Races are not run on paper. They are run on dirt, on grass, and on synthetic surfaces. Sometimes, the track is fast; sometimes it’s sloppy. Sometimes the turf is firm, sometimes it’s less; yielding, or soft. Like today.
Grass course conditions and a very rough trip conspired to defeat the brilliant Winter Memories, the 2-5 favorite to win the Grade 2 Lake Placid for three-year-old fillies on the turf.
The trip part is on jockey Jose Lezcano, but part of it wasn’t, too. He blamed the ground, naturally.
Trainer Jimmy Toner wasn’t having any of it, indirectly putting the onus on the rider but making no excuses for the going.
“She was trapped in the whole time,” said Toner. “She doesn’t like to be between horses. She wasn’t comfortable. They left [the turf] on and I was good with that.
“She won the Miss Grillo on soft ground. There are no excuses. When you win, you win; when you lose, you lose. It’s Saratoga, the Graveyard of Favorites.”
Lezcano was a little more cryptic. “I don’t think she liked it,” he said.
Lezcano tried to ease her back but was too much in the bridle, throwing her head, asking for more rein. But if given more rein, Winter Memories would have run up on heels, or worse.
On Mark Cusano’s “Down The Stretch,” television show Saturday morning, Toner told the audience: “The only instructions I ever give Jose is to get her in the clear. She gets anxious when she races between horses.”
She certainly does.
Lezcano did try his best, however, but his rivals had him trapped. Whenever he tried to move, they moved. Whenever he tried to take back--soon after straightening away into the backstretch--they took back with her.
After seeing that maneuver, you knew it was only going to get worse, and it did.
Lezcano tried to move up inside of rivals entering the far turn but when he asked her, the filly appeared to be spinning her wheels, trying, but remaining in place.
Finally, the rider was able to get her outside for a clear run. But Dynamic Holiday and Ramon Dominguez, who kept her hemmed in every step of the way, wouldn’t let her out, nor did they have to.
With his access blocked, Lezcano peaked at a seam just to his left in front of him but that hole closed just as quickly because the inside horse was bearing out. So Lezcano altered course to the fence.
Winter Memories surged forward, actually brushing the rail about a sixteenth of a mile from home. But that wasn’t the problem. The filly got tired fighting her rider and the ground beneath her, losing show in the final strides.
Winter Memories was so heavily fancied that she attracted $127,000 of the $172,000 bet in the show pool, which would have cost the track money had she finished on the board. But she didn’t, leading to show payoffs of $12.20, 12.00 and 11.00.
The winning Hungry Island, meanwhile, was not totally unexpected. She is a filly on the come and yesterday, the G2 Lake Placid was a coming out party and trainer Shug McGaughey wasn’t sure the favorite would be at her best.
“I didn’t know if she would handle the ground but I knew we would because we’ve run on it before,” McGaughey said. What I liked is that [jockey Alex Solis] he was kind of messing with that other filly [Winter Memories] a bit trying to keep her down on the inside, and she still was able to finish that way going that far.”
Even though Solis was winning the tactical battle, Hungry Island indeed had a lot to do as the field reached headstretch. But you knew that if Lezcano had a choice, he’d rather have been where Solis was.
“My plan was to follow [Winter Memories] the whole ay,” Solis said. “I had a good trip, tracked her, got to the half-mile pole and then I waited a little longer and a little longer.
“I got out at the quarter-pole and then I waited a little longer and a little longer. She’s very amazing and I’m very proud of her.”
Toner knows Winter Memories better than anyone. He trained her mother, Memories Of Silver, and if he says she can handle the ground because she won the Miss Grillo, I can’t question that.
But American high-turn-of-foot horses always seem to do better on firm because their long strides are not compromised by any slipping and sliding. They just seem to skip over the firmer going.
There was no skipping over the top of ground yesterday at Saratoga, not after the brief but torrential rains. But there will be other opportunities. That’s why they run the races outdoors, not on paper.
22 Aug 2011 at 06:57 am | #
I agree with everything you said, too, especially about the great ones, but I’m not sure ANY filly in history could overcome those circumstances.
She NEVER had a place to go at any point and by the time she did, the going, in my view, prevented her from hitting her best stride.
Find a replay somewhere, Goer. It will be worth the effort.
JP
22 Aug 2011 at 01:28 pm | #
“but I’m not sure ANY filly in history could overcome those circumstances.”
I’m sure Zenyatta would have or even Goldikova.
23 Aug 2011 at 05:42 am | #
I agree with John. To Wally - Zenyatta may have overcome it because she would have been 10-12 lengths back and Smith would just swing as wide as necessary for her patented run. Of course she did not run much as a 3 year old and never hit the turf but that was not your point.
There was no value at 2-5 so I just viewed as a fan. The way Ramon rode reminded me of the old days. Rough and tumble, box the horse in you fear in and try to beat them late. Nothing wrong or evil just not the everyday norm for today’s riders. I imagine there will be payback in a future race but that that makes just adds another interesting sub line. I am looking forward to the rematch. Hopefully both horse have the entire stretch of the Belmont turf course to settle it and turf will come up firm. The bettors (trip handicappers in particular) will make WM even money or less. For the Hungry Island believers, you will get another overlay.
23 Aug 2011 at 06:58 am | #
The Lake Placid is more an example of the ridiculous hype that goes into these races than the race itself. Anyone who actually bothered to handicap the race would know that Winter Memories did not have any great speed figure advantage over her main rivals. She was considered a mortal lock because of how she won her previous race. Of course, not enough was put into the fact that it was a very weak field. I posted on my facebook Saturday morning that I thought Hungry Island was a major threat and would not be surprised if she won the race.(and at 9-1 it was a no brainer win bet) Dean Keppler was also of the same opinion. Winter Memories is a nice horse but she actually has never run that fast and has not beaten any really good fields.(She struggled to beat Dos Lunas who is a very average filly) Hungry Island’s last two races before the Lake Placid were both awesome as she flew home in both. She is the better of the two horses and will continue to prove it on the track.
23 Aug 2011 at 09:37 am | #
Dos Lunas’ poor race at Del Mar the day before against Mizdirection was an indicator that Winter Memories may have been overhyped.
23 Aug 2011 at 09:47 am | #
Pastel,
On balance, your handicapping observation is right on.
But her extraordinary turn of foot had a lot of people saying she was the best turf filly in the country.
I know Richard Migliore went down to the paddock just to get a closer look.
Turf Man,
Also right on; very old school race riding, indeed. Ramon, positioned outside, had it relatively easy in terms of strategy; just mimic the horse racing right next to you.
But it was Solis who was so subtle and cool. He took a risk by leaving his filly a lot to do. He also knew ho much horse he had under him. Kudos to the veteran Solis!
Wally,
Now come on. “Memories” is just a 3yo, and of course she’s not in Zenyatta’s or Goldy’s class. But can we give her a little time? So she gets a little anxious when between horses; she rates to settle down a bit with age. Then we’ll see. And I still think her style plays better on firm ground.
Good stuff talkin’ horses. Not enough of that, thanks all!
JP