The best in the equine business are still improving and the leader of the pack, Arrogate, is back looking like his old self.
The Horse of the Year was off slowly in his only loss. That came in his debut at Los Alamitos and he still was getting to the winner late in that race. After graduating and moving through his conditions, Arrogate started looking like the best in the equine business when he raced in the Travers Stakes last year. He was totally dismissed on the tote board at 11-1 but the Bob Baffert trainee made the lead, opened up at the top of the stretch and then won the Travers by over 13 lengths. He earned a 122 Beyer and was just warming up. He was rested after the Travers until the Breeders’ Cup Classic and was put to a test by California Chrome. When it was all said and done, Arrogate prevailed with a half-length victory. Rested for two months, Baffert had him on this game for the $12 million Dubai World Cup and he overcame a poor start to win going away. Baffert knew his horse needed a break and he gave him some well-deserved rest and relaxation. The son of Unbridled’s Song went back to work early this month with a 3-furlong blowout. He followed that up on June 12 with an easy four furlongs in: 47 3/5. Last Sunday, Baffert let Arrogate loose and he responded with a best of the morning: 46 4/5 bullet workout.
The runner is looking to a couple of races at Del Mar including the Pacific Classic. Any horse that has a chance of being the best in the equine business will have to go through this superstar.
Gun Runner is an emerging star that has a beef with Arrogate. The Horse of the Year beat him in the aforementioned Travers and beat him again in the Dubai World Cup. Gun Runner flattered Arrogate last Saturday when he took them all the way in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. This is a racer with tactical speed and he will be a factor in the fall.
Mor Spirit was very impressive winning the Met Mile but to put him in the mix for the best in the equine business is a stretch.
Make no mistake about it, Songbird is one of the most talented fillies we have seen in years. She was a perfect 11 for 11 going into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last year but she lost by a nose to another champion in Beholder. Freshened until June 11, Songbird was pushed but she prevailed in the Ogden Phipps in a race she had to need.
Stellar Wind will try to shove Songbird off the best in the equine business pedestal down the road. This John Sadler trainee is the real deal. She has won nine of her fourteen starts and has earned over $2 million. She has won four of her last five Grade 1 efforts including her June 1 win in the Beholder Mile. Looking ahead, one of the best things Stellar Wind has going for her is her affinity for Del Mar. That is where the Breeders’ Cup will be held on November 3 and 4.
With the Triple Crown now concluded, the sophomore crop still is a bit puzzling. Classic Empire, Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing and Tapwrit are the logical leaders but there is no separation. It’s possible the best in the equine business as far as sophomores are concerned is still up for grabs.
Jerry Hollendorfer knows a bit about being the best in the equine business as he trains Songbird. He also trains a super little filly named Unique Bella. Similar to Arrogate, Unique Bella was troubled and lost her debut. She has now won her last four races but has not been seen since winning in March. She has won sprinting and routing and one thing is for sure. When she returns to the races, Hollendorfer will have her dead fit.
Baffert will be aiming for Unique Bella with Abel Tasman. That youngster has won five of eight and has been in the exacta seven times. She is a multiple Grade 1 winner and was visually impressive winning the Acorn Stakes at Belmont on June 10 with a 99 Beyer. One of her best assets is the fact she can adapt. All five of her wins came at different venues and she also has scored at Del Mar.
The best in the equine business on turf will be clearer as we get into the summer and fall. That is the time when the major stakes are carded and it’s a time to separate the wheat from the chaff. The males in the turf division are very well matched and it’s pretty much anybody’s ballgame. Beach Patrol needs to find that killer instinct. Ascend is peaking right now and Bal a Bali is a proven Grade 1 winner.
Lady Eli leads the ladies and her class is on display every time she shows up in the afternoon. Zhukova was sizzling vs. males recently but that race was on a course that many didn’t care for all that much. Miss Temple City has yet to make her 2017 American debut. She has won several Grade 1 events in her career. Although it was a sporting gesture, she didn’t seem to handle the course in Ascot in her last race on June 20. Expect her trainer Graham Motion to be patient with her and look at the big picture. That big picture could include the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
They say speed kills but don’t tell Baffert. He trains a jet known as Drefong and that colt is just getting back to work. He graduated at Del Mar, so that bodes well for a fall campaign and he has earned 103 Beyer Speed Figures in his last three wins. His last win was a tour de force in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has earned nearly triple his $450,000 purchase price and his rider Martin Garcia fits him like a glove. Drefong is repeatedly proven off a layoff and he will be very hard to beat when he shows up next time.
