Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Point of Entry

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 8: Point of Entry

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. This issue discusses my eighth ranked Point of Entry.

Point of Entry
bloodhorse.com

Owned by Phipps Stable, he was foaled in 2008 and grew to a towering 17 hands. A son of Dynaformer, Point of Entry descended from a significant female family. His half-sister, Pine Island, was denied a championship when breaking down in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Point of Entry took a while to find himself as a racehorse. Unraced as a two-year-old, the gangly bay made his initial start at Gulfstream Park in January 2011. It took four tries to break his maiden, but when he did, it was by 15½ lengths on a rain soaked Belmont Park surface. After some encouraging efforts on grass, by the end of his three-year-old campaign, it was clear Point of Entry’s forte was long distance races on turf.

Point of Entry began 2012 with a fourth place finish in a 9 furlong allowance race at Gulfstream Park. In the spring, McGaughey sent the four-year-old to Keeneland Racetrack where he won an allowance race and then the Elkhorn Stakes, both at 1½ miles. In these two races, Point of Entry, ridden by John Velazquez, unleashed a strong closing kick to gain the victories. After these wins, McGaughey would race his grass star exclusively in top class contests. 

After his initial stakes success, Point of Entry went on a grade 1 winning streak. In July, the leggy son of Dynaformer came from just off the pace to powerfully win the 11 furlong Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park by 3½ lengths. In the beaten field was the odds-on favorite and internationalist Treasure Beach. Racing at Saratoga in August, Point of Entry again unleashed a powerful kick, once he found clear running room to win the 1½ mile Sword Dancer Stakes by 4 lengths. Facing not only Treasure Beach in the 1½ mile Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational in early fall at Belmont Park but also Arlington Million Stakes victor, Little Mike, Point of Entry was sent off the strong favorite. Racing on a yielding surface, Point of Entry had a tougher time but still came away with a 1¾ length victory over Treasure Beach. Little Mike, who set the early pace faded to fifth, beaten over 28 lengths. These three would face off again in the Breeders’ Cup Turf run this year at Santa Anita Park 

The 1½ mile Turf was one of the races on the Breeders’ Cup card that could determine Horse of the Year. Point of Entry was facing a strong field of domestic and international runners, but given his success this year, he represented a viable U. S. challenge to the foreign domination of the race. The strongest Europeans appeared to be last year’s victor, St Nicholas Abbey, and Shareta, a multiple group 1 winner this year in Europe. There was a Japanese presence in Trailblazer who tuned up for the Turf with a good second in a stakes race at Santa Anita.

Point of Entry was able to fend off the internationalists in the Turf. What he was not able to do was catch an American runner on the sun baked Santa Anita turf course. Breaking from the no. 1 post, Point of Entry assumed an inside position under John Velazquez, but he was soon shuffled back to eighth place due to some crowding. Noted early speed runner Turbo Compressor set a fast pace followed by Optimizer and Little Mike. The positions were unchanged until midway around the final turn when Little Mike forged to the lead. Trailblazer made a bid, and St Nicholas Abbey swung to the far outside for the drive. Meanwhile, Velazquez had nowhere to run with Point of Entry as he was trapped behind horses. In the stretch, Little Mike had a clear lead until Point of Entry was finally able to get through on the inside. Just before the finish, Velazquez angled his mount to the right of Little Mike, and Point of Entry closed dramatically but failed by a ½ length to catch his adversary. St Nicholas Abbey was ¾ of length behind in third, and Trailblazer finished fourth.

Despite their good performances over the year, neither Point of Entry nor Little Mike would gain the Eclipse Award for Male Turf Horse. Instead it was the late Morton Fink’s Wise Dan whose victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile was enough to convince voters that he should be the champion. (Wise Dan also garnered Older Male Horse and Horse of the Year Eclipse Awards.)

