Turtle Bowl wins Prix Jean Prat HEADLINE ...p. 3 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT BY FAX AND FREE BY E-MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS OF call 732-747-8060. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com MONDAY, JULY 4, 2005 INDEPENDENT LASS THE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG A year ago, Japanese Classic winner Dance in the Champion Kitten’s Joy (El Prado {Ire}) makes his Mood (Jpn) went off the favorite in the $750,000 GI long-awaited return in the GII Firecracker Breeders’ Cup American Oaks, but could do no better than second as S. at Churchill Downs this af- Ticker Tape (GB) ran off with the ternoon. The four-year-old un- victory. Avenging that loss for derwent surgery to remove her compatriot in yesterday’s chips from his left knee after renewal at Hollywood Park, G1 running second in the GI Breed- Japanese Oaks heroine Cesario ers’ Cup Turf last October. (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}), more Handled patiently by trainer than a bit rambunctious in the Dale Romans since, he signaled Cesario Benoit Kitten’s Joy Equi-Photo post parade, took charge mid- his readiness with a swift turf way through the turn and left work between races Monday, going five furlongs in the field in her wake with a dazzling turn of foot. The :59.46 around the dogs. Still, Romans feel the colt striking dark bay becomes the first Japanese horse to faces a tough task as he drops back to eight furlongs win a Grade I race in America. “This is the first step for for the first time since running second in an off-the-turf us, so this will encourage all Japanese breeders,” said maiden test at Belmont in September of 2003. “The winning trainer Katsuhiko Sumii. Favored Melhor Ainda mile is a concern,” he remarked. “It looked like the mile (Pulpit) put in a valiant rally down the lane, but couldn’t and a half was going to be his best distance. But he catch the winner. American Oaks cont. p2 has a good turn of foot and, being off that long, I really Sunday, Hollywood Park didn’t want to run him any further than that.” Cont. p10 AMERICAN OAKS INVITATIONAL S.-GI, $750,000, HOL, 7-3, 3yo, f, 1 1/4mT, 1:59, fm. DON’T I LOOK SPLENDID! 1--@CESARIO (JPN), 121, f, 3, by Special Week (Jpn) Staging the mild upset over odds-on Andujar (Quiet 1st Dam: Kirov Premiere (GB) (GSW, $136,072), American), the three-year-old by Sadler's Wells Splendid Blended (Unbridled’s 2nd Dam: Querida (Ire), by Habitat Song) overcame some self-made 3rd Dam: Principia, by *Le Fabuleux trouble and handled an accom- O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm (JPN); T-Katsuhiko plished field of older rivals to Sumii; J-Y Fukunaga; $450,000. Lifetime Record: collect her second Grade I vic- MSW-Jpn, 6-5-1-0, $2,578,568. tory in yesterday’s Vanity H. at 2--Melhor Ainda, 121, f, 3, Pulpit--Potrinner (Arg), by Hollywood Park. She becomes Splendid Blended Benoit Potrillazo (Arg). ($125,000 yrl '03 KEESEP). O-T N T the first sophomore to win the Stud; B-Jayeff "B" Stables & Reynolds Bell Jr (KY); race since fellow Florida-bred It’s In the Air did it in T-Robert J Frankel; $150,000. 1979. Splendid cont. p4 3--Singhalese (GB), 121, f, 3, Singspiel (Ire)--Baize (GB), by Efisio (GB). (i60,000 yrl ‘03 GOFORB). O-Gould STAR SPANGLED BANNER Family Trust; B-G and Mrs Middlebrook (GB); T-James Unfurl the Flag (Bertrando) celebrated the 4th of July M Cassidy; $90,000. weekend with a front-running victory in yesterday’s GI Margins: 4, 4, 1. Odds: 4.40, 1.20, 43.30. Triple Bend Invitational H. at Hollywood Park. The five- Also Ran: Luas Line (Ire), Three Degrees (Ire), year-old picked up his first added-money success last Memorette, Silver Cup (Ire), Sweet Firebird (Ire), Isla time out, taking the Apr. 24 Tiznow S. at Hollywood. Cozzene, Thatswhatimean, Silk and Scarlet (GB), Hal- lowed Dream (Ire). Scratched: Louvain Triple Bend cont. p3 www.overbrookfarm.