SUBSCR ER IPT IN IO A N R S T COMPLIMENTS OF T !2!4/'! O L T IA H C E E 4HE S SP ARATOGA Year 7 • No. 20 SARATOGA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER ON THOROUGHBRED RACING Friday, August 17, 2007 LAKE PLACID PREVIEW Green is good Lady Attack goes on a turf assault BY BRIAN NADEAU Sometimes all it takes is a little change of scenery to bring out the best in someone. While Cigar left the lawn for Hall of Fame stardom on the main track, Lady Attack has found greener pastures since trainer Neil Howard switched her to the turf in June. She gets a chance to bur- nish her reputation today in a competi- tive renewal of the Gr. II Lake Placid. Run at 9 furlongs over the Mellon Turf Course, she’ll face seven other 3-year- old distaffers in the $150,000 stakes. A chestnut daughter of Mutakddim, Lady Attack joined owner Will Farish’s stable for $150,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2-year-olds-in-training sale at Calder last year. Three disappointing efforts on the main track – never better than fifth – prompted Howard to seek a change. It wasn’t the first time a surface switch crossed his mind, however. “We bought her as a 2-year-old-in- Kodiak Kowboy kicks clear to training and turf was kind of on our win the Saratoga Special. See LAKE PLACID page 2 Dave Harmon Kowboy proves old hand INSIDE Here and There in ‘Experienced’ 2-year-old SARATOGA SPECIAL STAKES Saratoga Purchased for $70,000 by Vinery at the OBS August sale runs away with Grade II last summer, Kodiak Kowboy was destined to run early to Thursday Recap: help get his sire Posse rolling. He’s been almost perfect. It BY SEAN CLANCY takes a lot for Kodiak Kowboy to get beat. Like a 2-furlong Secret Gypsy sets sprint, in April, over the border at Woodbine, in his debut. Vinery follows one key business plan. Support the stal- track record Asmussen takes full blame. lions. The Lexington-based farm stands first-crop sire Posse. “I ran him a quarter of a mile, like an idiot,” Asmussen They also buy and race his offspring. said, when asked how he lost his debut. “The first time I Meet Jupiter, the The latter part is proving to be easy and lucrative. Espe- worked him at Sam Houston, I thought he probably couldn’t cially when it comes to Kodiak Kowboy. Owned by Vinery win there but maybe he’d be readier than the horses in Cana- Spa’s police horse and Fox Hill Farm, Kodiak Kowboy won his fourth in a row da. We ran him and he loped away from there, came late and (third stakes) when dominating the Gr. II Saratoga Special, galloped out big and Emma (Jayne Wilson) called and said, streaking home to win by 3 lengths over The Roundhouse Entries and ‘don’t worry about it, he can run a lot.’ Obviously, he has and Riley Tucker. Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by ever since.” Handicapping Shaun Bridgmohan, Kodiak Kowboy completed the 6 1/2 fur- longs in 1:15.95. See SARATOGA SPECIAL page 8 Crupi’s New Castle Farm Breaking and Training IZcBdhiLVciZY IdXXZiHdid 8dVX]?^b^AZZ 7ZaaV7ZaajXX^6#E#6cY^Z 9Vh]WdVgY9gjbbZg 9daa7VWn Hbddi]BVcjZkZgh Tod Marks 6bW^i^dcJcWg^YaZY Lady Attack charges toward the finish in the Lake George at Saratoga July 27. She gets an extra half- furlong to play with in today’s Lake Placid. A^iiaZBVii]BVc well since. She has really started devel- oping and filling out as time has gone I]ZcH]ZAVj\]h Lake Placid – on. Right from the get-go she ran well Continued from page 1 (on the turf) and now that she has come BnHcdd`^ZÉh7dn back and run well against winners the mind,” Howard said. “(Bloodstock first time on the turf and has come back agent) Pete Bradley picked her out for with the race up here that kind of put <Vaade^c\<gdXZg Mr. Farish. We looked at her as a nice- her over the hump, as far as season- looking individual and hoped for the ing goes. This is another step up, but I BVo]^aaV best and that things would fall into think she’s ready for it.” place. Turf has definitely made the dif- Potentially the biggest obstacle for ference.” Lady Attack will be the pace of the GVk^c\GdX`Zi In her turf debut at Churchill Downs Lake Placid; or lack thereof. With no June 2, Lady Attack sat close to a quick true front-runner signed on, Howard 6XZn9ZjXZn pace then blew the race open with a knows she