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Dalavin
Many racing observers will question Dalavin’s presence in the Woodbine Mile, presented by Bell. Atop that list is the Florida-bred’s co-owner and conditioner Audre Cappuccitti, who is competing in her first ever $1 million event. “When I buy the Racing Form, I’ll probably faint,” she laughed. “We’re going to give him a shot. I know it’s going to be tough, but he’s as good as he can be. I think he’s a nice horse, but these are great horses.”
If any horse in this year’s field has home-course advantage, it’s Dalavin. He’s 4-for-12 over the E.P. Taylor Turf. A closer look at his turf record reveals a sparkling record at contests between seven and eight furlongs, trips at which he’s tallied five first-place finishes (one of which he was disqualified) from eight starts.
Cappuccitti gains comfort knowing her five-year-old can zip over the course in fast time. “If you look at all his wins, his times have been good,” she said, adding that a fast seven-furlong performance (1:21-flat) at 33-1 came as no surprise in his first start of the season, July 19. “He was feeling good. I thought he’d run well.”
The gelding’s turf affinity has left Cappuccitti with few places to run, citing the October 22 Nearctic as her other major target for 2006. “He loves turf. There really aren’t too many spots.”
Dalavin kicked off his career as a sophomore with three consecutive runner-up finishes on the main track. But, he blossomed over the sod, winning a maiden allowance by 6 ¾ lengths and doubling up with an eye-catching six-length romp in the $108,000 Charlie Barley Stakes.
At the end of his three-year-old campaign, he came within a half-length of I Thee Wed in the Grade 2 Nearctic at six furlongs. “He ran a great race. Somebody came right over on him and that caused him to go outside. If things had been the other way around, he’d have won.”
Most recently, Dalavin finished fourth in last month’s Play the King behind winner Le Cinquieme Essai and Mile entrant Becrux. “He ran well. He came out of the outside post going seven furlongs. He tried to break on top and get over, but everybody went out at once. Patrick (Husbands) did the right thing and just tucked him in. He was gaining at the end.”
Capable over ‘good’ turf, but better over ‘firm’ going, Dalavin’s performance in the Play the King provided Cappuccitti with cause for optimism because it indicated that added ground shouldn’t be an issue. “I think the (one-mile distance) might help him.”
With Husbands aboard Ad Valorem, Cappuccitti has enlisted the services of Constant Montpellier, who worked Dalavin five furlong in 1:02 2/5, breezing, last Saturday over the E.P. Taylor Turf. “He was really happy with him. He said he’s a neat little horse.”
The mild fall weather should serve Dalavin well. “The only downfall with Dalavin is that he can’t take the heat. That day it was really humid, I had to scratch him. If I don’t get him out and train him first, he comes back all lathered.”
Cappuccitti purchased Dalavin in 2002 for $11,500 (US) at the Ocala Winter Mixed Sale. “I really liked him. (Trainer) Tony Mattine was there and he liked him. That’s good enough for me. He’s got a pretty good eye,” recalled Cappuccitti.
With earnings of $286,028, Dalavin is the leading son of Summer winner Native Regent, a son of Vice Regent. Cappuccitti said the sire’s other progeny have struggled to make an impact. “He’s been the best runner for that sire. I bought another and she can’t get out of her own way. I ran her for $5,000. She beat three horses at Fort Erie. That’s what happens.”
Cappuccitti describes Dalavin as a sweet, no-fuss, hard-trying type of horse, in a small package. So, who’s to say he didn’t receive some of his ability from his similarly-built grandsire, Northern Dancer? “I love the little horse and I know he’ll try.”
Diamond Green
Maybe it’s time for this ‘Diamond’ to sparkle. Plenty of ‘Green’, $600,000 in fact, awaits if he does. A five-year-old French-bred, Diamond Green is the other Robert Frankel hopeful, joining the more heralded Three Valleys, who will be trying to give his five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer a leading third Woodbine Mile win. Frankel won the 2000 Atto Mile with 10-1 shot Riviera and the 2005 Mile with the 3-5 choice, Leroidesanimaux.
Certainly, the son of Green Desert, out of Diamonaka, is ‘in with a chance’, as they say, for he’s been on the fringes in his last three outings, including a race here at Woodbine on July 3, when he led briefly in mid-stretch in the King Edward Breeders’ Cup before faltering late to finish third, just 1 1/4-lengths behind winner Sky Conqueror. That was at 1 1/8 miles.
