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It was a miserable day at Monmouth Park. Rain fell and would not stop. The track was called ‘sloppy.’ The turf course was labelled ‘good’ and changed to ‘yielding’ as the afternoon progressed. As the ten fillies and mares stepped on the track for the BC sprint, the track had turned into a sea of mud.
It was a bigger than usual Friday crowd despite the horrible weather. The wagering was brisk. The conditions had no impact on the fans. After all, it was the Breeders’ Cup. La Traviata, the unbeaten Johannesburg filly, was at 2-1 and she was receiving sustained support. Dream Rush, a prolific winner of Grade I races, was at 4-1, came down to 5-2 and rose to 3-1 as post-time approached. The others were 5-1 and longer.
Dream Rush had the lead in the first 100 yards. La Traviata, rushed up, disputed the lead briefly and was taken back to race second. The others were several lengths away. Dream Rush increased the margin as she approached the final turn. The first quarter had come in 21.1 and the half had been reached in 44. It was a punishing pace. The question was who would emerge from the trailing pack. As Dream Rush’s legs became wobbly, La Triviata had put the white flag up. Oprah Winney made a menacing move with 600 metres to run and she folded as quickly as she had made her bid. Miraculous Miss was sneaking up inside and gaining ground and was in front with 100 yards to go. At that point, Maryfield was seen devouring ground on the outside. Maryfield, travelling faster in the mid-part of the rain-soaked surface, was getting the better of the 43-1 Miraculous Miss. The winning margin was one half length. Miss Macy Sue ran on to take third. Dream Rush and La Traviata, unable to handle the early exertions, were ‘also rans’ as they raced down the stretch.
The time for the 1200-metre race was 1 09.4. The winner returned $18.00. The Trifecta paid $1756.00. It was the first BC win for jockey Elvis Trujillo. Maryfield is by Elusive Quality. Her dam is Sly Maid, a Desert Wine mare.
I pointed out to owner Mark Gorman and trainer Doug O’Neill that everyone was going through a gloomy and rainy day but the sun was shining in their lives. “Absolutely,” Mark Gorman shot back, “this is great. Winning the BC…I cannot believe it.”
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Julien Leparoux and trainer Francois Parisel had come up empty with La Traviata. In BC Juvenile Turf, the next race, Julien Leparoux was aboard Nownownow, Parisel trainee. Held at longer than 10-1, Nownownow was not among the fancied. Prussian set up shop on the front end. After a 49.2 half, Prussian came under pressure. As Prussian shortened stride turning for home, the closers came calling. Achill Island was 11th of 12 runners and Nownownow was the trailer. Achill Island, responding to John Murtagh’s call, was passing horses and struck front with less than 200 metres to run. As Achill Island had moved, so did Nownownow.
Julien Leparoux went extreme outside and followed the Irish invader. The post loomed large and it was a two-horse race. In the shadow of the wire, Nownownow headed Achill Island to score by one half length.Cannonball took the third spot. The time was 1 40.2 for the 1,600-metre race on yielding grass. The winner paid $27.20. The Trifecta returned $236.00. The winner earned $600,000. Nownownow is by Whywhywhy. Here And Now is the dam and she is by Exit To Nowhere.
I asked Julien Leparoux how he was able to quickly bounce back after losing with the favoured La Traviata. “It was tough. I am happy I made it. Winning the first BC is a big thrill.”
Francois Parisel, the winning trainer, took over Nownownow from Patrick Biancone, now under suspension. “He will be proud,” Parisel said.
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Forefathers was a scratch in the BC Dirt Mile.There were eight runners. Discreet Cat was the favourite, shade above even money. Gottcha Gold took the lead. Wanderin Boy and Discreet Cat followed. Discreet Cat broke from post-1 but Garrett Gomez jerked him out in first turn to move away from the rail. Corinthian took forward to be 4th and raced inside of Discreet Cat. With 600 metres left, Corinthian was travelling well and challenged Gottcha Gold as they straightened out. A moment later, Corinthian had put race to bed. Discreet Cat was getting tired and became a non-threat. Corinthinan won by six and one half lengths in 1 39 for 1 mile and 70 ysrds. Gottcha Gold held on for second. Discreet Cat managed to be third.
The winner paid $9.40. The Trifecta was worth $215.40. Corinthian is a son of Pulpit. The dam is Multiply, an Easy Goer mare.
I asked trainer James Jerkens what he thought was the main reason for Corinthian’s improved race. He had been beaten badly in the Suburban handicap in New York. “It is hard to pinpoint a reason. I knew he was coming up right. I am not surprised.”
I asked Kent Desormeaux why he glanced to the right on Prussian down the backside and why he did not look either side on Corinthian. “I saw a bunch of geese shoot across the track and I glanced to make sure everything was OK,” Kent said.
The forecast calls for rain on Saturday. Sunday, according to the local weather bureau, will be a good day. The sun will be out.
End of Friday in England, Jamie Spencer had taken the lead in the riding title race. Spencer led Seb Sanders 175-171. Spencer is now a prohibitive favourite. Spencer had two winners at Wolverhampton. For excessive use of the whip, he drew a two-day ban. He will be out of action on November 6 and 7.
Henry Cecil has been talking up Passage Of Time. Rail will help her. Brian Meehan sounded upbeat about Red Rocks in the BC Turf. He also believes that rain makes his prospects rosy.
You will be able to see the BC replays on NTRA.com and the picture quality is excellent.
