Life At Ten cruises to Del Cap victory

Hoofprintsinc.com

Life At Ten and jockey John Velazquez give trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth Delaware Handicap victory on Saturday at Delaware Park.

STANTON, Del. - Nobody went with Life At Ten early, so nobody was going to catch her late.

Unchallenged through soft early fractions under John Velazquez, Life At Ten cruised to a three-length victory Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his record-tying fourth victory in the Grade 2, $750,000 Delaware Handicap.

In winning her sixth consecutive race and third graded stakes, Life At Ten earned an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic this fall at Churchill Downs.

The 5-year-old Life At Ten ($3.20), the favorite in a field of six fillies and mares, set modest fractions of 24.98 seconds, 49.75, 1:14.01, and 1:38.39 en route to a three-length victory over Florida shipper Miss Singhsix. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to Funny Moon, who outfinished Milwaukee Appeal by a neck for third.

Life At Ten completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.21 while improving her record to 7 for 14 lifetime.

"On paper it looked like she was controlling the speed, but you never know," Pletcher said. "She was fortunate to get an easy first quarter and half and she really had a lot left in the stretch."

Pletcher said he considers it a nice achievement to win the Delaware Handicap for the fourth time since 2001, tying Hall of Fame trainer Henry Clark, who won the race twice with Endine in 1958-59 and Obeah in 1969-70.

"It is just special to win the Delaware Handicap because it is such an important race for fillies and mares," Pletcher said. "We have always looked at the Del Cap as a great opportunity. It has a great tradition and great purse, and we have been fortunate enough to win the race four times."

Pletcher previously won the Delaware Handicap in 2001 with Irving's Baby, in 2006 with Fleet Indian, and in 2007 with Unbridled Belle.

Velazquez, who won the 2002 Del Cap aboard Summer Colony, enjoyed a 4-for-4 day at Delaware, including the Grade 3 Robert Dick Memorial in the race prior to the Delaware Handicap.

Pletcher said his next target for Life At Ten will likely be the Personal Ensign on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

Ibboyee takes statebred New York Derby

Ibboyee is now a perfect 3 for 3 at Finger Lakes following his half-length win over Shrewd One on Saturday in the $150,000 New York Derby for 3-year-olds.

The New York Derby is the middle leg of the Big Apple Triple for New York-breds. The $100,000 bonus for a sweep of the series was not on the line. The undefeated Friend Or Foe who took the first round, the Mike Lee Stakes at Belmont Park last month, skipped the New York Derby. His next target will be a bigger prize: the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

That opened the door for Ibboyee, third in the Mike Lee, to nab his sixth win in 12 starts for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The 3-5 favorite, Ibboyee got away fourth with Mike Luzzi aboard while Johannesburg Smile aggressively grabbed the early lead.

Shrewd One, making his stakes debut, collared the pacesetter about a furlong from the finish but could not hold off the hard-charging Ibboyee.

Small Town was fourth followed by Its Business Time and Camptown Blues.

The time was 1:45.02 for the 1 1/16 miles on the fast track.

The final stakes in the Big Apple Triple is the Albany at Saratoga on Aug. 25.

Devil May Care best in Mother Goose

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Devil May Care wins the Grade 1 Mother Goose under a hand ride from jockey John Velazquez on Saturday at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Devil May Care delivered an ideal present to trainer Todd Pletcher on his 43rd birthday - a 1 1/4-length win in the Grade 1, $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Belmont Park.

It was the first start for Devil May Care since running 10th against the boys in the Kentucky Derby.

The circumstances were far different in the Mother Goose. The field contained only five runners, compared to 20 in the Derby.

The Mother Goose, run at 1 1/8 miles since 1959, was shortened to 1 1/16 miles this year. The distance was considerably less than the 1 1/4 miles Devil May Care tackled in the slop at Churchill Downs.

Perhaps most importantly, Devil May Care was clearly the horse to beat in the Mother Goose as the 9-10 favorite. While not overwhelming, the confident win in the Mother Goose showed that Devil May Care came through the Derby experience none the worse for wear.

"It was a big race from her, and I've always felt she was the best filly in her generation," Pletcher said. "She had shown us every sign after the Derby that she was as good as she had ever been. She trained brilliantly, like she always does. Aside from losing a little bit of weight in the Derby like most horses - colts or fillies - will do, she came out of it really well. It was just a matter of making sure we gave her the proper time."

John Velazquez rode her like she was the best, keeping Devil May Care in the four path throughout after a brief bobble at the break.

She cruised into contention on the turn and took charge as the field straightened away in the lane. Velazquez peeked back to see if anyone else was gaining while Devil May Care remained solidly in command under a hand ride.

"Down the lane, I let her do her thing, she took the lead, and it was good enough today," Velazquez said.

The win gave Devil May Care a second Grade 1 victory at Belmont, following the Frizette last October. Overall, she is 4 for 7.

The time was 1:42.06.