His latest came in the mile and one-sixteenth Fourstardave Handicap, August 6 at Saratoga, when he chased Remarkable News through some slow early fractions before weakening to finish third, four lengths back.
Now, he’s cutting back to a mile, the same distance he won an optional claimer at Santa Anita in April, followed by a good fifth-place finish, just four lengths behind Aragorn, the number one-ranked miler for the Breeders’ Cup, in the Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup in late May at Hollywood Park.
In assessing the last couple of starts, Frankel said, “There just wasn’t enough pace in the (Fourstardave). He didn’t get beat far (in the King Edward) and I think a mile is his best distance,” explaining why he decided to enter Diamond Green in Sunday’s Grade 1 event. Against Aragorn in the Shoemaker, “He didn’t run too badly. He ran alright.” The Racing Form notes indicate Diamond Green bobbled at the start.
If you look back to his European form in 2003 and 2004, he was very consistent as well. Trained by Andre Fabre, he was unbeaten as a juvenile, a perfect three-for-three while competing at Deauville and Longchamp. While he didn’t win as a three-year-old in 2004, the dark bay did acquit himself well, finishing second four times, three of them in Group1’s and all at one mile.
He was a half-length behind American Post in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamp in May, then finished a neck behind champion Azamour in the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot in June. Two starts later, he was second to Grey Lilas in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in early September.
He wound up a busy campaign with an eighth-place finish to Singletary in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Lone Star Park, but like several others in the race, encountered a troubled trip, as he broke slow, was steadied on the turn, yet was only beaten three and three-quarter lengths.
Diamond Green may have been giving his conditioner recent signs that he could be coming up to a big one, ready to hit a home run in the Woodbine Mile.
“He’s been working very well,” said Frankel. A peek at the work tab shows a bullet five-furlong move in 1:01.22 seconds, breezing, over the Saratoga training track on September 2 followed by another five furlong breeze, this time over Belmont Park’s main track, in 1:01.26 on September 10.
Rebel Rebel
Rebel Rebel, an Irish-bred four-year-old, not only has already tangled with several of his Woodbine Mile presented by Bell rivals (Remarkable News, Three Valleys and Therecomesatiger) but he’s also battled some of the better distance turfers on the continent this season….like Better Talk Now, English Channel and The Tin Man, in races ranging from one mile to one and one-quarter miles.
When he raced in Europe as a two and three-year-old, he’d also hooked good ones like Motivator, Footstepsinthesand, Dubawi and Oratorio.
So, what does trainer Richard Dutrow think about his Woodbine Mile hopeful. “If our horse runs his race, I’m sure he’ll be showing up,” he said. “It seems like a mile around one turn is his best game.”
His past performances, despite racing at various distances, seem to bear that out. Both of Rebel Rebel’s wins in North America, since arriving more than a year ago, have come at one mile at Belmont Park. One was the Poker Handicap in July; the other tally came last year in an optional claimer.
In his latest, he managed to finish third to Three Valleys in the Grade 3 Oceanport Handicap, August 6 at Monmouth Park. While Three Valleys was impressive in his seasonal debut, it wasn’t the perfect trip for Rebel Rebel, as the racing chart indicates he ‘broke slow, dropped back, angled in’, before coming on through the stretch to finish three and one-quarter lengths behind.
“I didn’t see him really break slow in the Oceanport,” continued Dutrow. “He just didn’t run his race that day. I don’t know why.”
His prior start, the Grade 3 Poker Handicap was, without question, his best effort since arriving in N.A. Rebel Rebel circled horses to take the lead in mid-stretch and held Remarkable News safe. It was his first stakes win in N.A., as he registered a career high 104 Beyer. “I was happy,” said Dutrow. “I like the horse. Stalking seems like that’s probably his best game.”
Since the Oceanport, Rebel Rebel has been busy working at Saratoga, his latest blowout coming on September 8, a five furlong breeze over the dirt training track in 1:03.18.
“He went good,” continued Dutrow. “You always hope there’s room for improvement. It (Woodbine Mile) looks like a competitive race. He’s run a couple of good races but I’m not sure how versatile he is. He’s a very nice horse to be around, though, a very easy horse to train.”
Remarkable News
Talk about consistency. Remarkable News, a Venezuelan-bred four-year-old, has yet to finish worse than third in nine lifetime starts, six of which have been wins…at six different racetracks no less…Belmont, Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Keeneland, Woodbine and Saratoga. Remarkable, indeed! Now, he’s looking to make even bigger headlines by taking Sunday’s Grade 1 $1 million Woodbine Mile presented by Bell.
