Trio Work Toward Louisiana Derby. Friesan Fire (Looking Good), twice a winner in Grade III competition at Fair Grounds this winter, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 (8/41) at the track yesterday in preparation for the 96th running of the Grade II Louisiana Derby on March 14. Regular rider Gabriel Saez was aboard the Larry Jones trainee for Monday's breeze. He's scheduled to retain the mount for the Louisiana Derby.
Another Louisiana Derby probable starter--Uno Mas (Worth Watching)--was also on Monday's work tab with a six-furlong breeze in 1:14.80 (2/7). Uno Mas, conditioned by Steve Asmussen, ran third in the Risen Star and fourth in the Lecomte. He's expected to be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan in the Louisiana Derby.
Soul Warrior (Just In Case), possible for the Louisiana Derby and another one from the barn of Asmussen, was also clocked in 1:14.80 (2/7) during his six-furlong breeze on Monday.
Kentucky Derby JewelsComment Email Print Share By Jay Cronley
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
It's not too early to start thinking about the Kentucky Derby. Not to speak disparagingly of the thick lint that they're racing on in certain locales, the product that the Europeans fancy, it's always good to get back to the basics of good old American dirt.
Here's an early Kentucky Derby primer.
Beware of extremes
Few Derbies are stolen up front or cashed from way back. There's a good reason for that. Derby horses are too good. This isn't a five-horse field out west where a 105 Beyer would translate to about a 93 in a full field elsewhere; or a rack full of dumb jockeys in the sticks, nine or ten of whom sprint for the lead out of habit.
Concerning late horses, the deep closers, they're like the Mickey Mantle baseball cards you tossed; it's like your ex-spouse marrying a billionaire; it's like the intelligent and pretty person who is allergic to your good dog: Late horses are heart-breakers.
Beware of success on the heavy lint
The fake dirt. Sometimes horses seen coming around the turn for home at Santa Anita look like Apollo Ohno, the speed skater, as they occasionally spin their shoes trying to hold traction and avoid drifting toward the outside rail.
Some fake dirt appears so shallow as to have been sprinkled.
Artificial racing surfaces have given rise to the phrase horse for the discourse.
Beware of elitism
Regional loyalty is part of the charm of the Triple Crown, 95 percent of the people watching at Oaklawn cheering the first Saturday in May for the Arkansas Derby winner.
But looking crossways at a winner from a track like Delta Downs can be bad business. Defeating a full field of rowdies at Delta, as Pioneer of the Nile did, is hard and honest work.
Be aware of an open mind
It's March, so who do I like in the Derby?
Here's who: One of those who survives the Beware List here; one of those who looks good after the post position draw, mid-week.
What's the rush?
If you put the time and energy wasted on nonsense like NCAA men's hoop bracketology to better use, we could have solved the recession. Who cares who the last teams into the basketball tournament are; the last teams in are junk, last in, first out.
Having to pick horses early is the hardest thing about the great job of handicapping for the globe.
So much changes the weather, the surface bias, the humans or the horses picking the night before can be too early.
Beware of experts
An expert's value is born of another's insecurity. What horse race experts know best is how to give a job interview.
Whereas extreme running styles are bad risks in the Derby, extremes in picking records are invaluable.
Who doesn't need advice once in a while; I listen only to handicappers who are proven winners.
Rotten handicappers are the most consistent things at a race track. Some friends and I go in on some Derby and big-race wagers and rely 100 percent on eliminating selections made by bad pickers. When a terrible handicapper puts a "value" tag on a runner, not only can you eliminate this horse from consideration, you up your wagers on others.
When a bad handicapper touts a three-horse Exacta box, it gets a little complicated, because one choice is apt to run second, the other two out.
Expert pickers have a hard time ditching the obvious. The obvious is not only the favorite in a race. Sometimes a 10-1 shot can appear obvious because of insignificant trouble that is overly evident to everybody and his tout sheet.
Be aware of small stuff
Human body language is important.
The terrific series "Jockeys" on the Animal Planet demonstrates how riders and trainers carry themselves before wins and losses.
Success over a track is important. Trendy picks seldom win. A trendy pick is one the celebrities can understand.
Getting back to the economy, I have chosen to cut back elsewhere, not at the races.
At No. 4, he could be too low. He could even be too low at No. 3, where I put him. But since I voted, Ive looked and analyzed some more. Quality Roads Fountain of Youth victory Saturday looks better and grander with each return to it, with each new examination and from every perspective.
