Special Duty awarded second Classic
The old adage used to be that the fittest horse wins the Guineas, the luckiest the Derby and the best the St Leger, but fortune has certainly smiled on Special Duty.
Criquette Head-Maarek’s filly now holds an unusual distinction of being the winner of two European Classics, both of which were claimed in the stewards’ room rather than the racecourse.
Having been beaten just a nose by Jacqueline Quest in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket two weeks ago, the filly completed the double when she won the Poule D'Essai Des Pouliches at Longchamp, although it was more debatable whether she was as much the injured party this time; or whether she might have been awarded the race had it been run in Britain.
Stephane Pasquier had Special Duty held up at the back of the field and tried to make a move early in the home straight but then found his path blocked as Jean-Bernard Eyquem angled out Liliside out from behind horses, but straight into Full Steam - in the same ownership as Special Duty - who in turn impeded Rosanara and Barouda.
This game of equine dodgems left Special Duty with two lengths to make up, which she cut down to a head at the line, but another filly who could be put into the unlucky category was Brian Meehan’s Lady Of The Desert. She was squeezed for room more than once and Kieren Fallon passed the post standing in the irons trying to pull her off the hooves of those in front.
Lady Of The Desert was eventually promoted from sixth to fifth as the stewards took 75 minutes to unravel 97 seconds of action with the upshot that Special Duty was promoted to first and Liliside moved down to sixth. The rules in France allow for virtually no latitude and the only real surprise was just how long it took the officials to come to their decision.
Head-Maarek, winning the race for the seventh time, said: “Amazing - that is the word. It feels very good and to win two Group Ones is incredible. The stewards have made the correct decision as I got the race, but it was the right decision overall.
“It’s always a shame in these big races and leaves me with a bad feeling, especially when the result involves a small trainer from the country.”
The colts’ Classic, the Poule D'Essai Des Poulains, was also a mirror of the British equivalent with Richard Hannon’s d**k Turpin again having to give best to a French-trained winner, this time Andre Fabre’s Lope De Vega. Hannon will make a third attempt to win a mile Classic when Canford Cliffs, third at Newmarket, runs in the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.
However, as the Classic season in Europe rolls on it seems to have come to a grinding halt in America. The hopes for a first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 were dashed when Super Saver failed in his attempt to add the Preakness Stakes to his victory in the Kentucky Derby a fortnight ago.
Now the profile of the Belmont Stakes, run on June 5th, has been further eroded with the news that both Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky are likely to miss the race. This is the first time that both winners of the first two Triple Crown races have missed the final race in the trilogy since 2006 but Belmont Park and the New York racing authorities have other problems as well.
The Belmont card could be the last major racing in the state, which has been battling with its finances for some time, and the New York Racing Association are working on contingency plans if the feared financial meltdown becomes a reality. Charles Hayward, president and CEO of the NYRA, said this weekend: "We need some financial relief from the state or we will not be able to run a full Belmont meet. Everyone knows what's at stake and we're trying to reach a good solution.”
The NYRA is owed more than $17million by New York City Off-Track Betting, which is bankrupt, and the NYRA had hoped to have Video Lottery Terminals in place by now to bring in needed revenue. Hayward said the state was supposed to subsidise NYRA if the VLTs were not in place by April 1st 2009. Nothing has happened on either front and NYRA’s fiscal well is close to running dry.
The immediate impact could be the loss of the historic Saratoga summer meeting scheduled to begin on July 23rd. “This week will be critical,” Hayward said. “We will have to put out formal notices and make plans.”
When they come to working out just who is responsible for the whole mess it could be one very long stewards’ inquiry.
Tags: