Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
As Seen On Tv flaunts speed
MIAMI – When As Seen On Tv was originally purchased for $50,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s 2019 April sale and first started training this past summer at Monmouth Park, trainer Kelly Breen thought the Lookin At Lucky colt’s future would be going a distance of ground. But after As Seen On Tv launched his career with two wins and a second in three starts at distances ranging from six to 6 1/2 furlongs, Breen admits he’s been pleasantly surprised at how fast he really is.
As Seen On Tv showed off that speed again Saturday at Gulfstream Park West, forcing the pace of Smash Factor before pulling away to a relatively easy 1 1/2-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Juvenile Sprint. His final time of 1:16.36 earned him a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We believed he had some ability right from the start, but with his breeding and his stride, I thought he was set up to ultimately go two turns,” Breen said Monday. “I was really waiting on more of a distance race. He surprised me the way he won the first time out going six furlongs while being on the lead like that.”
As Seen On Tv tried stakes company in his second start, finishing second behind heavily favored Meru in the six-furlong Smoke Glacken at Monmouth. Meru subsequently returned to finish a distant second behind Independence Hall in the Grade 3 Nashua at Aqueduct.
“Here I thought I had a distance horse and all of a sudden he’s up close and running well in races going in 1:08 and change, 1:09 and change,” Breen said. “It’s ironic, but now I have to try to get him to relax a little bit to get him to go a distance.”
Breen, who is splitting his 40-horse stable pretty much down the middle this winter between Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park, said he’ll take a wait-and-see attitude with As Seen On Tv following his win in the Juvenile Sprint.
“He came out of the race well,” Breen said. “We’ll try to figure out a plan from here, maybe look to stretch him out as we go along.”
Along with having As Seen On Tv based locally this winter, Breen also is anxiously awaiting the return of his multiple graded stakes winner Valedictorian, who has been enjoying a brief break on the farm in Ocala, Fla. Valedictorian captured the Grade 3 Suwannee River last winter at Gulfstream Park, one of her three wins during a 2019 campaign that also included a victory in the Grade 3 Eatontown at Monmouth.
Wildwood’s Beauty still sharp
One of the stars on Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Preview card was Wildwood’s Beauty, who rallied to a 1 3/4-length decision over Heiressall in the seven-furlong Distaff Preview. The win was the fourth in nine tries this year for the 3-yearold daughter of Kantharos, who is trained by Scott Becker for his principal client William Stiritz.
Among those wins was the Sophomore Fillies in March and the Ivanavinalot in May at Tampa Bay Downs.
“She’d been training outstanding and I thought with a good trip she would be tough to beat,” said Becker, who is based in the Midwest but was on hand for the race last Saturday. “I gave her a break after she won those stakes at Tampa last winter and pointed her for the Sheer Drama, which she also won. Thus far, everything has worked out well as far as she’s been concerned this year.”
Becker said Wildwood’s Beauty was a difficult horse to train as a 2-year-old, but has matured as the year has progressed.
“I put blinkers on her when she first started, but have since taken them off as she’s gotten older,” Becker said. “Seven furlongs to a mile is ideal for her, although against the right field I think she’ll go a mile and one-sixteenth since she is a three-quarter cross to Mr. Jordan.”
Becker has 25 horses stabled at Gulfstream Park along with nearly 50 more at Fairmount Park and a third string at Hawthorne.
Stiritz “has always had a home in Delray Beach and he’s purchased a lot of horses at the Florida sales,” said Becker when asked why he races in Florida while based primarily in Illinois. “I currently have about 40 2-year-old Floridabreds for him, and I really like the fact we can race year round down there.”
◗ Racing resumes at Gulfstream Park West on Wednesday with an eight-race program featuring a carryover of $727,235 in the Rainbow 6 pool. The Rainbow 6 has not been hit over the last 30 racing programs since being taken down for $2.2 million on Sept. 27 at Gulfstream Park.