No firm plans yet for Carrick

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Carrick was flying back to New York on Sunday after sending horseplayers flying back to their past performances, trying to figure out how he won the Grade 1, $400,000 Secretariat Stakes on Saturday at Arlington.

Carrick’s three starts before the Secretariat: A $40,000 maiden-claiming win, a $50,000 non-winners-of-two starter allowance win, and a third in the Grade 3 Kent.

Carrick’s best Beyer Speed Figure before Saturday was 83. He got a 97 for running 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.04, 1.25 seconds faster than the 4-year-old Robert Bruce clocked later Saturday in the Arlington Million.

Jerry Crawford, president of Donegal Racing, Carrick’s owner, insisted the colt’s connections went into the Secretariat confident in their 38-1 shot.

“It was all about the distance,” Crawford said. “We knew he’d love a mile and a quarter.”

Carrick got a great trip stalking a strong pace from fifth under John Velazquez, and ran down odds-on favorite Analyze It to win by a neck. Trainer Tom Morley texted on Sunday that Carrick appeared to have come out of his shocking win in good shape. There are no immediate plans for Carrick, a son of Giant’s Causeway purchased at auction for $75,000.

“Jerry and I will discuss this week,” said the New York-based Morley, who won his second Grade 1.

Analyze It, meanwhile, recorded his third straight second-place finish and second straight in a Grade 1. Last month, he was narrowly defeated in the $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational after passing the eventual winner, Catholic Boy.

Analyze It now has three easy wins in races up to 1 1/16

miles and three losses in starts between 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 miles. It’s not as if Analyze It falls on his face over 10 furlongs, but he does appear to be more of a miler type and is likely to get a cutback in distance, trainer Chad Brown said. One very viable target would be the 1 1/8mile Hill Prince on Oct. 6 at Belmont.

“If I could run the horse two more times this year, it’d probably be Hill Prince and Hollywood Derby and then give him a proper break,” Brown said.

Bandua, who was third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Analyze It, shipped in from Ireland for the race and will stay in the U.S. for the time being. Bandua ships to Keeneland and is likely to be aimed at the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs while still running in the name of trainer Dermot Weld.

Platinum Warrior, a nose behind Bandua in fourth, came here from Ireland on a one-way ticket. He is headed to California by way of Kentucky to continue his career in the U.S.

Spring Quality feeling better

Spring Quality had to be scratched from the Arlington Million after shipping poorly to Arlington from Maryland but has improved considerably since Saturday, trained Sunday morning here, and was well enough to get on an equine charter and fly to New York early Sunday afternoon. If Spring Quality continues getting back to his normal self, he’ll start in the Grade 1, $1 million Sword Dancer on Aug. 25 at Saratoga.

“He had a good night last night,” trainer Graham Motion said Sunday morning.

Spring Quality, a 6-year-old gelding who won the Grade 1 Manhattan in his most recent start, came to Arlington in top form but struggled physically after arriving here. Motion said Spring Quality was dehydrated and “not passing manure like he should,” and Motion’s team feared his condition could progress to colic. Even Saturday afternoon, Motion wondered if Spring Quality would be well enough to fly Sunday, but the gelding “turned a corner” overnight and into Sunday morning.

“He trained this morning, and he’s getting on the plane,” said Motion.

Motion got a not-inconsequential consolation prize when Secret Message won the Grade 3, $100,000 Pucker Up to close the Million card. A private purchase this year, Secret Message had been compromised in both of her starts for Motion, first by a boggy course at Pimlico, then by a poor start in the Regret Stakes at Churchill.

The start of the Regret was in keeping with Secret Message’s generally unsettled behavior that night, and Motion was pleased to see the filly act professionally on Saturday before delivering a career-best performance. Making a long run from the back of the field under Irad Ortiz Jr., she won by 1 1/4 lengths over the improving Pamina, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.01, and got an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She behaved completely differently yesterday,” Motion said. “Irad had a lot of confidence in her and rode her accordingly. There are graded races for her in the fall, and she obviously appreciates 1 1/8 miles.”

Oscar Performance seems okay

Oscar Performance on Sunday morning still was walking soundly with no overt sign of injury after being pulled up in the closing stages of the Arlington Million and taken off the course in an equine ambulance.

Oscar Performance, the Million favorite, broke a halfstep slowly from the outside gate in a nine-horse field, was briefly impeded by Robert Bruce to his inside, but got into a solid forward position in the race. Trainer Brian Lynch said Oscar Performance “appeared to be traveling fine down the backstretch,” but the colt had no punch in the stretch and was fading from contention when jockey Jose Ortiz pulled him up past the eighth pole.

Ortiz said after the race that he felt Oscar Performance take two bad steps and that he pulled his horse up out of an abundance of caution. Oscar Performance walked onto the ambulance with no sign of lameness, cooled out without incident last night, and on Sunday still was demonstrating no sign of an injury.

“Nothing showed up yet today,” Lynch said.

Nevertheless, Oscar Performance, Lynch said, was on his way to Kentucky on Sunday rather than heading back home to New York. He’ll go to the Rood and Riddle clinic and get a thorough going-over from Dr. Larry Bramlage on Monday.