FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI SANTA ANITA H. Robert Lapenta=S Three-Year-Old Dialed in (Mineshaft), Winner of the GIII Holy Bull S
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MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011 For information about TDN, call 732-747-8060. DROPPED CALL, BUT STILL DIALED IN FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI SANTA ANITA H. Robert LaPenta=s three-year-old Dialed In (Mineshaft), winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. Jan. 30, suffered his first career loss when he failed to reel in stablemate Equestrio (Elusive Quality) in a nine-furlong allowance at Gulfstream yesterday (see ATW-p1 for full re- sult). But connections, pointing out the race was a prep for the GI Florida Derby Apr. 3, took the loss in stride. "The jock BIG >CAP CONTROVERSY RAGES ON [Julien Leparoux] was Fall-out from Saturday=s GI Santa Anita H. controver- happy,@ trainer Nick Zito sial non-disqualification raged said. AThe horse that beat on Sunday morning as Hall of him isn't a bad horse. It Fame trainer Richard Mandella Equestrio & Dialed In (inside) was two turns, they were announced that runner-up Joe Ganley/EquiSport Photos older horses and there Setsuko (Pleasantly Perfect) was no speed in the race. exited the roughly run event I would have liked to win, but I have to be happy.@ Sent with an injury. The Wertheimer off the hot 1-5 choice in his first two-turn test, Dialed et Frere homebred, who fin- In was at the back of the small five-horse field early. He ished a nose short of Game on Setsuko (left) and Game on began his rally two furlongs out, splitting horses, but Dude (Awesome Again) and Dude Benoit Photography 4-year-old Equestrio got the jump on him and was long remained in that slot when the gone after pressing through a slow three-quarters in race went official 12 minutes later, bumped with odds- 1:13.89. The winning margin of a half-length would on favorite Twirling Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}) (ulti- have been more had Equestrio not veered out abruptly mately fifth) as part of a chain reaction caused by initial in the last sixteenth. AHe made the mile and an eighth,@ contact between Game on Dude and the chalk. Zito said of Dialed In. AWhen [Equestrio] bolted at the Cont. p2 end, [Dialed In] made another dash for the wire. You know the Florida Derby is going to have more speed. If he has a good month, we'll still look at that.@ Leparoux added, AWe got a trip, a good teaching trip, but there was no pace unfortunately. It=s horse racing, he=s going to have horses next to him in the [Kentucky] Derby, so he=s got to learn that. The horse on the outside made me be patient, that=s all. It was a good race. The first two races, the half was :45 and :46. This race it was almost :50.@ In his only other start, Dialed In won a Churchill MSW Nov. 12. TDN TODAY Headline News..................... 6 pages IT’S A BOY! OR A GIRL! Click here to submit your Foaling News for Stakes Winning and/or Stakes Producing Mares for publication in the TDN. Sarah K. Andrew photo P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 3/7/11 • PAGE 2 of 6 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Racetrack Round-Up Big >Cap Controversy continued... ASetsuko came out of the race with a cut on his left front leg,@ said Mandella. AHe=s got a lot of swelling in Sending sports fans around the track the leg and we=re treating it, hoping that it isn=t going Is horse racing a sport? His readers weigh in to become more serious. There=s no question he got cut Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune by Twirling Candy.@ Mandella added, AI don=t want to drag the game down by saying anything now about the Can Avioli Just Say No? decision the stewards made. I think [the stewards] Bill Finley, ESPN.com should talk to the jockeys, but I think it was chicken [expletive] that [winning trainer Bob] Baffert was trying to talk to the other jockeys and to the stewards.@ The Snow Fairy Is Sheema-Bound... three-time Big Cap winner continued, AI was trying to Cristina Patino=s Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab) will by- be a gentleman and, unless pass the G1 Dubai World Cup and run in the G1 Dubai the trainer is claiming foul, I Sheema Classic in- just don=t think it=s right that stead, trainer Ed he is trying to talk to the Dunlop announced jocks and to the stewards.