The BEL – Grade I
1 1/2 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $1,500.000 Open 3 Year Olds.
Well, The BEL produced a result, and it may not have been the result everyone expected but today was not a day for expectations to be realized. The pace was far steadier than it had been in the KYD, expected maybe over this extra two furlongs but also slower than the Preakness which was to prove difficult for some where the AI didn’t clear traffic but a Godsend for others who either landed on speed or had a clear run at the weakening leaders.
There were a few hard luck stories, one significant one and others as well as some questions answered and some left hanging. Mb Stables could not secure a TC race after having so many of the top qualifiers, Arindel filled 3 of the top 6 finishing positions and the two top picks in the Pick ’em could not get into the top four.
Here is how the race played out for each of the horses on a day when the AI seemed to decide the result:
1st Hiei Fractious Franco M
Well, I have to say it I saw this win coming way back in March, but it needed plenty of things to fall into place and today, at last, everything did. The rush to the first turn saw two horses play for the lead and as usual this one fell back. On the one hand he was saving energy as he was already at the rail on the other, he would once again have to rely heavily on circumstances and the AI to have any chance of winning.
As they went round turn one, he was well back but saving ground and though he didn’t really start making his move down the back stretch he was still in touch. Into turn two it all started to change as the leaders looked to have stolen an unassailable break on the rest and the rest of the field started to look like they were interested in a race. Many times, I have seen a winner come from this far back and they always seem to be able to move horses out of the way at will whereas others tend to keep moving out to go round or just get stuck in behind. That was when I thought the AI may finally be doing this one some favors and as they entered the home stretch, in my mind at least, it never looked in doubt that this horses potent finish would at last be timed right.
It took him the whole length of the straight to do it but well inside the final furlong, after making up two lengths, he forged to the front and won going away.
After four luckless runs in a row, we saw with our own eyes just how important luck in running can be in taking these big races but there won’t be many that would deny both the horse and the trainer deserved this success after sticking with it through thick and thin. Bred by Patterson Stables he cost just $40.000 pre-race; his last win was as a two-year-old but that was probably the last time things went his way.
His running style will always make his wins dependent on so many other factors, so it is hard to hail him as the new king but for today at least he rules the roost, and I am thrilled he has had his day in the sun.
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2nd Sinamaulu Arindel Centeno D E
Well, there weren’t many who had this one as the best of the Arindel runners, but he very nearly pulled it off the win with a very brave effort. If you want another example of just how crazy HRP form can be then you only have to look at the fact that this one was last in the KYD just a month ago after winning the Ruby in the mud and now after a 1.37 and 2 mile work, he was nearly winning the BEL.
Good out of the gate he sat just behind the leading pair, not worrying about a widish trip through turn one and continued to hunt him all the way down the back. As they hit the stretch and the two leaders who had been battling all the way started to look a little weary it was him that launched what looked like a winning run but after such a trip, he was always vulnerable to something behind him that had saved more energy. In the rush to the line, he just could not hold Hiei and ended up second beaten just a short looking half a length.
I really don’t know how to rate this performance; he was awful in the KYD and apart from his Ruby Stakes win had never shown much on the track or his works but today he ran like the best three-year-old in the stable and very nearly pulled it off.
3rd Battle Plan Mb Stables Lopez P
Well, with less than a half furlong to run this unbeaten wonder horse was still unbeaten and was desperately trying to add another huge milestone to a career that has only spanned a few months, but in the end the last few yards broke the spell and his heart. Going to the lead he was left alone to run fairly average sectionals after a short battle with the lead challengers. In some ways there was a little justice here as Fractious sold this wonder horse for just $11.000 after breeding him and it was he who ended this amazing start to a career.
Mark my words though this horse lost nothing in defeat over a trip that was always going to test his stamina and his running style, if ever there was a BC Dirt Mile winner in June, then this is it although after this great effort from the 13 gate, in only his fourth start maybe the owner will consider the BC Classic after all. Let’s not forget that he was left out the Derby and offered for sale pre-race so this could be a very different story for the owner who is sure to enjoy the rest of the year with this stunning horse.
4th Sirius Black Arindel Jaramillo E
Apart from the winner the next three home were in the top four throughout with this one being the one who chased Battle Plan most closely. After a fair run in the KYD when a closing eighth, I think his stable mate and him were set to clear the way for the stable and race favorite, but like all good plans it seems the place to be was on the speed today and plan B was the one that worked best. I am not sure where to put him in the big picture, he ran well but I feel on pace he doesn’t get this trip and may turn out to be a challenger for Battle Plan in the BC Mile.
