Stayers' Watch: Sycamore Stakes, Dowager Stakes · 20.10.08

Keeneland hosted two turf stayers’ races this past weekend — neither of which had any bearing on the Champion Stayer leader board, but are worth reporting nevertheless.

Saturday saw Always First capture the Gr. 3 Sycamore Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Transduction Gold and Telling over a “firm” turf course. The 7-year-old gelding was making only his second start of the year, and was coming off an eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Cup Turf. After trailing for most of the race, Always First made a big move at the top of the stretch and caught Transduction Gold inside the sixteenth pole. Time for 1 1/2 miles: 2:30.98.

The next day, Herboriste won the ungraded, 1 1/2 mile Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Palmilla, with Caprice back in third. The winning time was 2:31.16. Herboriste’s last victory had come almost exactly a year before, also at Keeneland, in a 1 1/2 mile turf allowance, and since then had lost seven in a row, including three straight second-place finishes. This time, the UK-bred 5-year-old mare tracked the pace closely, made her move on the final turn, and caught the leaders around the eighth-pole.

Champion Stayer Award standings — update:

  1. Grand Couturier — 20
  2. Champs Elysees — 16
  3. Big Booster — 12 (6)
  4. Warning Zone — 12
  5. Interpatation — 11
  6. Da’ Tara — 10 (10)
  7. Marsh Side — 10
  8. Porfido — 9
  9. Evening Attire — 8 (8)
  10. On The Acorn — 8
  11. Cedar Mountain — 8

Again, neither race this past weekend had any effect on the standings. However, look for big changes after this Saturday. The Breeders’ Cup will feature one of its perennial highlights, the Breeders’ Cup Turf, as well as the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Marathon, both run at 1 1/2 miles. I will hopefully have a chance to preview both races later this week.

If you liked this you might like:

What do you think?

  1. It is VERY difficult, if not impossible, to compare stamina on dirt to stamina on the lawn: the surfaces promote inherent differences in the basic energy distribution required to win. MOST successful grass horses represent the only stamina really left in the thoroughbred since that surface is, sadly, the only venue that promotes stamina so it is the only one where it has remained.

    There are few races in dirt that promote stamina so it is usually the best pace survivor that wins there.

    — Dr. Timothy Yatcak · Oct 21, 09:20 AM · #

Textile Help