Point of Entry, now owned jointly by Phipps Stable and Stronach Stables, stayed in training in 2013 and made his initial start as a five-year-old in February in the 9 furlong Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. He was second choice (giving 2 lb.) to the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, who was also making his initial year start. The latter made a bold move along the backstretch to seize the lead on the inside, but Point of Entry came back and out fought Animal Kingdom to the wire for an outstanding 1¼ length victory. Animal Kingdom would leave the U. S. and travel abroad winning on the artificial dirt surface, the Dubai World Cup, but Point of Entry’s trainer, Shug McGaughey took the more conservative approach in keeping his charge in the United States.

The two best grass horses of 2012 – Wise Dan and Point of Entry were scheduled to face each other on Derby Day in the 9 furlong Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. An indication of the high esteem held for Point of Entry is that John Velazquez, the regular rider for both Point of Entry and Wise Dan, chose to ride the former over the prior year’s Horse of the Year. However, the anticipated clash between these horses never came to pass as Shug McGaughey deemed the Churchill Downs turf too soft for Point of Entry and scratched him on race day. In the Woodford Reserve, Wise Dan, under substitute jockey Jose Lezcano, had no trouble with the yielding course, drawing away to a 4¾ length victory.

Point of Entry appeared next on Belmont Stakes Day in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap where he again was confronted with a soft turf course. This time McGaughey decided to run his turf star, and Point of Entry gained the lead in the upper stretch of this 1¼ mile race and edged clear for a 1½ length victory over Optimizer who was a neck in front of late closing Real Solution. Subsequent to the Manhattan, it was discovered that Point of Entry suffered a small fracture in his left hind leg which required surgery. After recovering, McGaughey decided to bring Point of Entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf without any intervening starts.

In November, the Breeders’ Cup Championship races returned again to Santa Anita. The most significant question among the starters in the Breeders’ Cup Turf was whether Shug McGaughey could have Point of Entry ready off only workouts since his victory in the Manhattan Handicap in June. An added complication was the loss of rider John Velazquez who suffered a significant injury from a fall earlier in the day. This forced McGaughey to substitute Joel Rosario who had never ridden the horse. The betting public did not believe Point of Entry could do it, making The Fugue, who was third in last year’s Filly and Mare Turf, the favorite. Also, in the field was last year’s Turf victor, Little Mike, who was coming off a victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park his only to date in 2013.

The winner was a horse who had never raced beyond a mile. Magician was a three-year-old son of Galileo who last raced in June at the Royal Ascot meet, finishing ninth in the St. James Palace Stakes. He had previously showed high quality in winning the Irish 2000 Guineas Stakes. Relishing the firm footing on the Santa Anita turf, Magician surged from next to last under Ryan Moore to catch The Fugue in deep stretch for a ½ length victory. Indy Point finished third ¾ of a length further behind. Point of Entry, without his customary powerful closing kick, still rallied to be fourth, another ½ length behind. Little Mike, who had reached the lead at the top of the stretch, faded to seventh in his attempt to duplicate his Turf win of 2012.

In the Eclipse voting, Wise Dan, who repeated his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, was again a triple champion – Older Male Horse, Male Turf Horse, and Horse of the Year. However, I believe that Point of Entry, who narrowly lost the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2012 and was having such a strong year in 2013 till his untimely injury, could have contended for champion honors.

At the end of 2013, Point of Entry was retired to Adena Springs Farm in Paris, Kentucky where he currently stands. His progeny have shown some success with recent stakes performers Analyze It, Plus Que Parfait, and Admission Office.

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Pleasantly Perfect

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 9: Pleasantly Perfect

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. This issue discusses my ninth ranked Pleasantly Perfect.

