Tap to It.

** Tepin made a complete show of her field in the First Lady, racking up a seven-length victory that felt more like a 17-length domination, and her connections wasted no time targeting the BC Mile with her. Obviously, Tepin will be stepping up into a different league in the BC Mile, but her people surely had to be encouraged when males in the Shadwell Turf Mile two races later posted a slower final time after a comparable early pace.

Tepin’s final time in the First Lady was 1:37.04 – 0.41 seconds faster than Grand Arch took in the Shadwell. For the record, Tepin’s final Trakus time was 1:37.25 – 0.48 seconds faster.

** As for the Shadwell, Grand Arch barely made the best of a dream trip, and runner-up The Pizza Man fell one jump short off a drastic cut back in distance. But if I were to take any from this Shadwell group in a BC Mile context, it would be third-place finisher Tourist. In his second start back from a long absence, Tourist was four to five wide on the first turn, four wide on the far turn, and yet still rallied gamely from well off the pace, which he never had done before.

** I thought Stephanie’s Kitten was absolutely done dealing as recently as a month ago. Either I was very, very wrong, or the field she beat in her second consecutive Flower Bowl victory was miles below Grade 1 standards.

** Finally, what more can you say about Runhappy? He got left in Friday’s Phoenix and yet still was two lengths clear a quarter-mile into the race, run in 21.52. So what did Runhappy run his opening quarter in? The incredible rush-up speed Runhappy showed Friday was one of the most awe-inspiring things I’ve seen on a track in a while. But that isn’t all he had to overcome. His saddle slipped nearing the stretch, to boot. That Runhappy still won the Phoenix and did so by almost two lengths, beating the defending sprint champion Work All Week in the process, speaks to what an amazing talent Runhappy is.