Six-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding Fortification (by With Approval, out of Palisade, by Gone West) won a competitive (Class 2) handicap chase race over 3 miles by 10 lengths on Sunday at Kempton Park. Check out the result here. He earned an RPR of 140. This is his 4th win in as many start over fences in his chasing career which started less than 2 months ago. His other three wins were run at distances of 3m, 2m7½f and 3m1½f. All of his wins were ridden by amateur jockey Matthew Griffiths. Prior to this winning streak, he was 0-for-23 over hurdles/flat between May2007 to Oct2009. According to Timeform data, Fortification was sold for £1,400 as a 3-year-old, and again for £3,000 last year.
Fortification has a very flat-oriented pedigree. He was bred by Juddmonte Farms. His half-sister was graded-stakes winner Jibboom, another Juddmonte's homebred. Trained by the late Bobby Frankel, Jibboom won the Monrovia Handicap-G3 (6.5f T) and the Beuna Vista Handicap-G2 (1m T) at Santa Anita earlier this year before being retired due to a suspensory injury.
Who knows what's next for Fortification? Maybe this is just a one-time glory and he never wins again. Or maybe this is just the beginning of his own chapter in racing history. Who knows? As a racing fan I certainly don't know. But I am anticipating his next race, just the same as I am anticipating the next Derby winner or super mare. It is fortunate that a horse like Fortification is racing in an atmosphere that embraces brillant and precocious sprinter/miler just the same as late-developing stayers who has bottomless stamina and tremendous courage. The reward and recognition maybe different, but at least the opportunity is there for them to show what they can do the best.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Black Ball, White Ball and Mick Kinane
At the age of 50, legendary Irish jockey Mick Kinane retired from professional racing on December 8, 2009. Story.
He had spent many years riding in Hong Kong during the European off seasons. There were many great races, such as Che Sara Sara (先見之明) in the 1996 Hong Kong Derby,
Winning Partners (勝利拍檔) in the 1993 Hong Kong International Bowl,
Precision (計得精彩) in the 2002 Hong Kong Cup at odds of 65-1,
and Viva Pataca (爆冷) in the 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, defeating 2 of the best horses in racing in that era - Vengeance Of Rain and Admire Moon.
These are all good horses and good rides. However, I think the one race that many Hong Kong racing fan will always associate to Kinane's name is a horse named Benji. In his career debut in a domestic Class 4 handicap at 1400m on March 10, 1996, he drew gate #10 and raced with a nose-bend.
In Hong Kong racing history, this is known as the "Black and White Ball Incident" (黑白波事件), or simply the "Benji Incident" (雲中龍事件). After this race, the owner moved Benji to Patrick Biancone's stable and in his immediate next race, he won by 7 lengths at odds of 3-5.
He had spent many years riding in Hong Kong during the European off seasons. There were many great races, such as Che Sara Sara (先見之明) in the 1996 Hong Kong Derby,
Winning Partners (勝利拍檔) in the 1993 Hong Kong International Bowl,
Precision (計得精彩) in the 2002 Hong Kong Cup at odds of 65-1,
and Viva Pataca (爆冷) in the 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, defeating 2 of the best horses in racing in that era - Vengeance Of Rain and Admire Moon.
These are all good horses and good rides. However, I think the one race that many Hong Kong racing fan will always associate to Kinane's name is a horse named Benji. In his career debut in a domestic Class 4 handicap at 1400m on March 10, 1996, he drew gate #10 and raced with a nose-bend.
In Hong Kong racing history, this is known as the "Black and White Ball Incident" (黑白波事件), or simply the "Benji Incident" (雲中龍事件). After this race, the owner moved Benji to Patrick Biancone's stable and in his immediate next race, he won by 7 lengths at odds of 3-5.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Valedictory Stakes - Woodbine (Dec 6, 2009)
The thoroughbred racing season of 2009 at Woodbine will end this Sunday, December 6, 2009. There are 154 horses and 21 also-eligible entered in the 13 races. The feature is the typical season finale, the Valedictory Stakes, run at 1 3/4m on Woodbine polytrack. Here is the field.
Woodbine - December 6, 2009
Race 9 - 5:01 PM Exactor / Triactor / Superfecta / Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11)
STAKES Valedictory S. One And Three Fourth Miles.
Purse $150,000. (Plus $22,500 ? State Bred). For Three-Year-Olds And Upward
PP Horse A/S Med Jockey Wgt Trainer
1 Red Leader (FL) 3/C L O Moreno 111 D J Vella
2 Cloudy's Knight (KY) 9/G L R B Homeister, Jr. 121 J E Sheppard
3 Auteur (KY) 3/G L E Wilson 111 B J Minshall
4 Cobotown Ron (ON) 5/G L E R Da Silva 115 A M Delmas
5 Pool Play (ON) 4/C L C Fraser 119 M E Casse
6 Solitaire (ON) 4/G L C Sutherland 115 H J Bond
7 Torquay (KY) 7/G L G Olguin 113 N De Toro
8 Guadalcanal (FL) 4/G R C Landry 113 F J Seitz
9 Find the Wire (KY) 4/C L E Ramsammy 113 B A Lynch
10 Eagle Poise (KY) 3/C L P Husbands 115 B A Lync
Eagle Poise, by Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, out of the Epsom Oaks winner Reams Of Verse, will be the likely favourite. The 3-year-old, who was formerly trained by the late Bobby Frankel, won the 1 5/8m Valedictory prep by 10 lengths handily.
