July 15, 2007

UNBRIDLED BELLE UPSETS $1-MILLION, GRADE 2 DELAWARE HANDICAP,
“OTHER PLETCHER” ROMPS BY 7 ¾ LENGTHS IN SENSATIONAL TIME,
BREEDERS’ CUP IS NOW SEASONAL AIM FOR 17-HAND TALL 4YO FILLY

Unbridled Belle destroys solid field of distaffers in $1-million G2 Delaware Handicap. (Click photo for larger image.) - photo by Lydia Williams

Unbridled Belle stamped herself as an Eclipse Award candidate in the older filly and mare category with a authoritative victory on Sunday in the historic Delaware Handicap.

The triumph in the $1-million fixture was accomplished with such élan and power, it elicited from the 4-year-old filly’s trainer Todd Pletcher a remark as follows: “She looked like Ruffian today.”

The huge daughter of Broken Vow won eased up, having been taken in hand by Ramon Dominguez about 50 yards from the wire, by nearly 8 lengths. Had the jockey let the 17-hand plus filly continue to roll down the lane, the winning margin undoubtedly would have been double digits.

To get an understanding of the dominance of this performance, it should be pointed out that the winning time of 2:01-flat for the mile-and-a-quarter was the fastest clocking for the race in 20 years.

The filly’s Beyer figure of 106 is the highest earned by an older filly or mare over a distance of ground this season and ranks second among all distaffers only to the 107 fashioned by Rags to Riches in winning the Belmont Stakes.

Ramon Dominguez rode three horses for Team Valor over the big weekend at Delaware and each animal received the exact same trip. Like the previous two runners (Winning Point and King of the Roxy), Unbridled Belle raced closed up in third for most of the race and was boxed in around the turn.

Unlike the unlucky Winning Point and King of the Roxy, Unbridled Belle was able to find room at the top of the stretch and she made the most of it, to burst home in riveting fashion for her lengthy score.

The crux of the race took place between the three-eighths pole and the quarter pole, where the heretofore moderate and even pace quickened perceptively.

Indian Vale, who like Unbridled Belle is trained by Todd Pletcher and was a huge favorite to win, could not keep pace, and she readily backed out of it when displaced by Unbridled Belle.

When Unbridled Belle destroyed her rivals at the top of the lane, they stopped badly, as the Team Valor colorbearer instantly put half a dozen lengths on the others before they knew what hit them.

A 56 to 1 longshot came along to pick up the pieces at the end, as she passed the carnage of Asi Siempre and Indian Vale, who were unable to go with Unbridled Belle.

Jockey Johnny Velasquez, who rode the fancied Indian Vale, said his filly was going well in the first half of the race but not the second, attributed some mysterious condition of the surface to his filly’s failure to complete the entire journey with the same ease. Nothing was mentioned about the notion that the filly was just simply run off her feet.

Jeff Siegel phoned Barry Irwin to say “That was the most devastating performance by any runner in our silks in the history of the stable. She is the Champion older filly and mare. It was awesome.”

Team Valor owners happily greet Unbridled Belle in the winners' circle. (Click photo for larger image.) - photo by Lydia Williams

Barry Irwin was glad to get the report from his former partner, as Team Valor’s major domo did not get to watch the race, either in person or on television.

“Kathleen and I were watching the build up to the race on ESPN when an unexpected thunderstorm hit Lexington and knocked out our satellite dish,” Irwin explained. “For about a second or 2 the monitor showed Unbridled Belle leading a field in the stretch. I said to Kathleen ‘Why are they showing that race she won last year there by 8 lengths?’

“Then the screen went blank again. When the signal came back on a few minutes later, it finally dawned on me that we had won the race! But we never got to see the replay until much later that evening.”

Irwin was not in attendance at Delaware, as he had obligations in town, first to celebrate the wedding of his assistant Amy Delwiche on Saturday and secondly to speak with the latest group of college scholarship winners at The Race for Education’s annual picnic in Lexington.

“I figure God threw me a bone for being such a model citizen!” laughed Irwin.

“Winning Point should have beaten Moon Catch and King of the Roxy should have won, too.

“But that would have been greedy and gaudy and not in keeping with the new image for the man upstairs!”

Irwin is was not the only one to miss the Delaware Handicap. Milwaukee-based Mark Belling was also a no-show in Stanton, Delaware. “I missed my flight,” said the conservative radio talk show host. (How conservative is he? He fills in for Rush Limbaugh!) “I've now won $1,000,000 races two years in a row---how many guys from Dogwood (or anywhere else) can say that?----and I never got to either race. I may never show up again!

“Also, can we get them to move the Breeders’ Cup to Delaware?

“The most amazing performance by any horse I've ever owned!,” said the owner of such previous Grade 1 winners as Captain Bodgit and Becrux. “Congratulations on a breathtaking win! The decision to give her all the time off was just brilliant.”

Unbridled Belle was led into the winners’ circle by Bill Reck, who was heard to mutter “This is the reason I get into Team Valor partnerships. To be able to win a race like this!”