Backseat Rhythm in Drivers Seat for Bonnie Miss
Paul Pompa Jr’s Backseat Rhythm has her trainer very confident ahead of her first 3-year-old stakes of 2008 as the daughter of El Corredor heads into the $150,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2) – the Kentucky Oaks (G1) preview on the undercard of Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) program.
Pat Reynolds, who saddled the filly to a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last fall at Monmouth Park behind eventual 2-year-old champion Indian Blessing, is very eager to take on Saturday’s 1 1/8 miles distance.
“I’m confident right up to just below the point of overconfidence,” said Reynolds. “She’s doing good. She got what she needed out of her last race. I expect her to fire a good race.”
Backseat Rhythm finished third in a 1 1/16 miles turf allowance race on Feb. 22 in a spot Reynolds used mainly as a jumping-off point.
“The grass will be the backup plan for her,” he said. “All the money for these fillies is on the dirt. The last race was the first chance we got to get her going a mile-and-a-sixteenth. Turf or dirt didn’t matter. She’s really going to like the distance and she’s had a good gap between the races.”
Reynolds, and especially Pompa, will be interested parties in the Florida Derby a half-hour later. Reynolds trained Big Brown, the morning-line favorite, to his huge debut victory at Saratoga last summer before Pompa sold a majority interest to IEAH Stables and the colt was transferred to Rick Dutrow.
“In this game, you can’t keep the money and the good ones,” said Reynolds. “We knew what we had with the way he was training. He had a lot of talent, but was just a little ungainly. He worked on the grass in something like 44 and change and galloped out in 59 and change and we knew we had something.
“The offer was too good. I believe these things work out the right way when you do things the right way. Mr. Pompa still has an interest in him and I’ve still got a really talented filly in Backseat Rhythm.”
True Cause Prominent on Pan American Roster
Godolphin Racing’s 5-year-old True Cause made a big stretch charge to finish second by a neck in the Mac Diarmida Handicap (G2) over the Gulfstream Park turf course on Mar. 16, and will have an additional furlong to work with if he comes back in the $150,000 Pan American Handicap (G3) on Sat., Apr. 5.
True Cause is a son of Storm Cat bred in Kentucky by Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum’s Darley Stud. He began his career in England winning two of six starts for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who remains the trainer of record with assistant Rick Mettee in charge of day-to-day operations at Payson Park.
True Cause lost another tough decision at Aqueduct last fall when second by a length in the Red Smith Handicap (G2) on Nov. 10 over a ‘yielding’ course. His good effort in the Mac Diarmida behind Stream of Gold came over 1 3/8 miles and the Pan American is contested at 1½ miles with the Mac Diarmida winner not among the nominees.
Trainer Barclay Tagg has a pair of nominees for the Pan American with Partingglass Stable and the Three Colleens Stable’s 7-year-old gelding Dave and Joseph Joyce’s 6-year-old Irish-bred Fracas, both with solid credentials.
Dave is a New York-bred son of Ends Well and won the Red Smith over True Cause. In two starts in Florida this winter, he finished a close-up fourth in the 12-furlong W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2) at Calder in mid-December, beaten only two lengths for it all, and sixth last out in the Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes (G1) last out on Feb. 23.
Fracas is an intriguing prospect after making a good impression in his American debut when fourth in the Mervin Muniz, Jr. Memorial (G2) at Fair Grounds on Mar. 8, beaten 3 ½ lengths by the winner. The son of In the Wings campaigned in Ireland and England through September, showing five wins and five seconds in 16 starts.