Indian Blessing: Now that was fun to watch

Saratoga Springs, New York

She may be limited in terms of distance but Indian Blessing is quite simply – fun to watch.

Her demolition of the Test on Saturday was a study in study in pure dominance. True, the other five are not in her league but at 7 furlongs she may be the only three-year-old filly who is member of that league. She now has four Grade 1 titles, is 7-for-9 overall and down the road will be a tough customer in her return to the Breeders’ Cup – more than likely for the Filly & Mare Sprint.

John Velazquez: “It’s pretty simple: she broke good, stayed in the middle of the track in the first part of the race and by the three-eighths pole, I just gave her her head and she was all there.”

Bob Baffert: “She’s gotten better. After that last race, we found a dimension where she can relax. We were afraid to take her back and thought it would be disastrous. She’s matured and learned how to relax. It’s fun to be in this situation. Today, she reminded me of the great fillies I had trained: Silverbulletday and Chilukki.

“She looked fantastic in the paddock. I thought there weren’t any excuses. You can tell that Johnny (Velazquez) was on cruise control. He was cruising around and then he turned her loose. Once she got away clean, I knew she was going to drag him to the lead. It’s exciting for me to win the Test. I would like to keep her on the dirt. I’m going to wait and enjoy this right now.”

Notes …

A Marylou Whitney-owned unplaced maiden in Saturday’s second race may well have been named for disgraced head of New York government Eliot Spitzer, who resigned his office, much to the relief of most New Yorkers, after being exposed as a regular customer of high-priced prostitutes – a colt by Ten Most Wanted named … Love Gov.

After eight days of bloodshed at the admission gates and betting windows here, NYRA finally had a positive day on Friday, when attendance, 19,435, was up by 1,275 over the second Friday of the 2007 meeting and wagering was up by $673,930.

Bettors who atempted to access NYRA accounts on Saturday via the Internet were greeted by a message begging forgiveness for technical difficulty with the application. There may be no one less forgiving than a bettor who finds himself shut out because NYRA can’t keep the site up and running.

Here’s a useful email address. Though published in the “NYRA Team Overnighter,” which is a printed pep-talk intended for employees and invites ideas that would enhance the racing experience for patrons, direct communication between patrons and the management is never a bad idea. So, have a bright idea or a good rant: Write: ideasforcharlie@nyrainc.com.

Here’s an idea: Let’s get back to the nine-race weekday cards the 10-race weekends. Obviously, more racing is doing nothing to stimulate the handle.

Carl Nafzger, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday, has not yet written his acceptance speech. “I’m a more spontaneous type,” he said. “You can’t thank everyone because that would take an hour and a half. But there’s still a lot to be said.”

Fasig-Tipton announced on Saturday that it will pay the nomination and entry fees for horses which run in any of the six graded stakes for two-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course in 2009 that are sold at the 2008 Saratoga sale. The sale is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Richard Migliore, who has ridden sparingly here since returning to New York, found the winner’s circle in a very big way in Saturday’s fifth race. Storm On the Track got up late to collar Pennington and paid $41.00. Welcome home, Richie.