Lack of Restraint

- Following up on that meet-opening first race at Santa Anita, Symphony Sid sure was lone speed. You didn't have to be a genius to figure that out, but I didn't think he'd be up by eight at the half mile pole in 44.42 - that in a mile and an eighth race! He was up by nine at the next pole, and though he tired after that, he held on remarkably well against the still-undefeated Unrivaled Song (Fusaichi Pegasus).

Watching the replay, I'm already reminded of what Davidowitz wrote in the Form about horses performing better when they are not heavily restrained during the early running. Aaron Gryder let Symphony Sid have his way. We've all seen similar situations in which the jockey would be strangling the horse back, but in this case, Gryder just cruised along for the ride, and the horse responded well against an opponent he probably wasn't going to beat in any pace scenario. The exacta with the 3-2 favorite and 3-1 second choice returned a very fair $19.40.

- Second of June, second in the Woodward, has been euthanized after breaking down during a workout at Churchill.

And Precisionist, who won a championship as a sprinter in 1985 at age four after winning the mile and a quarter Swaps the year before, has died at the age of 25. I think it's fair to say that he will forever be the only horse to ever win a Breeders Cup Sprint at the Big A.