ELMONT, NY, October 3, 2009--There’s no way to say this without sounding like a disparagement of Summer Bird, who owes me absolutely nothing. He saved me in the Belmont Stakes and made me a Travers celebrity for 15 minutes. I owe him.

Having said all that, however, I sure would love to have seen today’s Jockey Club Gold Cup contested on a fast, try track. Meanwhile, however, all hail Summer Bird, who stands on top of the three-year-old division and is in position to do a lot more come time for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

And, not to forget, Summer Bird began his year in Southern California, so he’s been there, and has done that. But would the result have been different of a fast, dry track? Anyone who thinks that question unfair is not being completely honest.

One only need rewind to the Shadwell Travers, with Summer Bird on the outside and Quality Road on the inside, just like today, except for the fact they were both out in the center of the sloppy track, the same kind of surface Quality Road had trouble negotiating in Saratoga.

But this base is sandier, which he probably appreciated, and a good horse, a very good horse such as Summer Bird, doesn’t need to lug his racetrack around with him. If you play the game outdoors, you must be prepared for anything.

At first, Quality Road, a track record performer in both his starts prior to his third-place Travers finish, didn’t even want to play, balking at the gate, refusing to enter the outside slip despite the persistence of the assistant starters. Finally, they left him alone and he slipped his way in.

But he sure did get out of there in a hurry, rushing up in hand to join the speedy Tizway, who had taken the lead almost immediately from an inner position that enabled him to save some ground as the three-year-olds and their elders curled around the elbow bend into the Belmont backstretch.

And so Tizway was shadowed by Quality Road, then vice versa, then vice versa again, at which point Kent Desormeaux urged Summer Bird up from the center of the track, not allowing his main rival to slip away. It was clear at that point that Desormeaux knew that he had the only other sophomore in the field to beat.

As the leaders began then run into Belmont’s wide sweeping turn, and as Quality Road dispensed with Tizway, Desormeaux asked Summer Bird to attach himself to Quality Road’s hip. They raced as a team, way out in the track, with more than a quarter-mile remaining.

Quality Road and Summer Bird raced as a team, matching strides until the Belmont/Travers winners asserted his superiority to become the first three-year-old in 20 years to win those two three-year-old classics and the JCGC.

Since trainer Tim Ice, who won the first race of the day, and whose wife Heather gave birth to their first child last month, a girl, added blinkers to his colt’s equipment, Summer Bird has not been beaten by another male [ed. note].

As the team approached the finish line, it appeared to the naked eye that Quality Road wasn’t staying the 10 furlongs, a question going into the JCGC with his brilliant but distance-challenged pedigree. But on replay it appeared that Summer Bird was stronger, better conditioned to handle the circumstances. Quality Road was still trying but tiring.

Summer Bird is no mere mud lark. He loves it wet, yes, but won the Belmont on a fast track. Quality Road proved yesterday that he can handle a wet track, it just doesn’t move him up in the manner it moves up Summer Bird. We’re not say it was Seattle Slew’s Jockey Club, but Quality Road passed a class test in defeat.

You hear it all the way, wishing thinking about horses forming rivalries. But these two really have a chance to do just that, should both stay sound and remain in training. Summer Bird has no known issues; Quality Road has those tender tootsies.

We can only hope they go at each other long enough to eventually stand next to each other in some starting gate somewhere, dry sand and loam beneath their feet.

***
On recent proven ability at the highest level, Gio Ponti had no equal. There was but one question to answer and, in the final analysis, the answer was no.

Gio Ponti couldn’t stay a mile and a half, at least not over Belmont’s boggy Widener turf course, settling for second to pacesetting Interpatation who rallied back after being passed to snatch the victory from the favorite who appeared to be en route to a routine score by “the best horse.”

Instead, it was the gelded seven-year-old who proved best yesterday beneath Robby Albarado. Telling finished third, but was placed fourth following a stewards’ inquiry for impeding fourth finisher Grand Couturier, who was placed third in the new order of finish.

But Interpatation is nothing if not persistent. His resolve has now earned over $1-million for his owner Elliot Mavorah, befitting for a horse who hit for the cycle. A horse, hitting for the cycle?

Well, Interpatation finished fourth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational in 2006, third in 2007, and, you guess it, second last year. Meanwhile, his last victory of any kind came at Philadelphia Park in September of 2007.

His past performances are interestingly indicative of his performance figures which, while not spectacular, were consistently very good, just about a half-notch below that of the best in his division.

Bob Barbara has always trained this gelding which, before yesterday, had finished third in 11 of 49 lifetime starts. Yesterday, he snatched the brass ring away from one of the strongest favorites on the Jockey Club undercard.