There are also some similarities between Remarkable News and last year’s Atto Mile winner, Leroidesanimaux. Both were bred in South America (‘Leroi’ was a Brazilian-bred) and both entered the ‘Mile’ off an impressive score in the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, leading from start to finish.
His South American roots run deep. Not only is he a Venezuelan-bred, but his owner, Holly Rincon, although a New York City native, lived in Venezuela for 45 years, jockey Javier Castellano was born in Venezuela and his trainer, Angel Penna, Jr. was born in Argentina.
Penna Jr. has managed the campaign of the son of Chayim from day one. All of his nine outings have been on the grass, all on firm turf and jockey Javier Castellano has been aboard for every one of them.
Remarkable News didn’t make the races as a juvenile. “I sent him back to the farm, he wasn’t ready to race. He had some issues I wanted to address. Very, very immature,” recalled Penna, Jr.
On why the colt started his career on the turf, Penna explained, “The turf part came about because there was something I didn’t like when he worked on the dirt. He was handling it, but he wasn’t doing as well as I thought he should. So I tried him on the grass and the workout was outstanding. So you don’t fix what isn’t broke.”
He finally made it to the post a year ago in August at Saratoga, finishing a solid second. The chestnut colt then broke his maiden at Belmont Park a month later before winding up the year with another win at Aqueduct.
After being freshened for a couple of months, he returned to the racing wars in February in Florida and has since generated four wins, a second and a third in his breakout 2006 campaign.
His most recent effort in the Fourstardave, August 6, may have been his most impressive, as he led throughout the mile and one-sixteenth affair, loose on the lead, posting a two and one-half length score while recording a 107 Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating), the highest number registered this year by any of his Mile rivals.
Behind him that day in second was Ashkal Way, who was suffering his first defeat in North America but who came back to win the Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga three weeks later. Also in the race was last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, Artie Schiller, who finished fourth. So he beat a good field, albeit a small one, with only five starters.
“It was a good race,” said Penna. “It was a testing race, but obviously he came back with an ‘A’. That’s why we are having the audacity of thinking about the $1 million at Woodbine. The “Beyer” tells you what kind of a race it was. Obviously, we got away with a very easy first half, but he finished pretty strong too, so overall it was a very nice race.”
Prior to the Fourstardave, Remarkable News had finished second to (another Woodbine Mile rival) Rebel Rebel in the Poker Handicap at Belmont, rallying after being shuffled back to sixth in the stretch.
“In the Poker, it was not the plan to be behind horses,” recalled Penna Jr. “He was ‘outbroke,’ he was behind horses, he was keen, he was kind of clipping heels. He got in a lot of trouble in that race. We didn’t want him to be where he was. Sometimes things happen that you do not plan. But if we wanted to, we could have him come from behind, he’ll do it easily. But the problem is, sometimes you try to do something, it doesn’t work and then he’s on the bit too early.”
Unlike some of the other Mile ‘invaders’, Remarkable News has already visited Woodbine and it was a successful trip at that, when he gutted out a nose win over Le Cinquieme Essai in the Connaught Cup, May 28. That was his first stakes victory.
“He loved that course (Woodbine). He’s a very, very adaptable horse. I haven’t seen a trip that he can’t handle. He’s a warrior; he gives it his all every time he runs.”
Penna has worked his Woodbine Mile hopeful regularly since the Fourstardave, including a bullet five furlongs on August 31 over the Saratoga training turf in 1:00 3/5 seconds. His most recent blowout was last Friday at Belmont, over the main track, another five furlong move in 1:00.96, handily. “It was a good workout. He’s doing great. He loves to train. He loves to do things. And he does it on his own. ”
On his physique and personality, Penna added, “He’s a tall horse, not a big, wide, rangy horse, but he’s big enough. He’s a great guy. Nothing bothers him. He loves to ship. After the last race, I wanted to give him an extra day off. But I couldn’t. He was tearing the barn down so I had to take him out on the track. The older he’s getting, the more he’s enjoying it. As long as we can keep the wheels going, he’ll be fine.”
If Remarkable News does well here, could the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile beckon, even though he’d have to be supplemented ($300,000 fee). “He’d have to put in a very, very good showing in the Woodbine Mile for us to consider it. But it is under consideration, no doubt about that,” continued Penna. “The thing is the quality. That’s the biggest hurdle this horse has to jump before we can consider the Breeders’ Cup.”
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