Presious Passion Eyes Repeat Win in United Nations

By Ellis Starr

The 56th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 United Nations Stakes features last year’s winner, Presious Passion, as well as 10 year old Better Talk Now, who has earned more than $4 million in his long and illustrious career. Presious Passion enters the United Nations on the heels of a game win in the Monmouth Stakes three weeks ago by a nose over Banrock, who ran the best race of his career in the Monmouth. Strike a Deal attempts to make up the neck he was beaten by Presious Passion in this race last year. Strike a Deal may have improving to do off his seventh place Monmouth Stakes effort as he is making his third start after coming back from a lengthy layoff. Brass Hat enters the United Nations on the heels of a win in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap by a half length over Spice Route, with both veterans capable of repeating or bettering their recent efforts. Court Vision, Lauro and Wesley round out the field.

Brass Hat earned a career best winning speed figure of 122 when taking the Louisville Handicap in May. Two races prior to that, Brass Hat earned a 123 Equibase® Speed Figure when fifth (beaten a length and one-quarter) in the Grade 2 Mervin Munoz Jr. Handicap. In the Louisville, Brass Hat proved that he is as tough at the age of eight as he was at the age of six when taking the Grade 1 Mass Cap or as a 5-year-old when winning the Grade 1 Donn Handicap, both run on dirt. Having now proven as formidable in marathon graded stakes races on the turf, Brass Hat could be in line to win his first Grade 1 on the turf in the United Nations.

Strike a Deal could run as well in the 2009 edition of the United Nations as he did last year when rallying strongly to miss by a neck on the wire to Presious Passion. Following a seven length win last November at the distance of the United Nations in the Grade 2 Red Smith Handicap, Strike a Deal returned to the races in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes more than six months later, beaten just two and one-half lengths in a respectable effort. Although he finished seventh in the Monmouth following the Dixie, Strike a Deal improved to a 114 . With another step forward in his third start off the lengthy layoff a good possibility, Strike a Deal has every right to duplicate or better the 117 figure earned winning the Red Smith, which would be six points greater than Presious Passion earned winning the United Nations last year.

Presious Passion is nothing if not game, as evidenced by the fact he came back to win by a nose in the Monmouth Stakes after being passed and finding himself a length behind with one-eighth of a mile to go. Earning a career best 119 with that victory and having been no worse than second in his last five races, four of those graded stakes, it is admittedly difficult to rate Presious Passion this far down the list of win contenders. Likely to pose an elusive target on the front end in the United Nations just as he was last year, Presious Passion has every right to win this event for the second year in a row.

Banrock came up a nose short to Presious Passion in the Monmouth, earning a career best 119 figure in the process. Last fall in the Red Smith, Banrock was only three-quarters of a length from runner-up Lauro with no chance of catching seven length runaway winner Strike a Deal, giving us two examples that he fits at this level and could be very competitive in the United Nations. Spice Route was just a half length behind Brass Hat in the Louisville, earning a career best 122 figure in the process. Prior to that, Spice Route won that Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes, beating Brass Hat by two lengths, so he is another that must warrant respect as a contender in the United Nations.

The rest of the field with their best representative Equibase® Speed Figures is Better Talk Now (120), Court Vision (120), Lauro (117) and Wesley (113).