It is also nice to see the return of the 9-year-old gelding Cloudy's Knight to Woodbine. He won the Canadian International-G1 2 years ago. He ran a very game second behind the regally-bred 3-year-old Man Of Iron (Giant's Causeway x Better Than Honour) in the Breeders' Cup Marathon at Santa Anita just a month ago.
The James Bond-trained Solitaire (son of another Belmont Stakes winner, Victory Gallop), who ran third in both the Queen's Plate and Prince Of Wales Stakes in 2008 as a maiden, will be ridden by Chantal Sutherland. His last start was a creditable 4th in the 1 1/4m Chief Bearhart Stakes on turf. He will tackle 14 furlongs for the few time in his career.
This is always one of my favourite races to watch every season. Three years back, the then 3-year-old Marsh Side won the Valedictory. He went on to be good enough to win the Canadian International-G1 in 2008 and the Northern Dancer-G1 this year (but was disqualified due to interference), and has traveled to Dubai and Tokyo to compete at Gr 1 level.
I like to see a series of Marathon races - maybe the San Juan Capistrano, Brooklyn (if they can increase the distance to 14 f at Belmont), Breeders' Cup Marathon and Valedictory, and somehow join forces with the Melbourne Cup, Sydney Cup, Adelaide Cup in Australia, the Ascot Gold Cup (or other Group 2/3 Cup races in the UK like the Goodwood Cup or Doncaster Cup), the Tenno Sho Spring, the Irish St. Leger, the Prix du Cadran and/or the Prix Royal-Oak in France or whatever else flat races over 14f to make this a world series for extreme stayers.
Woodbine - December 6, 2009
Race 9 - 5:01 PM Exactor / Triactor / Superfecta / Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11)
STAKES Valedictory S. One And Three Fourth Miles.
Purse $150,000. (Plus $22,500 ? State Bred). For Three-Year-Olds And Upward
PP Horse A/S Med Jockey Wgt Trainer
1 Red Leader (FL) 3/C L O Moreno 111 D J Vella
2 Cloudy's Knight (KY) 9/G L R B Homeister, Jr. 121 J E Sheppard
3 Auteur (KY) 3/G L E Wilson 111 B J Minshall
4 Cobotown Ron (ON) 5/G L E R Da Silva 115 A M Delmas
5 Pool Play (ON) 4/C L C Fraser 119 M E Casse
6 Solitaire (ON) 4/G L C Sutherland 115 H J Bond
7 Torquay (KY) 7/G L G Olguin 113 N De Toro
8 Guadalcanal (FL) 4/G R C Landry 113 F J Seitz
9 Find the Wire (KY) 4/C L E Ramsammy 113 B A Lynch
10 Eagle Poise (KY) 3/C L P Husbands 115 B A Lync
Eagle Poise, by Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, out of the Epsom Oaks winner Reams Of Verse, will be the likely favourite. The 3-year-old, who was formerly trained by the late Bobby Frankel, won the 1 5/8m Valedictory prep by 10 lengths handily.
It is also nice to see the return of the 9-year-old gelding Cloudy's Knight to Woodbine. He won the Canadian International-G1 2 years ago. He ran a very game second behind the regally-bred 3-year-old Man Of Iron (Giant's Causeway x Better Than Honour) in the Breeders' Cup Marathon at Santa Anita just a month ago.
The James Bond-trained Solitaire (son of another Belmont Stakes winner, Victory Gallop), who ran third in both the Queen's Plate and Prince Of Wales Stakes in 2008 as a maiden, will be ridden by Chantal Sutherland. His last start was a creditable 4th in the 1 1/4m Chief Bearhart Stakes on turf. He will tackle 14 furlongs for the few time in his career.
This is always one of my favourite races to watch every season. Three years back, the then 3-year-old Marsh Side won the Valedictory. He went on to be good enough to win the Canadian International-G1 in 2008 and the Northern Dancer-G1 this year (but was disqualified due to interference), and has traveled to Dubai and Tokyo to compete at Gr 1 level.
I like to see a series of Marathon races - maybe the San Juan Capistrano, Brooklyn (if they can increase the distance to 14 f at Belmont), Breeders' Cup Marathon and Valedictory, and somehow join forces with the Melbourne Cup, Sydney Cup, Adelaide Cup in Australia, the Ascot Gold Cup (or other Group 2/3 Cup races in the UK like the Goodwood Cup or Doncaster Cup), the Tenno Sho Spring, the Irish St. Leger, the Prix du Cadran and/or the Prix Royal-Oak in France or whatever else flat races over 14f to make this a world series for extreme stayers.
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