Columnist Ralph Siraco: Dubai star, Beautiful Pleasure show top form

Ralph Siraco

Monday, June 26, 2000 | 10:06 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday on the scoreboard page. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107.

Now that the road through the Triple Crown -- as bumpy as it was for some -- is complete, racing's "second season" will take us to the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in November.

And as the calendar officially ushers in the summer of 2000, here are some happenings in racing as seen in notes scribbled across my Daily Racing Form. ...

The winner of the July 9 Hollywood Gold Cup will occupy the top spot on the Left Coast list, but the European imports were in action last week.

England's Royal Ascot was the setting for a big Euro-showdown between the sensational Dubai Millennium and Sandawar.

Dubai Millennium was making his first start since a devastating performance in winning the Dubai World Cup in late March. Sandawar had the conditioning edge on his rival, and that may have been the reason for his status as slight favorite over the Dubai "wonder horse."

But the anticipated match race turned into a one-horse exhibition as Dubai Millennium, with American rider Jerry Bailey subbing for regular rider Frankie Dettori, jumped out to an early lead and went on to widen his margin over the 1 1/4-mile run. Dubai Millennium's eight-length victory was just as impressive -- if not moreso -- than his triumph in the desert. Sandawar checked in a well-beaten third.

Bailey, who has ridden almost every top American handicap horse, was asked to compare Dubai Millennium to his stateside counterparts.

Bailey was sober and simple in his reply.

"I haven't seen anything on the other side of the pond that could touch him (Dubai Millennium)," he said.

Although Bailey rode flawlessly, the mount will be retained by Dettori when he returns from injuries sustained in a plane crash earlier this month.

There is an intense and unusual bidding process for the breeding rights of owner Fusao Sekiguchi's pride and joy, and one of the points of negotiation is when the horse will retire. With estimates at $50 million for the price tag on Fusaichi Pegasus, breeders won't want to waste any time before sending the Derby winner to the breeding shed.

Preakness Stakes winner Red Bullet is getting ready for his next start on the way to the Travers at Saratoga, with the Breeders' Cup Classic his eventual goal.

Derby and Belmont Stakes runner-up Aptitude will take the summer off, according to trainer Bobby Frankel. Frankel said he plans a fall campaign for Aptitude, but the Breeders' Cup Classic may not be on the schedule.

Two mares staked their claim over the weekend for a start on the championship day program. On Saturday at Belmont Park, Beautiful Pleasure won the Hempstead Handicap with an overwhelming performance. The 1999 Breeders' Cup Distaff and Eclipse Award winner is back in top form. She has put together back-to-back runaway victories in recent outings and looks to be right on target for a Distaff defense.

Sunday at Hollywood Park, Riboletta extended her West Coast dominance with a decisive victory in the Vanity Handicap. She has won 4 of 7 starts this year -- with the last three in a row -- and would have to be supplemented to the Breeders' Cup Distaff at a cost of $200,000. The Brazilian import might be heading for a showdown with Beautiful Pleasure at Saratoga. Plans have her running in the Go For Wand at the upstate spa, a race that Beautiful Pleasure is expected to also enter. The Saratoga "test run" could determine whether owner Arron U. Jones writes the check for the Breeders' Cup Distaff eligibility.

On Sunday at Louisiana Downs, Hallowed Dreams reeled off her 15th consecutive victory. That's right -- 15 in a row, and she has amassed that record while remaining undefeated. The homebred filly has run all 15 of her races in Louisiana and can tie the great male legends Citation and Cigar with a victory in her next start.

Of course, Citation and Cigar accomplished their records running against much tougher competition. Even so, the little 3-year-old filly is scheduled to make history in Florida. If all goes as planned, the daughter of Malagra (by Majestic Light) is scheduled to run in the July 15 Azalea Breeders' Cup at Calder. The six-furlong sprint is part of the "Summit of Speed" series and will provide the stiffest test of her career. If she gets to Sweet 16, she'll have earned it.

Although the Friday night event went to the tiebreaker formula for the first time in its history, Prado needed to win the last race in the series to capture the crown. If there is a tie, then the winner is the rider who has the best finish in the fourth and final event. When Prado won the fourth event, to give him 12 of the 19 points needed to win, his victory also assured him of the best finish as well. Prado and Meche beat an all-star roster that included Kent Desormeaux, Pat Day and the world's winningest jockey, Laffit Pincay, Jr.

Speaking of Pincay, a charity auction was held in conjunction with the All-Star Championship, and the boots and goggles that Pincay wore when he broke the all-time record brought exactly $1 per record victory. The paraphernalia was sold for $8,834, matching the record 8,834 victories that Pincay amassed to gain the world record.