But Old Fashioned sits atop of the first National Thoroughbred Association Triple Crown poll to come out this year. Its a poll of 21 media types. Heres the rundown:
1. Old Fashioned
2. Pioneerof The Nile
3. The Pamplemousse
4. Quality Road
5. Stardom Bound
6. Friesan Fire
7. Dunkirk
8. Desert Party
9. Hello Broadway
10. Beethoven
Among the other horses receiving votes are Take The Points, Patena, Theregoesjojo, Haynesfield, Giant Oak and, strangely enough, Midshipman, who hasnt raced this year and who, after an injury, is no longer even on the road to the Triple Crown. Almost as strange, three of the top five horses in the poll race on Californias synthetic surfaces and may or may not transcribe their talents accurately onto dirt. Of those, The Pamplemousse in particular looks like a potential turf-synthetic specialist, given his high, pounding action.
Anyway, even at No. 4, Quality Road could be too low. In the context of Saturdays races at Gulfstream Park, the Fountain of Youth was conspicuously outstanding; but in the context of the tracks peculiar mile races, Quality Roads effort becomes luminous.
The splits for the Fountain of Youth, you probably noticed, were at the very least odd 23.83 the first quarter and 21.72 the next, for a 45.55 opening half-mile. The peculiarly slow opening quarter suggests somethings up a teletimer malfunction, a misplaced pole, an uphill climb. Obviously the horses run-up to the pole, where the clocking begins, is negligible for these races, and thats a large part of the explanation, maybe all of it, but Im not sure thats sufficient to account for the discrepancy between what the opening quarter was and what it should have been.
Fortunately, though, for handicappers, the weirdness is consistent. In the 11 one-mile races run last week on Gulfstreams main track, the average quarter-mile and half-mile splits were 24.55 and 47.70. Take the Fountain of Youth out of the mix, and the averages were 24.63 and 47.91. And, keep in mind, thats all straightaway. Although the pace didnt seem especially fast, the Fountain of Youth was the only one-mile race all week with a sub-46 opening half; in only one other race was the opening half under 47 seconds. In Sundays Davona Dale, Frolics Dream, one of the quickest fillies around, led early through splits of 24.48 and 47.39.
As for the Fountain of Youths three-quarter split, 1:09.40, that stands out like a redwood in a pine forest. After the strange opening quarter, This Ones For Phil ran the next half-mile in 45.57, partly around a turn, and Quality Road made up a length on him. The average three-quarter split for the week was 1:12.84. Not counting the Fountain of Youth, it was 1:13.19, and in only four races was the opening six-furlong split under 1:13, the second-fastest for the week being 1:12.30.
As for Quality Roads final time, 1:35.01, that, too, is towering. The average for the week was 1:38.60. Not including the Fountain of Youth, it was 1:38.96. In winning the Davona Dale by 3 3/4 lengths, Justwhistledixie ran the second-fastest mile of the week, 1:37.67, which, of course, is about 13 lengths slower than Quality Roads effort.
And so what does all this mean? Well, for one thing, it means the Fountain of Youth was superlative. For another, it means that Quality Road, even though he has yet to race around two turns, probably should be higher than No. 4. And, for yet another, it means he could become a superstar.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- The road to the 135th Kentucky Derby veered into several lanes over the weekend, an autobahn for stakes winners Quality Road and The Pamplemousse, potholes for Capt. Candyman Can and This Ones For Phil, and a stop sign for Midshipman and Notonthesamepage.
Here at Santa Anita, The Pamplemousse turned in the best race of his career, romping to a six-length victory in the Grade 3, $200,000 Sham Stakes, in which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 103. His trainer, Julio Canani, arrived at the winner's circle fighting back tears, which he did successfully, but it was a window into how much this Derby chase means to him.
"Everybody wants to knock him," Canani said, referring to The Pamplemousse, when asked why he was so emotional.
"It's fun, but more pressure," Canani said a few minutes later. "I don't know how to take pressure."
The Pamplemousse, the odds-on favorite at 1-2, was flawless Saturday, leading from start to finish in the 1 1/8-mile race. It was his third straight win, all since he was stretched out around two turns. But as easily as The Pamplemousse won the race, he was noticeably winded in the winner's circle afterward, unlike the effortless appearance he gave in his brilliant, recent works.
Canani said The Pamplemousse would make his next start in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4. That would give The Pamplemousse five weeks until that race and another four until the Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2.
"This colt improves every time," Canani said. "He's still growing."
Canani left little to chance. Deeply superstitious, he wore the exact same pants and shirt that he had on when The Pamplemousse won his previous start, the San Rafael Stakes. He also had the computer bag of Jackie Licht - the teenage daughter of Roger Licht, who is a friend of Canani's and a former California Horse Racing Board chairman - locked in a bear hug. Seems Canani was left holding that bag when his horse Spring House won the San Luis Obispo Handicap six days earlier, so it has become a rather oversized, and heavy, good-luck charm.
