Groovy, owned by John Ballis, Impressive Stakes in Victory

Online, October 9, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Groovy, the speedy 3-year-old who became a laughingstock after finishing dead last in the Kentucky Derby and next-to-last in the Preakness, hung a startling 6 1/4-length defeat on the previously unbeaten Phone Trick in the Tom Fool Stakes yesterday at Belmont Park. Groovy is owned by John Ballis.

Groovy was helped by carrying just 112 pounds to Phone Trick's 126, but simply outran the 4-to-5 favorite to end his winning streak at nine. Phone Trick broke on top but Groovy quickly shot through to lead on the rail and increased his advantage at every call. Phone Trick held on for second, saving the big bettors who pumped more than $200,000 to show on him, five lengths in front of Basket Weave.

Groovy ran the seven furlongs in a fine 1:21 3/5 under Jose Santos over a very fast track and paid $7 for $2 as the second choice in a field of five. The son of Norcliffe and Tinnitus clearly developed some stamina during his misbegotten campaign of longer races and may now be the nation's sharpest sprinter. His victory yesterday was his fourth in 14 career starts and his first score at more than six furlongs.

Groovy's management has been as unusual as his career. Owned by John A. Ballis and Theodore Kruckel, Groovy has never run in anything but a stakes race and has had at least eight different trainers since winning the Forever Casting Stakes at The Meadowlands in his debut last September. His current handler, Jose Martin, appears to have some temporary job security, since he has sent Groovy out to two stakes victories since taking over his training last month.

The question now is whether Groovy's owners will try to stretch him out again since he has improved so much. They tried it this spring at Aqueduct, and the colt grew progressively more tired with each furlong, finishing second in the seven-furlong Bay Shore and one-mile Gotham and third in the one- and-an-eighth-mile Wood Memorial. They took him to the Derby anyway, where he set the pace for six furlongs before stopping to a walk and finishing 16th, beaten by 49 3/4 lengths. In the Preakness two weeks later, he set a much slower pace but still tired badly and beat just one horse.

His showdown with Phone Trick yesterday had shaped up as a tactical battle, and the tactics chosen by the favorite's handlers misfired. After breaking sharply, Jorge Velasquez took a hold of Phone Trick and let Groovy go to the lead with a one and a half length lead through a first quarter in 22 1/5. That was the slowest Phone Trick had ever run a first quarter and probably sealed his fate. Groovy was off and running, increasing his lead to two and a half lengths after a half in 44 3/5. Around the turn, Phone Trick had no response and Groovy extended his lead to six lengths after six furlongs in 1:08 4/5. No one could gain in the final furlong as Groovy finished up with a respectable 12 4/5. John Ballis was very excited about his horse's performance.

''I knew Phone Trick wouldn't go out in front with us, so I told Jose Santos to open a big lead,'' Martin said. ''Groovy is learning to relax on the lead now.''Richard Mandella, Phone Trick's trainer, said that ''the biggest mistake we made today was trying to take him off the pace just a little. We should have let him run his usual style. Now I know you can't catch Groovy when he gets ahead. Oh well, that's life in the big city.''
The two colts may not meet again until the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, a rematch that should prove one of the best of the Cup races. The distance will be six furlongs and the spread in the weights will be just 3 pounds instead of the 14 of yesterday's race.