@ yesterday. Connec- Winning rider Chantal Suther- tions ruled out a first land, who became the first try of the Tapeta sur- female rider to win the Santa face in the Mar. 26 Anita H. and returned to the main event and have winner=s circle to the sound of opted to stick with the boos from fans who believed turf option for the Horsephotos that her mount instigated the four-times top-level contact with Twirling Candy, scorer. AShe worked on was understandably more up- Saturday morning with Ryan Moore and we=ve all made beat the following morning. the decision to run her in the Sheema,@ Dunlop told PA APeople are saying that I Sport. APutting everything together, we=ve decided to Sutherland Aboard Game on floated out when we turned stick to what we know best. We know she goes well Dude Benoit Photography for home, but I didn=t,@ said on fast turf, and we were not totally certain about the Canadian native. AI was in running her on Tapeta for her first race of the season. It the path I was in when we turned for home and my is something we=ve all agreed on.@ Snow Fairy was last horse maintained a straight path [before being bumped seen annexing the G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at by Twirling Candy].@ Sha Tin Dec. 12. P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 3/7/11 • PAGE 3 of 6 • thoroughbreddailynews.com But on Sunday, Baffert reversed course. AIf he works well next week, and I=m happy with him, we=ll go to the Triple Rebel,@ Baffert told Daily Racing Form. AIf I=m not happy, we=ll go to the next one. That=s my plan.@ Lookin At Lucky won the 2010 renewal of the Rebel, and Threats while the victory didn=t translate into Derby glory, Lookin At Lucky went on to be the divisional champ. AI The Factor Could Go in Rebel... think [The Factor] deserves one chance at two turns,@ Last year, trainer Bob Baffert used Oaklawn=s said Baffert, who admitted it might be tough throttling GII Rebel S. as a stepping stone to the GI Kentucky the speed of a horse who broke Santa Anita=s track Derby for Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike), and now record in his maiden win, sprinting six panels in appears to be favoring that route with J “TDN Rising 1:06.98 Dec. 26. AHe=s a runaway train,@ added Baffert. Star” J The Factor (War Front). The 1 1/16-mile race George Bolton and Fog City Stable=s colorbearer under- will be held Mar. 19. scored that point in a six-furlong work at Santa Anita After The Factor took Saturday morning, which he completed in a best-of-18 the seven-furlong 1:10 3/5. In recent years, the Rebel has been won by GII San Vicente S. at Curlin (Smart Strike) (>07), Lawyer Ron (>06), and Santa Anita Feb. 20, Smarty Jones (>04). Baffert said he was Triple Threats cont. p4 eyeing the $800,000 GIII Sunland Derby PEDIGREE INSIGHTS... over nine furlongs at The Factor Benoit Get pedigree expert Sunland Park Mar. Andrew Caulfield s take 27. Connections = were attracted by the big purse, likely modest competi- on racing=s newsmakers! tion and speed-favoring track in what would be The You can find all of Caulfield=s Factor=s first time around two turns. columns in the TDN Archive. TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 3/7/11 • PAGE 4 of 6 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Triple Threats cont. Rebel Runners Work Sunday... Four expected contestants for Oaklawn=s GII Rebel S. stretched their legs over the track Sunday in prepara- tion for the Mar. 19 event. Robert Yagos=s Archarcharch (Arch), who took the GIII Southwest S. over the Hot Springs oval Feb. 21, breezed six furlongs in 1:13.40, the second- fastest of seven drills at the trip, under regular rider Jon Court. AI=m very pleased with the work,@ said conditioner William AJinks@ Fires. AJon was really happy with it and said it felt like he's get- ting better. I told him >I sure hope he is.=" Elite Archarcharch Coady Photography Alex LLC=s Elite Alex (Afleet Alex), third in the Southwest with a wide trip for trainer Tim Ritchey, drilled six panels in 1:12.40 while outclassing a pair of workmates to earn the bullet under Calvin Borel. "That was very awesome," said Borel. "He's just hitting ev- erything right. He's such a big horse, I think he's only going to get better the farther we go. He's going to love the big sweeping turns at Churchill. He really re- minds me of [2007 Kentucky Derby winner] Street Sense. I think that's why I love him so much. I would- n't trade places with anybody for nothing right now." Alternation (Distorted Humor), who defeated Elite Alex Turbulent Descent New York-Bound... two back before earning Blinkers on Racing Stable, et al.=s Turbulent Descent the J “TDN Rising (Congrats), who turned the tables on rival Zazu (Tapit) Star” J tag when he by a neck in Saturday=s GI Santa Anita Oaks to up her took an allowance by career record to 5-4-1-0, will 3 1/4 lengths on the be pointed towards a cam- Southwest undercard to paign in New York this sum- up his route record to mer.