Take the Points, who finished second, and Mr. Hot Stuff, who was third, both have the Santa Anita Derby as their next likely spot, though Take the Points could ship elsewhere.
"The Santa Anita Derby is certainly a possibility, as are a number of other races that weekend or the Blue Grass the following weekend," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Take the Points. "We'll sit back and see what happens in the San Felipe" - to be run here March 14, featuring Pioneerof the Nile - "and what the complexion of the Santa Anita Derby looks like."
Eoin Harty, who trains Mr. Hot Stuff, was impressed with the way his colt finished and galloped out.
"He's just a doofus," Harty said. "With three-sixteenths of a mile to go, he decides, I better get to running. The outrider had to pull him up afterwards."
At Gulfstream Park, Quality Road took advantage of his outside post to roll to victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, his second win in three starts, all around one turn. He got a 113 Beyer. His trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, on Monday said Quality Road would either come back in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 28 or await the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4.
"There are pros and cons to each race," said Jerkens, who likes training at the Palm Meadows facility in South Florida.
Quality Road was not an early nominee to the Triple Crown for $600 in January. Jerkens said that was an unfortunate oversight that would be corrected by the end of this month, when a second nomination deadline falls, this time for $6,000.
Theregoesjojo, second in the Fountain of Youth, will come back in either the Florida Derby or await the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 11, trainer Ken McPeek said.
Beethoven, third in the Fountain of Youth, will run next in the Florida Derby, trainer John T. Ward Jr. said.
Capt. Candyman Can (fourth) and This Ones For Phil (fifth) both disappointed in the race and may not continue down the Derby trail, said their respective trainers, Ian Wilkes and Richard Dutrow Jr.
Midshipman and Notonthesamepage are out of consideration for the Derby. Notonthesamepage bled in his trachea in the Fountain of Youth, trainer Wesley Ward said.
Midshipman, last year's champion 2-year-old male when trained by Bob Baffert in California, suffered a soft-tissue injury in his left front leg last week in Dubai and will miss the entire Triple Crown, according to a statement posted on the website of his owner, Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin Racing.
The specific injury was not disclosed, but soft-tissue injuries could range from something as minor as a muscle pull to something as major as a bowed tendon.
Midshipman was purchased last year by Sheikh Mohammed and was sent to Dubai, to be trained by Saeed bin Suroor, following his victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was scheduled to make his first start as a 3-year-old this Thursday night at Nad Al Sheba.
"It is a huge shame as he had been pleasing us enormously and was ready to make his reappearance next Thursday," Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager, said in the statement. "He is scheduled to return to America in early April, and hopefully he will be back on the track later in the season."
Imperial Council a new type for McGaughey
By David Grening
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - For the last 23 years and counting, trainer Shug McGaughey's success in Thoroughbred racing has been directly linked with the Phipps family. But if McGaughey is to make a return to the Kentucky Derby for the first time in seven years, his best chance appears to be with a colt owned by an old friend who has started a new venture.
Imperial Council, a classically bred 3-year-old, will attempt to jump on the Triple Crown trail in earnest Saturday when he makes his stakes debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham at Aqueduct. The 1 1/16-mile Gotham will be Imperial Council's first start around two turns.
Imperial Council is owned by Sequoia Racing, a partnership group started in 2007 by longtime horseman Reynolds Bell Jr., whose relationship with McGaughey goes back 35 years. Bell, 56, is the son of Alice Chandler and the stepson of John Chandler, who owned Mill Ridge Farm, for which Bell served as general manager for 10 years before starting a bloodstock and consulting business in 1991.
With Sequoia Racing, Bell's goal is to buy colts in the $150,000 to $500,000 range that could make solid racehorses and go on to become top stallion prospects. In addition to McGaughey - who has two horses for the partnership - Sequoia also employs trainers Michael Matz, Kiaran McLaughlin, and Barclay Tagg.
Bell said the makeup of Sequoia is two-thirds established owners and one-third newcomers to the sport. Bell declined to name his Sequoia partners, saying that "if we have success, you'll see a lot of these folks start showing up at the races, and I'll let them talk about it."
Sequoia purchased 15 yearling colts in 2007 and the same number in 2008. Thus far, Imperial Council, who at $130,000 was the least expensive yearling purchase the group made in 2007, has shown the most potential.
