Backtalk Should Relish Running Farther

Sent off as the 3-2 favorite in a field of nine two-year-old thoroughbreds, Backtalk remained undefeated yesterday winning the 95th running of the $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk came from sixth-place at the top of the stretch to claim a hard-fought win by a neck over second-place finisher Enumerate. Louisvilleluminary finished third another neck behind Enumerate. Backtalk covered the six furlongs in 1:10.07.

Here’s the chart call:

BACKTALK was reserved for a half, worked his way forward three wide on the turn, swung six wide for clear sailing entering the stretch, made a steady run to challenge inside the furlong marker, dug in when threatened in deep stretch and prevailed after a hard drive.

Backtalk now has three wins in three starts. In his last race, the six-furlong $100,000 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, Backtalk stumbled at the start and had to work his way through horses in the stretch to score a one-length victory with a final time of 1:11

Here’s that chart call:

BACKTALK stumbled at the start, recovered to race behind the leaders while in the two path, angled out for a clear path in midstretch and finished well to be up in time.

Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is from the second crop of Smarty Jones and he is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata – winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) and Forward Gal Stakes (G2). His win in the Sanford makes him the top money-earner for Smarty Jones with $180,095 in earnings.

Backtalk is a descendent of the sire line of Mr. Prospector which has been one of the most influential sire lines of the 20th Century. The Mr. Prospector line has dominated the American Classics producing nine Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners and 11 Belmont winners in the past 15 years. Backtalk should relish running farther and it will be fun to watch him for the remainder of the two-year-old season.

Backtalk’s grandsire Elusive Quality is known mostly as a speed influence but he also passes on stamina.

Elusive Quality is the sire of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Smarty Jones – winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. In addition, Elusive Quality is the sire of the talented Raven’s Pass – winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic; Maryfield – winner of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and Quality Road – winner of the 2009 Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby.

Backtalk’s great grandsire, Gone West, passes on speed and stamina and his line has produced numerous Classic Champions as well as Graded Stakes winners.

Gone West is the sire of Zafonic – winner of the 1993 2,000 Guineas; Da Hoss – winner of the 1996 and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Mile; Commendable – winner of the 2000 Belmont; Came Home – winner of the 2002 10-furlong Pacific Classic Stakes and Santa Anita Derby; Johar – winner of the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Turf; Speightstown – winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Marsh Side – winner of the 14-furlong Valedictory Stakes and the 12-furlong Canadian International Stakes.

Gone West is the grandsire of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Zarkava – winner of the 2008 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix de Diane and French 1,000 Guineas. In addition, Gone West is the grandsire of Cajun Beat – winner of the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Finsceal Beo – winner of the 2007 English 1,000 Guineas and Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Backtalk’s damsire is the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Affirmed – winner of the 1978 Triple Crown.

Affirmed was the sire of The Tin Man – multiple G1 winner from 8- to 12-furlongs; Flawlessly – 1992 and 1993 Champion Turf Mare and winner of the Beverly D. Stakes (G1), Matriarch Stakes (G1), Beverly Hills Handicap (G1) and Ramona Handicap (G1); Quiet Resolve - 2000 Canadian Horse Of The Year and Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse; Affirmed Success – winner of the 2000 and 2001 8-furlong poker stakes and the 2000 7-furlong General George Handicap; Affluent – winner of the 9-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and the Hollywood Oaks; Peteski – 1993 Canadian Triple Crown Champion, Canadian Horse Of The Year and Champion 3YO Colt; Zoman – winner of the 1990 Ireland International Stakes (G2), Cigar Prix du Rond-Point (G3); 1991 Tattersalls Gold Cup (G2) and Scottish Derby (G3); 1992 12-furlong Washington D.C. International Stakes (G1) and the Prix d'Ispahan (G1).

So, as you can see, there is a lot of speed and stamina influence in the pedigree of Backtalk. However, Backtalk’s running style is nothing like his sire Smarty Jones and his damsire Affirmed who both liked to go to the early lead.

