Keeneland

Coolmore Turf Mile (Grade 1)

MASTER Of The Seas and James Doyle did little wrong in the Coolmore Turf Mile but were caught on the nod by the Todd Pletcher-trained Up To The Mark and beaten a nose.

The winner, an imposing looking four-year-old by Not This Time, has now three Grade 1s to his name this season and is third on the US season’s top earners with $1,747,650 in prize money. Despite the expected high quality European challenge for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, he cannot be dismissed lightly,

As the field approached the final turn, James Doyle got first run with Master Of The Seas and went after leader Annapolis.

Master Of The Seas opened a clear advantage nearing the half furlong pole and looked to have done enough, but Ortiz had Up To The Mark closing rapidly and he just got up in the final stride.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said: “He got a great trip today. Jose made a very smart move in the middle of the turn when he decided to follow the 1 horse and things split. But you gotta give the horse a ton of credit, to come back off a layoff since June and accelerate the way he did. He’s a serious horse.”

On a Breeders’ Cup race Pletcher said: “He showed today that he’s a Grade 1 horse at a mile. He showed that he’s a Grade 1 horse at a mile-and-a-quarter (winning the Resorts World Casino Manhattan), so either race could work: the mile or the mile-and-a-half. We’ll just see how he comes out of it, assess everything and make a decision, but it’s great to have a horse that versatile.”

James Doyle said of Master Of The Seas: “We had a lovely trip round. He was a little awkward in the stall but relaxed, lovely,” saying of the winner: “He’s the best turf horse in America, isn’t he? He’s trained to perfection. Very good horse.”

First Lady Stakes

The Grade 1 First Lady Stakes Presented By UK Healthcare, for fillies over a turf mile went predictably to the Chad Brown stable. But it was outsider Gina Romantica who outduelled stable companion In Italian, both in the Peter Brant colours, to win by a head.

This is the sixth consecutive year Brown has saddled the First Lady winner and third consecutive First Lady victory for Brant.

In Italian, with Joel Rosario aboard, dictated the pace in the field of eight with decent fractions of 46.80 for the half mile and 1.10.12secs for a mile. In Italian led into the stretch with Gina Romantica emerging as the only threat. Gina Romantica swept by with half a furlong left to secure a second Grade 1 victory here.

Winning rider Tyler Gaffalione said: “She travelled so great throughout. Coming into the stretch, once I found room toward the outside, she really exploded – finished her job really well.”

Sprint Dream alive

Live In The Dream made an encouraging start to his American adventure at Keeneland and heads to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

The Nunthorpe hero contested the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes and proved the eye-watering speed he displayed at York can be just as effective on US soil, cutting out much of the running under Sean Kirrane and looking the likely winner before being caught late and finally passing the post in fourth place.

West was thrilled with the performance. He said: “We were a small bit frustrated the 80/1 shot hassled us. He went above and beyond the early sectionals that are needed to put it up to the best of the Americans. I think I can go to Santa Anita now a little bit more relaxed and just enjoy it.”

The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is also run over half a furlong shorter than the Woodford Stakes.

Keeneland Sunday

Sunday’s Keeneland feature was the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes and it featured a rematch between Nest and her Saratoga conqueror, the sponsor’s four-year-old Idiomatic.

Nest was favourite again but she proved a big disappointment, after a slow break from the stalls.

The Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic quickly seized the lead and maintained a clear advantage throughout on her way to a four and a quarter length victory with Nest finding nothing in the straight and finishing fourth.

An impressive looking filly, the winner now looks the one to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Trainer Brad Cox said. “This is a big win for this filly; it’s her second Grade 1. She’s had a fantastic year.”

Goddess ready for War again

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (Grade 1)

REBEL’S Romance was a bit disappointing in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes run on yielding turf. The remainder of the turf races were moved to the dirt. The race saw a return to her best for Bill Mott’s six-year-old mare War Like Goddess, repeating her win in this race last season in the mile and a half contest.