5th Royal Valor Nakamura Stables Beschizza
Well, at last we saw this horse live up to his early works with a valiant effort which saw him start wide, stay wide and still manage a highly creditable fifth. Of those that covered ground running wide, it was him that traveled the widest and almost certainly ran a lot more than the two lengths he was beaten by. It is intriguing when you consider he was drawn well in both the LA and SA Derby and yet he showed nothing and today with a wide draw and a wide trip he ran what was probably a career best race.
It will be very interesting to see what comes next for him now as he is clearly beginning to learn how to race.
6th Gorogue Laga Arindel Saez L
Well, the race favorite and The Preakness winner must be considered a very unlucky loser today as his long-time jockey had an AI brainstorm and decided to follow horses rather than go round them. This was the exact scenario I had talked about in my preview for this race as the rail draws can so often find trouble and it is the wide horses that always seem to run on the strongest. Taken back early on he was never that far from the leaders but when it came time to make a move his rider seemed content to just keep running into the back of others. He was badly blocked at least twice by my reckoning and when he finally got clear air, he just didn’t have an answer after being stopped so many times.
Like his run in the KYD this will have done nothing to dent his reputation and he still may end up as the best three-year-old this year, but today The AI was not on his side.
7th Prevent Mb Stables Elliott S
Another good effort after a fair run in the KYD it is hard to really settle on what is missing with this son of Smokin Luka, but he has just lacked that killer punch in the big races. His SA Derby win and a 1.36 and 1 work look like superstar material, but he just hasn’t quickened when asked in the big ones. At only 15.2hh it could be the occasion and hustle and bustle of big fields that defeated him, and we may see some late improvement come the Autumn when he has grown into himself a little more.
8th Deep State Sccj Stables Zayas E J
If there was one horse that actually raced to his TC form today it was this one running a very similar race as he did in the KYD with a vastly different draw. Taken way back he was wide then inside and, in the end, made up plenty of ground but never really got into the race in a frustrating run.
9th High In Hollywood The Freakshow Velazquez J R
There was some confidence in the betting ring for this one, but he failed to run up to his huge KYD effort finishing a never dangerous 9th. There was a lot of blocking in the midpack and the steady pace ensured that the last turn was pretty messy for a lot of horses. He made ground as pretty much everything did as the race engine likes everything behind the winner closing but this was a no show for what has been a very consistent runner.
10th Apache Rise Again Apache Warrior Vazquez R A
You only have to look at the pace notes to see what happened to this one, the fast pace in the KYD and the wide draw gave him the motorway to run home as the wide gates do on this new engine but here in this race with just an average pace, he was never going to run the same race. A neck off winning the KYD he has been tenth in both the Preakness and the BEL which says a lot about trying to read TC form at HRP.
11th Cross Examination Mo Mentum Farm Wilson E J
He ran pretty wide throughout and never really settled on a run so it’s back to the drawing board and maybe a few weeks off for this home bred.
12th Terran Destiny Barcelona Farms Van Dyke D
The deep closers never got a look in and you don’t get much deeper than this closer.
13th World Of Outlaws Mb Stables Gaffalione T
Well, who could forget those solid fractions he ran when making all to win the BG Stakes and then that fast pace he set early on in the KYD, well today on a pace that must’ve seen his jockey high in the irons he decided to chance his arm at coming from further back and he couldn’t have chosen a worse pace to try it on. In the end he faded badly, and I have a sneaking suspicion that we may see this one over considerably shorter in the near future.
14th Keep Me Apprised Alydar Stables Espinoza V
The consistency with being a deep closer are as clear as day when you look at this one’s last four runs. Flying home late to win the FL Derby he has been set equal tasks in all three TC races but the result in each has all been the same regardless of early pace. Today I forgot he was even in the race as he was so far off screen for most of it and I guess a decision will need to be made pretty soon, set him on fast or something similar or just wait for the day the AI works for him again.
15th Spirit Believer Nakamura Stables Alvarado F T
Started well and chased the leader early on but faded away, looking at his form I feel he will need to see some rain before recapturing his best form again.
16th State Of Fury Alydar Stables Loveberry J
It must be a stable thing because Keep Me Appraised and him seemed to be very camera shy early on running so far back that the cameraman forgot they were in the race. Here was a horse that ran second in the Preakness last time running splits that wouldn’t be unusual in a kids pony race, I have no idea what went wrong, whether it was a play at the instructions, or the trainer forgot about the meters, something was very wrong with this performance.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