Pleasantly Perfect winning the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic
breederscup.com

He was foaled in 1998 and sold as a yearling for $725,000 to Diamond A Racing Corporation. Pleasantly Perfect’s sales price was no doubt a reflection of his strong breeding being a son of double classic winner Pleasant Colony and the European stakes winning mare Regal State. An additional factor that contributed to his lofty cost was the bay colt’s imposing size and physical presence. Diamond A Racing’s owner, Gerald Ford (no, not the 38^th U.S. president) placed Pleasantly Perfect under the care of trainer Richard Mandella. If there were hopes for early precocity, they were dashed by the son of Pleasant Colony not making his first start till late May of his sophomore year at Hollywood Park as a result of a virus inflaming his heart. Still experiencing the effects of the virus, Pleasantly Perfect’s first effort was a disaster with the colt being eased up and not finishing the race.

Given additional time to recover, Pleasantly Perfect resumed his racing career in earnest in January 2002 at Santa Anita Park. Somewhat backward, the bay colt did not win his first race till his third start of the year. After a second and two subsequent allowance race victories, Pleasantly Perfect made his initial stakes appearance in Del Mar Racetrack’s signature race - the Pacific Classic Stakes in August. Facing some of the best horses of 2002, the Richard Mandella trainee (at odds 17-1) closed determinedly in the stretch to finish fourth beaten only a total of 2¾ lengths.

Recognizing that Pleasantly Perfect was competitive against top horses, Mandella ran his four-year-old in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Park, a key West Coast prep for the year end Breeders’ Cup Classic. In the Goodwood, Pleasantly Perfect, won his first stakes race with an impressive come from behind victory by 3¼ lengths. Considered now a solid contender for the Classic, Pleasantly Perfect was unable to compete due to an Illinois rule (the Breeders’ Cup was run at Arlington Park this year), that prohibits a two time “bleeder” from racing for 30 days after the second bleeding episode. Pleasantly Perfect had bled after a workout in February and was reported to have had a second discharge from his nostrils after his Goodwood victory.

Not raced the remainder of 2002, the hulking son of Pleasant Colony began his five-year-old campaign in the early part of 2003 at Santa Anita finishing third in the San Antonio and fourth in the Santa Anita Handicaps. Having another extended absence due to soreness, Pleasantly Perfect returned to the races in the fall of 2003 scoring a repeat victory in the Goodwood Stakes.

This year the Breeders’ Cup championship races were run at Santa Anita, and Pleasantly Perfect was amongst the entries for the Classic. The 2003 edition had a competitive field of ten that included the first two finishers of the 2002 edition, Volponi and Medaglia d’Oro, respectively, dual classic winner Funny Cide, Travers Stakes winner Ten Most Wanted, and major older horses Congaree and Perfect Drift. Medaglia d’Oro was sent off the favorite in the 1¼ mile race with Ten Most Wanted the second choice and Perfect Drift the third betting favorite. Pleasantly Perfect, despite sensational workouts, was a gross overlay at 14-1.

For most of the Classic, it appeared to be a match race between Congaree and Medaglia d’Oro as both their riders allowed them to duel head-and-head around the Santa Anita oval carving out a demanding pace. In the stretch, they were still fighting their private battle when jockey Alex Solis had Pleasantly Perfect, eighth in the early running, in full flight. The powerful son of Pleasant Colony passed the leaders in deep stretch and drove to a 1½ length triumph. Medaglia d’Oro got the better of Congaree finishing second (again) ¾ of a length in front of late running Dynever. Congaree weakened from his efforts to finish fourth, a neck behind.

Pleasantly Perfect’s Classic victory was a great satisfaction to Mandella, who believed the horse was ready to win last year’s edition only to be denied entry. It was also a testimony to the patience of Gerald Ford to allow the trainer to develop a horse who was a maiden as a four-year-old in 2002 into a Breeders’ Classic winner. The day belonged to Richard Mandella in winning an unprecedented, and so far not replicated, four Breeders’ Cup races. As telecast announcer Tom Durkin exclaimed as Pleasantly Perfect crossed the finish line, “Man oh Mandella, what a day”.

However, championship honors eluded Pleasantly Perfect in 2003. His campaign was considered too light, and Mineshift who was retired prior to the Breeders’ Cup took both Older Male and Horse of the Year Eclipse Awards.

