FRANKEL EXPRESS ROLLS ON
Juddmonte Farms had an outstanding weekend on August 18 – 19th,
sending out eight starters, with five winners. They included three
winners of Graded stakes races.
Flute (3, b. f. Seattle Slew out Rougeur by Blushing Groom) took
command of the 3-year-old filly division with an overpowering
victory in the Gr.1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on 8-18. Flute
outsprinted her six rivals to the front entering the first turn and
proceeded to lead at every call, winning the Alabama by 4 ¾ lengths
in 2:01.88. “I didn’t give him [jockey Edgar Prado] any specific
instructions,” winning trainer Bobby Frankel said. “If she was the
good filly I thought she was, they weren’t going to catch her. You
haven’t seen the best of her.” Frankel said he was unsure where he
would run Flute next. He hinted that he might train her up to the
Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Belmont Park on Oct. 27. Rougeur, the dam
of Flute and a stakes winning daughter of Blushing Groom out of
classic-placed Media Luna, is in-foal to the Juddmonte stallion
Chester House in 2001.
On Sunday, Skimming (5, b. Nureyev out of Skimble by Lyphard)
successfully defended his title in the $1 million Pacific Classic.
Skimming won the Pacific Classic by 5 ½ lengths, giving trainer
Bobby Frankel a record sixth winner in the 11-year history of the
race. Sunday’s race was the most impressive win of Skimming’s
career. He ran the 1 ¼ miles in 1:59.96 and beat a solid field that
included 2001 Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve, and the
multiple stakes winners Futural and Dixie Dot Com. Around the first
turn, Skimming had a one-length advantage over Dig For It through
fractions of 22.91 and 45.97 seconds. At the end of the
backstretch, following six furlongs in 1:10.03, Alex Solis, aboard
Dig For It, urged his mount, but could not sustain the bid.
Skimming shook off that threat and was not challenged by the other
five starters through the stretch. The final time of the race was
1:59.96. Skimming’s jockey, Garrett Gomez said, “When he was asked
the question by the rest of the field, he responded and ran them
into the ground.” Skimming earned $600,000 for his eighth win in 19
career starts, boosting his earnings past the $2-million mark. The
5-year-old remains perfect at Del Mar after four starts at the
track.
Earlier that afternoon, Juddmonte Farms’ multiple
classic-placed Aptitude (4, b. c. A.P. Indy out of Dokki by
Northern Dancer) won the Gr.2 Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap.
Under Jerry Bailey, Aptitude was never more than four lengths off
the pace, established by Gander. Aptitude gradually advanced into
contention, made a four-wide move around the turn and took over
turning for home. He finished 4 ¼ lengths ahead of Perfect Cat, who
finished a length in front of A Fleets Dancer. Aptitude, a
Juddmonte Farms homebred son of A.P. Indy, covered the 1-¼ miles in
2:01.55 and returned $4 as the even-money favorite. Trainer Bobby
Frankel said he would point Aptitude to the $1 million Jockey Club
Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 6 and a year’s end target of the
World Thoroughbred Championship Breeders’ Cup Classic is starting
to come into focus.
Date:
22 August 2001