JUVENILE TURF

Last Updated Nov. 7, 2009

Entries
Connections and Other Information
Trainer, Owner, Breeder, Breeding, Dosage, Age

Recent Past Performances
Post-Race Comments from Trainers, Jockeys
How They Ran, Times, Lengths, Other Info; Workouts

Reports written or compiled and edited from track, NTRA and other notes by Dick Downey.

All races on turf unless otherwise noted.
Non-Turf races at Arlington Park, Del Mar, Hollywood Park, Keeneland,
Presque Isle Downs, Santa Anita, Turfway Park and Woodbine are on synthetic main track.

Click here for a free sample from our Subscription Page--Analysis of the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic.

The Subscription Page: The Eight Traditional Breeders' Cup Races--On One Page--For One Price,
Plus Picks on Selected Other Breeders' Cup Races

Juvenile Turf
Purse: $1,000,000
Distance: One Mile
Surface: Turf

JUVENILE TURF ENTRIES

1	Zip Quik (NY) (09%)	50-1	M. Smith	2	Kona Stable LLC, Michael Imperio, Flying Zee Stables & William C. Schettine	Patrick Biancone
2	Viscount Nelson (KY)	6-1	J. Murtagh	2	Mrs. John Magnier & Mrs. David Nagle	Aiden O'Brien
3	+Codoy (KY)	15-1	G. Gomez	2	Bred to Win LLC	Mark Hubley
4	Pounced (KY)	9-2	L. Dettori	2	Lady Rothschild	John Gosden
5	Gallant Gent (KY)	30-1	J. Rosario	2	Six-S Racing Stables, Robert Miller, Joe Valenti & Nicholas Petralia	Craig Lewis
6	Awesome Act (KY)	20-1	R. Moore	2	Mrs. Susan Roy & Tom Ludt	Jeremy Noseda
7	*Bridgetown (FL)	8-1	R. Landry	2	Melnyk Racing Stables LLC	Ken McPeek
8	King Ledley (KY)	20-1	R. Bejarano	2	Silverton Hill LLC	Darrin Miller
9	Kera's Kitten (KY)	SCR	R. Maragh	2	Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey	Mike Maker
10	Becky's Kitten (KY)	12-1	J. Leparoux	2	Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey	Wesley Ward
11	*Interactif (KY)	4-1	K. Desormeaux	2	Wertheimer et Frere	Todd Pletcher
12	Buzzword (GB)	6-1	A. Ajtebi	2	Godolphin Racing LLC Lessee	Saeed bin Suroor
AE's
	Dean's Kitten (KY)	12-1	R. Dominguez	2	Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey	Mike Maker
	Summer Movie (KY)		M. Baze	2	Krikorian Stables LLC	Art Sherman

Kera's Kitten scratched; Dean's Kitten will run.

Click to go; click back to return

AWESOME ACT
BECKY'S KITTEN
BRIDGETOWN
BUZZWORD
CODOY
GALLANT GENT
INTERACTIF
KERA'S KITTEN--SCR
KING LEDLEY
POUNCED
VISCOUNT NELSON
ZIP QUIK

BRIDGETOWN (FL)
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Owner: Melnyk Racing Stables
Breeder: Eugene Melnyk
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Speightstown (Gone West, Silken Cat (CAN))
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Ellesmere (Tabasco Cat, Empress Aly)
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 6-1-7-0-0 (14) 3.00
Foal Date: Jan. 30, 2007

Sept. 19, Grade III Summer Stakes, Woodbine, One Mile (T). Bridgetown recorded his first career stakes tally in this one. Bridgetown entered the Summer on the strength of a sharp 5 1/4-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race at Saratoga. The chestnut colt was now 2-for-3 with over $200,000 in earnings.

As a result of the victory in the 'Win and You're In' event, the son of Speightstown was guranteed a berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Bridgetown, ridden by Robert Landry, opened up a clear advantage in the stretch and staved off mild threats from runner-up Becky's Kitten and the nosed-out Fantastic Roberto. Mobil Unit was another neck back in fourth.

The winner broke sharply, but Landry was able to coax him into a stalking role just outside of Stormy Lord. The pair established a quick early tempo of :22.98 and :45.77. Timed in 1:35.04, he won by 1 1/2 length. His odds were 4-1. He beat nine others.

"I've been very fortunate to ride a lot of nice horses. This is another great win," said Landry. "(McPeek) wanted me to try to settle him without getting in a fight with him. He settled nice. When the time counted, he really responded well."