Pleasantly Perfect was kept in training as a six-year-old and made his initial 2004 start in the San Antonio Handicap. His Breeders’ Cup Classic rival Congaree was favored in the short four horse field, the thinking that he would have a pace advantage. However, Congaree never showed his vaunted speed and retreated in the stretch to finish last. Pleasantly Perfect was never far behind in the San Antonio, and, when called upon, drew clear powerfully for a 4 length victory. A slight fever prevented Pleasantly Perfect from running in the Santa Anita Handicap, but Richard Mandella had his charge soon back in training and on schedule for a trip in March to the Middle East for what was then the world’s richest race -  the $6 million 1¼ mile Dubai World Cup.

The race was anticipated as the rematch of Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d’Oro who finished first and second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And true to form, the race came down as a pulsating stretch duel between these two protagonists. Medaglia d’Oro had stalked pacesetter Fleetstreet Dancer until the top of the long homestretch when Jerry Bailey brought him to the fore. Alex Solis had Pleasantly Perfect in fourth place on the inside early but had his mount come to the outside for the stretch drive. Ranging alongside Medaglia d’Oro, Pleasantly Perfect dueled head and head with his rival until the last 50 yards when the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner’s stamina prevailed, winning by ¾ of a length. For Richard Mandella, this was his first Dubai World Cup victory after failing in six previous attempts. (The triumph was also bittersweet in that Mandella had learned moments after the race of the death of his close friend and fellow trainer, Lefty Nickerson.)

Now considered the leader in the older males division on dirt and prime candidate for Horse of the Year, Pleasantly Perfect was given a rest after his Dubai effort and did not return to the races till August. Pleasantly Perfect resumed racing at Del Mar on August 1 in the San Diego Handicap. He had at least three factors to overcome: the long layoff from the Dubai World Cup, a new rider in Mike Smith (subbing for injured Alex Solis), and the relatively short 8½ furlong distance of the race. Despite these obstacles, at the top of the stretch, the son of Pleasant Colony appeared on his way for a convincing victory as he assumed command. However, Pleasantly Perfect was passed in deep stretch by Choctaw Nation, who at the time was undefeated in his first 5 starts. There was a 10 lb. advantage in the winner’s favor and the ¾ of a length margin was close, but it was presumed a horse of Pleasantly Perfect’s caliber should have won.

The principals of the San Diego Handicap met again in the Pacific Classic under equal weights at 1¼ miles. Now ridden by Jerry Bailey, Pleasantly Perfect, sat behind the early pace, made his characteristic move around the far turn. Gaining the lead in the upper stretch, he was aggressively ridden by Bailey to hold off the reliable gelding, Perfect Drift’s late charge to prevail by a length. This time, Choctaw Nation’s closing rally could only gain him fourth place.

After his Pacific Classic victory, Pleasantly Perfect was trained up to his defense of the Breeders’ Cup Classic which was run this year at Lone Star Park located in Grand Prairie, Texas. While his was toiling in California, a new threat emerged in the east in the presence of Frank Stronach’s Ghostzapper. The four-year-old son of Awesome Again had amazed observers with his brilliant speed that he was able to carry to win 9 furlong races such as the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park and the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park.

The big news prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic was the decision to run the champion mare Azeri. Despite, her towering reputation, the task seemed formidable as she was facing Pleasantly Perfect, Ghostzapper, Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, Funny Cide, and the up and coming Roses in May in the thirteen horse field.

