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Robert Landry pilots Three in the Bag.
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King Of Jazz
● This could be the year of the ‘Bison’…meaning Manitoba-bred, for not one, not two, but three Manitobans are taking a shot in the $1 million Queen’s Plate, Canada’s most famous horse race, Sunday at Woodbine.
● Of the three (Gold Strike and Get Down are the others), only King of Jazz hasn’t been seen locally by race fans, at least in the flesh. No Manitoba-bred (Lord Fairmond was second in 1948) has won the ‘Gallop for the Guineas’ but two Alberta-breds have got the job done…Whistling Sea (1965) and Merger (1968). Then again, no Manitoba-bred had won the Labatt Woodbine Oaks either until Gold Strike did it on June 12. And like Gold Strike, King of Jazz was supplemented to the Plate for $15,000 on May 15.
● The three-year-old son of K One King has raced at Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park and Keeneland in his brief, five-race career and has never been worse than third. “He’s been very consistent, very honest,” said Ian Wilkes, assistant to trainer Carl Nafzger. “He’s a useful Canadian-bred, he fits in there, I think he belongs there. He’s pretty versatile. He’s a good horse. He doesn’t have to have his racetrack. He can run over anything, any type of surface.”
● King of Jazz comes into the Plate on a two-race win streak. And his last was a real solid effort, as the bay gelding won a mile and one-eighth allowance contest in 1:50 2/5 seconds by a comfortable two lengths, recording a 96 Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating) in the process. Of the Plate starters, only Gold Strike has generated a higher Beyer (97 in the Selene Stakes, May 22) in any career start.
● Bred by Stonyfield Farm in Manitoba, King of Jazz wound up at the Ocala Breeders Sale for two-year-olds in training in February of 2004 and was purchased by Buckram Oak Farm for $40,000 US.
● “We gelded him last year. He was just too big, too heavy. He was carrying too much excess weight,” continued Wilkes.
● The former colt finally made his career debut last November at Churchill Downs and finished a closing third (‘Up rail, gaining late’, says the Daily Racing Form note) over six and one-half furlongs. Nafzger then started him in February at Gulfstream in a seven furlong maiden event, where he finished third again, but a good third after a rough trip, ‘bobbling at the break and checked at the half.’
● Next up was a one mile maiden contest, March 27 when he finished second to Plate rival Three in the Bag, a length and one-quarter back, after leading for most of the trip. King of Jazz finally broke his maiden impressively, by three one-quarter lengths at Keeneland, April 22 in a mile and one-eighth event before his swift May 25 allowance tally. He’s also worked well since, with a :59 1/5 five furlong tightener on June 17.
● “He just took his time coming around,” said Wilkes. “We never push them. We take our time. They come around when they’re ready. He just took a little longer to come around, which was fine because he was just a big round colt and hadn’t developed yet. Now he’s grown up and getting taller. He’s starting to come into his frame now. He’s quite a big horse, quite tall. He’s pretty laid back, nothing bothers him.”
● On the Plate distance, “I don’t think that (the distance) will be a problem. I think he wants to run all day. I think this horse will rate, do whatever (jockey) Rafael (Bejarano) wants to do. If there’s no speed, he can be anywhere. If there’s speed, he can rate.”
● So, when King of Jazz swings into the stretch in the Plate, the horse’s first stakes race, wouldn’t it be music to the ears of his connections if he hits the high note and goes on to win it. “Wouldn’t it!” said Wilkes.
Molinaro Beau
●Frozen foods producer Gino Molinaro, the owner of Molinaro Stable, hopes lightning can strike twice for this year’s edition of the Queen’s Plate. He sends out maiden Molinaro Beau, with the hope of duplicating the feat of T J’s Lucky Moon, who scored the 82-1 upset in the Plate.
●Molinaro Beau enters the Plate having competed twice in 2005. With blinkers off for the first time in his five-race career, the bay’s season debut came on May 21 in a six-furlong maiden allowance for Ontario-sired runners. Away 10th in the field of 12, the gelding rallied ‘willingly’ to finish fifth, just 5 ½ lengths behind winner Randy Jan.
●For his second start of the season, a seven-furlong maiden tilt, trainer Phil England entered the three-year-old into the Lasix programme. Once again, near the back of the pack, jockey Steve Bahen settled the March foal into eighth. He lost a few positions heading into the far turn and then rallied, once again finishing fifth, 6 ½ lengths behind Gladiator At Home.
●While Molinaro Beau hasn’t been two turns yet this year, he did travel a route of ground in his third and final start as a two-year-old, the Kingarvie Stakes. After stalking the pace early over the muddy strip, ‘Beau’ flattened out after three-quarters of a mile, beaten 24 ½ lengths.
