Breeders' Cup loses Indian Blessing

Another major defection has weakened a 2009 Breeders' Cup already bruised by cold shoulders thrown by other major contenders.

The second straight running of the Cup during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita was already suffering from the long-planned absence of likely champion 3-year-old filly and potential Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. Her principal owner, Jess Jackson, says he doesn't want the filly racing "on plastic" -- that is, Santa Anita's Pro-Ride synthetic main track.

Now trainer Bob Baffert has said his dual-champion 4-year-old filly Indian Blessing would not be pre-entered for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Baffert said the Indian Charlie filly -- who was the 2-year-old champion female of 2007 and champion female sprinter in 2008 -- simply has a distaste for the Pro-Ride.

"I think I'm going to pass," Baffert said. "She just doesn't like the track. What can you do?

"She looks good. It's frustrating. I'm not going to pre-enter because I don't want the temptation to change my mind."

Indian Blessing, who has won 10 of 16 lifetime for $2,995,420, was beaten over the Pro-Ride by Ventura (also a Grade 1 winner on turf) in last year's Filly & Mare Sprint, though she still finished second in that race

Rachel Alexandra and Indian Blessing aren't the only top horses whose connections are ducking the Breeders' Cup's encore performance at Santa Anita. It's official that the very fast (for six furlongs) Fabulous Strike will not appear at Santa Anita, either. The horse is 14-for-21 lifetime on dirt, but was beaten sixth lengths in a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Pro-Ride last year. Trainer Todd Beattie is already looking forward to the Breeders' Cup Sprint on real dirt at Churchill Downs.

Changing their minds at the last minute and deciding to ship for the Cup are the connections of Kodiak Kowboy, the horse that has handed two losses to Fabulous Strike this year. Though a stakes winner on synthetic at Woodbine as a juvenile, the colt's four worst lifetime speed figures all have come on synthetic surfaces, and his connections seemed more interested in winning the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 28 to add an exclamation point to his stallion resume by gaining Grade 1 wins at 6, 7 and 8 furlongs.

It's good to see that Kodiak Kowboy, at least, most likely will appear.

I'm a fan of the Breeders' Cup's traveling road-show format. And I think it's no small surprise that the first time the Breeders' Cup decided to leave its tents staked at the same track for two years in a row, troubles commenced. Especially since that track is a synthetic surface.

We almost certainly won't see defections like these from the Cup next year, at Churchill.

And though the sites such as Woodbine and Arlington Park -- past host sites now switched to synthetics -- still are names in the mix for future renewals, I'm wondering how long it will be until the next Breeders' Cup is scheduled over a "plastic" racetrack.

If Breeders' Cup management is wise, I would say it shouldn't be in 2011, either.

Munnings fleet in winning un-Fabulous Tom Fool

Looks like the connections of Fabulous Strike had reason to fear Munnings.

The 3-year-old Speightstown colt got a dream trip up the rail -- not all that difficult in a four-horse field -- to win the Tom Fool H.-G2 in 1:21.08. Thoroughbred Daily News reported his margin of victory over second-place Riley Tucker as four lengths, while the Equibase chart for the race places the margin at just 2 1/4, an interesting discrepancy.

Either way, it's perhaps likely that Fabulous Strike wouldn't have beaten Munnings today. Fabulous Strike, apparently a three-quarters specialist, has twice this year been second in seven-furlong races, the Carter H.-G1 to Kodiak Kowboy and the General George H.-G2 to True Quality. Those races were both run in times above 1:22, so Munnings' running the Tom Fool in nearly 1:21-flat was probably more than Fabulous Strike could handle.

Ducking him, however, still shows a lack of fortitude, not discretion.

What Belmont fans were left with was an easy win by what was clearly the superior horse in a four-entry field, with Riley Tucker some distance behind (2 1/4 or four lengths, depending), a tiring Driven By Success in arrears by about five and a half, and overmatched The Last Wave straggling home beaten better than 20.

In other words, not much of a race.

With Equibase statistics showing that wagering continues to decline in the United States -- certainly much of that attributable to the recession -- it doesn't help for the tracks and horsemen to stage non-races in what are billed as graded events. A total of $283,261 was wagered in the win-place-show pool on the Tom Fool, while $334,298 was wagered on the $25K, NW2L claimer just prior on the card. In fact, all four of the undercard races leading up to the "feature" topped $320,000 in the WPS pool.

