SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016 SONGBIRD LOOKS TO HANG TEN IN ALABAMA STARS ALIGN FOR by Alan Carasso Fox Hill Farm=s champion Songbird (Medaglia d=Oro) looks to PACIFIC CLASSIC take her career record to a perfect 10-for-10 and will attempt to join an elite group of fillies as the long odds-on favorite in Saturday=s GI Alabama S. at Saratoga. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who sent out eventual 3-year-old filly champion Blind Luck (Pollard=s Vision) to best Fox Hill=s Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in the 2010 renewal of this storied event, the >TDN Rising Star= ran the table in her four tries last term, clinching her title with a decisive front-running success in the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. She ran her winning streak to seven with an authoritative success in the GI Santa Anita Oaks Apr. 9 and would have been everyone=s choice to add the GI Kentucky Oaks, but an elevated temperature ruled her out of the fillies= centerpiece. Returning from that 70-day hiatus with a galloping score in the GII Summertime Oaks June 18, she was tested really and truly for the first time in this track=s GI CCA Oaks July 24, but took >TDN Rising Star= Carina Mia (Malibu Moon)=s best shot and kicked home to score by 5 1/4 lengths. Cont. p3 California Chrome and exercise rider Dihigi Gladney | Horsephotos by Alan Carasso IN TDN EUROPE TODAY WINX SET FOR SEASONAL DEBUT IN SYDNEY In its quarter-century history, the GI TVG Pacific Classic has been responsible for its fair share of memorable and magical Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), winner of her last nine starts, looks to pick up where she left off as the heavy favorite in moments. Saturdays’ G2 Warwick S. at Royal Randwick. The legendary California-breds Best Pal (*Habitony) and Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Bertrando (Skywalker) helped put the race on the map with wins in 1991 (inaugural running) and 1993, respectively, while Dare and Go (Alydar) famously snapped Cigar (Palace Music)=s 16-race skein before a stunned crowd two decades ago. Juddmonte Farms claimed four Classic trophies in the space of seven years courtesy of back-to-back winners Tinners Way (Secretariat) and Skimming (Nureyev), while all-time Golden State greats like Lava Man (Slew City Slew) and Game On Dude (Awesome Again) have also left their mark. In 2014, the late Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) silenced many of his critics with an imperious success, only to be topped last year by Beholder (Henny Hughes), who gave trainer Richard Mandella a fourth Classic with a devastating and historic victory. So, what does Del Mar conjure up for an encore? As if an appearance by the race=s defending champion weren=t draw card enough, the Classic has attracted 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), who will try to join Pleasantly Perfect as standing winners of the G1 Dubai World Cup to double up at Del Mar; and >TDN Rising Star= Dortmund (Big Brown), who gave California Chrome all he could handle in the GII San Diego H. July 23. Cont. p3 PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Saturday, August 20, 2016 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Assistant Editors Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin They’re in the gate... Before the start of the day’s races, the hard-working NYRA gate Advertising Assistants crew start their own mornings reading the TDN. | Alexa Reisfield Brittlan Wall @bwallTDN Alexa Reisfield TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution EDT Race Click for TV Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew 9:15a Prix du Cavaldos-G3, DVL ---------------- ----- [email protected] 9:15a Strensall S.-G3, YRK ---------------- ----- Social Media Strategist 9:30a Atalanta S.-G3, SAN ---------------- ----- Nichola Henry @NicholaHenryTDN 9:45a Irish St Leger Trial S.-G3, CGH ---------------- ----- [email protected] 10:05a Solario S.-G3, SAN ---------------- ----- Director of Customer Service 10:20a Curragh S.-G3, CGH ---------------- ----- Vicki Forbes 10:25a Gimcrack S.-G2, YRK ---------------- ----- [email protected] 4:47p Play The King S.-GII, WO TJCIS PPs TVG 5:09p Monmouth Oaks-GIII, MTH TJCIS PPs TVG Director of Information Technology 5:40p Fourstardave H.