SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here SOPH SURVIVORS SQUARE OFF IN TRAVERS ‘DESCENT’ EN POINTE FOR PLETCHER While the 143rd running of Saratoga=s GI Travers S. Turbulent Descent (Congrats) proved worthy of her has lost many of its would-be major players due to leading role in yesterday=s GI Ballerina S. at Saratoga, injury and/or early retirement, a well-matched group of earning an automatic berth into the GI Breeders= Cup 11 will square off in today=s AMidsummer Derby.@ Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 2 with a convincing Godolphin=s Alpha 1 1/4-length success from (Bernardini), winner of the Derwin=s Star (Wildcat Heir) for sloppy GII Jim Dandy S. new connections. Purchased by here July 28, gets the the Coolmore contingent from morning-line nod at 5-2 off Blinkers On Racing Stable, et al his two-length front-running in June, last year=s GI Test S. success over four of his heroine justified her 2-5 favoritism in this first go for return rivals. Neck >n Neck Turbulent Descent Coglianese (Flower Alley) was second, leading trainer Todd Pletcher with Liaison (Indian Charlie) with a stalk-and-pounce trip Alpha NYRA/Coglianese third, Atigun (Istan) a from off a slow pace set by eventual third-place finisher patiently ridden sixth and All Due Respect (Value Plus). Perched three wide while racing in the second flight early, the bay put a head in Fast Falcon (Awesome Again) seventh in that traditional front at the top of the lane while ridden confidently by Travers prep. Alpha=s trainer Kiaran McLaughlin John Velazquez and was never seriously threatened by acknowledged that end-of-the-year honors may be out the late-charging runner-up while becoming a millionaire of the reach of his charge after the Triple Crown in the process. AI thought she ran well,@ said Pletcher. exploits of I=ll Have Another (Flower Alley), but hopes ASometimes the hardest races to win are the ones to give that retiree a run for his money if Alpha can win you=re expected to. We were just hoping to stay out of here and go on to beat his elders. APeople always say trouble... Johnny said she got a bit of a bump in the the 3-year-old crop is weak and then you look up and middle of the turn over there and she kind of grabbed it=s November and they=re winning the Breeders= Cup,@ him and took off a little sooner than he wanted to. She McLaughlin said. AIt=s tough to overtake I=ll Have seems like the kind of filly that, once she makes the Another, but if you happened to win the Travers and lead, tends to wait a little bit, which we anticipated, the [GI] Breeders= Cup Classic, you would have a good but we=re happy she got it done.@ Cont. p3 chance. It=s a $1-million Grade I and a very important race Saturday.@ He added, AWe couldn=t be any happier with Alpha going into the race. He=s put on weight and developed a lot since he arrived here June 2. He=s really blossomed and is doing fabulous.@ Cont. p5 A LATE BLOOMER Having arrived in Britain in the shadow of her compatriot Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), Ortensia (Aus) (Testa Rossa {Aus}) made sure the limelight was all hers on York's Knavesmire yesterday as she found the front in the nick of time for a thrilling success in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. Held up far off the frenetic early pace by William Buick, the 7-2 joint-favorite was still well adrift inside the final quarter but the mighty stride of the Aug. 3 G2 King George S. winner took her past Spirit Quartz (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the final yards for a neck success. "She's unbelievable and I can't remember riding a horse who can go through so many gears in only five furlongs," Buick commented. "She gets outpaced early but is always stepping up through the gears and it's like she knows where the winning line is." Cont. p5 In This Issue Big Card at The Spa 60 Broad St., Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 In addition to the Travers, Saratoga (732) 747-8060 features a trio of competitive and high-level (732) 747-8955 (fax) graded stakes. Sophomore colts square off www.thoroughbreddailynews.com in the GI King’s Bishop, led by Currency www.thetdn.com Swap (High Cotton) and Trinniberg (Teuflesburg); while the fairer sex competes in the GI Test S., headlined by ‘TDN Rising Barry Weisbord, co-publisher Star’ Contested (Ghostzapper). The Ballston Spa H. is only a Grade II, but it [email protected] features a trio of Grade I winners in Sue Finley, co-publisher Currency Swap Horsephotos Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune), Tapitsfly [email protected] (Tapit) and Summer Soiree (War Front). Coverage begins page 7 Editorial [email protected] Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief Alan Carasso, Managing Editor Further Coverage Marie Kizenko, Senior Editor Christina Bossinakis, Senior Editor Blaine Stays Unbeaten in Gimcrack page 10 Lucas Marquardt, Features Editor NY Times Editorial Focuses on NYSRWB Measures page 14 Steve Sherack, Racing Editor Brian DiDonato, Racing Analyst/Soc. Media Dir. Interim Report Released in Ontario page 15 Justina Severni, Assistant Editor Showdown at the Spa Continues page 1-ATW Advertising [email protected] Alycia Borer, Director of Advertising Lia Kusch, Senior Advertising Designer Sarah K. Andrew, Adv Assistant/Distribution Amanda Crelin, Advertising Assistant Customer Service EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 9:15a Prestige S.-G3, GOO (brisnet.com PPs) HRTV Vicki Forbes, Director of Customer Service 10:05a Lonsdale Cup-G2, YOR (brisnet.com PPs) HRTV 10:10a Irish St Leger Trial S.-G3, CUR (brisnet.com PPs) HRTV Information Technology 10:20a Celebration Mile-G2, GOO (brisnet.com PPs) HRTV Robert Williams, Director of IT 11:25a Preis Der Sparkassen-G3, BDN ------------------------ -------- [email protected] 1:45p Winter Hill S.-G3, WND (brisnet.com PPs) -------- Gregg Casillo, DB Administrator, Programming 4:05p Ballston Spa S.-GII, SAR (brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG [email protected] 4:38p Test S.-GI, SAR (brisnet.com PPs) NBC 4:47p Ontario Colleen S.-GIII, WO (brisnet.com PPs) TVG Marketing 5:10p King’s Bishop S.-GI, SAR (brisnet.com PPs) NBC Gary King, Marketing Manager 5:46p Travers S-GI, SAR (brisnet.com PPs) NBC [email protected] 7:45p Canadian Derby-GIII, NP (brisnet.com PPs) HRTV 8:30p Del Mar H.-GII, DMR (brisnet.com PPs) TVG TDN Newmarket Bureau: Cafe Racing [email protected] Sean Cronin Tom Frary TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 8/25/12 • PAGE 3 of 16 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Ballerina Stakes Friday, Saratoga Race Course BALLERINA S.-GI, $500,000, SAR, 8-24, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:22, ft. 1--TURBULENT DESCENT, 119, f, 4, by Congrats 1st Dam: Roger's Sue, by Forestry 2nd Dam: Fabulous, by Seeking the Gold 3rd Dam: Gorgeous, by Slew O' Gold ($160,000 2yo >10 OBSAPR). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Ocala Stud (FL); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-John R Velazquez. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 12-8-2-0, $1,201,640. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Derwin's Star, 117, m, 5, Wildcat Heir--Powerful Package, by Star De Naskra. ($15,000 wlng '07 KEENOV). O-Marcia Cohen & Steve Klesaris; B-Woodsfield Farm (FL); T-Steve Klesaris. $100,000. 3--All Due Respect, 117, m, 5, Value Plus--Aunt Due, by Devil His Due. ($17,000 wlng '07 OBSOCT; $47,000 RNA yrl '08 OBSAUG; $80,000 2yo >09 OBSMAR). O-Paul P Pompa Jr & Taylor Brothers Properties; B-Lau-Mor Farms (FL); T-Richard E Dutrow Jr. $50,000. MATING RECOMMENDATION BY MACHMER HALL Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.45, 8.20, 20.00. 859-873-7270 • www.airdriestud.com Also Ran: Belle Of The Hall, Nicole H, Island Bound. Scratched: It's Tricky. Click for the brisnet.com chart, AIt=s sort of rare you have an opportunity to buy a the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue- multiple Grade I-winning filly with some races left and style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Taylor Made Sales. some opportunities,@ explained Pletcher of the Trained by Mike Puype for the first part of her career, reasoning behind Turbulent Descent=s acquisition. Turbulent Descent completed a perfect 2-year-old AWhile it was certainly a fair price, it was still a lot of season with a win in the 2010 GI Hollywood Starlet S. money. We felt based on her record there wasn=t much She added the GI Santa Anita Oaks at a route of ground downside. We talked about a couple of races, and this the following March, but her connections opted to cut was one of them. So now, you=re talking about a filly her back to one-turn events, and she flourished with that=s a Grade I winner at two, three and four, and it=s convincing scores in the GII Beaumont S. at Keeneland pretty rare. Those are the kinds of mares you=d love to and the Test here last August with a runner-up effort to have in your broodmare band when their racing career It=s Tricky (Mineshaft) in the one-mile GI Acorn S. is over.@ Pletcher said that Turbulent Descent would be sandwiched in between.