Connie and Michael got second, with Biofuel rallying for third following a slow start.

Pletcher's other two runners were fourth and fifth: Katy Now and Ailalea.

Starfish Bay breaks Monmouth turf record

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Starfish Bay broke the track record for 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf as she romped in the $102,000 Candy Eclair Stakes for fillies and mares on Sunday at Monmouth Park.

She zipped home in 1:00.76. Smart Enough held the old mark of 1:00.81, set on June 2, 2007.

Starfish Bay and jockey John Velazquez bounded right to the front from the inside post, and the race was over. The 4-year-old Starfish Bay ($3.80), trained by Todd Pletcher, was never threatened, scooping up her sixth win in 12 starts.

"That's the way she likes it," Velazquez said. "Her speed is her weapon. I can't take that away from her. She was going so fast but she handled the turn perfectly and responded very well when I asked her. I think she could have gone faster, but I wanted to save something for next time."

The 4-5 favorite, Starfish Bay beat Candy Cane by 3 1/2 lengths with Quebrada Shiner third.

Quality Road dominates Met Mile

Barbara D. Livingston

Quality Road (right) battles Musket Man through the stretch of Monday's Met Mile at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Quality Road hadn't been out in 114 days and had just run six furlongs in 1:08.57 in the heat at Belmont Park. With a quarter-mile left to run in the 117th Metropolitan Handicap, Quality Road, the 1-4 favorite, had to be as good as advertised in order to win.

He was better.

With a spank or two from John Velazquez's whip, Quality Road pulled away from would-be challenger Musket Man in the stretch to record a 1 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap and confirm his status as the best older male horse in training.

Musket Man finished second by 1 1/2 lengths over Tizway. They were followed in the order of finish by Convocation, Le Grand Cru, Warrior's Reward, Kensei, and You and I Forever.

In his first start since winning the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park in a track-record time for 1 1/8 miles, Quality Road ran a mile in 1:33.11, which equals the second-fastest final time in the 111 years the Metropolitan has been run at a mile. Langfuhr (1:33.11 in 1997) and Conquistador Cielo (1:33.00 in 1982 when time in hundredths were unavailable) also ran in 1:33 flat. Only Honour and Glory (1:32.81) ran faster. Honour and Glory carried 110 pounds as a 3-year-old when he won in 1996. Quality Road carried 124 pounds, spotting seven pounds to runner-up Musket Man.

"You're talking about a horse now that set a track record at Saratoga going 6 1/2, set two track records at Gulfstream going 1 1/8 miles, runs a mile in 1:33 flat carrying 124 pounds off a four-month layoff - as good as it gets," said winning trainer Todd Pletcher.

The victory was the seventh in 10 starts for Quality Road and third straight this year. Given the circumstances in which it was done, it may be his best race yet.

Breaking from post 7 under Velazquez, Quality Road found himself in an early duel with Le Grand Cru, the two running an opening quarter-mile in 22.55 seconds and a half-mile in 45.19. Quality Road spurted away to run six furlongs in 1:08.57.

Turning into the stretch, it looked as though Musket Man, under Ramon Dominguez, was gearing up for a stretch challenge. At the eighth pole, Velazquez smacked the colt right-handed and then continued to keep busy on the colt, hitting him again before going to a vigorous hand ride late. Quality Road, owned and bred by Ed Evans, returned $2.50 to win.

"The first quarter was easy enough for him now let them come and get him," Velazquez said when asked what he was thinking after the early fractions. "After that we picked it up and we picked it up pretty quick, and he just kept doing it. I encouraged him to the quarter pole, at the three-sixteenths pole, I got after him. He went up and ran and then he put the head up a little bit that's why I kept busy a little bit to get his mind on running."

Though the fractions were fast, Pletcher didn't feel like Quality Road was in peril at any point.

"It seemed like he was doing it so easy," said Pletcher, who captured his first Met Mile. "I said to Johnny, let him run away from there and get into his rhythm . . . . I mean he's just brilliant horse. . . . What's even more impressive was not only the way he did it, but he came back and hardly took a deep breath. Phenomenal."

Pletcher said he would like to make the Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7. If he runs before then, the most likely spot would be the Grade 2, $300,000 Suburban here on July 3.

In his last three starts, Musket Man has finished second in the Carter, third in the Churchill Downs Handicap, and second in the Met. Last year, he finished third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

"Thought we had him," said Musket Man's trainer, Derek Ryan. "He made a run at him he closed, he did everything right. Can't take anything away from the winner. I just got to figure out how to make up two lengths."

Super Saver, with Calvin Borel up, took the lead in the stretch while coming up along the rail to win the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) (VIDEO) by 2 ½ lengths. WinStar Farm’s homebred son of Maria’s Mon gave trainer Todd Pletcher his first Derby win.

Borel's victory makes him the first jockey to win the Derby three times in a four-year span. The Churchill Downs-based rider was aboard Street Sense   in 2007 and Mine That Bird last year.

