TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here SAHARA SKY STOPS ‘TRAFFIC’ IN MET MILE ‘MIDNIGHT’ SHINES BRIGHTEST IN ACORN Their trips were polar opposites, but there was With a rush of late action down to even- nothing separating Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap) and money favoritism, Pegram, Watson and J “TDN Rising Star” J Cross Traffic (Unbridled=s Weitman=s Midnight Lucky (Midnight Lute) Song) at the end of eight turned the GI Acorn S. into a runaway, furlongs in Monday=s romping home by 6 1/4 lengths and atoning GI Metropolitan H. It for a fifth-place finish in the GI Kentucky looked like the prestigious Oaks. The grey, who was providing trainer event may have had two Bob Baffert with back-to-back Acorns, led winners after the former home a 1-2-3-4 finish of J “TDN Rising flew home from dead last Stars” J. Close Hatches (First Defence), to hit the wire in concert seventh in the Oaks, was second. Cont. p5 NYRA Photo Sahara Sky (outside) gets up with the game front Chelsea Durand runner Cross Traffic, but TIZ MIZ SUE GETS HER GRADE I IN PHIPPS the placing judges flashed CresRan LLC homebred Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) had the number seven atop the board and it was cheers for been knocking on the Grade I door over the past several the Sahara Sky crowd and heartache for Cross Traffic, seasons, and she finally broke through yesterday with a whose performance could only be described as Arunning half-length win over a game Authenticity (Quiet too well to lose.@ Belmont specialist and race favorite American) in Belmont=s Odgen Phipps H. Longshot Flat Out (Flatter) was shuffled back on the turn, but Centring (A.P. Indy) got up for third, while favored recovered nicely to fill out the trifecta. Cont. p3 Joyful Victory (Tapit) faded to fifth after setting the pace. Cont. p4 Monday, Belmont Park METROPOLITAN H.-GI, $750,000, BEL, 5-27, 3yo/up, ‘MARKET’ LEADER IN GAMELY 1m, 1:34, ft. Glen Hill Farm=s Marketing Mix (Medaglia d=Oro) was 1--sSAHARA SKY, 120, h, 5, by Pleasant Tap scratched from the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile due to 1st Dam: Seeking the Sky (GSW, $143,589), soggy conditions earlier this month, but her 5-year-old by Storm Cat debut proved worth the wait as the 3-2 favorite stalked 2nd Dam: Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold her way to a narrow success over Tiz Flirtatious 3rd Dam: Fulbright Scholar, by Cox's Ridge (Tizbud) in Betfair Hollywood Park=s GI Gamely S. O-Jerry Hollendorfer & Kim Lloyd; B-Martin Stables Cont. p6 Inc (FL); T-Jerry Hollendorfer; J-Joel Rosario. $450,000. Lifetime Record: 16-7-3-4, $886,680. *1/2 to Animal Style (Spanish Steps), SW, $134,470. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Picked, prepped & sold by Hebert Bloodstock 337-515-2320 2--Cross Traffic, 117, c, 4, Unbridled=s Song--Stop Traffic, by Cure the Blues. ($300,000 yrl '10 FTSAUG). O-GoldMark Farm LLC; B-Diamond A Racing Corp (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $150,000. 3--Flat Out, 120, h, 7, Flatter--Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider. ($11,000 wlng '06 OBSOCT; $85,000 yrl '07 FTKJUL). O-Preston Stables LLC; B-Nikolaus Bock (FL); T-William I Mott. $75,000. RAISED & PINHOOKED BY MACHMER HALL Margins: NO, 3HF, 1HF. Odds: 4.80, 2.90, 2.50. Also Ran: Mark Valeski, Fed Biz, Fort Loudon, Swagger Jack, Handsome Mike, Discreet Dancer. Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. THE HORSE SIRE TIZ MIZ SUE rolls past a top field to win the $400,000 Ogden Phipps H. (G1) on Memorial Day at Belmont, becoming her sire’s 6th millionaire and 10TH G1 WINNER. [watch race] Fee: $75,000 a Taylor Made 3001 Pisgah Pike, Versailles, KY 40383 / (859) 873-1717 | Fax (859) 873-1612 WinStar Venture Standing at www.winstarfarm.com In This Issue PEB’s TDN Sketch of the Week 60 Broad St., Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 (732) 747-8060 (732) 747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com Barry Weisbord, co-publisher [email protected] • @barryweisbord Sue Finley, co-publisher [email protected] • @suefinley Editorial [email protected] Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief Alan Carasso, Managing Editor Christina Bossinakis, Senior Editor Steve Sherack, Racing Editor Brian DiDonato, Racing Analyst/Soc. Media Dir. Justina Severni, Assistant Editor Kelsey Riley, Assistant Editor Christie DeBernardis, Assistant Editor Advertising [email protected] Alycia Borer, Director of Advertising Lia Kusch, Senior Advertising Designer Sarah K. Andrew, Adv Assistant/Distribution Amanda Crelin, Advertising Assistant Amanda Foster, Advertising Assistant Click here