Jockey Kent Desormeaux made it back-to-back grade I wins on a soggy Arlington Park turf course when he guided Dynaforce to victory in the $750,000 Beverly D. Aug. 8 (VIDEO).
Desormeaux won the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) aboard Take the Points in the race before the Beverly D. The course was listed as 'good' for the Beverly D. after being rated 'yielding' earlier in the day.
Dynaforce, who won the Flower Bowl Invitational (gr. IT) on a yielding Belmont Park inner turf course last year, got an ideal set-up when Desormeaux placed her in a stalking spot just off a deliberate pace set by the outsider Tizaqueena. Dynaforce drew even with the leader mid-stretch and edged away for a 1 1/4-length win. French raider Alnadana edged 7-5 favorite Pure Clan by a neck for second. Tizaqueena finished a nose behind Pure Clan in fourth.
“I had a nice easy pace to the half and then let her stretch it out in an attempt to take the foreign turn of foot away from them down the lane,” said Desormeaux, who also won last year's Beverly D. with Mauralakana. “That’s the way to beat the European horses. You can go as slow as you want the first three-quarters but you can’t wait ‘til the quarter pole to turn it on and you have to be mounted, too. You still have to have the ability to get the kick to the wire.”
The 6-year-old Dynaforce, a daughter of Dynaformer owned and bred by John A. Chandler, was sent off at odds of 7-1. She had shown little in two prior starts this year and was coming off a third-place finish in the Modesty Handicap (gr. IIIT), finishing nearly three lengths behind Pure Clan on firm going. With the victory, Dynaforce went over the $1 million mark in career earnings.
"We got lucky, we got a little cut in the ground," winning trainer Bill Mott said.
The Beverly D win earned Dynaforce a starting slot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) as a "Win & You're In" race for the two-day racing festival at Santa Anita Park Nov. 6-7.
The race unfolded much as the Secretariat did earlier with Tizaqueena able to set easy fractions -- :25.24, :50.67 and 1:15.65 -- before Dynaforce increased the pressure coming off the final turn. Dynaforce overcame the leader past the furlong pole and drew away under encouragement from Desormeaux. The final time was 1:58.29.
After striking the rail early, the Irish-bred Alnadana raced within striking distance in third for Christophe Soumillon while pinned in on the inside, altering course mid-stretch to split horses late for the second spot.
“She ran quite well,” said Soumillon. “If I had been on the lead from the start it would have been a better option but the other horse went to the lead on the fence quite fast so I had to wait to make it up the last 300 meters. I have no excuse and we finished second. She gave quite a good performance and I am quite happy.”
On a course where no one was closing much ground, Pure Clan, last of eight for the first six furlongs while saving ground for Julien Leparoux, did well to get third. She angled five wide in the stretch to launch her bid.
“There was no pace, and that hurt our chances,” said Leparoux. “She closed well.”
After winning the Flower Bowl last September by four lengths in front-running fashion, Dynaforce was no factor while finishing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was given a lengthy rest after that, returning May 16 to run fifth as the 9-10 choice in the Gallorette Handicap (gr. IIIT) May 16. The bay was off for two months before tuning up for the Beverly D. with her third in the Modesty. Dynaforce earned $441,000 for her Beverly D. win, which improved her career mark to 5-3-3 in 15 starts. She has banked $1,080,772.
Bred by Chandler in Kentucky, Dynaforce is out of the Diesis mare Aletta Maria.
Under equal weights of 123 pounds, Dynaforce was sent off as the fifth choice and paid $17.20, $8.60, and $4.80 while topping a $2 exacta worth $160.40. Alnadana, a group III winner in her last start at Maisons-Laffitte for trainer Alain De Royer-Dupre, returned $9.60 and $5. Pure Clan, who won the American Oaks (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park last summer, was $2.40 to show.
Tizaqueena was followed by Points of Grace, Denomination, Mad About You and Black Mamba.