- Wow, what a race by Downthedustyroad in the Grade 1 La Brea. She stalked a lightning pace, entered the turn three wide before effortlessly assuming the lead turning for home; and she drew away to win by four in 1:21.40. This filly, who graduated in a 25K claiming race, hasn't finished out of the money in the nine races since her debut.
Downthedustyroad, Bob Baffert's second winner on the day, is by Storm and a Half, an unraceed Storm Cat stallion standing for $2500 in Arkansas. While it's his first graded winner, he actually now has nine stakes winners from the 122 foals in his first three crops, for a more than respectable 7.4% stakes winners from foals.
Balance was a mediocre third as the 2.90-to-1 favorite. The disappointing effort came on a track over which she had run her best races. She seems to have lost interest in the game, something we see in young fillies from time to time.
Kolo took the Eddie Logan Stakes for juveniles on the grass in a thrilling finish over a game 41-1 shot in Mystery Island. He's the 11th stakes winner of the year for his sire Dynaformer, who will finish second in the overall sire money-earning standings behind AP Indy.
- Baffert has six winners from 15 runners thus far at the meeting.
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Sunday, December 31, 2006
Downtheroadforbaffert
Posted by Alan Mann at 12:34 AM
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2 Comments:
I'm happy to report i had Downthedustyroad today. She was coming off an outstanding effort in which she chased the lightning-fast older filly Selvatica. In fact, 3 horses coming out of that race (including Selvatica) had returned to win. Downthedustyroad looked extremely tough to stop off that effort alone, and she had been training very well coming into the race today. I couldn't believe the 8/1 morning line, this filly was obviously the speed of the field and nobody else in here hads evber knocked heads with a horse like Selvatica. Big class drop here, despite the fact she was movcing from an overnight stakes into a Grade 1. Btw, Downthedustyroad was 9/2 with about a minute to post, before a TON of late money rained down on her. They even showed her @ 3/1 very briefy as they ran down the backstretch. I knew Diplomat Lady would show big speed from the rail, but i was rather shocked that Downthedustyroad was forced to run as fast as she did. For her part, she seemed pretty much in hand for Court around the turn, and when he shook her up at the top of the lane she just ran away from them. Huge, huge effort by a young filly who seems to be improving by leaps and bounds.
as a nyra guy this race was the epitome of why i just dont get southern california racing. downthedustyroad was right on top of a suicidal half-mile split yet when they turned for home she was fresh and strong and was running away from them all at the end. and she has never done anything extraordinary in her life. now, granted, this wasnt one of the better la brea's we have seen in recent years, and she had recency over balance (not to mention more liking to the 7f's), but i just dont get where this effort came fro, or how it played out on the track. maybe the final figure (if you are a Beyer guy) of 100 tells us more about the rest of the field than it does the winner.
i think it was pussycat doll who freaked for baffert in this spot last year (113 i believe) and then stunk when stretched out to two-turns in the second race of the la canada series. it will be interesting to see what path he takes with this gal.
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