So far, Backtalk has been very impressive. Time will tell just how far he wants to run.

Saratoga Sanford Stakes Picks

The Sanford Stakes at Saratoga race track is one of the oldest races for two-year-olds in the country. Originally ran in 1913, the Sanford Stakes has been host to several outstanding thoroughbreds. Regret won the Sanford in 1914 and Tom Fool won in 1951. The Triple Crown winners Secretariat (1972) and Affirmed (1977) also won the Sanford. Forty Niner won in 1987, Maria’s Mon won in 1995 and Afleet Alex won in 2004.

A deep field of nine horses will enter the starting gate Thursday for the six-furlong $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2).

Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) winner Backtalk (4) is the morning-line 2-1 favorite. Undefeated in two starts and trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata – winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) and Forward Gal Stakes (G2). In his last race, the six-furlong Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs, Backtalk stumbled at the start and had to work his way through horses in the stretch to score a one-length victory with a final time of 1:11.

Enumerate (2), trained by Steve Asmussen, is the 3-1 second choice and the Richard Violette-trained Bulls And Bears (7) is the 7-2 third choice. Both horses are coming into the Sanford with impressive maiden wins.

D. Wayne Lukas has won the Sanford Stakes five times and he has the coupled entry of Soundman (1) and Activity Report (9) at 8-1 morning line odds. In his last outing, Soundman was a fifth-place finisher in the Bashford Manor Stakes – beaten by four and one half lengths. Activity Report comes into the race with an impressive eight-length romp in a maiden-claiming race at Churchill Downs on June 27.

Todd Pletcher has won the Sanford four times and he has entered the maiden winner Interactif (8) at 15-1 morning line odds.

Nacho Friend (5), trained by Kelly Breen, was very impressive in winning his debut by six lengths on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park. At 10-1 morning line odds, he’s an intriguing long shot and could be worth a small win/place bet.

This is a tough race and, in my opinion, several could win in this spot. Enumerate, Soundman, Interactif, and Activity report could vie for the early lead with Backtalk, Bulls And Bears and Nacho Friend sitting behind the early leaders.

Backtalk is the deserved morning line favorite. But at 2-1, I will use him in the exotics.

My selections:

Win/place = 5 & 9
Exactas and Trifectas = 4-5-7-9

Del Mar Graduation Picks

Del Mar’s Graduation Stakes for California-bred or -sired thoroughbreds is not on everyone’s list of important prep races for two-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail but it has produced a few good runners.

Georgie Boy won the 2008 edition of the Graduation stakes and he would finish the Del Mar meet with a second-place in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and a win in the Del Mar Futurity (G1).

Officer won in 2001 and he would go on to finish his two-year-old season with a win in the Champagne Stakes (G1), the Graduation Stakes and Del Mar Futurity, a second in the California Cup Juvenile Stakes and a third in the Hollywood Futurity (G1).

A field of 10 horses will enter the starting gate in the $100,000 5 ½ furlong Graduation Stakes this Wednesday.

I believe that there are several horses that are entered in the Graduation Stakes who could win. But, of the ten that are entered, Bertran Hill (3), Daylight Storm (9) and Roman Counsel (10) look the most promising.

Of those three, I’d give the edge to Daylight Storm. He was impressive in his last outing winning gate-to-wire with open lengths. His sire, Stormy Jack, is also the sire of the speedy Bob Black Jack who set a new 6-furlong world record of 1:06.53 in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Santa Anita. He also set a new Santa Anita 7-furlong track record of 1:20.37.

Daylight Storm’s grandsire, Bertrando, and his damsire, Cat Thief, are multiple graded stakes winners – each with over $3 million in earnings.

Bertran Hill and Roman Counsel should also be tough in this race. Bertran Hill’s sire, Bertrando, is also the sire of Officer who won the 2001 Graduation Stakes. Roman Counsel’s sire, Roman Ruler was a multiple graded stakes winner and his grandsire, Fusaichi Pegasus, was the winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby.