Landry said Bridgetown still had more in reserve at the finish. "I still had a lot of horse. They would have had to do a lot to get by him. He could be a serious horse."

BUZZWORD (GB)
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Owner: Godolphin Stable
Breeder: Darley Stud
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Pivotal (GB) (Polar Falcon, Fearless Revival (GB))
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Bustling (GB) (Danehill, Carnival Spirit (GB))
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 3-3-12-0-0 (18) 2.00
Foal Date: April 5, 2007

Godolphin’s Buzzword, who finished a close fifth to Beethoven in the Jumeirah Dewhurst on Oct. 17, will definitely be making the trip to California, a connection said that day.

“We were very pleased with his run today, he ran a very solid race and was beaten by better horses on the day," said trainer Saeed bin Suroor. "We are going to aim him for the Breeders’ Cup for one of the Juvenile races but have not decided which one.”

GALLANT GENT (KY)
Trainer: Craig Lewis
Owner: Six-S Racing Stables, Robert Miller , Joe Valenti & Nicholas Petralia
Breeder: Budget Stable
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Yankee Gentleman (Storm Cat, Key Phrase)
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Bonne Nuit (Knight's Choice, Aegean Wind)
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 3-3-2-0-0 (8) 7.00
Age: Feb. 5, 2007

He was pre-entered in both the Juvenile and Juvenile Turf.

Gallant Gent finished third to Lookin At Lucky in the Grade I Norfolk after pressing the pace.

Trainer Craig Lewis: "I don't think the track was playing to his style early in the meet. He worked exceptional on the grass (on Oct. 28). We don't have to make the call until Tuesday."

Gallant Gent was claimed for $40,000 out of his July 3 debut at Hollywood Park. Overall, he's won three of five starts with a second and a third.

INTERACTIF (KY)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owner: Wertheimer et Frere
Breeder: Wertheimer et Frere
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Broken Vow (Unbridled, Wedding Vow)
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Broad Pennant (Broad Brush, Pennant Champion)
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 12-13-15-2-2 (44) 2.83
Foal Date: Feb. 17, 2007

Sept. 4, Grade III With Anticipation Stakes, Saratoga, 1 1/16 Mile (T). After a dirt win in his June debut at Monmouth and a badly failed effort on dirt going one turn in the Sanford on July 30, Interactif wore them out in this one. At 15-1 odds, he stayed close to the pace, then rallied three-wide on the turn to take over at the top of the stretch and pulled away to a 4 1/4-length victory over favored Jung Man Scott (2-1).

Paddy O' Prado (2-1) closed from last only to be nosed out for the place.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Interactif stayed just behind fractions of :23.87 and :48.99 set by Mississippi Hippie, then swung widest of all to grab the lead as the field of nine straightened for home, hitting the wire in 1:41.41 over a turf course rated “firm.”

Todd Pletcher, trainer: “It wasn’t the plan (to try him on the turf) until he worked on the grass the other day. I thought he worked exceptionally well, and he has a little turf pedigree on the bottom side. He was a colt that had shown talent, but we thought maybe we were missing a step. It’s nice when they produce the way you hoped they would – I was impressed with the margin he won by and the way he kicked through the lane.”

Kent Desormeaux: “I think this is a very serious horse. He gave me a serious ride. When I asked him to run, he exploded. He was just floating along the course. His ears were up and he was focused. He was watching where he was going and paying attention to what was in front of him. I was fearful about him being aggressive since he was coming out of those sprint races. Todd knew he would enjoy the grass, and I am appreciative of the opportunity to ride him.”

Oct. 4, Pilgrim Stakes, Belmont Park, One Mile (T). Interactif was scratched when the race came off the turf.

Oct. 11, Grade III Bourbon Stakes, Keeneland, 1 1/16 Mile (T). Moving from next-to-last to first, Interactif went wide from the backstretch to the wire to win the 1 1/16-mile, Grade III Bourbon Stakes going away--and guarantee himself a place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Away slowly at the guidance of Kent Desormeaux on the yielding turf course at Keeneland, Interactif and Desormeaux found themselves looking at the back of 10 horses entering on the backstretch. With nowhere to go but outside, Desormeaux asked Interactif as they approached the far turn, and he responded with an extended run.