●If Beyers (Daily Racing Form speed rating) are any indication, Molinaro Beau is a faster runner than he’s shown so far this year. Before the Kingarvie Stakes, he earned a pair of 64 ratings. In 2005, his two trips to post each earned figures of just 55. If Molinaro Beau has developed from age two to three, he projects to run a figure well above his previous best in his third start of the season.
●In a field dominated by American connections and sire-lines, Molinaro Beau will help fly the flag of Canadian ownership. He is also the lone runner in the field sired by a stallion standing in Ontario (Tempolake).
Runnaway Mon
● Of the 173 horses eligible for the Queen’s Plate when the second payment was due (February 1, 2005), only three horses that started at two ended their juvenile campaigns undefeated. Two of the three, Get Down and Runnaway Mon have made it to the Queen’s Plate (injured Verne’s Baby is the other).
● Runnaway Mon arrived in the barn of trainer Mark Casse early last summer, but took some time to make it to the races, starting just once as a two-year-old, on the second last weekend of the 2004 season. “He’s peculiar. He’s very difficult (to train) because he won’t work,” stated Casse. “We weren’t sure what he was going to do in his first start.”
● The son of Maria’s Mon, who produced 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, made a serious impression on Casse and owner Ivan Dalos, winning the seven-furlong tilt on December 5 by four lengths after a nice stalking trip in the eight-horse field. Behind him, in second, was the highly regarded Knob Hill horse Atanas, who is now off the Queen’s Plate trail due to injury.
● “He ran a really good race. At that point, we decided he was a Queen’s Plate type,” said Casse, who took the horse to Florida for the winter where the May foal did some growing up.
● “He still won’t train. First time out, we were just looking for a start,” said a pleased Casse. “It was good. He made a move like he was going to be right there. Patrick said he felt he was a little sharp leaving the gate and that if he would only work in the morning, he might have been right there.”
● For Runnaway Mon’s second start of the season, Casse took off the blinkers, stretched out to two turns for the first time and came back on 15 days rest. “We decided to run him long and come back quick to give us more time going into the Plate.”
● With regular rider Patrick Husbands committed to Gilded Coin in the May 23 race, Runnaway Mon was ridden by Jim McKnight. From post nine, the colt trailed for three-quarters of a mile, 14 lengths behind in the 10-horse field. In the late stages, he closed nine lengths to finish fifth beaten just five lengths. “He went from one extreme to another. He went from being really sharp to dropping back off the pace. Nobody was really closing (to win) at the time. He ran credible.”
● The stubborn morning worker may have turned a corner, says Casse, having come back to work well in a six-furlong move on June 8 in 1:14 2/5 handily under Husbands, in company with four-year-old Mont Devil (1:15 1/5). “It’s the best he’s ever worked. Mont Devil broke off three or four lengths in front. Runnaway Mon caught him and went by.”
● Even though Husbands was aboard for the workout and echoed Casse’s assessment of the effort, the conditioner reports that Emile Ramsammy will be in the irons on Plate day. “Patrick had one or two calls (last week). We got a commitment out of Emile and we were pleased to get a quality rider.”
● Blinkers will go back on Runnaway Mon in the Plate, according to Casse, who has a certain trip in mind for his Ontario-bred. “Hopefully, we’ll have a fast pace. I’d like to see him six to 10 lengths out of it in mid-pack.”
● Casse is the first to admit his horse, who will make his stakes debut, lacks the resume and accomplishments of the Plate’s leading contenders. But the successful conditioner knows talent when he sees it and will give his main ‘Mon’ a chance to peak in the most important race on the calendar. “I’m quite happy with what he’s done this year. Everything we’ve done has been for one reason and one reason only. That’s to have him at his best on Queen’s Plate day. Everything has gone according to plan. He still has a lot to prove. He’s a true 1 ¼-mile horse in terms of breeding and disposition.”
Three in the Bag
● He’s been running with some decent ones, like Noble Causeway, Coin Silver, Reverberate and even the maiden Nolan’s Cat, each of whom contested at least one leg of the U.S. Triple Crown this year. He’s also defeated several Plate rivals, …King of Jazz and Get Down.
● And even though Three in the Bag, who was supplemented to the Plate for $15,000 on May 15, was awarded victory in the June 5 Plate Trial when winner Dance with Ravens was disqualified, his performance certainly earned him a berth in the Queen’s Plate, as he charged from last to challenge the unofficial winner in deep stretch, as they battled to the wire.
● “We were real happy with the way he did it,” said veteran trainer Stanley Hough, about the new race strategy employed, as the son of Silver Deputy came from dead last, six lengths behind the front-runners at one point. In six of seven previous starts, the bay colt had forced the issue from the outset and seemed to give way, albeit grudgingly, through the lane, in distances ranging from one mile to a mile and one-eighth.
