Tuesday News and Notes

In Sunday's Personal Ensign, Love and Pride ($22) scored an upset win for the Toddster, his second G1 stakes win of the meet.  It was also the third G1 stakes of the weekend to earn wacky status, after Saturday's dead heat and Dutrow quick turnaround.  It's Tricky stumbled - twice - coming out of the gate in Sunday's Personal Ensign; seemingly kissing the ground on the initial one as reported by our verbose local chartcaller, in rare form these days at the Spa.  She lost a good 8 lengths at least.  However, horses are not machines as we know; so one cannot therefore assume that she therefore would have won by 6 1/2 had she broken without mishap.  The race shape favored her lagging behind, as the pace was quick and mostly contested.  She likely would have been close to that pace with a good start, and there's really no guarantee she would have won at all.  Pletcher's filly, with blinkers off, was able to relax and back a bit off the frontrunner; but still attended quick fractions.  She had enough though, while tiring, to hold off Royal Delta, who lost the race when she drifted very wide turning for home.  Royal Delta actually showed a lot of class battling on as she staged a good comeback to oufinish a pair of rivals, themselves a bit leg weary at the end, to procure the place.

Love and Pride, who earned a Beyer of 100, is inbred to Secretariat, and I sure see a lot of that these days.  I'd have to say that that's easily the third most common occurrence of inbreeding (defined as being within the first five generations) behind Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector.  Love and Pride is by AP Indy out of a Storm Cat mare who's a half-sister to Bernardini.

 - The guys on TVG seemed completely dumbfounded after the 3 yo Dullahan ($12.60) edged by favored Game on Dude late to score a mild upset and beat his elders in record time in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday.   They needn't have been if they'd looked at his synthetic and turf form as compared to the dirt he'd been racing on since taking the Blue Grass.  The Derby is his only good race on the real stuff, and that could have been due to any number of factors other than and/or in addition to him handling the surface.  So one would think they'd keep him on the synth/turf circuit.  That would give him many fine options.  However, with the win, he's now eligible to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic.  I'll be putting my money down against him if he does.  (Andy Serling points out on Twitter that all three of this colt's career wins have come in G1 stakes races, a bizarre stat indeed.) 

Back to Saratoga, in the 1st on Monday, True Fortune ($10) won for George Weaver, and this barn is having an excellent meet: now ten winners from 51 starters.  By Yes It's True out of a Fortunate Prospect mare, this 2yo NY-bred filly is a half-sister to the Illinois Derby winner Musket Man.

Two consecutive winners for A. Dutrow, giving him nine from 35 starters (26%).  Wildcat Aly ($5.50) shipped from Monmouth and dropped in class to take the 4th.   O'Frederica ($9.30) shipped from Delaware, went first time for a tag, took the 5th, and was claimed by Jamie Ness.  Ramon Dominguez rode both.  That's three winners from his last four starters for this barn, which seems poised for a strong close to the meet.

In the 7th, Joel Rosario was back after riding Dullahan on Sunday, and guided first-timer Sensational Appeal ($33) to the win for Michael Matz.  The 2yo daughter of Sensational Appeal, out of a Roy mare, was among a cluster of horses arriving at the furlong marker within close proximity of each other, kicked clear of them all and edged away.   I hear people complain about chart callers, but with this guy, you barely even have to bother watching the race.  Just the second winner of the meet from 24 starts for Matz; but you may recall he scored with a couple of double-digit debut runners here last summer.  I see he has one entered for the opener on Friday; Blazing Whip, a half-sister to stakes winners Celluloid Hero and Song of Navarrone.  A little advance heads-up there, as we'll be at Del Mar that day!

In the 8th, Leap ($9) won for John Kimmel.  It was his 5th winner from 27 starters, but here's another barn than looks ready to finish out the meet strong, with two winners and two close seconds from his last five starters.

Just 9,915 on hand, as the Monday after Travers weekend has become a regular four-digit attendance day to the best of my recollection.  Labor Day weekend is a great time to go; the weather is generally better, (though the remnants of Isaac would seem a concern for later in the weekend.....surely of course not nearly as much as on the Gulf Coast and we hope for the best for everyone affected there) the fields are full, the crowds are mostly gone, and the Final Stretch Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday nights is always worth checking out.