Visions of a speed duel between Azeri, Ghostzapper, and Roses in May seemed to favor the closers, namely Pleasantly Perfect and Birdstone. However, that was not how the Classic transpired due to some pre-race tactics. Reportedly Bobby Frankel, trainer of Ghostzapper, convinced Ken Ramsey, owner of Roses in May, to give instructions to hold his horse off the pace of Ghostzapper if Azeri did not go to the front. In Frankel’s words, “If we lay first and second and the jockeys keep them slow and don’t kill each other trying for the lead, they’ll finish one-two”. Apparently, interested in winning the exacta, Ramsey agreed with this strategy, and that is how the race was run. Ghostzapper from his no. 1 post was guided to the lead by jockey Javier Castellano. Azeri, broke a little slowly but secured an inside position behind Ghostzapper. Roses in May cruised to be second down the backstretch tracking Ghostzapper’s moderate pace. Around the far turn, Castellano called on Ghostzapper, and he slowly drew away from Roses in May. Pleasantly Perfect had launched a bid from tenth place but had to come very wide in the stretch losing considerable ground. At the finish, Ghostzapper was 3 lengths in front of Roses In May who had 4 lengths on Pleasantly Perfect who gained the show position ¾ of a length in front of Perfect Drift. Azeri, in her final start, was fifth.

At year’s end, Ghostzapper, although having only a four race campaign that did not begin till the second half of the year, was voted Champion Older Male Horse and Horse of the Year. Pleasantly Perfect, despite winning early in the year and victorious in the Dubai World Cup, was again denied a championship being the victim as I see it of a tight turned, speed favoring racetrack (with some collusion on racing tactics) at Lone Star Park.

Pleasantly Perfect was retired to stud in 2005 at Lane’s End Farm in Lexington, KY. His racing record reads 9 wins in 18 starts and over $7.7 million in earnings. Despite siring a Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner in Shared Account and a top class sprinter in Whitmore, Pleasantly Perfect was exported to Turkey in 2014.  An update on Pleasantly Perfect’s genetic influence is that Shared Account is the dam of Sharing would just won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf, making her a third generation Breeders’ Cup victor.   

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Sightseek

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 10: Sightseek

Joseph Di Rienzi

In thoroughbred racing history, we remember clearly the champion horses who won fame and glory on the racetrack. Their accomplishments are well documented, and the honors they have gained give testimony to their brilliance. However, there are a group of horses who by happenstance, missed opportunities or just being born in the wrong year missed out on any accolades. This occasional series will feature those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. I will discuss ten of these “unsung heroes” who raced between 1959 and the present in separate pieces with my first being the tenth ranked Sightseek.

                         

                                             

Sightseeek winning the 2004 Beldame Stakes
bloodhorse.com

                       

The aforementioned was a compact chestnut owned by the famed Juddmonte Farms. Sightseek, a foal of 1999, was a daughter of the farm’s stallion Distant View from the prized mare Viviana. Trained by what was then Juddmonte’s American trainer Bobby Frankel, Sightseek did not begin her racing career till the summer of 2002 when she won a maiden race at Saratoga Racetrack. After two allowance races, she moved up in class and concluded her sophomore year with victories in the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland Racecourse and the Top Flight Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Based in California at the beginning of 2003, Sightseek raced at Santa Anita Park, a track that would beguile her throughout her racing career and, perhaps, be the biggest reason for Sightseek’s inability to secure a year end championship. In her initial sojourn in the Golden State, Sightseek finished second in the Santa Monica, La Canada and Santa Margarita Handicaps. Upon traveling east, Sightseek won in succession the Humana Distaff Handicap at Churchill Downs, the Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont, Park, the Go for Wand Handicap at Saratoga, and the Beldame Stakes (back at Belmont). In the last named, she defeated Bird Town, the leading three-year-old filly of the year.

The Breeders’ Cup was run at Santa Anita in 2003, and the Distaff, the feature race for fillies and mares, was missing the 2002 victress and the previous year’s older female champion Azeri due to an injury. In her absence, Sightseek was the strong favorite. However, the dark cloud on her resume were those three second place finishes at Santa Anita earlier in the year, suggesting the daughter of Distant View would not run her best race on this racetrack. This year’s Distaff which had a history of producing some major upsets had another in the horse with the highest odds (40-1), Adoration, winning the race. Setting all the pace, she shook off threats at the top of the stretch to win by 4½ lengths. Sightseek, who was caught between horses after the start, raced in sixth place down the backstretch. When asked for run by jockey Jerry Bailey, she closed a little ground to finish fourth. Sightseek’s loss in the Distaff no doubt cost her the divisional championship as Azeri repeated as Eclipse Award winner for Older Female.

