Two starts, two wins. Doesn’t get any better than that. Now, Embur’s Song is being asked to step up to the highest level in just her third career outing…the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser – the premier race for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies.
So, trainer Todd Pletcher, how good is this filly? Were you surprised by her career debut on April 17, a romping 13 ¼ length winner at Keeneland, going postward at almost 8-1, while recording a 99 Beyer (Daily Racing Form Speed Rating) in the seven furlong Polytrack opener.
“We expected her to run well,” said Pletcher. “We did not expect her to run that well. She was most impressive. She trains very well on the dirt, but she tends to move up even another notch on the synthetic.”
After her maiden breaker, the daughter of Unbridled’s Song showed up at Woodbine to contest an allowance race on May 22 against older fillies and mares and won easily again, in 1:42 2/5 seconds, this time by almost four lengths while registering another huge Beyer, 98. Just a day later, Oaks rival Ernfold finished second to Biofuel in the slow-paced La Lorgnette at the same distance and was credited with an 80 Beyer.
No filly in the Oaks field can boast a Beyer number anywhere close to 98 or 99 The next best is Resentless, given an 87 in her seasonal debut when winning the seven furlong Fury Stakes, May 1.
“She did that well (Woodbine race) and the time (one-fifth of a second off the track record) was quite good,” continued Pletcher. “We know this will be a much tougher race than the last one. From a timing standpoint we’re kind of asking her to do a lot in a short period of time. We’re hoping that her natural ability can overcome maybe a less than ideal schedule. We’ve kind of had to go maiden, ‘one other than’, then into a big race like this in a relatively short period of time. But she seems to be handling it all.”
If Embur’s Song wins the Oaks, she would become just the fourth horse in 55 runnings to do so after having not raced as a two-year-old, joining Eye of the Sphynx (2004), Too Late Now (2003) and Classy ‘n Smart (1984). She would also join Eye of the Sphynx and Too Late Now as the only fillies to win the Oaks while undefeated. Both of those fillies, though, were making their fourth career starts when capturing the Oaks. No filly has won the Oaks in only three career starts, while the last filly to win the Oaks in her first stakes start was Silent Fleet in 1996. So, Embur’s Song certainly faces some historical challenges.
“(As a two-year-old), she was training well but she just came up with some baby issues that recommended some time off and she responded very well,” continued Pletcher, who hopes to be at Woodbine on Sunday to saddle the likely Oaks favourite. “She came back to us around Christmas time in Palm Meadows (Florida). And she hasn’t missed a beat since then. We were fortunate enough really that we’d planned originally to run her on the dirt at Gulfstream but the race didn’t fill. So we called an audible and took her to Keeneland. Obviously she took to the Polytrack extremely well. We were hoping she was a Canadian Oaks kind of filly to begin with. When she took to the Polytrack like that, we decided we better come up with a game plan to try to get to the Oaks.” Embur’s Song is eligible for the Queen’s Plate, a race Pletcher won in 1998 with Archers Bay.
Both of her wins have been on the front end. Another Oaks competitor, Resentless, also has the same running style. “We won’t take away anything that comes easy. I would anticipate we’d have her pretty close to the pace or on the lead.”
Embur’s Song indicated her readiness by tuning up for the Oaks with a four-furlong bullet move (of 25) in 47 seconds, handily, on Monday, June 7 at Saratoga. “The horse is doing extremely well. We’re pleased with the way she’s trained since her race at Woodbine. Everything’s gone according to plan. She’s a very straight forward filly. She likes training. She’s given us no hassles whatsoever. She’s really been a treat to be around.”
Owner - Fares Farm Inc.
Fares Farm may not be well known as an owner, although it did race 1991 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Miss Alleged. But as a breeder, Fares Farm bred two-time USA Horse of the Year Curlin. (They still own the dam Sherriff’s Deputy) and two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Da Hoss.
Located in Lexington, Kentucky, Fares Farm is a 900-acre, full service, state-of-the-art facility, located a few minutes away from Keeneland Race Track. It specializes in breaking, training, breeding, foaling and lay-up services, with 220 stalls, 12 barns and breeding shed on the property. Fares Farm was founded by Issam Michael Fares, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon and internationally-known businessman and philanthropist. The family also owns Haras de Manneville in Sannerville, France.
Fares also bought 1986 Horse of the Year Lady’s Secret in 1989 for $3.8 million, when she was in foal to Alydar. Fares’s son Nijad, of Houston, now manages the family’s racing interests.
