Fate Accompli In The Blue Grass
California invader Dance With Fate (Two Step Salsa) rallied from the back of the pack and charged past pacesetting Pablo Del Monte (Giant’s Causeway) to surge clear to take Saturday’s GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland by 1 3/4 lengths. Medal Count (Dynaformer) was second and Pableo del Monte was third. Asked if Dance With Fate would take up his chance in the GI Kentucky Derby, winning trainer Peter Eurton admitted, “I just don’t know. It’s three weeks and kind of quick back. I know he loves synthetic better, [likes] turf. I just don’t know if he likes dirt. I know I’m going to hear it from everybody, though.” Jockey Corey Nakatani is hoping he gets the chance to find out how his mount likes dirt. “I don’t have any doubt he can do [the 1 1/4-mile distance],” Nakatani said. “It’s just a matter of whether he’ll handle the Churchill Downs surface at this point. He’s done things right. He seems to do well on the grass, and at Churchill, I’ve won the (Kentucky) Oaks on a filly that won on the grass [Pike Place Dacer in 1996] so hopefully we’ll get Dance With Fate there after this race.”
Pablo del Monte broke sharply and took the field through fractions of :23.58 and :47.59 as Javier Castellano tried to wrangle Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), the rank favorite, into a stalking position. Dance with Fate meanwhile was settled well off the pace early and began inching closer leaving the backstretch. The frontrunner skipped clear on the home turn after three-quarters in 1:12.74 as the favorite tired and Dance with Fate was still well back. Pablo del Monte was kicking for home, but Dance with Fate and Medal Count rallied furiously off the turf and it was Dance With Fate moving best of all late who grabbed the lead after a mile in 1:37.83 and surged clear to an authoritative score.
Dance with Fate was second behind Tamarando (Bertrando) over the all-weather in last year’s GI Del Mar Futurity and was runner-up to Bond Holder (Mineshaft) over the dirt in the Sept. 28 GI FrontRunner S. The dark bay concluded his juvenile campaign with an eighth-place effort in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He returned with a win over the turf in the Jan. 24 optional claimer at Santa Anita before running second, again to Tamarando, over the Tapeta at Golden Gate in the Feb. 15 GIII El Camino Real Derby.
Dance with Fate is owned by the team of Sharon Alesia, Mike Mellen’s Bran Jam Stable and Joe Ciaglia’s Ciaglia Racing, which also campaigned multiple Grade I winner Weemissfrankie (Sunriver). The sophomore is out of Flirting with Fate (Saint Ballado), who produced a filly by Eurosilver this spring. He was bred by Tommy and Lori Fackler’s Best a Luck Farm, which purchased Flirting with Fate for $28,000 out of the 2007 Keeneland November sale.
SAY WHAT?
“The 13 hole is not the best and he was a bit wide on both turns, but I think that’s better for this horse than being stuck inside and having to stop and start. So everything went well. I didn’t see a real problem with the trip. In a 14-horse field, you can’t expect to have a perfect trip unless you’re just going to be on the lead.”
Dale Roman, trainer of runner-up Medal Count
“The plan was, I told Victor, to ride him just like he rode that horse [California Chrome] in the GI Santa Anita Derby, and he was only two spots away. Very happy with how he ran. We’re ecstatic and very proud of him.”
Wesley Ward, trainer and co-owner of Pablo del Monte
“That was not what we were looking for, but we gave it a try. In the second half of the race, he lost interest and didn’t seem to care for the track. He was a little keen down the backside, and I thought Javier did a good job to keep him relaxed as much as he could. Bobby’s Kitten will be back on turf next time.”
Chad Brown, trainer of beaten favorite Bobby’s Kitten
Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GI, $750,000, KEE, 4-12, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:50, ft.
1–#@DANCE WITH FATE, 123, c, 3, by Two Step Salsa
1st Dam: Flirting With Fate, by Saint Ballado
2nd Dam: Biogio’s Baby, by Belong to Me
3rd Dam: Fois Gras, by Barachois
($120,000 2yo ‘13 OBSAPR). O-Sharon Alesia,
Bran Jam Stable & Ciaglia Racing LLC; B-Best A Luck
Farm LLC (FL); T-Peter Eurton; J-Corey S Nakatani.
$450,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-3-0, $680,050.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Medal Count, 123, c, 3, Dynaformer–Brisquette, by
Unbridled’s Song. ($360,000 yrl ’12 KEESEP).
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Dale L Romans. $150,000.
3–Pablo Del Monte, 123, c, 3, Giant’s Causeway–
One Hot Wish, by Bring the Heat. O-Mrs John
Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael B Tabor and Wesley
A Ward; B/T-Wesley A Ward (FL). $75,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1 3/4, 5 1/4. Odds: 6.40, 6.60, 9.90.
Also Ran: Big Bazinga, Coltimus Prime, Gala Award, So Lonesome, Asserting Bear, Casiguapo, Coastline, Extrasexyhippzster, Bobby’s Kitten, Harry’s Holiday, Vinceremos. Scratched: Divine Oath. Click for the brisnet.com chart, thebrisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.