Laurie Ross
Tracksideview.com

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 – Keeneland
Darley Alcibiades Stakes Grade: 1
Race 9 |1 1/16 Miles | Fillies | 2 YO Stakes | Purse: $500,000

BE SMART (6-1) (Smarty Jones – Elshin Bridle, by Unbridled) Derby/Preakness winner is 35th on the Freshman Sire List with 5 winners from 13 starters and is getting winners on all surfaces. Dam sire was the 1990 Eclipse Champion Three-Year-Old Colt whose influence will continue through his classy sons and daughters. He is also a mud influence. Dam earned $662,827 in 21 starts in Japan. She is a three-quarter sister to grade 1 winning sire Buddha and stakes winner Wild Hoots. Be Smart won her debut going five-and-and-a-half furlongs at Saratoga and shows very live works over the Churchill surface, but does not show any works over a synthetic surface.
Precocity: ****   Turf: **          Dirt:  ***   Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ***          Route:  ***    Mud:  ***

DEVOTEE (6-1) (Elusive Quality – Danuta, by Sunday Silence) Sire was a Grade 2 and Grade 3 winner and set a world record at one mile on the turf. His runners are effective on all surfaces. Dam sire proved to be a top quality foundation sire in Japan and his runners are competitive worldwide. Dam is a half sister to UAE 2000 Guineas winner Folk. Second dam is champion Family Style. Devotee has speed on top, stamina on the bottom and class throughout. She’s bred to be an outstanding filly and could be a force on any surface. She won her debut by two-and-a-quarter lengths over Amanwella at Saratoga in August and shows solid works at Belmont. She doesn’t show any works on synthetic surfaces.
Precocity: ****   Turf: ***         Dirt:  ***   Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ****        Route:  ****  Mud: ***

BON JOVI GIRL (7-2) (Malibu Moon – Chipeta Springs, by Alydar) Versatile sire gets all sorts of winners, from dirt sprinters to turf routers. “Almost” Triple Crown winning dam sire was the leading sire in 1990, producing such greats as Alysheba, Easy Goer, Strike the Gold, Saratoga Six, Cadillacing and Miss Oceana. Bon Jovi Girl is a three-quarter sister to Grade 3 Lawrence Realization Handicap winner, Fisher Pond and a half sister to Grade 2 Virginia Derby winner, Gio Ponti. Her dam earned almost $100,000 in 21 starts and her second dam was a Group 1 winner in Argentina. Grade 1 winning sire Mongoose, his full brother Hesanoldsalt, and Grade 3 winner Puca Saxo are from this immediate family. Bon Jovi Girl was second to Mani Bhavan by nine-and-one-half lengths in their debut back in July, but she improved to become an impressive nine-three-quarter-length winner of the $100,000 Fairway Stakes at Delaware last time out going a mile and a sixteenth on a wet-fast track and has been improving in every race. She had an easy leg stretcher work on Sept. 23 at Delaware.
Precocity: ****   Turf: ***         Dirt:  ***       Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ****        Route:  ****  Mud: ****

AUGUST RUSH (12-1) (Milwaukee Brew – Vividly, by Touch Gold) Sophomore sire is getting winners on all surfaces and distances and is best represented by his stakes winning daughter, Ginger Brew.  Dam sire was graded stakes placed at two and won the Belmont Stakes the following year and he is considered a superior synthetic sire. His offspring are better as they mature. Second dam won the Grade 1 Oak Leaf and Grade 2 Del Mar Debutante stakes. August Rush stumbled at the start of the Grade 1 Spinaway and was never in contention. She’s had excellent works since that race, but none on a synthetic surface and the blinkers come off today.
Precocity: ****   Turf: ***         Dirt:  ***      Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ****        Route:  ****  Mud: ****

MANI BHAVAN (7-5) (Storm Boot – Rehear, by Coronado’s Quest) Sire was a son of Storm Cat and is his first successful son at stud.  He sired Coco Belle, Hurricane Bertie, Very Vegas and sire Smooth Jazz.  Dam sire won the Grade 2 Remsen and Cowdin Sakes at two.  He’s the sire of multiple graded stakes winner Society Selection and stakes winner Gotcha Gold. His offspring can win at two, but generally prefer longer distances. Both sire and dam sire are good synthetic track producers.  Unraced dam is a half to Grade 3 winners Turk Appeal and Pink Champagne and third dam, Silken Doll, produced hot freshman sire, Spightstown. Mani Bhavan is an undefeated talented front-runner and won the Grade 1 Spinaway in her last start and has two good stamina building works over the Turfway Polytrack. Note that she is the only filly in the field with a five-star rating.  
Precocity: *****   Turf: ***      Dirt:  ****     Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ****          Route:  ***  Mud: ***

DREAM EMPRESS (9-2) (Bernstein – Chinese Empress, by Nijinsky II) Irish Grade 3 miler’s progeny can win early and this sire is a good synthetic track producer.  Dam sire is a classic/solid chef de race. Dream Empress comes from a solid female family.  Her Grade 3 stakes winning dam is a half sister to Grade 2 winner Possible Mate and Homewrecker, dam of stakes winners Cat’s At Home, Honor the Hero, Prenup, Giant Wrecker, Capitalimprovement, and also Marital Spook, the dam of Yonaguska. Others in this family include Grade 2 handicap horse Guided Tour, Halo Homewrecker and Cherokee Spook.  Dream Empress won her second start when she stretched out to a mile and a sixteenth on turf at Saratoga. She’s had three live works over the Keeneland surface since then. Bred for distance, she is one of two fillies in this race with experience over a mile.
Precocity: ***   Turf: ****       Dirt:  ***    Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  **          Route:  ****   Mud: ***

AMANWELLA (8-1) (Fusaichi Pegasus – Tempestina, by Storm Cat) World class sire is versatile, getting winners at all distances and on all surfaces, as is dam sire. Dam was a winner of $101,690 in 13 starts and is a half sister to Grade 2 winner Afto and graded stakes placed Beloved By All.  Third dam produced Belmont Stakes winner, Avatar. Amanwella, still a maiden, has finished second in her last two starts. A longer distance and surface switch might help her.
Precocity:  ***      Turf: **           Dirt: ***       Synthetic: ***
Sprint:  ***            Route: ****   Mud: ***

WHO DO I LIKE?

DREAM EMPRESS has experience at this distance and good works over the synthetic track. She has a true stamina-oriented pedigree and mile and a sixteenth might be just a leg stretcher for her.  BON JOVI GIRL also has a race at this distance, but the gets a class test here.  It’s very hard to overlook the only Graded stakes winner in the race, but I’m not totally convinced that MANI BHAVAN can carry her speed a mile and a sixteenth if she gets company up front.