Silent Bird takes the Midnight Lute

 Kent Desourmaux wins with Silent Bird in the Midnight Lute
at Santa Anita on Dec 30, 2017 Source: Eclipse

[ARCADIA, CALIF.] -- It was the last weekend of the year of fake news but it was also the first weekend of the Santa Anita winter race meet. It was marked by several stakes including the Midnight Lute - a 7f Grade 3 named after a heck of a sprinter that won two Breeders Cup races for Bob Baffert in the oughts. Midnight Lute came out of Real Quiet and Fappiano, and his siblings or progeny (say, "Give Me the Lute") have been among my faves.

Baffert is at the center of this running the Midnight Lute as he brings Masochistic (4) to the post. This is a ultrafast 7-year-old that next week turns 8. This is his first run for Baffert after a somewhat confusing spell with Ron Ellis. Masochistic can be the fastest horse in the world, but sometimes he throws in oddball races, and he is getting older. He comes in off a long layoff, but Baffert is good in such cases.

If, as Tedlock generally notes, "the further we try to look into the future the harder it is to see.." then the converse may be true. That is: The further we look back, the less secure generally is the guidance to find.

Masochistic is not the favorite - that honor goes to Americanize (5), a white horse run by Simon Callahan. Mashochistic and Americanize loom as the bests in class in the race. The horse Americanize is favored, having won three out of four - the loss in that string was in the Cigar Mile where he briefly led at the 7f mark before tiring as being passed by a very sharp Sharp Azteca. He is a four-year-old - and has won two of eight in what may have been a tough campaign.

This race brings together a bunch of very evenly matched horses in terms of speed. Included are a couple of California horses that I have a warm spot for - Smoky Image and Ike Walker. Either would surprise as a winner, though they would not be surprising if they hit the board.

To some extent this race pits the class, versus horses that ran in the Cary Grant Stakes and Pat O'Brien Stakes - if it were just Cary Grant against Pat O'Brien I guess you'd expect the former to win in a spy flick and the latter in a football film.

Winners of the Cary Grant and Pat O'Brien (Edward Turned Right and Giant Expectations, respectively) looked sharp Tuesday as this meet opened, and horses in this one were in the mix at these earlier events.

Solid Wager (6), who won this race last year, but who is 0 for 8 this year, made an exceptional run late in the Cary Grant. But the horse ran in 5th  in the Pat OBrien, which may give weight to O'Brien stakes, and bode well for Mark Glatt's Silent Bird (1), who took third in that one.

On the other hand the more recent one has the more recency. In any case, Smoky Image (9) first off a layoff for Carla Gaines ran steadily in the Cary Grant. Judging the quality of the one race over the other - or throwing them both out - is the handicapper's chore.

Calculator (8)for hot Miller barn may be more relaxed after a difficult try in the Breeder's Cup Sprint. He gains Castellano as a pilot (this is verbatim nearly heist from DRF trackman verbiage).  He ran well in the Pat O'Brien. If Solid Wager beats us, and Calculator fails, we will be neither surprised nor happy.

One could anticipate a top Beyer of 98 winning, in a running of 1:15. Most of the horses can get that type of number on their best day - thought Masochistic and Americanize are capable of triple digit Beyers. But the two could end up in a pace duel as well, giving possible benefit to stalkers Silent Bird, Tough Sunday (7)  (who is here for second off a layoff - is fresh, with just one outing this year, which he doth wonneth) or Smoky Image.

With the horses matched so evenly, aside from the standouts Masochistic and Americanize, it seems much that it might be a jockey's race. There are some interesting pairings in that category here. Kent Desormeaux is having a good meet, and won yesterday, and is on Silent Bird today. Come from behind specialist Irad Ortiz (in town to ride Penjade in another event on the bill) is taking the reins of Ike Walker. And, a maybe hot maybe not, but certainly a hall-of famer,  Gary Stevens, returns on Smoky Image.

Let's figure this way -
1, 9 over 5, 7, 8 and 1, 9 - with a side bet of some kind including endearing stead 3.

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So - surprise came by way of scratches of both Masochistic (4) and Smoky Image (9).  Which I only discovered as the horses were going to post parade. That caused some bet rejigger. Drop the 9, bring in the 6 (Solid Wager) into the "B's". Put a win bet on Silent Bird (1) , who went off at about 3-1.

The final results were 1-7-5-6. And very close.

Silent Bird won in a photo. With  Tough Sunday and Americanize quite near. The reported time for the Midnight Lute was 22.1 - 44.7 - 1:09.4 - 1:16.03. The Beyer was gauged at 98, just as anticipated.

Americanize was slow out of the gate. I am not disabused of notion that campaign has taken out some of his starch. But he showed grit, losing by only a head and a neck. After the slow break he was rushed up to the front. Silent Bird, son of Summer Bird, stalked - closely - much closer than I'd expected. Stalked Americanize and then took the lead at the half mile mark.

There was an odd bit at the top of the stretch when, as white stead Calculator looked to be finding an opening on the inside,  Desormeaux kind of ducked Bird toward the rail, maybe causing Calculator to lose momentum. Desormeaux made no bones about it in post race as described in HorseRacingNation. He was looking to take that spot from that horse. When races are this close, I have to think, the jockey's influence can be effective.

Tough Sunday stalked nicely throughout and was running gamely at the end of 7f. Tough Sunday, I learned after the race, is a very remarkable horse, having been born blind and deaf.

Again, a very close race - and much as predicted in the final order. Much as predicted except in race shape or final time. The exacta nicely paid $48 for $1.

Footnote: My immortal beloved Ike Walker (3) again proved to run poorly with stakes company, as compared with claiming and allowance efforts. Can't blame Irad Ortiz who won two other races on the card. - Racetrack Romeo.


Midnight Lute chart
- http://www1.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesIndexAction.do?TRK=SA&CTY=USA&DATE=20171230&RN=8
Horse Racing Nation report - https://www.horseracingnation.com/news/Summer_Bird_gives_Desormeaux_emotional_Midnight_Lute_Stakes_win_123

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