No horse has ever run a faster mile on grass than Oscar Performance. This detail alone makes him serious contender in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on Saturday.
Of course, as we know from sitting at the knee of Andrew Beyer, raw times are meaningless without context, which is why No Jet Lag can receive a 105 Beyer Figure for winning the 2013 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita in 1:31.84, while Oscar Performance was awarded a 104 for his 1:31.23 in the Poker at Belmont this past June.
The 2018 Saratoga meet is history. Still, memories linger of a meet that, while strong from a business standpoint, left a bit to be desired artistically. At least in my view.
For one, the weather was lousy. The two separate weeks I had upstate were hot and oppressively humid, which some actually considered a welcome change from the persistent rain that seemed to otherwise rule.
There’s something to be said for being the big fish in a small pond. For starters, none of the fish consider the size of the pond. It is nothing more or less than the world in which they strive. Sure, the big fish could get seriously greedy and disturb the quality of life in the pond. But a big fish also can draw attention to his small pond, and the pond can benefit from the buzz.
The richest race in Asia on Saturday will be the Group 3 Shion Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse, at 10 furlongs on grass, offering a purse that translates to about $680,000.
The richest race in Europe on Saturday is the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock Park, a six-furlong event worth about $400,000 that has lured the best speedballs the region can offer, including James Garfield and The Tin Man.
The non-profit Gun Violence Archive reports that so far during 2018, based on information available through Sept. 4, there were 39,333 gun-related incidents recorded by authorities across the nation that resulted in 9,858 deaths and 19,461 injuries. On Sunday alone, in the heart of the Labor Day weekend, 118 U.S. gun-related incidents have been reported, resulting in 36 deaths and 103 injuries.
As key heats go, the Del Mar Derby ranks among the best in the West, especially when you peruse the list of winners. Da Hoss and Val Royal won Breeders’ Cup races. Midnight Storm and Om almost did. Tight Spot won the Arlington Million. Twirling Candy, Hawkster, Ladies Din, and Tsunami Slew all went on to win major stakes as older horses.
Ask Bill Mott an impertinent question and you get what you deserve.
“Where you gonna be on Saturday, Bill? At dreary old Saratoga, trying to win the Woodward again? Or where the real money is at Kentucky Downs, down there on the Tennessee border?”
“I’ve never been there,” Mott replied from Saratoga, of course. “And we had a good meet down there last year. Then again, I’ve never been to Ellis Park, either. And I was leading trainer there one time.”
The victory of Catholic Boy in last Saturday’s Travers fueled an enjoyable conversation about 3-year-old Thoroughbreds who have been versatile enough to win Grade 1 races on both turf and dirt. His score earlier this season in the Belmont Derby was impressive enough, but when Catholic Boy reduced his Travers opposition to bit players, the historically minded went to work.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In a conservative sport rife with conservative decision-making, it was good to see the unconventional move to run Catholic Boy in Saturday’s Travers Stakes rewarded when the colt ran off with Saratoga’s signature event to score as tons the best.
While old-school thinking might have considered it a gamble, the decision to move Catholic Boy to dirt from the turf, on which he ran so well and courageously to win the recent Belmont Derby and Pennine Ridge Stakes, was completely understandable. And for a variety of reasons.