Super Saver covered the 1 1/4 miles of the Derby over a sloppy track in 2:04.45. Ice Box rallied to finish second, a neck ahead of Paddy O'Prado in third.

It was another two lengths back to Make Music for Me in fourth.

Conveyance went to the lead and set a blistering pace over the sealed going. He flashed under the wire the first time in front and was followed by Sidney's Candy, Line of David, Discreetly Mine, and Mission Impazible. The opening quarter was run in :22.63 and the opening half was a brisk :46.16.

Borel had Super Saver on the rail around the first bend and down the backstretch in a stalking position. In the early stages, Ice Box was last and Make Music for Me was next to last.

“I had him where I wanted,” Borel said after the race. “I got him off the pace and he relaxed real good. I learned a lot the last time I rode him (in the Arkansas Derby). The first time I rode him, I won on the lead, but in the last race, I took him back and learned a lot about him.”

Super Saver came to the Derby off a neck loss to Line of David in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (gr. I). In his 3-year-old debut he was third, beaten a half-length by Odysseus and Schoolyard Dreams in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III). Last year, the colt won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs under Borel.

This is the first Derby victory as an owner for WinStar, Kenny Troutt and Bill Casner’s farm on Pisgah Pike in Woodford County, Ky. And their second as a breeder. They bred 2003 winner Funny Cide.

As an owner, WinStar had 10 runners in the Derby prior to this year, with their best running coming in 2006 with a runner-up effort from Bluegrass Cat  .

It is the second Derby winner for sire Maria’s Mon, who also is the sire of 2001 winner Monarchos. Maria’s Mon was euthanized in September 2007 of multiple organ dysfunction.

Super Saver is out of the A.P. Indy   mare Supercharger, who traces back in tail-female line to grade I winner Dance Number, a blue hen mare for the Phipps family and a direct descendant of the great La Troienne. Supercharger’s dam, Get Lucky (by Mr. Prospector), is a full sister to Travers (gr. I) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner Rhythm.

Super Saver was the early favorite in the wagering after Oaks day and went off the second choice in the 20-horse field. Super Saver paid $18, $8.80, and $6. Ice Box returned $11.20 and $8 and Paddy O’Prado paid $7.40 to show. The exacta, 4-2, paid $152.40. The trifecta paid $2,337 and the superfecta, with fourth-place finisher Make Music for Me, paid $202,569.

Much has been made of Pletcher’s record in the Derby and was 0-for-24 prior to today’s running. With four starters in the field, he is now 1-for-28.

Devil May Care, the lone filly in the cast and a member of Pletcher’s contingent, finished 10th as the 40th filly to run in the Derby. She was seeking to join Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980), and Winning Colors (1988) to win the Run for the Roses. The last filly to run in the Derby was Eight Belles, who broke down after finishing second to Big Brown in 2008.

Pletcher’s other runners were Mission Impazible, which finished ninth, and Discreetly Mine, the 13th across the wire.

“It’s a joy,” Pletcher said right after the race of getting his first win. “People said we had one with our name written on it. I didn’t take anything for granted. It feels awfully good.”

It is a bit of vindication for Pletcher after the defection of early favorite Eskendereya who was withdrawn from consideration last week due to a filling of edema in a leg.

“This colt has just been getting better and better,” Pletcher said. “We were kind of playing catch up earlier in the year, but after the Arkansas Derby, he just really moved forward.”

Lookin At Lucky, who broke from post 1, was the favorite in the 20-horse field at 6-1. He was jostled around early and shuffled back, rallying to finish sixth.

"I lost all chance at the post position draw when I drew the 1 (post with Lookin At Lucky)," trainer Bob Baffert said after the race. "Everything had been going smooth and great and then, boom, right in the 1 hole. I had a bad feeling about it.

"I quit watching him after the first bump," he said. "He was done. I wish (jockey Garrett Gomez) would have pulled him up. That's horse racing. You have good luck and bad luck and I've been lucky to win this race and other guys have had bad luck."

Trainer Nick Zito was pleased with Ice Box's performance.

"I couldn't get lucky enough to beat Calvin, but my horse did get me second," Zito said. "He ran a great race. I have to be happy with the way he ran today. He put in a great run."

Paddy O'Prado's trainer Dale Romans said, "He ran so big for us. I thought we were going to win. He just ran super. You couldn't ask for any more from the horse."

Even with the wet and blustery conditions, attendance for the Derby was 155,804, the sixth largest crowd for a Kentucky Derby. 

As a bonus to the Kentucky Derby and it's coverage by NBC, a promotion by the CNBC network offered one winner a $100,000 bet on the Derby. Glen Fullerton was the winner and he placed his bet on Super Saver, which is now worth $900,000.

 "I studied the PPs and new Super Saver had success over a wet track and Calvin Borel had success here. It was just a gut feeling," Fullerton said. "This is life-changing but I don't have to spend it all in one week."