MONDAY, JULY 24, 2017 >TASMAN= DEVILISHLY ARROGATE AIN GOOD SHAPE@ IN SAN DIEGO AFTERMATH by Ben Massam GAME IN CCA OAKS Less than 24 hours after champion and >TDN Rising Star= Arrogate (Unbridled=s Song), North America=s richest all-time Thoroughbred money earner, crossed the wire a puzzling fourth as the 1-9 favorite in Del Mar=s San Diego H., Juddmonte Farms manager Garrett O=Rourke reported that the international superstar emerged from the race no worse for the wear. O=Rourke said he conferred with trainer Bob Baffert via text Sunday and received positive news about the colt=s condition. AAll is good physically, so I think we=ll just take a few days to regroup and see how he is then, but health-wise, he seems to be in good shape,@ O=Rourke said on a Sunday afternoon phone call. Cont. p6 (click here) Abel Tasman (outside) and Elate (inside) hit the wire together IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Sarah K. Andrew BURKE CONTINUES PAPIN UK DOMINATION The Karl Burke trainee Unfortunately (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) China Horse Club International and Clearsky Farms= Abel completed a British-trained clean sweep in the G2 Prix Robert Tasman (Quality Road) made a name for herself with a triad of Papin at Maisons-Laffitte. Click or tap here to go straight to Grade I scores rallying from well off the pace, but proved her TDN Europe. versatility Sunday, making an early move down the backstretch and digging in grittily to hold off >TDN Rising Star= Elate (Medaglia d=Oro) by a nose in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. The pair matched strides in a thrilling stretch run, with Abel Tasman and Mike Smith making it tight on rail-skimming Elate. Following a stewards= inquiry and an objection by Elate=s jockey Jose Ortiz, no action was taken and Abel Tasman was crowned the winner. AThere was so much happening--[the race] had its highs and lows [and] it was dramatic,@ said Bob Baffert=s head assistant Jimmy Barnes, who was in town to saddle the winner. ADown the stretch, maybe she needed to get into a fight again, so he just let her come on over to [Elate], but he never really hit her or bumped her at all. Just race riding, that's what it looked like to me.@ Away from the gate without much early speed, Abel Tasman settled in sixth behind an opening quarter-mile in :23.81, but was allowed to make a sweeping early bid for the lead soon after, with Smith presumably sensing that the pace had slowed. His judgement was correct, and Abel Tasman found herself just in front of Summer Luck through a :48.83 half. 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] Monday, July 24, 2017 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 Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Assistant Editor Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Waiting Is The Hardest Part. Bernard & Eamonn Cleary of Clearsky Farn, along with Michelle Benson China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace, Mike Smith and Jimmy Barnes all anxiously await the results of an inquiry against Abel Tasman in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks. Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution Sarah Andrew Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Director of Customer Service MADAM DANCEALOT PRANCES TO VICTORY 5 Vicki Forbes Madam Dancealot (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) unleashed an impressive [email protected] last-to-first rally to capture the GII San Clemente H., Del Mar’s Sunday feature. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Director of Information Technology Ray Villa BIG NAMES ON SPA WORKTAB 8 [email protected] As expected, Saratoga was a busy place Sunday morning, with MGISW WORLDWIDE INFORMATION Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) tuning up for a tilt in the Aug. 5 GI Whitney S. International Editor and MGSW Girvin (Tale of Ekati) putting in his final work ahead of next Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN Sunday’s GI Haskell Invitational at Monmouth. [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN 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 8 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • JULY 24, 2017 >Tasman= Devilishly Game in CCA Oaks says a lot for her. To pick up from your home track, go to Churchill, go to Belmont with the big sandy track and then come (cont. from p1) here on opening weekend, it's very exciting for us.@ Bracing for a challenge from Elate turning for home, she came The win was a welcome development for the pair of Baffert in some two paths to pin that rival in a tight spot on the rail and and Smith, who endured a puzzling fourth-place finish in Del dug in determinedly to claim the victory. Salty (Quality Road) Mar=s GII San Diego H. with champion and 1-9 favorite Arrogate departed the gate several lengths slowly and rallied belatedly to (Unbridled=s Song) some 21 hours earlier. complete the trifecta. AIt's funny how things will turn around,@ Smith said. AWe went AMy filly really waits,@ Smith said. AOnce she was in there, she from yesterday being a total shock--we don't know, we're just was engaged. I made sure that I didn't touch [Jose Ortiz]. I made going to draw a line through it--but to come back...that's what is it tight, but there's no rules that say you can't make it tight. They great about this sport. It's an make it tight on me all the time emotional roller-coaster. It felt and I'm too old for that. It's a like it was a 15-hour flight [to questionable move that I would get from California to have questioned myself if I got Saratoga], but man, it's going beat. But I didn't, so I liked it.@ to be sweet going home.@ Winner of the GI Starlet S. at two, the bay kicked off her Pedigree Notes: 2017 season with a pair of Abel Tasman=s dam Vargas runner-up finishes behind >TDN Girl was purchased for Rising Star= Unique Bella (Tapit) $130,000 at the 2010 in the Mar. 4 GIII Santa Ysabel Keeneland January Sale S. for Simon Callaghan and in carrying her third foal by Sky the wake of >Rising Star= Mesa, who turned out to be Paradise Woods (Union Rags) GIII Dogwood S. winner Sky the GI Santa Anita Oaks--her Girl. Three years later, Vargas first start after being Girl produced another Sky transferred to the care of The CCA Oaks winner=s circle, with (left to right) jockey Mike Smith, Mesa filly in Moonlight Sky, Baffert. The sophomore truly Bernard and Eamonn Cleary of Clearsky Farms, assistant trainer who sold for $240,000 to Triton began to thrive in her first Jimmy Barnes and Michael Wallace of China Horse Club Stables at last year=s Keeneland venture outside California, Sarah K. Andrew November Sale and recently rallying from last of 14 to win captured a June 4 allowance event at Woodbine. Vargas Girl is a the GI Kentucky Oaks over a sloppy Churchill Downs strip May 5 half-sister to GISW Bevo (Prospectors Gamble) and GSW and following that performance with a similarly powerful Moonlight Sonata (Carson City), herself the dam of GSWs last-to-first success in the GI Acorn S. at Belmont June 10. In Wilburn (Bernardini) and Beethoven (Sky Mesa), as well as SW total, she has won six times from nine starts. La Appassionata (Bernardini). Abel Tasman is her dam=s most AAbel is a phenomenal filly,@ said Barnes. AIt's her third Grade I recent produce. See chart and video replays on next page in a row. We're blessed to have her. She's come through each and every time. She's had to travel three times now and that TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 8 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • JULY 24, 2017 Sunday, Saratoga Race Course E. Casse. $30,000. COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $300,000, SAR, 7-23, Baccari Bloodstock Bred & Raised 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:51.74, ft. 1--ABEL TASMAN, 121, f, 3, by Quality Road 1st Dam: Vargas Girl, by Deputy Minister Margins: HD, 3 1/4, 7. Odds: 0.80, 5.00, 2.60. 2nd Dam: Wheatly Way, by Wheatly Hall Also Ran: Berned, Daddys Lil Darling, Summer Luck, Corporate 3rd Dam: Family Way, by Cyane Queen. ($65,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-China Horse Club Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free International Ltd. & Clearsky Farms; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, provided by T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $180,000. Lifetime Record: NYRA. 9-6-2-0, $1,467,060. *1/2 to Sky Girl (Sky Mesa), GSW, $172,191. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+. 2--Elate, 121, f, 3, Medaglia d=Oro--Cheery, by Distorted Humor. >TDN Rising Star= O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B.