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs Saratoga Live Ray Villa [email protected] 6:18p Alabama S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs Saratoga Live 7:43p Del Mar Oaks-GI, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 8:43p Del Mar H.-GI, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG International Editor 9:15p TVG Pacific Classic-GI, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 9:45p Canadian Derby-GIII, NP TJCIS PPs ------- European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 20, 2016 FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI PACIFIC CLASSIC TVG Pacific Classic cont. from p1 California Chrome looks to continue what connections hope will be a second Horse of the Year title in three years, a season that could conclude with career earnings in the vicinity of $16 million, if all goes according to plan. Since settling for the $2- million second prize in the 2015 G1 Dubai World Cup, the flashy chestnut has not tasted defeat in four tries, a streak that includes a 3 3/4-length tally in the world=s richest race this past Mar. 26 despite a mechancal malfunction. Given plenty of time to get his sea legs back under himself, so to speak, California Chrome stalked Dortmund every step of the way in the San Diego while giving his younger rival five pounds, but just when it looked like the race was in safe keeping, the bruising Dortmund- -who=s shown before that he loves a battle--fought on bravely, ultimately surrendering by a half-length. It=s level weights Saturday, in theory tipping the scales further in the direction of California Chrome, but Victor Espinoza will have to try to work out a trip from the one hole. AThe No. 1 post is never good at any track but being a former jockey, I know that if he [Victor Espinoza] rides the right race, the No. 1 post isn=t going to be a problem,@ trainer Art Sherman said Wednesday. AIt depends on how the early fractions are and then you just go from there. It=s going to be a jockey=s race. It=s going to be a fan friendly race, I can tell you that.@ In many ways, Dortmund is the dark horse of of this year=s handicap division. Winner of the GI Los Alamitos Futurity at two, the burly chestnut took the GI Santa Anita Derby and was third to American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI Kentucky Derby, but was sidelined following an up-the-track effort in the GI Preakness S. In the San Diego, Dortmund was having his first start since besting Imperative (Bernardini) Dortmund | Benoit this track=s GIII Native Diver S. last November, his 110 Beyer easily the best of his career. His trackwork since has been brilliant, supporting the notion that there could be another forward move in store. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 12 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 20, 2016 Pacific Classic cont. Owners: 1-California Chrome, LLC, 2-Pegram, Watson or Weitman, Following Beholder=s victory in the 2015 GI Clement L. Hirsch 3-Loooch Racing Stables, Inc. or Ellis, 4-Hronis Racing, LLC, 5-Kretz Racing, S., trainer Richard Mandella surprised many by saying the Pacific LLC, 6-J K Racing, LLC, 7-Spendthrift Farm, LLC, 8-Kaleem Shah, Inc., Classic was under consideration. And boy, did she make a smart 9-Big Chief Racing, LLC, Rocker O Ranch, LLC or Desormeaux. Breeders: trainer look that much smarter with an 8 1/4-length tour-de- 1-Perry Martin & Steve Coburn, 2-Betz/D.J. Stable/Kidder/J. Betz/Robenalt, force. Kept in training at six 3-Jack Swain III, 4-Dreamchaser Thorobreds, 5-Spendthrift Farm, LLC, after being forced to miss a 6-Glencrest Farm LLC & Darley, 7-Clarkland Farm, 8-Emilie Gerlinde Fojan, clash with the Triple Crown 9-Sally J. Andersen hero in the GI Breeders= Cup Classic, the bay was far too Alabama S. cont. from p1 tough for the competition in Champions like Open Mind and Go For Wand added the taking the first two starts of Alabama in their sophomore season, but the feat has not been this season, but she was accomplished since Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy) in 1999. upset at a dime on the dollar Beholder | Benoit Despite trying 10 panels by Stellar Wind (Curlin) in defense of the Hirsch July 30. She was for the first time, trainer green-lighted only for this race only in the last week and she=d Jerry Hollendorfer enters need to do better from a numbers standpoint in a Pacific Classic the Alabama full of for the ages. Her trainer isn=t underestimating the task at hand.