My selections:

Win/Place = 9
Exactas/Trifectas = 3-9-10

Tracking Cherokee Run Sire Line Colts

In my July 3rd blog I noted that it is important to keep abreast of new emerging trends and sire lines and that this year I was going to keep a watchful eye on the two-year-old colts from the sire line of Cherokee Run and his sons Kafwain and Yonaguska.

Here’s the link to that blog:

http://classicchampionthoroughbreds.blogspot.com/2009/07/when-it-comes-to-following-2yo-colts-on.html

Most of their offspring have done well in sprint competition but in the past few years, all three, especially Cherokee Run, have produced some very good middle-distance stakes winners. In the past seven years, there have been a total of nine thoroughbreds descended from the Cherokee Run sire line that have proved themselves to be good middle-distance stakes winners.

In 2008, Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory finished a respectable 5th in the Kentucky Derby and I can not help but think that if War Pass had ran in the Derby, Cherokee Run would have had two sons to finish in the top five.

Not bad for sire known mostly as a sire of sprinters.

It’s still early, but so far I have not seen any outstanding two-year-old runners from the Cherokee Run sire line. Here’s a look at some recent workouts:

Saratoga – July 23, Track Fast

Horse: Mufaajy (Cherokee Run-Minister’s Music by Deputy Minister)
Surface: Dirt training
Distance: 3 furlongs, breezing
Time: 0:39.04, 11/13

Horse: Brother Bird (Yonaguska-Mining My Own by Smart Strike). Brother Bird is a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
Surface: Dirt (Gate)
Distance: 5 furlongs, breezing
Time: 1:00.55, 7/12

Presque Isle Downs – July 23, Track Fast

Horse: Chiricahua (Cherokee Run-Shouldn’t We All by Woodman)
Surface: All Weather
Distance: 3 furlongs, breezing
Time: 0:40.00, 4/6

This Sunday, Kelly Breen sends out the Yonaguska colt Goombada Guska in his second start at Monmouth Park. Goombada Guska finished fifth in a 12-horse field in his debut on July 5.

Only time will tell if the Cherokee Run sire line produces any good runners on the 2010 Triple Crown trail. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye open for any of their precocious runners.

Study Shows Pastured Horses Are More Fit

An article in the HealthWatch section of the Blood-Horse magazine recently caught my attention. A Virginia Intermont College study conducted by Dr. Patty Graham-Thiers showed that horses let out to pasture were more fit than horses that were kept in stalls. (HealthWatch is a compilation of articles from www.TheHorse.com)

The study worked with three groups of horses. Group one was turned out full-time on a hilly 100-acre pasture. Group two was stalled during the day and was lightly exercised five times a week. The horses spent the night in half-acre paddocks. Group three was stalled during the day but the horses were not exercised. Those horses also spent the night in half-acre paddocks.

After 14 weeks the study showed that group one and two horses were more fit than the horses in group three. The pastured and exercised group of horses had faster recovery times, lower rectal temperatures, lower heart rates and blood lactate levels, and lower peak carbon dioxide blood concentrations after being exercised. Perhaps, most important of all, the study showed that the pastured horses had an increase in bone density which is vitally important for the health of the horse.

After reading the article, I could not help but think of Kerry Thomas who is the founder of the Thomas Herding Technique. Thomas is an expert in understanding the fundamentals of a horse’s well-being and he works with horse owners to provide better care for their horses.

I recently interviewed Thomas about his work with horses and horse owners and the interview is soon to be published in The Arabian Magazine. The interview can also be viewed at Thomas’ website:

http://www.thomasherdingtechnique.com/about/provide-better-quality-equine-care.php

In the interview Thomas said: the environment is the foundation from which all else stems and it is very often the keeper of unseen stress and behavior issues we only observe much later. Their movement, where they feed and how they get water, is vitally important.

He added: the responsible caregiver has the burden to fully understand the environment the animal was taken from and re-create it. A better fit into the domesticated artificial environment makes a healthier, happier horse, and an understanding of the true herding dynamics helps the horseman, or horsewomen, become better hosts of an animal that was not born to know fences or stalls.