Imperial Council, a son of Empire Maker, has won 2 of 3 starts. He finished second to the highly regarded Hello Broadway in his debut last summer at Saratoga before winning a maiden race at Belmont in October. Bothered by shins, Imperial Council was given some time off before winning an allowance race at Gulfstream Park by two lengths on Feb. 14.
Imperial Council has yet to run beyond seven furlongs. As a son of the Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker out of the Thunder Gulch mare Jaramar Rain, Imperial Council is bred to have success going long. In all three of his races, he has shown tactical speed that puts him right in his races from the start.
"What's surprised me so much about this horse is he's bred to go long and two turns, but he's got such a quick turn of foot," Bell said. "He's got so much tactical speed, I'm not sure where it comes from."
According to McGaughey, Imperial Council has a good mind as well. You wouldn't have suspected that, however, from his debut. While being saddled at Saratoga, Imperial Council kicked the back wall of a saddling stall and was a handful to saddle. Still, after breaking slowly, he got himself into contention, made the lead turning for home, and just got outfinished by Hello Broadway, losing by a neck.
"I was shocked when he acted up," said the 58-year-old McGaughey, a 2004 Hall of Fame inductee. "He never showed a sign of doing anything wrong. He got really upset that day. The second time we ran him he reared up one time, then he was fine. The other day, he never made a move, and he won't make a move at Aqueduct either."
McGaughey shipped Imperial Council on Tuesday from his Payson Park base in Florida to Aqueduct, and the colt was to train there for a few days before the race. Initially, the Gotham was not on McGaughey's radar for Imperial Council. McGaughey has won the Gotham three times, including in 1989 with Easy Goer, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby.
"If you asked me before he ran last time, I don't know that I would have mentioned the Gotham," said McGaughey, who has not run a horse in the Derby since Saarland finished 10th for Cynthia Phipps in 2002. "But he's done so well since then, and it's a good spot for him going a mile and a sixteenth on a regular [dirt] track. He's trained so well down here since his race - that's what makes it so exciting."
Canani the outsider hits new heights
By Jay Hovdey
ARCADIA, Calif. - Julio Canani was on the roof. Don't worry. It was no big deal. In the wake of The Pamplemousse's comprehensive victory in the Sham Stakes a half-hour earlier, the trainer was hardly a candidate to jump for anything but joy. He knows all the nooks and crannies of Santa Anita, though, and going from the claustrophobia of the Directors Room to the raucous expanse of the blue-collar friendly Frontrunner Restaurant required merely a quick elevator trip to the press box level, a 25-yard trot across the roof, and descent through a winding, backstage staircase. Voila! His public awaited.
The idea of Canani in the Directors Room was weird enough. It's just as well he fled. Chances are, there have been more informally attired stakes-winning trainers lifting champagne flutes to significant events, but none come to mind. Over the years, Santa Anita has shed most if its Old Pasadena, high-society sheen. Commoners - including, gasp, the media - have become welcome in formerly hallowed enclaves. This, of course, falls into the category of not wanting to be a member of a club that would want me as a member, but that's another tale.
Canani, who is from Peru, feels enough of an outsider as it is, and thrives. He wears his otherness as a defensive cloak, so thick at times that it tends to hide the fact that he is a remarkable horseman who gets astonishingly consistent results from animals who, in his words, were either "retreads or cucarachas" in the eyes of previous handlers.
The Pamplemousse, a $150,000 2-year-old purchase, is not one of those, although Canani will wave four fingers in your face - like Joseph McCarthy with his list of Commies in the State Department - and tell you that four different veterinarians turned down the big gray colt for clients who were in the market for a potential Derby horse.
"They look at his tendons, they thought he was too big, too clumsy," Canani said before the Sham. "He's beautiful. The thing I worry about is that he will do too much. I never work him fast. I woke up at two o'clock last night, worried he might try to do too much in this race."
It is a reasonable fear. Some Thoroughbreds are too fast for their own good. The Pamplemousse won the Sham by six lengths, just cruising at the end and shading 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles. This is racehorse time, even on a Pro-Ride surface that can lean toward quick. And forget about concerns that The Pamplemousse won't be able to handle the switch to dirt down the road. His high, ground-churning action would seem suited to any main track, unless they turn Churchill Downs into a squash court. Now it's Canani's job to keep the lid on until the time is right.
"I called Julio one day, just to check on things," said Bill Strauss, who owns 20 percent of The Pamplemousse with his brother, Jeff. "I asked him, 'How's our baby?' "
Canani's reply:
"He's no baby. He's a monster."