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 7/4/05 • PAGE 2 of 10 American Oaks Coverage cont. Good Effort from the Favorite... Land of the Rising Daughter... Melhor Ainda was made the favorite on the basis of Cesario, a granddaughter of the great Sunday Si- an unbeaten four-for-four record, which included wins lence, made her debut at Hanshin on Christmas last this term in the Apr. 24 Appalachian S. at Keeneland year, taking a one-mile event over the grass as a 3-1 and the GIII Sands Point S. at Belmont June 5. Here, chance. She was a generous 9-1 moving into allowance the Bobby Frankel trainee had just one beaten going company against males at Nakayama two weeks later, into the first turn, but commenced a determined rally but after that hard-fought neck victory, she went off three furlongs from home that propelled to her runner- the chalk in her next three. The leggy dark bay romped up honors. "My filly came flying, but what happened at by daylight in the Mar. 19 G3 Flower Cup, then just the gate cost me the race,” said jockey John missed when a fast-closing second in the Apr. 10 G1 Velazquez. “She went to break and she kind of grabbed Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas)--a race won by herself and kind of stumbled. She didn't actually stum- Dance in the Mood the previous year. Cesario was 1-2 ble, but she grabbed herself and put her toes down. I to take the 12-furlong G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese tried to catch up on the backside, but the other one just Oaks), four panels longer than the 1000 Guineas, and got away from us. The break cost us the race.” she didn’t let her backers down. She rated in 16th during the early stages of that test, but came flying late and nailed Air Messiah (Jpn) by a neck on the line. The effort earned her an invitation the American Oaks, which her owner, the syndicate Carrot Farm, opted to accept. How the Race was Won... Proving her versatility, Cesario sat much closer to the pace than she had in the Japanese Oaks, keeping a wary eye on Isla Cozzene (Cozzene) from third as the latter opened up by four lengths going into the back- stretch. When that foe folded heading into the turn, Cesario had no choice but to take the lead as she TAYLOR MADE • (859) 885-3345 • taylormadefarm.com cruised under Yuichi Fukunaga with a full head of steam. Fukunaga opted to give his charge her head and GI American Oaks Invitational Japanese invader make the rest of them play catch-up, and the race was Cesario (Jpn) (Special Week {Ire}) romps by four over in upper stretch as she sprinted away. “She’s lengths over favored Melhor Ainda (Pulpit). always like that in the post parade,” said the winning GI Vanity Invitational H. Splendid Blended jockey, explaining Cesario’s pre-race antics. “I just let (Unbridled’s Song) stages the mild upset. her run her own race. Depending on how the race GI Triple Bend Inv. H. Unfurl the Flag (Bertrando) went, I was thinking about what would be the best celebrates the 4th a day early with a blazing win. position and just settled in. I hadn’t asked her to go GIII Poker H. Mr. Light (Arg) (Numerous) rallies to yet, so I was not worried at all. I tried not to get boxed victory in a swift 1:32 flat. in along the rail. She ran her best race here; I think it GIII Stars and Stripes BC Turf H. Revved Up (Sultry was better than her Japanese Oaks.” Click for the Song) earns the first graded-stakes win of his career. brisnet.com chart or the free brisnet.com catalogue- style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Taylor Made. www.taylormadefarm.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 7/4/05 • PAGE 3 of 10 Sunday, Hollywood Park Sunday, Chantilly, France TRIPLE BEND INVITATIONAL H.-GI, $350,000, HOL, PRIX JEAN PRAT-G1, i400,000, Chantilly, 7-3, 3yo, 7-3, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:20 4/5, ft. c/f, 1mT, 1:36.10, gd. 1--@UNFURL THE FLAG, 117, g, 5, by Bertrando 1--sTURTLE BOWL (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Dyhim Diamond (Ire) 1st Dam: Escape the Storm, by Storm Cat 1st Dam: Clara Bow (Fr), by Top Ville (Ire) 2nd Dam: Great Escape, by Relaunch 2nd Dam: Kamiya (Fr), by Kalamoun (GB) 3rd Dam: Great Finesse, by Bold Bidder 3rd Dam: Shahinaaz (Fr), by Venture VII (GB) O-Gaylord Ailshie, Tom Harris, Bruce Rose, Et Al; O-B van Dalfsen; B-A Crichton; T-Francois Rohaut; B-Mr & Mrs Martin J Wygod (CA); T-David Bernstein; J-Olivier Peslier; i228,560. Lifetime Record: J-C Nakatani; $210,000. Lifetime Record: 18-6-3-4, 10 starts, 5 wins, 4 places, i321,610. *1/2 to Tur- $520,407. tle Bow (Fr) (Turtle Island {Ire}), MGSW-Fr, GISP-US, (DH)--2--Bear in the Woods, 112, c, 4, Formal Gold-- $335,263. Trav n' Kris, by Snow Chief. ($43,000 wlng '01 2--Starpix (Fr), 128, c, 3, Linamix (Fr)--Star’s Proud KEENOV; $130,000 2yo 2003 BESMAY). O-J Paul Penny, by Proud Birdie. O-H H The Aga Khan; B-SNC Reddam; B-Walter B Mills (KY); T-Craig Dollase; Lagardere Elevage; T-Jean-Claude Rouget; i91,440.