Larceny in Del 'Cap: Garcia Steals It on Swift Temper

by Patricia Woo | Jul 20 2009

The $750,000 Delaware Park Handicap (G2) on Sunday looked fairly easy to handicap. The 2007 winner Unbridled Belle figured to take the lead out of the gate and would try to hold off her five challengers in the stretch.

However, in horse racing, things do not always go as planned.

Unbridled Belle, with jockey Richard Migliore aboard, sat off the pace, laying in fifth in the early going while Alan Garcia, aboard Swift Temper, was allowed to set moderate early fractions of :49.83 for a half mile and 1:14.79 for six furlongs.

That left plenty in the tank for the five year old mare, and she's able to motor home to win by 2 ¼ lengths.

The victory earned the mare a $600,000 payday and an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, as the Del 'Cap is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series.

Credit Garcia with a heady ride, as the jockey realized speed was holding very well over the main track.

Two races earlier on the card, Garcia rode Our Edge to a gate to wire score in the $150,000 Barbaro Stakes (G3).

Swift Temper stopped the timer in 2:03.41 for the 1 ¼ miles and returned $17.00 to win.

Icon Project rallied to complete the exacta, which returned $65.20.

The winner, a daughter of Giant's Causeway, is owned by Mark Stanley and trained by Dale Romans, who was surprised to see his mare on the lead early in the race.

"We were planning on just getting comfortable wherever we were," Romans said. "But it worked out perfectly for us.  When they left us out there two in front going that slow, I knew they were in trouble." 

"I was looking at the fractions and it did not look like at any point anybody wanted to challenge us.  I knew if it was going to be a sprint from the quarter pole home, we were going to have plenty left."

The next logical stop for Swift Temper is the $400,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 30. That race is also at 1 ¼ miles.

Unbridled Belle was the beaten favorite at 6/5, and trainer Todd Pletcher did not have an excuse for his mare, who ran third in the race last year after winning in 2007.

"She kind of rated in a stalking position and the fractions were moderate early and she just finished evenly," said Pletcher.

On Saturday at Philadelphia Park, Alcomo joined the list of runners with a guaranteed ticket to the Breeders' Cup by winning the $200,000 Greenwood Cup.

Owned by Abdul Rahman Al Jasmi and trained by Eduardo Caramori, the six year old Brazilian-bred runner rated off the pace while in mid-pack with jockey Willie Martinez aboard, made a four-wide move nearing the quarter pole to grab the lead, and drew clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

The winner earned $120,000 and a starting berth in the Breeders' Cup Marathon. He paid $13.20 to win, with runner up Alaazo completing a $69.00 exacta.

Nite Lite, who was sent off at 3-10 in the field of six, weakened in the upper stretch and finished a non-threatening fifth.

The next Breeders' Cup Challenge race is Aug. 2 at Del Mar. The winner of the San Diego Handicap (G2) earns a free ticket to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Eight of the next 16 "Win and You're In" races will be contested at Del Mar, which opens on Wednesday and runs through Sept. 9.