One of the good guys
The check for $5.7 million cleared and the new IEAH silks looked just fine atop champion Stardom Bound when she made her 3-year-old debut in the Las Virgenes Stakes last month. Every time she runs, though, the spirit of former owner Charlie Cono pervades the atmosphere, as it will again this Saturday when Stardom Bound runs in the Santa Anita Oaks.
It is probably inappropriate to wish for a win as a get well gesture for Cono, 75, who is battling the one-two punch of lupus and pulmonary fibrosis. Let's just say the sight of her, even on television, will do him good.
The last time Cono was seen by the racing public was at the Eclipse Awards ceremony in Miami Beach, Jan. 26, accepting Stardom Bound's honor alongside trainer Chris Paasch. The filly was odds-on, but the owner was a longshot to make the ceremony.
"He shouldn't have been there, but I'm glad he went," Paasch said earlier this week. "It was certainly the culmination of a great year. Going up on stage, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs and said, 'I can't make it.' I told him to just stop, take a little break, and tell me when you're ready. After a few seconds he said, 'Okay, let's go.' "
Stardom Bound was Cono's benediction, a farewell flourish to active participation in a sport he'd loved since his teens in Washington, D.C., when his fellow bellhops were also jockeys, and his track of convenient choice was Bowie. It was less than 10 years ago, though, that Cono got serious about plowing some of his San Diego real estate fortune into a first- class string of Thoroughbreds. With Paasch buying and training, they had a decent collection of decent stakes horses. Then came Stardom Bound.
Cono's legacy in the Southern California community was assured long ago, particularly as a driving financial force behind the Fresh Start Surgical Gifts program, which provides free surgical services to young people with physical deformities. Cono's concern now is that he lives long enough to see another of his projects to completion - the new campus in north San Diego County that will expand the reach of the Training, Education & Research Institute (TERI), serving children who are autistic or severely developmentally disabled.
"Charlie told me once that he thought God put people on earth for different reasons," Paasch said, "and that he was put here to make a bunch of money in order to help a lot of people."
Local hero Haynesfield takes on eight others at Aqueduct on Saturday, as this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby starts to criss-cross the nation.
I Want Revenge (Looking Good) travels the most miles after being shipped in from Jeff Mullins' barn in Southern California. Shug McGaughey and Todd Pletcher send Imperial Council (Worth Watching) and Masala up from Florida. And Russell Road has taken an unlikely highway from West Virginia.
Waiting for them along with Haynesfield (Worth Watching), winner of the Count Fleet and Whirlaway Stakes at the Big A, are Naos, who's stationed for Pletcher across town at Belmont Park, and Mr. Fantasy (Worth Watching), an exciting prospect from Kiaran McLaughlin's northern division. Adding a dimension to the race is McLaughlin's Axel Foley (Worth Watching), who blew into town recently afer a poor effort for trainer Doug O'Neill in the Grade III El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 14.
Rounding out the Gotham field is Giant Ryan, born and bred in the Empire State, and trained by Bisnath Parboo.
Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, says Haynesfield is training well and expects he will be a contender.
Hes stepping up and its different competition, but thats the name of the game, he said. More money means better horses. I think he fits at this point and he hasnt proven otherwise. Im very happy about where Im at with him.
I Want Revenge will try to atone for a loss to Pioneerof the Nile and Papa Clem in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7. Mullins has decided that the son of Stephen Got Even might prefer dirt to Santa Anita's synthetic track. The colt will race with blinkers for the second time in the Gotham.
Joe (Talamo) thought he didnt get a hold of the synthetic that well and might do better on dirt, owner David Lanzman said. Thats been Jeffs opinion all along. We might as well find out now, sooner than later.
Axel Foley's blinkers days are over for now, as he'll shed them in the Gotham. They were tried on him for the first time in the El Camino Real, won by Chocolate Candy. Like I Want Revenge, Axel Foley will try dirt after a two campaigns spent on synthetic track.
Mr. Fantasy, a son of E Dubai, has only raced twice, both times at Aqueduct, and he won those races by a combined 19 lengths. His most recent victory was at the Gotham distance.
He is a very nice horse, and a very fast horse according to the sheets, said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. But, you dont really know who he has beaten yet, what the level of competition has been. Having said that, he has done everything weve asked of him so far and done it easily. He even won from post 10 last time out. The Gotham will be a big test for him because he is going to face tougher and even more seasoned horses.
Imperial Council, a son of Empire Maker, should enjoy going around two turns for the first time. The Gotham will be only his fourth career start, and the second this year. In his most recent outing, Imperial Council was impressive winning a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream on Feb. 14.
I look forward to running him two turns, trainer Shug McGaughey said. I think what weve been doing with him, sprinting, isnt what he wants to do naturally, so I dont think the distance will be a problem.