Trainer - Todd Pletcher (www.toddpletcherracing.com)
Todd Pletcher, one of the world’s premier trainers, won Eclipse Awards in four consecutive seasons, from 2003-2007, as North America’s top conditioner. In 2006, he broke a 19-year-old record for stakes wins in a season (originally set by his former boss, D. Wayne Lukas) when he passed Lukas's mark of 92 stakes scores, then finished the year with 100 stakes wins accomplished by 57 different horses.
His purse earnings of $26.8-million surpassed his 2005 mark of $20.8 million. Among his 294 winners were champions Fleet Indian and Wait a While, Grade 1 turfers English Channel and Go Deputy, Kentucky Derby runner-up Bluegrass Cat, Honey Ryder, Spun Sugar and Scat Daddy.
In 2007, he bettered his previous mark with a record $28.1 million in purses, along with 289 wins. One of his career highlights came in the June 9 Belmont Stakes, when Rags to Riches gave Pletcher his first win in a Triple Crown race, also becoming the first filly in over 100 years to win the third leg of the American Triple Crown. Other stable stars include Lawyer Ron, Any Given Saturday, Octave and Sunriver.
In 2008 and 2009, he finished the runner-up to Steve Asmussen in purse earnings, with $13.7 million and $15.4 million, respectively, with horses such as Wait a While, Cowboy Cal, Munnings, Unbridled Belle, Rule, Devil May Care and Leah’s Secret leading the way.
But this year marked another milestone in the surefire Hall of Famer’s career. Pletcher brought a much-publicized 0-24 drought in America’s most famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, before winning the three-year-old classic with Super Saver. Also in his barn this year is the top older male horse on the continent, Quality Road, along with Bribon, Exhi and the recently-retired Eskendereya, have helped Pletcher to a leading $9.6 million in purses (119 wins), more than $2.6 million ahead of Steve Asmussen. Career-wise, he’s won over $181 million purses, good enough for fourth overall behind D. Wayne Lukas’s $255 million.
Born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas, Pletcher began working for his father, Jake Pletcher, as a hotwalker at the age of seven at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. After graduating from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program in Tucson in the fall of 1985 and earning a Bachelor of Animal Science degree in 1989, Pletcher worked as barn foreman for D. Wayne Lukas in New York.
He was Lukas's East Coast assistant until the end of 1995, during which he was instrumental in the development of such horses as Thunder Gulch, Harlan, Serena's Song and Flanders. He got his trainer's licence in December, 1995 and saddled his first winner, Majestic Number, in February, 1996.
Since then, he’s handled a number of other stars, including Ashado and Speightstown, both Breeders’ Cup winners in 2004, a year in which he saddled 239 winners and $17.4 million in purses, the first time he’d led all conditioners in money-won.
Jockey – Garrett Gomez
For the last four years, Garrett Gomez has led all North American jockeys in purse earnings. In 2006, his mounts earned $21.9 million, as he won 261 races and finished second to Edgar Prado in Eclipse Award voting for outstanding jockey. In 2007, Gomez earned his first Eclipse Award as the continent’s outstanding jockey, leading the way with over $22.8 million and 265 winners. Top mounts included Any Given Saturday, Wait A While, Shakespeare, Indian Blessing and Midnight Lute.
In 2008, he was once again the runaway leader in purse earnings, with over $23.5 million, almost $6 million ahead of his nearest rival, Robby Albarado. His ‘big horses’ included Ventura, Go Between, Colonel John, Hystericalady, Champs Elysees, Midshipman and Midnight Lute, as he earned a second Eclipse Award.
Last year, he again led all riders in North America with 210 wins and over $18.5 million in purses, but the Eclipse Award went to earnings runner-up Julien Leparoux. His major stakes winners included Lookin at Lucky, (Canada’s Horse of the Year and 2009 Pattison Canadian International winner) Champs Elysees, Pioneerofthe Nile and Ventura. This year, Gomez is currently third to Rafael Bejarano, with 92 wins and over $6.1 million in purses.
Born on January 1, 1972 in Tuscon, Arizona, Gomez started his riding career in 1988 at Santa Fe Downs and rode the fair circuit before moving to bigger tracks such as Fonner Park and Ak-Sar-Ben in Nebraska. He won his first riding title in 1998 at the Hollywood fall meeting in California.
Gomez has won nine Breeders’ Cup races. His first two came in 2005, with Stevie Wonderboy (Juvenile) and Artie Schiller (Mile), the year when he was also voted the George Woolf Memorial Award. Next came Midnight Lute and Indian Blessing in 2007, followed by Ventura, Midnight Lute, Albertus Maximus and Midshipman in 2008, then Life is Sweet in the 2009 Ladies Classic. He’s also won the Woodbine Mile twice, with Shakespeare in 2007 and Ventura in 2009. Career-wise, his mounts have earned over $150 million.