NEWS
Presious Passion scores repeat Mac Diarmida win
Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 6:38 PM
PRESIOUS PASSION
Coglianese Photos
To view the Mac Diarmida Stakes, click here.
by Mike Curry
Presious Passion on Sunday proved again that he is almost untouchable when left alone on the lead, driving to a front-running 1 1/4-length victory in the $150,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) to become the first repeat winner in the 15-year history of the race.
A seven-year-old Royal Anthem gelding trained by Mary Hartmann, Presious Passion will be pointed to the $5-million Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on March 27 at the new Meydan Racecourse.
Presious Passion won the United Nations Stakes (G1) in 2008 and ’09 while leading at every call and used the same tactics to post an easy win in last year’s Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes (G1) at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park meeting. He led deep into the stretch in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) but was denied by repeat winner Conduit (Ire) in the closing strides.
Hartmann has said Presious Passion prefers firm going. When heavy rain on Saturday left the turf course rated as good, that was a cause for concern for Presious Passion, as was his previous start. Presious Passion faded badly and finished fifth on December 26 at Calder Race Course in the W. L. McKnight Handicap (G2), a race he won in 2007 and ‘08.
In the Mac Diarmida, Presious Passion showed early that he had no trouble handling the turf, racing comfortably on the lead through a half-mile in :47.46 and six furlongs in 1:13.11 as the 8-to-5 favorite. He momentarily appeared to be running out of steam entering the stretch of the 1 3/8-mile race, but as he so often does, Presious Passion found a little extra stamina in reserve. He switched leads and quickened under Elvis Trujillo to hold off a determined late bid from Grade 1 winner Winchester.
“The horse broke sharp and was very relaxed,” Trujillo said. “Every time he goes right to the lead, and you just hope things go easy. Then at the three-eighths, you put him in the bit, and he just goes on. [The turf] was perfect today. There were no problems."
Presious Passion covered the distance in 2:13.49 to improve to 14 wins in 44 starts and record his ninth graded stakes victory for owner Patricia Generazio.
"We were concerned earlier in the day that the course might be less than firm,” Hartmann said. “We decided to go ahead and run, and that it would be better looking ahead to Dubai to have a race than not, although we planned to go anyhow and train him up to that race if necessary."
Winchester was two lengths clear of third-place finisher Feels All Right (Ire).
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