At even-money odds, Interactif was the clear betting favorite. He returned $4.00 to win. The final time was 1:45.24. The opening fractions were not fast--:23.25, :47.75 and 1:13.88. Interactif ran a long way to get this win. Trackus recorded his distance as 5,726 feet, or 116 feet longer than 1 1/16 mile. Put another way, it's about 1 1/12 mile.

Codoy, at the opposite end of the odds spectrum, finished a strong closing second, beaten a length, at 57-1. Family Foundation, at 7-1, was a non-threatening third.

Kent Desormeaux, rider of winner Interactif: “The only fearful moments I had, the first 40 yards leaving the gate, he leapt like a Quarter Horse. He was just looking straight down the track and wanted to run. After that moment in time, he came back to me and got in a nice canter and tried to inch to the leaders. He was attentive to me after that, and, of course, he can really, really run so I’m lucky to have the mount.”

Todd Pletcher, trainer of winner Interactif: “The great thing about winning first time out going five-eighths (of a mile) is we know he’s got a big turn of foot. Just trying to get him to settle, teach him how to run a proper turf race. I was a little worried about the ground today; he’s never run on soft ground, but he handled that well, also. We’re really excited about him.

“He broke his maiden first time out on the dirt. We ran him back in the Sanford at Saratoga, and he kinda got involved in a speed duel. We weren’t sure what to do after that. I worked him on the grass one morning at Saratoga, and I knew what to do after that.”

KERA'S KITTEN (KY)--SCR
Trainer: Mike Maker
Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey
Breeder: Ken and Sarah Ramsey
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Kitten's Joy (El Prado (IRE), Kitten's First)
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Mrs. K (Dixieland Band, Flavia Miss)
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 4-2-13-2-1 (22) 1.32
Foal Date: Jan. 28, 2007

Kera's Kitten won her debut at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 21 going six furlongs. He led all the way.

On Oct. 24, Kera's Kitten won the Skyy El Jovan Stakes at Retama Park by 5 lengths, timed in 1:39.67 on soft turf. He pressed the pace in the early going, took the lead into the first turn and gradually widened his advantage, particularly in the stretch, against 10 others. Kera's Kitten was the 6-5 favorite and was ridden by Julien Leparoux.

B'wanagoldmine was second, and Prince Eddington finished third.

The Ramseys bred and raced Kitten’s Joy, who was six-for-eight in 2004 en route to winning the Eclipse Award for top male turf horse as a 3-year-old.

POUNCED (KY)
Trainer: John Gosden
Owner: Lady Rothschild
Breeder: Carwell Equities Ltd.
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Rahy (Blushing Groom (FR), Glorious Song (CAN))
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Golden Cat (Storm Cat, Eurobird (IRE))
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 9-1-11-3-6 (30) 1.07
Foal Date: April 14, 2007

Newmarket trainer Gosden won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with Donativum. Pounced finished runner-up to Siyouni in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere, also known as the Grand Criterium, on Arc day at Longchamp.

“The winner looks extremely good, and the race was run in a very fast time, especially given that they went no pace early on,” said Gosden. “I’ve freshened him up for the end of the season, and he has some smart entries. He’s in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and is also Breeders’ Cup eligible--and I wouldn’t be frightened about giving that a try.”

VISCOUNT NELSON (KY)
Trainer: Aiden O'Brien
Owner: Susan Magnier & Diane Nagle
Breeder: Barronstown Stud
Sire (Sire’s Sire, Dam): Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat, Mariah's Storm)
Dam (Dam’s Sire, Dam): Imagine (IRE) (Sadler's Wells, Doff the Derby)
Dosage Profile (Points) Index: 4-1-11-4-0 (20) 1.11
Foal Date: Feb. 6, 2007

On Aug. 9, Viscount Nelson won the 7 1/2-furlong listed Hurricane Run Stakes at Tipperary. The ground was soft, and the race finished in 1:37.61. That win came in his third start--he'd broken his maiden second time out.

On Sept. 12, Viscount Nelson finished second to Poet's Voice in the Group 2 Champagne at Doncaster, a seven-furlong race that took place on good to firm turf. The winner was timed in 1:24.91.

Sept. 24 NOTE: “For the Juvenile, a horse called Viscount Nelson a possible," trainer O'Brien said.

Sept. 26 NOTE: "We may also take...the two-year-old Viscount Nelson, but again it will be the lads’ (owners') decision,” O'Brien said, apparently referring to behind-the-scenes connections.