Burchard Von Oettingen and the great breeder and trainer Federico Tesio also knew about the importance of pasturing horses.

Oettingen was the Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany and a world renowned expert on horses. In his book, Horse Breeding in Theory And Practice, published in 1909 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Oettingen outlined the benefits of pasturing horses:

Even the best soil requires, in order to derive any benefit from its advantages for breeding good, capable and sound horses, two very important factors, i.e., paddocks and permanent pastures. …But the method of rearing in the stable without paddocks and permanent pastures, which is still so widespread in Germany for all kinds of breeds, threatens to ruin many breedings. … Paddocks and permanent pastures serve, therefore, as a contrast to the method of rearing in the stable, to keep the breeding material as long as possible outside the stable and in conformity with nature, to nourish same. The following advantages thus arise: -

1. The influence of Light. The recently well recognized beneficial influences of light consist principally in destroying many very dangerous microbes, especially tuberculosis bacilli, and in increasing the energy of life by multiplying the red corpusculli and the haemoglobis. …

2. The influence of good air. The air rich in oxygen in the open is a primary condition of every healthy development. The continuous remaining out in the open increases the need of oxygen, and in order to satisfy their needs, horses must, by deep breathing, make a greater use of the lungs. Accordingly, the lungs will be extended and strengthened, and also the energy of life increased.

3. The influence of wind and weather. The constant skin massage by wind and weather strengthens the whole nervous system. As a matter of fact, wind and weather preserves the whole animal organism in a continuous and beneficial training through frequent and sudden changes, and forces it to get accustomed to outside circumstances for the sake of self-preservation. In conjunction with the beneficial influence of light and air, wind and weather, owing to a normal and strengthening development of the nervous system, favour the health in such a good and energetic way altogether impossible in the horses are brought up in the stable.

4. The influence of exercise. A voluntary, continuous and mostly slow excerise on the meadows is necessary when seeking their food. By this means the sinews, muscles and bones are under the influence of a favourable slow, continuous and effective training quite impossible outside of the meadows. The longer grazing is possible. …and especially night grazing, the more distinctly is to be observed a favourable development of the formation of the body, especially of the shape of the limbs, as well as that so important to correct walk. …

5. Food grazing. The advantages of grazing on the meadow, as against green food in the stable, lie, firstly, in the fact that the horses never get as much in their mouth in the meadow as in the stable, and that, therefore, sudden overloading of the stomach is avoided; secondly, many and just the best and youngest grasses lose their taste between the time of being mowed and eaten; thirdly, the useful combination of amids are, for the most part, in the younger plants, and these are the most difficult to mow, but the horses whilst on the meadow get them easily.

The great breeder and trainer Federico Tesio studied Oettingen and he relied on much of his writing when he established his Thoroughbred farm Dormello on the banks of Lake Miaggiore in Northern Italy.

Dormello had the appearance of an Italian Villa and it was actually divided into several mini farms complete with their own paddocks and pastures nestled among the hills overlooking the lake. Tesio knew the importance of making his farm as natural and nurturing as possible for his horses and he went to great lengths to make his Dormello the best place possible to breed and raise thoroughbreds.

It must have worked because from Dormello came 21 Derby Italiano winners and the great Donatello, Nearco and Ribot.

American Jockeys Revolutionized British Racing

In the late 1800’s American jockeys traveled to England to race and their riding style created a revolution in British racing.

Using modern technology, veterinarians in the Structure and Motion lab at the University of London's Royal Veterinary College studied the riding style of the American jockeys and they have recently determined why American riders were so successful. In a nutshell, the crouched riding style of the jockeys caused the horse to use less energy when transporting them. Here are a couple of articles about the study:

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/SML/Research/Stories/ModernRidingStyle.cfm

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/716/1

Burchard Von Oettingen was a world-renowned expert on Thorougbreds and breeding and Director of the Royal Stud of Trakehnen Germany. He was in important figure at the beginning of the 20th Century in the development of the Thoroughbred. In 1893, Oettingen traveled to America to study the different breeding, training and riding methods that were employed at that time and here is what he wrote about those methods.