That's because those races were actually interesting. Difficult to handicap. Not obvious who would win. Worth watching.

Those of us who love racing and wish to widen its appeal -- as racing once was popular among all segments of society -- realize that you need an exciting product to sell to the masses.

Four-horse races in what are supposed to be "featured," graded, marquee events, just don't cut it. And it's everyone's responsibility -- track management, owners, trainers, jockeys, everyone -- not to let down the fans who expect and deserve better.

If you entered the horse and he isn't hurt or sick on race-day and the track comes up fast, run him for the good of the sport. It's hardly too much to ask.

Strikeout: Favorite Fabulous Strike scratched from five-horse Tom Fool without physical cause

So much for sportsmanship. And for my friend Brendan O'Meara's Sunday highlight moment.

I realize it's the duty of a trainer and owner to place their racehorse where he fits best and to look after his wellbeing first and foremost. But the connections of Fabulous Strike seem to have taken that a step too far Sunday by scratching the favorite from the Tom Fool H.-G2 at Belmont -- now a four-horse race -- simply because it looked like he was making too many concessions to win.

Trainer Todd Beattie said the decision to scratch was made after consulting with owner Walter Downey and was based on several factors -- none of them having to do with horse-health or even track conditions.

"He's doing great," Beattie said. "We weighed the positives and negatives. I have a lot of respect for Munnings and we were giving him 11 pounds today. We felt the difference in weight, drawing the one-hole and going seven furlongs, we just felt there wasn't a lot working in his favor."

In other words, they figured he'd lose.

I had noticed -- and had almost blogged about -- comments made in the media that Fabulous Strike's connections were undertaking some sort of courageous or unorthodox move by running him back "just four weeks" after he won the six-furlong Grade 2 True North Handicap at Belmont in 1:07.86, breaking champion Groovy's 1987 track record in the process.

But, what, four weeks isn't enough time between races anymore? Are we serious?

"He ran a monstrous effort four weeks ago," Beattie said. And remember, a "monstrous effort" from which he's come out if it "doing great."

You know what that used to mean?

It meant you had a sharp horse and should be racing him.

Granted, Fabulous Strike was vulnerable. For starters, he seems a six-furlong specialist and is 0-for-3 going seven panels. Munnings is shaping up to be a serious racehorse and they were giving him a heck of a break with an 11-pound difference in imposts -- though much of that is because Munnings is only a 3-year-old and Fabulous Strike is 6. Driven By Success has a pair of show finishes in Grade 1 mile events and could surprise Fabulous Strike at seven furlongs.

But the other two in the race were/are Riley Tucker (record there incorrect) -- a solid 4-year-old with a pair of 2009 non-stakes victories, but winless in stakes company lifetime -- and The Last Wave, a 4-year-old who is 5-for-22 lifetime and has never even hit the board in stakes company.

Fabulous Strike can't beat two or three of those four? Maybe even all four?

There was a time when letting the horse prove himself was part of the point for racing. That proof came when horses were asked to win in good company at distances or on surfaces that weren't their specialty or under what sometimes seemed to be withering weights. Champion sprinter Dr. Fager became the turf champion of 1968 by winning the United Nations Invitational Handicap at a mile and three sixteenths on grass, set the world record for a mile carrying 134 pounds, and won the 1968 Vosburgh in record time under 139 pounds.

I know Fabulous Strike is no Dr. Fager. But proving himself at seven furlongs couldn't get much easier for Fabulous Strike than beating a four-horse field in which the second-favorite is just a 3-year-old and the other three don't have a stakes win between them in 43 lifetime starts.

It wasn't like Fabulous Strike was being asked to carry even 126 pounds (like all 3-year-olds do for a mile and a quarter in the Kentucky Derby), let alone 134 or 139. He was assigned 123 pounds to run 660 feet longer than he prefers.

To quote Dr. Evil, boo-frickety-hoo.

By ducking such an average field of four horses because the distance isn't ideal and the youngster gets a weight break is effectively stating to the world that Fabulous Strike is a one-trick pony; a six-furlong horse.

So tell ya what, Messrs. Beattie and Downey. Next time the thought flits through your heads to enter Fabulous Strike in any race other than six furlongs, let it go.

It'll save us all some time and effort spent caring.