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.