“The distinct successes of the Americans in training and riding during the course of the last ten years have caused Englishmen to think and reform where necessary. In both training and riding, Americans, who are not bound down by tradition, and who are not spoiled by the English pastures and galloping grounds, obtained great successes through their practical ideas and inconsiderate leaning to what is natural. Moreover, the Americans have reason to be proud of the fact that Old England, with its long history of classical races, has had to learn such a rough lesson from them!” – page 400.

The previous paragraph is just one of the many interesting insights and observations that Oettingen wrote about in his book Horse Breeding in Theory And Practice, published in 1909 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co. His book was the standard in its day and it is still highly regarded to this day.

The great breeder and trainer Federico used many of Oettingen’s insights when he created his stud farm Dormello. The most important insight used by Tesio was to raise his Thoroughbreds in a natural setting with their own paddocks and pastures instead of raising them in stalls.

Oettingen’s book is out of print and copies that are available for sale are usually expensive. But, in my opinion, it would be a good addition to your library.

27 Horses Nominated For Sanford Stakes

A total of 27 two-year-old Thoroughbreds have been nominated for the 95th running of the six-furlong $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga race track on July 30th.

The nominations for the Sanford were closed Saturday. Trainers Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, D. Wayne Lukas and Wesley Ward lead all nominations with three horses each.

Here are the past performances:

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-SAR-20090730-486879

Nine of the 27 nominations have stakes race experience.

Wesley Ward’s Strike the Tiger, impressive winner of the Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes, and Yogaroo, 9th place finisher in the Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes (G2), are among the nominations.

Ward is also the owner and breeder of Strike the Tiger (Tiger Ridge-R Lucky Strike by In Excess) who made history when he became the first American-trained horse to win at the Royal Ascot meet defeating Fratellino by a neck.

Goldmark Farms’ Florida-bred Backtalk is also nominated. Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk (Smarty Jones-Apasionata Sonata by Affirmed) is a half-brother to Bsharpsonata and the impressive one-length winner of the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on July 3rd.

Owner and trainer Merrill R. Scherer has Kentucky-bred Flatter Than Me nominated for the Sanford. Flatter Than Me (Flatter-Hannah’s Doll by Boston Harbor) finished second to Backtalk in the Bashford Manor.

Westrock Stables’ Kentucky-bred Soundman and Florida-bred Westrock Gold are also nominated for the Sanford. Soundman (Songandaprayer-Class Choice by Peaks and Valleys) finished fifth in the Bashford Manor and Westrock Gold (Touch Gold-Gray Touch by Entropy) finished sixth in the Bashford Manor. Both horses are trained by D. Wayne Lukas.

Owner and trainer Bernie Flint has Kentucky-bred Vito Filitto nominated for the Sanford. Vito Filitto (Mutakddim-Braggin Rights by Iroquois Park) won the seven-furlong $50,000 Minstrel Stakes on the turf at Louisiana Downs on Saturday and finished in seventh place in the Bashford Manor Stakes.

Dogwood Stables’ Kentucky-bred Bricklayer is nominated. Trained by Frank Alexander, Bricklayer (El Corredor-Miss Brickyard by A.P. Indy) finished fifth in the Victoria Stakes behind second-place finisher Fearless Cowboy who won the $150,000 six-furlong Colin Stakes Saturday at Woodbine.

Flying Zee Stables’ New York-bred Zip Quick rounds out the nominations with stakes-race experience. Zip Quick (City Zip-Senita Lane by Ascot Knight) finished third in the Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Park and he finished second, beaten three lengths by the speedy filly Necessary Evil, in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes.

Nellie Cox first-time starter Mighty Fine Day (Five Star Day-Miss Alethia by T.V. Commercial) and Trade Winds Farm Ryvit (Tapit-Ryvnine by Broad Brush) are also nominated. Both horses are Kentucky-bred and trained William Phipps.