Masala, who, like Imperial Council, is experiened on dirt, most recently finished second to Take the Points in a Gulfstream Park allowance race. Take the Points shipped to California, where he finished second in last Saturday's Grade III Sham Stakes. Masala will get support if for no other reason than he broke his maiden at Aqueduct last November. That contest took place on a muddy/sealed track going two turns.
Russell Road is an outsider, having spent his time blowing away opponents at Charles Town, where he won five straight races last year, including the West Virginia Futurity. He returned to the races at Laurel Park on Jan. 31 and took the Dancing Count Stakes at 3-5 odds. The Gotham will be the first race beyond seven furlongs for the son of Wheaton.
Hes a pretty nice horse at Charles Town, and even though it was a short field (in the Dancing Count), he ran pretty good, said trainer James W. Casey. We thought wed try him against better competition to get a better line on him. He looks like he wants to go farther, and we know well be meeting tougher horses here, but hes beaten the ones weve had so far pretty easy and hes running his best parts late.
There are some interesting jockey moves in the Gotham. Joe Talamo will come into town to retain the mount on I Want Revenge, and Alan Garcia travels from Florida via Dubai to ride Mr. Fantasy after winning on him in his debut.
Meanwhile, Edgar Prado, who's been aboard Imperial Council in all three of his starts, will be in California riding Monba in the Big Cap and Becrux in the Kilroe Mile. And Ramon Dominguez, who's ridden Haynesfield in four of his five starts, is scheduled to join Prado at Santa Anita where he has mounts on Court Vision in the Big Cap and Gio Ponti in the Kilroe.
The weather forecast for Saturday calls for a few showers with a 30% chance of rain as of this posting on March 4.
Gotham Notes
Posted March 3, 2009
Updated March 4, 2009
Edgar Prado, rider of Imperial Council (Worth Watching), wont be in New York Saturday for the Grade III Gotham. Hes going to California instead for the Big Cap. Same with Ramon Dominguez, regular rider of Haynesfield (Worth Watching). Joe Talamo, regular rider of I Want Revenge (Looking Good), is making the trip East for the Gotham.
Alan Garcia has a busy week: In Dubai on Thursday, and then in New York Friday and Saturday, including a mount on Mr. Fantasy (Worth Watching) in the Gotham
The plane carrying I Want Revenge from California to New York for the Gotham was scheduled to leave Tuesday night at midnight Pacific time.
Hello Broadway Tour to Include Stop in New York. It's off to New York for Hello Broadway after he runs in Tampa later this month.
Trainer Barclay Tagg is committed to sending Hello Broadway (Worth Watching) two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16 mile, Grade III Tampa Bay Derby on March 14. Hello Broadway's three races as a 2-year-old in New York included a second-place finish in the Grade III Nashua Stakes on Nov. 2.
I like the progression of the races to the Florida Derby this year, but it just didnt fit my horse, said Tagg. I had originally lined it up and thought the Fountain of Youth at a mile would have been great to get to the Florida Derby, but I wasnt thinking at the time that it would have made five straight one-turn races. The Florida Derby would be his only two-turn race before the Derby, and I cant risk that.
For now, Taggs chosen road to Louisville includes a stop in New York for the Grade I Wood Memorial on April 4.
We dont have much choice now, said Tagg. If he can win in Tampa, we go to New York. If he can win there, on we go to Churchill.
Hello Broadway is sitting at number 26 on our Graded Earnings Chart, launched yesterday. He has $65,700 in graded stakes earnings.
According to Gulfstream Park officials, Hello Broadway breezed today at the track under exercise rider Carl Allsop, going went six furlongs in 1:14. The work isn't recorded at Equibase.com as of this posting. It was his third workout since finishing second behind Capt. Candyman Can in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes on Jan. 30.
It went good. Just what I wanted, said Tagg, who isn't always so complimentary. He seemed pretty relaxed this morning.
Kentucky Derby Trail: Revenge is Sweet
By Steve Haskin
Updated: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 7:09 PM
Posted: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 1:37 PM
Email Print RSS ShareThisI Want Revenge is a horse on a mission. The son of Stephen Got Even has traveled across the country to get a head start on his compatriots back home. While they remain in California, content to scamper along on the synthetic surface, oblivious to the test that awaits them on May 2, I Want Revenge is willing to find out right now, once and for all, whether he will get hit by a dirt bomb or take to the loam like a kid to a sandbox.
If it turns out to be the latter and he can defeat a talented field in Saturdays Gotham Stakes (gr. III), or at least finish an exceptional second, he will rise up the Derby lists as quickly as the temperature of owner/breeder David Lanzman and trainer Jeff Mullins. Of course, their illness will be nothing more than an acute case of Derby fever that they hope will burst the thermometer.