could be facing a quarter- rush down the backside and drew off to mile sprint turning for home. an easy 3-length victory. The result was “With her style I do worry about 7jhi^cHidcZh much the same when she faced winners the pace a little bit. She dropped back in her next start, this time scoring by 5 a little further than I thought she was Bddc8ViX]Zg 1/2 lengths. going to (in the Lake George),” How- The Gr. III Lake George here July 27 ard said. “We will probably not want was a chance for Howard to really find to be that far back looking at this race. 7jYYnÉh=jbdg out what he had. Sent off at over 9-1 in I think Calvin is aware of that and he a field of accomplished turf fillies, Lady will sense that and the filly has always Attack dropped 17 lengths off the early been very rateable and very kind. I think pace under Calvin Borel. Last of 11 the fact that they went so fast early last 3 turning for home and still eighth inside time kind of drew her back. The fillies the eighth-pole, Lady Attack closed in there that didn’t have speed found .%0#)/# quicker than a tanning salon in Tahiti, themselves a little further back than missing rail-skimming favorite Rutheri- normal.” "!'! enne by a neck. If the Lake George had Rusty Arnold has asked a lot from been a mile and a sixteenth and one his filly Communique, and she has an- %*)# jump, Lady Attack would be a Grade swered every time. Owned and bred by III winner. G. Watts Humphrey, the bay daughter !2 “I thought she ran well, stepping up of Smart Strike headed to the coast for into stakes company for the first time. her last start, the Gr. I American Oaks *).!".&(,/+& We were encouraged. It seems like the at Hollywood Park. Sent off at nearly farther she goes the better,” Howard 45-1, she closed from last of nine to fin- .#0##)*-!*,*%)!""* said. “It’s easy to say that if that race ish fourth, beaten only 2 3/4 lengths in the other day was a mile and an eighth the 1 1/4-mile test. it might have helped her, but I’m sure “She ran very well last time out Rutherienne would have kept on go- west. Probably a mile-and-a-half, when 111)#1"!-.'#$!,("*( ing too. I certainly don’t see any draw- it is all said and done, will be her best backs to it. I think it will be beneficial for her. She has been training very, very See LAKE PLACID page 3 2 Friday, August 17, 2007 track victory in the Gr. II Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park. Lake Placid – Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the daugh- Continued from page 2 ter of Lemon Drop Kid could find herself on the lead by default in the Lake Placid. distance,” Arnold said. “She is always In the Oaks, she prompted Dreaming running, always closing; she has a ton Of Anna throughout before giving way of stamina and is bred top and bottom late; still she hung tough for third, just 2 with stamina.” lengths behind runner-up New Edition. The 9-furlong Lake Placid might not Garrett Gomez could control the pace be the perfect fit for Communique, but up front and the newly paired duo could with limited opportunities for sopho- prove troublesome to catch. more distaffers on the grass, Arnold isn’t If Sharp Susan knew Rutherienne about to let his star watch this one. was going to Del Mar Saturday, she “It’s a little short for her but it’s the only race we could find here for 3-year- probably would have helped her pack. old fillies; she has sharpened up pretty The daughter of Touch Gold has chased good and I think she’s going to run very that one three times in a row, to no avail. well,” Arnold said. “We would have Third in the Lake George, beaten only liked to run a little bit farther but she a neck by Lady Attack, Sharp Susan was doing very well here and we wanted has shown talent from on and off the to run and this was the spot we could pace. In March, she led at every call in find. We have thought really highly of the Gr. III Herecomesthebride at Gulf- her since Day One.” stream; in the Lake George she closed Larry Jones ships back to the Spa from 10 lengths out of it. Her versatil- with New Edition, who chased 2-Year- ity should suit her well today and allow Old filly champion Dreaming Of Anna Kent Desormeaux to place her where last out in the $200,000 Virginia Oaks he feels most comfortable.