Saratoga: Seven fillies and mares meet in the Gr.1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga on Friday and they have earned just over $5.7 million between them, but the only one being talked about in advance of this prestigious 10-furlong race is Ginger Punch. As per usual, she will start odds-on again.

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Del Mar: The Irish bred colt Vauquelin will be making his four-year-old debut as he goes to post in the Harry F. Brubaker Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on the turf course on Wednesday. Among his nine opponents is the British bred Worldly, and this is not the first time the two European imports take each other on.

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Saratoga: The Ballston Spa Handicap (G2), a turf contest for fillies and mares, was won by the Todd Pletcher trained Grade One winner Wait a While twelve months ago, and the grey daughter of Maria’s Mon heads a field of just five runners in this year’s renewal on Thursday.

Not lacking in quality, this $200,000 event has also attracted another Grade One winner in Rutherienne and the tough Euro import Valbenny. These two filled first and second in last year’s Del Mar Oaks (G1).

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GEIR STABELL takes a look back on the most significant results and performances during the past week, assesses direct and indirect formlines, and looks ahead to future targets for the leading players.

Experience tells in Alabama,
‘horse for course’ wins Sword Dancer

Aug 17: The Alabama Stakes (G1), a race that has never produced a Breeders’ Cup winner, should have a good chance of doing so this year. Proud Spell, whose experience and excellent riding tactics counted as she outbattled the odds-on favorite Music Note, must be a leading contender for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (G1) at Santa Anita. But so is the runner-up. She’s pretty good too and she will have learnt something at Saratoga on Saturday.

It is not satisfactory, however, when only five runner line up for a race of this standing, never mind when two of the five are entrymates. In the Sword Dancer (G1), won again by Grand Couturier, the field numbered just six. Over in France on Sunday, the Prix Jacques le Marois (G1) has just eight runners, including one pacemaker. A bit better but it is hardly a ‘deep field’. Why do we see more and more of these small G1 fields, sometimes totally lacking totally strength in depth?

The answer is simply; There are too many of them.

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InFocus Aug 10: The Arlington Million (G1), run for the 26th time on Saturday, was a highly unsatisfactory race. I know what I would say, if I had anything to do with the winner Spirit One. Recommend a quick sale, or retirement to stud. This was one of the most fortunate big race winners I have ever seen.

There was nothing fortunate about the juvenile filly Rainbow View’s wide marging win in the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3) at Newmarket though. The daughter of Dynaformer was simply different class and won by 6 lengths. She is now vying for favoritism for next year’s 1,000 Guineas (G1). You can get 6-1. Does that make sense? I don’t think so. To my eye, she looks more like a ‘now horse’ than one for next year.

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InFocus Aug 4: Big Brown made it back to the winners’ cirlcle. After a hard fought win in the Haskell Invitational (G1), the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes hero seems to be back on track.

”I thought we were beat turning for home,” Richard Dutrow said as it was all over. I’m not surprised. Big Brown was under serious pressure but, bit by bit, he responded and he was clearly the best. This battle will have taught him moe than the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes put together.

At Deauville, the Freddie Head trained filly Goldikova upset the two favourites Darjina and Natagora in the Prix de Rothschild (G1). This result confirmed that Goldikova belongs in the top of her division, but more to the point; it confirmed what an exceptional filly Zarkava is.

She is my idea of this year’s winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

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InFocus July 28: Duke Of Marmalade won a thrilling finish to the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot on Saturday, while a few hours later Commentator went gate-to-wire for an easy win in the Whitney Handicap (G1) at Saratoga. Duke Of Marmalade met a surprise rival in Papal Bull in England - though if there was a surprise about Commentator’s stroll in upstate New York, it must have been the lack of competition. He totally dominated an overmatched field, but one thing he also did, was to advertise the credentials of Divine Park.

I wonder if that could be the name of this year’s winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

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