When I won the (2001) Breeders Cup Sprint with Squirtle Squirt, I had never experienced anything like that before, Lanzman said. I heard everybody say, Its nothing like the Derby, and I almost took offense to it. But now that Ive got one thats this close I totally see where everybody was coming from. Theres nothing like this. Its not only nerve-wracking, but with all the information thats out there on the Internet I probably get three or four calls a day from some friend of mine somewhere asking me, Did you read this; did you read that? Its overwhelming, but in a good way.
Lanzman said the decision to leave California and head to the dirt was finalized after jockey Joe Talamo told them the colt did not handle the Pro-Ride surface, which had taken a good deal of rain prior to the Robert Lewis Stakes (gr. II) and was spotty throughout. I Want Revenge gained narrow lead turning for home, but didnt kick on and had to settle for third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.
Joe said at the quarter pole, it wasnt a question of whether or not we were going to win, but by how much, Lanzman said. But the horse just wasn't getting hold of the track. Joe said he thought he would do much better on dirt. And that was Jeffs opinion basically from the day we brought him in from the farm. So, we started looking for a dirt race, and the timing of the Gotham was perfect. We decided to find out now rather than later whether hell handle the dirt.
I Want Revenge is a long-striding colt who covers a lot of ground and moves with great efficiency. How that will equate to Aqueducts inner track, which in the past has been conducive to inside speed, well have to see. So far, the track has been playing pretty fair, according to the NYRA handicappers.
Although hes won only one of six races, hes never run worse than third, and he turned in a super performance in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), coming off a maiden victory to be beaten a nose by Pioneerof the Nile, who has since established himself as the leading 3-year-old colt in California, along with The Pamplemousse. In the CashCall, I Want Revenge demonstrated his agility by doing some nifty broken-field running, slicing between horses in the stretch, only to get nipped right on the wire in a gutsy effort.
Even in the Robert Lewis Stakes (gr. II), on a track he didnt care for, he still finished a credible third, beaten only 1 1/2 lengths by Pioneerof the Nile and a length behind the improving Papa Clem, who also will skip town in search of dirtier pastures in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) March 14.
I Want Revenge could very well be one of those horses who actually is better on the dirt, in which case he will continue on the Derby trail possessing all the attributes you want in a Derby horse. He has the right running style, having shown he can be effective coming from mid-pack and negotiating traffic. And hes versatile enough to have broken his maiden on the lead the whole way. Hes trained by a three-time Santa Anita Derby winner (he won three straight from 2003-2005) who has been to the Kentucky Derby four times, his best finish being a fifth by Buzzards Bay in 2005.
And finally, he has a pedigree that provides him not only with a ton of stamina top and bottom, but toughness and durability, which he gets from a tail-female family dominated by Argentine and British classic horses.
His sire, Stephen Got Even, is by A.P. Indy , out of a Coxs Ridge mare who finished third in the Gazelle Handicap (gr. I) and whose dam was a graded stakes winner and second dam a half-sister to the top-class Lord Avie.
I Want Revenges dam, Meguial, second in a group I in Argentina, is by the grade II-placed Roy, who was the leading sire in Chile for nine consecutive years and also the leading sire in Argentina. In all, he sired 125 stakes winners. Meguials broodmare sire, Fitzcarraldo, finished second, third, and fourth in the Argentine Triple Crown, in which the first and third legs are run on dirt, and was the leading sire of stakes winners in 1992. Fitzcarraldos sire, Cipayo, won the Argentine 2,000 Guineas and the group I Gran Premio Montevideo. Fitzcarraldos broodmare sire, Vervain, won the group II King Edward II Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Royal Ascot. Vervains sire, Crepello, won the English Derby and 2,000 Guineas and was the champion sire in England in 1969 and champion broodmare sire in 1974. Vervains dam, Verbena, finished second in the 1 1/2-mile Ribblesdale Stakes (Eng-II) at Royal Ascot. Finally, Meguials third dam, Media Sombra, is by Seductor, winner of the last two legs of the Argentine Triple Crown, the Gran Premio Jockey Club and Gran Premio Nacional.
So, as you can see, this pedigree is pure stamina, with enough brilliance to win Guineas in Argentina and Great Britain. For breeders looking to get away from all the inbreeding in the sport, I Want Revenge is a complete outcross, mixing classic horses from Argentina and England with names like A.P. Indy, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Mr. Prospector, Fappiano, and Blushing Groom.
