Sadler Gets Funky

- Porto Santo is becoming a major money burner, beaten for the third time in three US starts as the public choice when he checked in 4th in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on the grass for three-year olds. Even more disapponting was the 9th place finish by Point Determined, who the bettors determined was 4-1 to beat some nice grass horses in his first try on the surface. Baffert seems determined (ok, last time) to try all of his top three-year olds on the grass, as I've gotten reports of grassy workouts for Bob and John and Point of Impact.

Point Determined's jockey Jorge Chavez, riding regularly at Del Mar these days, was undaunted, telling Bloodhorse: "He handled the grass OK, but it was too firm for him....He'd like it softer." But I suspect that we'll see him on the dirt again, where, other than the Kentucky Derby, he's never been out of the money, and that includes four graded stakes.

Get Funky was hassled a bit by 35-1 Ratteau, but held on for a length and a half win. He's no Lava Man yet, but what a claim by John Sadler, who took this horse for $62,500 in April. And what a weekend for Sadler, who won the previous day with Cindago. Switched to turf, Get Funky is now a Grade 2 stakes winner with two wins and two thirds in four starts. Why would owner Keith Abrahams have submitted a claim for a three-year old son of Straight Man, by Saint Ballado, who had run fifth when debuting in a maiden claimer? Perhaps he took a look at the horse's third dam. Prudent Girl wasn't much on the track, with two wins in fifteen starts.

But she's the dam of Providential, who won the D.C International on the grass at Laurel when that race was the equivalent in stature of what the Arlington Million is today, as well as the French Grade 1 winner Play It Safe, and Prudent Manner, a G3 winner in Ireland. Plus, stakes winners have descended from other of her offspring, including the Lawrence Realization winner Blew By Em, and a Grade 1 winner named Saratoga Springs. So, nice job by these connections picking this one off. They earned $240,000 for Sunday's win alone.