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Monday, October 29, 2007

Turn Away

- Sunday was opening day at Churchill, and it was their all-two year old program kicking off the fall meeting. Two winners for Mott, who continues to roll along; he took the Keeneland training title with nine winners from 39 starters.

Bobby Frankel pulled one over in the 5th race; his first time starter Turn Away, 7-2 second choice in the morning line, was slammed to 6-5, and drew off to win by nine after sitting the perfect trip sitting behind the leaders. Here's another winning daughter of Empire Maker, his 5th of the year, from 18 starters. He's currently ranked at #11 on the first-year sire list. Turn Away is a Juddmonte homebred out of a Known Fact half-sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner (on turf and dirt) Defensive Play (he won the Man O'War for Juddmonte in 1990).

Frankel of course declined to run Country Star, also a daughter of Empire Maker, in the Juvenile Fillies. Who knows how she would have done; but she did win the Alcibiades with a late closing kick from far back; the kind of move that Garrett Gomez, at least, had figured out could be successful on the sloppy track at Monmouth on Saturday. Indian Blessing was the clear winner and, thus, a deserving two-year old filly champ. But looking at the fractions of that race, I remain as skeptical about her as I did about her coming in. After her six furlongs in 1:10.3, it took her 27.11 seconds to get the next quarter, and another 7.01 for the final sixteenth. Yet no filly behind her could make much progress at all. Whether due to a mediocre field behind her, the track conditions, or both, I'll probably be taking a close look at her opponents when she tries a route of ground for the first time next year.

4 Comments:

ljk said...

I think Indian Blessing is the second coming of Chilukki. A brilliant sprinter at two, but...

Anonymous said...

I read as far as Actin Good so Far and all I get is what you had to eat or how the mud made it difficult for your favorites. Not one word about Curlin and the great race he ran where all the variables were equal for all horses. Great horses win great races in spite of your blog thank God.

Alan Mann said...

libby - I have the links to DRF, Bloodhorse, etc., over on the side in case you don't know where to find your standard coverage of the races. I'll get to Curlin when I have time (unless you want to send me money so I can quit my jobs), and after I finish eating and making excuses about the slop. If I feel like it, that is. Feel free to go elsewhere if you don't like it here.

(Yeah, he/she caught me in a crabby mood, being back in the real world....)

Anonymous said...

I have empathy with anyone who loves horse racing as you do, I am not going away.