She beat the consistent Soldier Rising by over four lengths with Rebel’s Romance ridden to chase clear leader two out, but one paced inside final furlong and a half.

“I was sitting chilly where I wanted to be. Even when I turned for home and saw that horse was 10-to-12 lengths in front of me, I knew I was going to catch him when I asked my filly and she gives me that turn of foot that she has,” winning rider Junior Alvarado said.

Santa Anita

The Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes on turf for fillies looked a good opportunity for the Awtaad filly Anisette to strengthen her case for the Breeders’ Cup but she had no answer to the Argentine-bred Didia who beat her well by a length and three quarters for trainer Ignacio Correas.

Woodbine Sunday

Canadian International Stakes (Grade 1)

CHARLIE Appleby sent most of his best older horses to the big weekend of action stateside last week and came home with one Grade 1 win, two seconds and a fourth in the Grade 1s at Woodbine, Keeneland and Aqueduct, with Nations Pride, With The Moonlight, Master Of The Seas and Rebel’s Romance.

Star of the show was the four-year-old Nations Pride picking up his third Grade 1 win when he overhauled fellow British challenger Royal Champion to go away and win by two and a quarter lengths for William Buick. It was over seven lengths back to the third, Adhamo.

The Roger Varian-trained Royal Champion, with James Doyle up, led from the start and assumed a commanding lead. Royal Champion held the advantage down the backstretch and into Woodbine’s long finishing straight, with Appleby at first concerned.

“James Doyle on the lead horse there, he knows his fractions. He’s dangerous out there. Credit to William, he had confidence in the horse. And with the ground turning to yielding, it just took his (Royal Champion) finishing feet out from under him,” he said.

“He won’t go to the Breeders’ Cup. I don’t think he’ll stretch out to a mile and a half. We might take him to Bahrain for the Bahrain International and then contemplate Hong Kong,” Appleby said on future plans.

In the other feature, the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes, With The Moonlight went down to an Irish-bred as Mark Casse’s former British campaigned Fev Rover received a fine ride from jockey of the year, Javier Castellano.

The Gutaifan five-year-old, bred by Manister House Stud, was pushed to lead, she settled well on an even pace but before the bend, Castellano let two rivals pass him. Canadian champion Moira made her bid in the straight but never got on terms with the winner and With The Moonlight went by her without threatening the winner.

“I expected it to be my horse in the lead. I felt a lot of pressure outside and at some point, I tried to...let the pace make it go and be smart and ride the best race,” Castellano said.

Pletcher’s Timberlake tops the two-year-olds

THERE was a host of Grade 1 juvenile races over the weekend and Keeneland hosted two.

The Darley Alcibiades Stakes over a mile and half a furlong for fillies went to Candied, a Candy Ride filly trained by Todd Pletcher for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and ridden by Luis Saez. She beat V V’s Dream by a length to add to her Saratoga maiden win.

Pletcher also won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Saturday with the favourite Locked, but the Gun Runner chesnut had to battle a bit under Jose Ortiz to hold off The Wine Steward by half a length, to win in the colours of Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Walmac Farm.

The Belmont at the Big A meeting held two Grade 1s for juveniles and it was the Brad Cox-trained Timberlake who was the most impressive of the weekend’s juveniles.

An impressive colt by Into Mischief, he came home over four lengths clear, dominating the proceedings over the mile on the wet track.

In the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes for fillies, Justify produced another potential star when Just F Y I took the prize by over three lengths for the Bill Mott stable.

Santa Anita

The American Pharoah Stakes predictably went to a Bob Baffert runner. Muth, named after Baffert’s friend Aaron Muth, coming home three and three-quarter lengths clear for Zedan Racing Stables under Juan Hernandez.

Jockey Hernandez had high praise for Muth. “I think this is the best horse I’ve ever ridden so far,” the jockey said.

The fillies’ equivalent, the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes went to the Mark Glatt-trained Chatalas, a Gun Runner filly who won by a length and a half from the Todd Pletcher-trained Scalable, testing the water on the west coast with the Baffert favourite Dua three quarters of a length away in third