● “He lost a little ground because it was just the way it worked out,” Hough continued. “When he came back, he didn’t get back far enough to get all the way over. Just kind of forced a little wide. But he relaxed well and made a good run. We were pleased. It gives us some chance that we think he might go a mile and a quarter. Before that, we never really felt he could carry that speed (that far).”
● Three in the Bag was ridden for the first time in the Trial by Robert Landry, who won his first Queen’s Plate last year aboard Niigon. Landry will try to become the first jockey since Craig Perret (1992-1993) to win back-to-back Plates.
● “We hope (he can get the distance), but he did give us some indication he might. That other horse (Dance With Ravens) that beat us the other day galloped out strong so I think he’s definitely the horse to beat,” said Hough.
● The Kinghaven Farms-bred, who was sold for $200,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2003, was a little late getting to the races last year, making his debut October 27 at Aqueduct, finishing a distant last. However, since then, he’s run well, with two wins, three seconds and a fifth. His runner-up finish to Reverberate in a May 8 allowance contest at Belmont Park took on new meaning when the latter came back to run second to highly-regarded Oratory in the Peter Pan Stakes, run in stakes record time in late May.
● “He was just immature, a big colt, he needed a little extra time, no real problems, but just needed time to catch up to himself. But he’s a sweetheart, he does everything right. He’s no problem,” said Hough.
● How does he see the Plate shaping up? “This is going to be a wide-open race and I think we fit right in there, so we’re just glad we feel we have a chance. I don’t think he has to go back to last. I’d like to see him somewhere just off the pace, maybe four or five lengths off.”
Wild Desert
● Since 1956, when the Queen’s Plate was first raced at Woodbine, no horse has won the Canadian classic off a 10-week layoff. Wild Desert, who was the 4-1 second choice (behind Dance With Ravens) in the Plate Winterbook released in March, will try to become the first on Sunday. According to majority owner Dan Borislow, “I have a lot of confidence in this horse. I’m going to be very, very disappointed if he doesn’t win this race.”
● It’s a tall order, though, since Wild Desert hasn’t been seen since the Arkansas Derby, April 16, when he finished eighth, almost 16 lengths behind Afleet Alex, who had some proving to do himself after a dismal performance in the Rebel Stakes when sixth, albeit because of a lung infection. Afleet Alex certainly answered the bell that day and since, winning off by eight lengths and registering a 108 Beyer. Meanwhile, it was determined that Wild Desert had hurt himself in the race.
● “He didn’t pick up his feet,” explained Borislow, who has only seen his horse run once (Arkansas Derby) this year. “The horse hit on all four legs in that race. His feet weren’t right. He rapped himself pretty good. Every race he had, if you look at the Ragozin numbers (handicapping service), you seldom see a horse get better with every single race. He did though, until the Arkansas Derby.”
● A few days later, Borislow transferred the horse from Ken McPeek’s barn to the care of trainer Richard Dutrow. Eclipse Award-winning trainer Bobby Frankel will saddle the horse in Plate.
● Wild Desert, a Windways Farm Ontario-bred who was supplemented to the Plate for $7,500 on February 1, looked like a Kentucky Derby horse earlier in the year. In fact, that’s why Borislow bought him privately in February from former owner Carl Gessler Jr., who retained a piece in the new ownership group.
● “I’ve been looking for a Derby prospect for years,” Borislow said in an interview with the Daily Racing Form back in March. “I really liked this colt. Looking at his form, he reminded me a lot of Real Quiet and Charismatic. (On his two-year-old form), he improved with every dirt race and was particularly impressive in his final race, when finishing third after racing about 13 wide around the final turn.” That was in the mile and one-sixteenth Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs, when the bay colt was beaten less than three lengths by Greater Good and Rush Bay.
● He’s only had three starts this year, but against the best of his generation. After opening with a fifth-place finish to High Fly and Bandini in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, March 5 at Gulfstream Park (The Daily Racing Form noted he was knocked sideways at the start), he ran a bang-up race in the Lanes End at Turfway Park, closing well to finish second to Flower Alley, a half-length back in the muddy mile and one-eighth contest on March 26. He certainly looked like a live longshot for the Kentucky Derby until his Arkansas Derby performance. His only recorded workout since then is a five furlong breeze in 1:01 4/5 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on May 29, where he’s been stabled, prior to being transferred to Frankel’s barn this week.
● “He could have raced in the Belmont, but that Afleet Alex is a helluva horse,” continued Borislow. “Coming off a long layoff, sometimes if they run a big effort, they’ll bounce. We didn’t want to run second in the Belmont when we could be first in the Queen’s Plate. I think the filly (Gold Strike) looks tough and the advantage she has is that she should be in top form. This is a huge race, even for Americans. It’s a very prestigious race, the history of Canada. We respect that and so we want to be part of it.”
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