Sightseek started 2004 on a down note in keeping her dubious record of never winning at Santa Anita intact by finishing fourth in the Santa Monica Handicap. Shipped east, the daughter of Distant View found Gulfstream Park more amiable in scoring a bloodless 7½ length victory in the Rampart Handicap. Racing at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day in the Louisville Breeders’ Cup Handicap, Sightseek reportedly did not handle the sloppy going, finishing a well beaten fourth. After this defeat, Bobby Frankel sent her to New York where she would race the rest of her career.

While double champion, Arzei and Sightseek were converging towards each other, the 2002 Two-Year-Old Filly Champion, Storm Flag Flying was attempting a comeback from an aborted and unsuccessful three-year-old season. After an allowance win in Florida and a third place finish in the Distaff Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Aqueduct, the daughter of Storm Cat won the Shuvee Handicap at Belmont Park.

The 8½ furlong Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park brought Azeri, Sightseek, and Storm Flag Flying together. (The only other entry was Passing Shot.) Sightseek continued her love affair with New York racetracks with an eased up 3½ length victory over Storm Flag Flying. Azeri, giving weight to all, was raced into defeat by Sightseek and faded to fourth, beaten a total of almost 12 lengths. The Ogden Phipps victory was the seventh win in as many starts in New York for the Juddmonte five-year-old mare.

The top older fillies and mares continued their intramurals during the Saratoga meeting. In the 9 furlong Go for Wand Handicap, Azeri, getting 2 lb. from Sightseek, but giving 3 lb. to Storm Flag Flying regained the leadership of the division with a wire-to-wire 1¾ length victory over the former with the latter another 2 lengths behind. In the 1¼ mile Personal Ensign Handicap, Azeri carrying 122 lb. was facing Storm Flag Flying (116 lb.) again but not Sightseek, who after suffering her first loss at a New York racetrack in the Go for Wand, was reserved for the fall meet at Belmont Park. In the race named after her grand dam, Storm Flag Flying, taking advantage of a rapid pace that softened Azeri, drove by her in the stretch for a 1¼ length victory. Azeri, game in defeat, held second by a ½ length over Nevermore.

After the Saratoga meet, Azeri was shipped to Kentucky where she scored a straightforward 3 length victory in the Spinster Stakes against weak opposition. Sightseek wrapped up her career at her favorite racetrack, Belmont Park, winning the Ruffian Handicap by 11¼ lengths and the Beldame Stakes by 2¾ lengths. In the latter race, Sightseek appeared to face competition in Storm Flag Flying and top three-year-old Society Selection, but after setting a moderate pace for the 9 furlong contest, she coasted to victory. Society Selection finished second, 1¼ lengths in front of Storm Flag Flying who uncharacteristically tried to keep pace with Sightseek. Bobby Frankel had announced before the Beldame that his mare would be retired afterward instead of going on to race in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (held this year at Lone Star Park in Texas). Subsequent reports indicated that Sightseek had been racing with a swollen left front ankle, and it was thought too risky to persevere with her any longer. Nevertheless, she had been racing in top form and foregoing the Distaff would consequently deny her an Eclipse award she probably merited.

Azeri made her final start of her illustrious career in the Breeders’ Cup Classic finishing fifth against male horses.  Despite her unplacing, she was voted the Eclipse Award (for the third time) for Older Female Horse. Sightseek, for the second year in a row, was the second ranked older female on dirt. She concluded her racing career with 12 wins (including 7 at the highest level) and 5 seconds in 20 outings, earning over $2.4 million. Upon retirement, Sightseek joined the broodmare band at Juddmonte Farms where she currently resides.