OLDER HORSES
- Real Solution (PA)
- Princess of Sylmar (PA)
- Delaunay (MD)
- Ben’s Cat (MD)
- Waterway Run (PA)
3 YEAR-OLDS
- Storming Inti (PA)
- Giovanni Boldini (WV)
- Miss Behaviour (PA)
- Favorite Tale (PA)
- Joint Custody (MD)
- Thank You Marylou (VA)[/boxify]
Voters in this week’s Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll had no trouble ranking the top older horses, choosing a group that looked almost exactly like last week’s. For the three year-olds, however, it was another matter altogether.
Thirteen different horses received votes in the three year-old poll, and three horses not among the top five in the last poll found themselves there this time.
Storming Inti, first two weeks ago among three year-olds, remained alone in the top spot this week. The Pennsylvania-bred son of Stormy Atlantic did not race in the intervening period. He has a win, a second, and two thirds from five starts this year with earnings of $191,555. He most recently finished third in the $500,000 Penn Mile, and his lone win this season came in January in Gulfstream’s Kitten’s Joy Stakes.
Three horses used solid recent efforts to vault into the top five.
West Virginia-bred Giovanni Boldini, disappointing in his first three starts this year, finished a good third in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, and in his next start broke through with his first win of 2014, narrowly taking the Celebration Stakes at the Curragh. The son of War Front out of the unplaced Old Trieste mare Dancing Trieste, was bred by Charles A. Woodson and is trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien. He’s second on the list.
Another new name on the list is that of Miss Behaviour, the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Jump Start-Successful Romance, by Successful Appeal who’s trained in Maryland by Phil Schoenthal. She has a first, a second, and a third from three starts this year. Most recently, she ran a good second in the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont, tracking a swift pace and taking over the lead before settling for the place.
Maryland-bred Joint Custody also joined the list, with voters apparently liking his win in the off-the-turf Stanton Stakes at Delaware Park. That snapped a streak of four consecutive second- or third-place finishes for the son of Outflanker out of the stakes-winning Malibu Moon mare Paying Off. He’s trained by Jerry Robb and won two stakes as a juvenile. Joint Custody is one of three horses tied for fourth among three year-olds.
With relatively little action since the last poll, the older horse group looked substantially the same as in the prior poll. Once again Pennsylvania-breds led the parade, with Real Solution earning all of the available first-place votes and Princess of Sylmar easily grabbing second.
In fact, the list’s only change was that Maryland-bred Delaunay moved from fourth to third, jumping over another Maryland-bred, Ben’s Cat, in the process. The son of Smoke Glacken, out of the winning Coronado’s Quest mare Perilous Night, finished second in the Iowa Sprint Handicap. He has two wins, including one in the Grade 3 Aristides, and two seconds from five starts this year, with earnings of $162,005. He’s trained by Tom Amoss and was bred by Fitzhugh LLC.
Six of the 11 listed horses (including ties), including both poll-toppers, were bred in Pennsylvania. Three were bred in Maryland, while one was bred in Virginia and one in West Virginia — the first time a West Virginia-bred made either top 5. Seven were males, and four were females.
This marked the eighth semi-monthly edition of the poll.
Horses that have run in 2014 and were bred in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and the Carolinas were eligible.
Real Solution wins the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap. Photo by Courtney Heeney/NYRA.
POLL LEADERS IN ACTION THIS WEEKEND
- Waterway Run, fifth among older horses, is favored in the Perfect Sting Stakes on July 4 at Belmont Park.
- Favorite Tale, tied for fourth among 3 year-olds, is 3-1 in the Oh Say Stakes at Delaware Park
POLL RESULTS
TOP MIDLANTIC-BRED THREE YEAR-OLDS
- Storming Inti (33) — Pennsylvania
- Giovanni Boldini (13) — West Virginia
- Miss Behaviour (10) — Pennsylvania
- Favorite Tale (8) — Pennsylvania
- Joint Custody (8) — Maryland
- Thank You Marylou (8) — Virginia
Others receiving votes: On the Backstreets, Noble Moon, Long on Value, Daring Dancer, Gracer, El Capitan, Raging Smoke
TOP MIDLANTIC-BRED FOUR YEARS OLD AND UP
- Real Solution (35) — Pennsylvania
- Princess of Sylmar (27) — Pennsylvania
- Delaunay (19) — Maryland
- Ben’s Cat (10) — Maryland
- Waterway Run (7) — Pennsylvania
Others receiving votes: Divine Fortune, Where’s Rosie B, Falling Sky
Participating Voters: Ted Black (freelance writer), Michael Campbell (Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey), Cindy Deubler (Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred), Linda Dougherty (freelance), Debbie Easter (Virginia Thoroughbred Association), Anne Frederick (Maryland Horse Breeders Association), Cricket Goodall (Maryland Horse Breeders Association), Jim Hague (freelance), Nick Hahn (freelance), Jeff Nations (freelance), Kate Painter (West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association), Vinnie Perrone (freelance), Frank Petramalo (Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association), David Richardson (Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association), John Scheinman (freelance), Dan Tordjman (freelance), Frank Vespe (The Racing Biz), Bill Watson (freelance), Lydia Williams (freelance), Bobby Zen (freelance).
Note — Not all participating voters will vote in every poll.
(Featured image, of Real Solution, by Dave Alcosser/NYRA.)
