April 15, 2024
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
My Treat
Saturday’s $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint (G3) at Oaklawn Park looked like a walk in the park for uncontested champion Skelly.
As the 5-year-old gelding’s 3-5 closing line odds would suggest, the six-furlong affair was essentially over before it started. Running from the third post position, Skelly wasted no time accelerating to an early lead, never to let go for an easy three-length score.
The successful defense of his Count Fleet crown pushed the Steve Asmussen trainee’s career line to 9-4-0 through 13 starts.
Tomorrow morning’s coffee and donut is on Skelly, who paid $3.40 for the dominant showing.
Encino, Man!
Although not nearly as dicey as the hijinks led by Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin, and Pauly Shore, 3-year-old colt Encino skated the line between victory and defeat throughout Saturday’s $400,000 Lexington Stakes (G3).
The 3-1 Encino held the lead from gate-to-wire in the second of three major stakes on Keeneland’s Saturday card, but never by more than one length. His main challenger, 3-2 choice The Wine Steward, tailed the Florent Geroux mount closely from the three-quarter turn before running out of gas and ceding the 1 1/16-mile contest by three-quarters of a length.
The hard-fought victory earned Encino his first graded title in as many tries. Now sitting at a clean 3-1-0 through four starts, the latest tally on the Kentucky-bred’s resume paid $8.62.
Don’t you Adare
Bruce Buffer wasn’t around to announce the main event on Oaklawn’s busy Saturday, but even if he was, the check probably wouldn’t have been worth it, and that’s saying something for ol’ Bruce.
That’s because 3-5 closing line choice Adare Manor did exactly what 3-5 closing line choice’s do, and that’s run away from the pack for a front-leading, 5 ½-length win.
Facing minimal resistance, if any, from the $1.25 million Apple Blossom’s (G1) eight other challengers, the 5-year-old mare cruised to her sixth graded trophy in 11 attempts at the level.
Sporting an overall line of 8-5-0 through 16 starts, Adare Manor’s most recent triumph paid a modest $3.40.
Gemme Cachée
March Madness ended just over a week ago but that didn’t stop the upsets from rolling on through this past weekend at Keeneland.
The marquee event on the Northern Kentucky venue’s Saturday card, the $600,000 Jenny Wiley (G1T), was claimed by the third-longest shot on the board. At 25-1, Beaute Cachee (FR) and legendary rider Frankie Dettori looked like DJ Burns Jr. and NC State in a confident, gate-to-wire victory over 8-5 closing line choice English Rose (IRE).
Beaute Cachee or Hidden Beauty in English, proved to be a hidden gem in her sixth attempt on North American soil.
The 5-year-old mare’s first career graded triumph paid a sweet $53.68.
Lock of the Century
If Beaute Cachee and Frankie Dettori were DJ Burns Jr. and NC State, then Tizzy in the Sky (4-5) and Kendrick Carmouche are Donovan Clingan and the UConn Huskies.
The high-powered duo toyed with the four other entrants in Sunday afternoon’s $150,000 Top Flight Stakes at Aqueduct, en route to a nine-length drubbing that netted the Todd Pletcher trainee her first career stakes score.
Like UConn, Tizzy in the Sky had no issues excelling under the weight of high expectations. Perhaps the authoritative effort will convince the 5-year-old mare’s connections to test the graded waters yet again. In three previous tries at the level, Tizzy in the Sky put together an unspectacular 0-1-0 line.
Sunday’s convincing get-right performance returned a modest $3.70.