***
It was Dynaforce that was supposed to be the off-ground specialist, it was Bill Mott who was seen doing the rain dance just for such an occurrence. But Pure Clan is no slouch, she likes cut in the ground, too, and the wide turns at Belmont as well, even if the Flower Bowl was run on Belmont’s inner turf course.

And who, after all, times the late turf rally better than Julien Leparoux, who always seemed to have his mount comfortable in the Belmont bog. And by the time she rallied up to the hindquarters of Criticism, who had just emerged with the lead in midstretch, the Pure Prize four-year-old second favorite methodically wore the leader down and drew off to a 2-¾ length score.

Actually, it wasn’t supposed to be that easy. Dynaforce is just that, a hard-hitter, and she was about to pounce as the end of the backstretch approached, Kent Desormeaux sneaking up the fence and seemingly about to take the lead and perhaps blow the 10-furlong route wide open.

But Edgar Prado, checking out his rear view mirror aboard the frontrunning Leamington, closed the hole. Desormeaux was forced to check, Dynaforce lost momentum and, as it turned out, any chance to win, as Pure Clan and Criticism went on with it. Another outsider, Queen of Hearts, finished a non-threatening third.

It’s unknown how this race can impact the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, given the conditions. It just doesn’t rain in Southern California at this time of year. But Pure Clan also has won on firm ground.

The Hollywood Oaks, in SoCal, of course, was her first career Grade 1 score. It seems as if you line her up and point her in the right direction, the filly will do the rest. Kudos to trainer Bob Holthus, who obviously has kept this filly happy over a sustained period of time.

***

The rains came, they came in earnest and they came with lightning at about the Vosburgh quartet entered the starting gate. And by the time the prohibitive favorite, Fabulous Strike, reached the quarter pole in front after stalking pacesetting Go Go Shoot, the surface had turned to a sea of tiring slop.

And so Fabulous Strike began to tire and Kodiak Kowboy, switched outside by Shaun Bridgmohan for the deep-stretch run, continued his forward momentum and nailed the favorite two strides from home, hitting the timer in 1:10.08 for the six-furlong scale weights event. Munnings finished third, extending Pletcher’s Grade 1 winless streak to 49, according to the NYRA communications department.

The four-year-old Posse colt was making his first start for Steve Asmussen, replacing Larry Jones, who replaced Asmussen previously and saddled him to a second-place finish in Saratoga’s Forego last time out.

Kodiak Kowboy owns one victory in three starts on an all weather surface and likely would be formidable should his connections decide to try the Breeders’ Cup Sprint early next month.

***

My editors at Newsday told me never to write a weather lead, for obvious reasons. But this place, Belmont Park, can be so snake bitten. As the horses left the paddock for the first of five Grade 1s, the Beldame, the skies opened big time. Fortunately, the first result was as formful in the running as it looked on paper.

Music Note loves Belmont Park, she likes the distance, loves moisture in the track and, preferably a target. But as she stalked the leading Unbridled Belle from the inside portion of the now damp surface, and with Unbridled Belle’s mate, Captain Lover, sitting off the favorite, it was looking like the perfect use of an entry.

As Rajiv Maragh moved the Godolphin filly off the inside to take aim, it was a question of whether she had the leader all along, or whether it would be a battle down the long Belmont straight. And battle they did, however briefly, until Music Note asserted herself leaving the eighth pole. Maragh simply rode her out from there, making sure that the filly knows she needs to finish what she started.

Was trainer Saeed bin Suroor worried, given the chess mate down the backstretch? “I talked with the jockey before the race. She likes to sit a little behind, nice and relaxed. She was happy, he was good with her. Now we’ll take her to the Breeders’ Cup.”

The leading Unbridled Belle was the last Grade 1 winner for Todd Pletcher in New York since today’s Beldame runnerup won this same race in 2007, a streak extending through 48 different entrants. But Pletcher will be coming back in the very next race with Munnings, a three-year-old trying to beat his elders in the Vosburgh.

***

It’s been said that weatherologists often are less reliable than the journeyman public handicapper. And, after all, how many chances do they have to get something right? The answer is two: rain or shine.

The handicapper has infinitely more variables to deal with but he’s cut no slack. But if the weather person says rain and it doesn’t, people are happy. Don’t know how many people are happy right now, but it’s noon.

It didn’t rain last night, as advertised, or this morning, or, so far, this afternoon. Since no one knows how long this will last, all are enjoying it while they can. Got to find out what happened with Caribbean Sunset, the early favorite who was scratched from the Flower Bowl, one of five Grade 1 preps.

We’re back later this afternoon, as we will update you from Belmont Park throughout “Super Saturday.” Sure would like to see the Jockey Club Gold Cup on a fast track, like it is now. I don’t have a lot of confidence that will happen, however.