to buy a print of this sketch, or the original. Currently accepting commissions. Visit www.pebsite.com for details. Customer Service [email protected] Vicki Forbes, Director of Customer Service DAWN APPROACH HEADS DERBY 15 Information Technology Fifteen 3-year-olds remained on course for Saturday’s G1 Epsom Derby at Robert Williams, Director of IT Monday’s forfeit stage, headed by the unbeaten Dawn Approach (Ire) (New [email protected] Approach {Ire}). Coverage begins page 10 Gregg Casillo, DB Administrator, Programming [email protected] PLETCHER BRIGADE WORKS AT BELMONT Business Development Todd Pletcher’s string of sophomores were out in full force at Belmont Gary King, Director of Business Development [email protected] Monday, and the conditioner gave a clearer picture as to which of his runners will likely take part in the “Test of the Champion.” Coverage begins page 11 TDN Newmarket Bureau: Cafe Racing [email protected] Sean Cronin CAULFIELD ON AL KAZEEM Tom Frary Columnist Andrew Caulfield digs deeper into the pedigree of Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of Sunday’s G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. Coverage begins page 14 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 5/28/13 • PAGE 3 of 16 • thoroughbreddailynews.com How the Race was Won... FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI MET MILE Cross Traffic, lightly raced with just three previous efforts under his belt, was impeded ever-so-slightly by stablemate Discreet Dancer coming in on him at the start, but quickly recovered to take command. Sahara Sky, meanwhile, dropped right out to the back as expected. Attempting to reverse the bad beat he received from Flat Out in the track-and-trip GIII Westchester S. Apr. 27, Cross Traffic posted ambitious opening splits of :22.40 and :44.88. The pacesetter looked as if he would lose a confrontation with Mark Patience Pays off for Hollendorfer... Valeski (Proud Citizen) as that foe ranged up at the top Purchased privately from trainer Jeff Hebert after of the stretch, but he found another gear after scoring in a $20,000 maiden claimer on debut at Delta switching leads and began to claw back his advantage. Downs in 2010, Sahara Sky was brought along Sahara Sky was winding up down the center of the patiently by Hall of Fame conditioner Jerry Hollendorfer course, however, and he gobbled up ground despite a despite a very consistent record of on-the-board brief bobble for a finish reminiscent of last year=s finishes in 2011 and 2012, mostly at the optional between Shackleford (Forestry) and Caleb=s Posse claiming level. The veteran finally decided to toss his (Posse). charge into the deep end in Santa Anita=s Jan. 29 six- AI was thinking I won, but it was so close and I was furlong GII Palos Verdes S., and he belied 21-1 odds to so far to the get the job done and earn a career-best 102 Beyer outside, Speed Figure. Sahara Sky proved that effort was no sometimes it=s fluke when turning in a nearly identical effort in the hard to tell,@ GII San Carlos S. going an additional panel a month said Rosario, later, and was probably left with too much to do when winner of the finishing second to Swagger Jack (Smart Strike) and in GI Kentucky front of Discreet Dancer (Discreet Cat) and Fort Loudon Derby and (Awesome of Course) in the seven-furlong GI Carter H. G1 Dubai at the Big A Apr. 6. World Cup in a AMy partner [Kim Lloyd, General Manager of Barretts year where he Equine Limited and Fairplex Park Racing] and I talked it can seemingly Lloyd (left), Hollendorfer & Rosario (right) in the over, and one of our goals was to win the Metropolitan do no wrong Mile,@ explained Hollendorfer, whose past success with Met Mile winner’s circle in big races. AI NYRA/Coglianese private purchases out of maiden claimers includes thought we champion Blind Luck (Pollard=s Vision). AI=d never won had a head in front, but the angle was different and I it, and I wanted a chance to win it, and Kim did, also. didn=t know.@ He added, A[Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer] We had a little added confidence because we thought always gave me opportunities. In California, when I was our horse ran good in New York over at Aqueduct, and doing good, he gave me a lot of opportunities on his with a little bit better trip we might have even won that horses, and I appreciate that. race.@ Cross Traffic=s trainer Todd Pletcher and rider John Of his pre-race instructions to Joel Rosario, who also Velazquez were understandably reeling from a brutal piloted Blind Luck for much of her career, Hollendorfer beat. AHe ran a great race,@ said the former, who also said, AI told Joel to watch his pace.