No 'Mo'.. 'Toby' and 'Midnight' in Top 3 - Turf & Dirt Top 21 for April 11, 2011

Finally! A break out performance.
TOBY'S CORNER, knocked off the "also rans", including UNCLE MO, to win the Wood Memorial. ARTHUR'S TALE, was second best, to put his name in the Derby mix as well.

Toby's Corner prevails over Arthur's Tale in Wood. Photo: Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos 1/3200 @ f/4.5, iso 1000, 180mm

Uncle Mo. Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos

After pulling up behind a wall of horses coming out of the turn, Toby's Corner, wearing blinkers for the first time, was clearly focused on picking off the rest of the field. He moved to the outside collaring Uncle Mo on the rail, and only Arthur's Tale was left. Jockey Eddie Castro had that rival measured with a neck to spare at the wire.

After a disappointing 3rd in the Gotham, trainer Graham Motion had been thinking about the Preakness for Toby's Corner. The thinking now appears to be Churchill Downs. “We’re going, as long as he’s doing fine,” Motion said. “It looks like the mile and a quarter won’t be a problem, and it’s very wide open now. It’s obviously a very-wide-open group, and I kind of think he ranks right up there with the top ones."

TOBY'S CORNER does not seem to have a problem with getting the classic distance. I'm going to move him up to "Turf & Dirt" #2.
And although ARTHUR'S TALE is on the Earnings Bubble, I'll put him in as "T&D" #14.

In yet another example of horses backing up, UNCLE MO staggered home for a disappointing, but hardly unexpected, third place finish. The trendy training formula is for two preps as a three year old on the Derby Trail. It's not working.
Track announcer Tom Durkin compared Uncle Mo's defeat in the Wood similar to the great Secretariat's loss. What should be remembered is that Secretariat was making his 12th start in the Wood. Perhaps if Uncle Mo had even half that number of total starts, he would have had an excuse to wobble down the stretch.
I'll leave UNCLE MO in the top 5 at "T&D" #4. For now.


In another nice race, MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE, despite a chop block in the stretch from COMMA TO THE TOP, proved much the best in the Santa Anita Derby.

Midnight Interlude, outside, fights off Comma To The Top. Photo: Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos 1/2000 @ f/5, iso 800, 35mm

Midnight Interlude. Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos

 Trainer Bob Baffert now has a possible 3 entries in the Kentucky Derby with Midnight Interlude's impressive win. Stablemate THE FACTOR seems like a lock for the starting gate, and JAYCITO has a chance with a good showing in the Lexington Stakes.

Baffert's was forced to scratch Jaycito the day before the race with a sore foot problem. That left longshot 14-1 Midnight Interlude to carry the stable. The War Chant colt ended up the determined victor.

"I'm elated," Baffert said afterwards, "and somewhat surprised he won. I didn't know what to expect. But he raced like he had been training. The biggest wins are when you are hoping but not really expecting it."

Midnight Interlude would be the first Derby starter for owner Arnold Zetcher. 

"We still have a ways to go so you never think too far ahead. Things can happen to these horses, so you don't try to get too excited about it. But the Zetchers tonight, they can get excited about it," Baffert said.

MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE drops in as "Turf & Dirt" #2.  
COMMA TO THE TOP is again back in the Derby discussion, he has the "T&D" #17.

Rank Horse (Sire)
1 DIALED IN (Mineshaft)
2 TOBY'S CORNER (Bellamy Road)
3 MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE (War Chant)
4 UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie)
5 THE FACTOR (War Front)
6 SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway)
7 MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno)
8 ASTROLOGY (AP Indy)
9 JAYCITO (Victory Gallop)
10 ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimeaux)
11 SOLDAT (War Front)
12 PANTS ON FIRE (Jump Start)
13 SHACKLEFORD (Forestry)
14 ARTHUR'S TALE (Bernardini)
15 STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini)
16 MASTER OF HOUNDS (Kingmambo)
17 COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie)
18 JP'S GUSTO (Successful Appeal)
19 DECISIVE MOMENT (With Distinction)
20 SWAY AWAY (Afleet Alex)
21 TWICE THE APPEAL (Successful Appeal)

Ending on a High Note

Here we go, third time’s a charm, hopefully the computer wont crash this time… California has produced some interesting 2 year old, soon to be 3 year old horse in that past weeks. Turbulent Descent (Congrats) stamped herself as an interesting prospect moving forward. She is the first horse to win the Moccasin Stakes(7f), and the Hollywood Starlet(8.5F). She managed to win under hand urging, and now her next test will be to try the dirt at Santa Anita. Look for her to be a leading contender in the spring Three Year Old Fillies division. Jockey David Flores is certainly high on this filly, ” I wasn’t going to take any chances and I would have hit her, but it was not needed. I just hand rode her all the way out. I just showed her the whip. It was a little more like a test today, but she won just the same. I am a little excited and a little relieved. I’m excited because I can tell what kind of horse she is. The relief is she handled the two turns well. She was relaxed and just great.”

This past weekend Comma to the Top (Bawana Charlie) made his backers and the rest of the field wait an additional 40 minutes, before capturing the Hollywood Futurity. After throwing a shoe, two blacksmiths later, the horses were finally allowed to come onto a rain drenched track. Trainer Peter Miller describes the scene, “I ran to the paddock judge and said ‘we’re missing a shoe’.” The first blacksmith came over and it was obvious he couldn’t shoe the horse. He just couldn’t do it. The other blacksmith that’s at the receiving barn checking the feet, had already left. (Trainer) Neil Drysdale then calls me and said ‘what’s going on, do you need a shoer?’ I said, ‘Yeah and he said Wes Champagne’s here. I said ‘Send him.’ So Wes Champagne came over, and the horse is so mad at this point. He was so frustrated and mad that I didn’t think he’d run. He didn’t want to be shod at that point and normally he’s the most docile, calm horse in the world. I would have shod him if I had to. Seriously, when I thought they were going to scratch him, I grabbed a shoe and started to shoe him. And then I realized, I’m not a shoer. Luckily I called Neil back and he told me Wes was on the way, and Wes came and saved the day. We would have run with one shoe, or pulled the other one off if we had to. This horse is really good.”

Being by Bawana Charlie I don’t know how far he will go, but this gelding certainly capped off a nice meeting winning 3 stakes races. The Futurity was the first win for jockey Corey Nakatani who compared Comma to the Top to other nice horses he has rode in the past, “it seems like he’s a young Lava Man. To me, he acts like it. He kicks away when you need him to and he’s a typical high cruising speed horse. That move on the turn felt great. It feels like you’re on a Ferrari. All this adversity is a plus, because he handled it like it was just another day. Right now, I’d say he’s one of the best 2-year-olds I’ve ridden.”

We’ll look for more to come from both these exciting horses.

-Evers