One final post-Million stakes, the Spectacular Bid for 2-year-old males. Dixie Band did what he was supposed to do, winning by a length and a half at even-money, and giving trainer Wayne Catalano a sweep of the 2yo stakes today. But of the two, Catalano's filly, She Be Wild, was the more impressive. Dixie Band was either late changing leads or switched quickly back to the wrong lead in upper stretch, and he had to work to get past 7-1 shot U Appeal to Me. It was a decent performance, but the final time was .59 seconds slower than She Be Wild's, and Dixie Band did not have the same explosiveness as the filly.
Really, enough can't be said about Gio Ponti. He runs different kinds of races over different kinds of courses. He's won at a mile, and probably can win over a mile and a half. He had push-button acceleration today after scoring a more grinding victory last out at Belmont. The horse is a true star, one of the better grass runners of recent years.
As for the other two G1s - feh. Take the Points is all right, and Black Bear Island may do okay in what seems like a sub-par SoCal 3yo grass division. But the whole Secretariat struck me as below average this year. In any case, I have finally given up on the idea of sixth-place Giant Oak turning into a really nice horse.
Dynaforce loves wet going and got a perfect pressing trip, improving markedly in her third race after a layoff to win the Bev. D Pure Clan did not have her usual late zip, Black Mamba finished last, and while Alnadana was a decent second, the other two Euros were no good at all. Again, probably a sub-standard edition of the race.
Arlington called the course "yielding" all day, but the Equibase charts will say good. Since all three Grade 1s produced final times among the slowest in their various histories, the course definitely was wet and laboring.