The Gotham could turn out to an important prep for the Kentucky Derby this year if I Want Revenge can use it as a springboard to the Wood Memorial and the Derby.
Adding some spice to the Gotham
While all eyes will be focused on I Want Revenge, Imperial Council, and the battling New York-breds, Haynesfield and Mr. Fantasy, there is another interesting colt who could be ready for a bust-out performance. Peachtree Stables Masala, named after an Indian hot sauce, has been the quintessential pro from the day he was born, and has always done everything the right way.
The son of Lion Heart has a win, a second, and third in three career starts, and is coming off an excellent runner-up performance against Take the Points in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream, in which he broke slowly, moved up to mid-pack, and then closed well off slow fractions to be beaten two lengths on a speed-favoring track, while finishing seven lengths ahead of the third horse.
His Beyers have climbed from a 75 to an 89 to a 90, and should continue to improve. There is rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, and Masala broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths on a muddy track at Aqueduct last November. He is one to watch at a price.
His trainer Todd Pletcher also will be represented by Starlight Partners Naos, another son of Lion Heart who won his career debut impressively over this same Aqueduct inner track in December. Following a bad performance and a bad trip in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes, he went to Philly Park, stretched out to a mile and 70 yards in allowance company, and drew off to a comfortable 3 1/4-length victory, defeating Mike Trombettas highly regarded Casa dOro. Hes been working very well over the Belmont training track.
Redemption Friday
That's pretty much what Friday's 1 1/8-mile allowance race at Gulfstream is, with a number of once-promising 3-year-olds -- Well Positioned, Atomic Rain, Idol Maker, Stately Character, and Copper Cascade -- all attempting to rebound off poor performances. Two new and fascinating faces are the Smarty Jones colt Chef, an impressive maiden winner in his career debut, and the Peruvian import Al Khali -- who is now a WinStar/Pletcher horse, and who is coming off a bullet five-furlong work in :59 4/5 at Palm Meadows. The son of Medaglia d'Oro has won his last two in Peru.
Speaking of redemption, on Saturday at Gulfstream, Nicanor gets another shot in a seven-maiden race.
The HRI Kentucky Derby Power Rankings is a consensus opinion of HorseRaceInsider's editorial staff compiled and written by executive editor John Pricci. It is an amalgam of achievement and opinion relative to the merits of the 2009 Kentucky Derby class. The HRI Kentucky Derby Power Rankings will be adjusted each week following significant prep race developments.
HRI Kentucky Derby Rankings March 4, 2009
Saratoga Springs, NY, March 3, 2009--In the grand scheme of classics things, the Fasig- Tipton Fountain of Youth and Sham Stakes are but cogs in a wheel of continuing momentum towards an ultimate goal. But last weekend was more. Two stars were born. How brightly they shine--and for how long--is the reason they run races.
Not to disparage Turfway Park but well need more information to find out where the winning Proceed Bee--now four-for-six lifetime--fits with the class of 2009, that seems to have gotten better by the day. Maybe more evidence will come from the Lanes End Stakes, March 21. But given its lack of recent Derby impact, maybe not.
And so the stars glowed, one on each coast, and if Quality Road and The Pamplemousse make it into the Churchill Downs starting gate, its going to be awfully crowded up front when the herd reaches the first turn. Theres no lack of brilliance in this years Derby class.
Quality Road, eligible for preliminary allowances, asserted himself to show that hes something more, maybe much more. After an impressive juvenile debut, a festering cough, poor start and hot pace forced him to settle for place in his first start of 2009. That day Theregoesjojo raced right on by him. On Saturday Quality Road would have widened his margin on the Fountain of Youth runnerup if allowed to go around again.
A high-cruising stalker, Quality Road took advantage of the outside slip and Johnny Velazquezs heady rating to attend the rapid pace of This Ones For Phil, who probably wanted a target himself but was much too keen, especially when the other burners failed to show speed. Edgar Prado wisely allowed him to roll but to no avail.
Quality Road finished up strongly, re-breaking after entering the straight, and it was all over. The Jimmy Jerkens-trained colt stopped the timer in 1:35, a distance that has not yielded fast times all meeting despite the speedy nature of this sprint configuration. It was a top effort from a very talented colt.
The winner was 4-¼ lengths better than Theregoesjojo, who showed an electric turn of foot at mid-far turn. Beethoven came from last of 10 with a strong, wide rally, showing improvement from his Holy Bull, his second encouraging sophomore performance. Hutcheson winner Capt. Candyman Can was too keen, also, and looked unsuited by Derby conditions.
The Pamplemousse, meanwhile, was very impressive in a dominating Sham performance, skipping the nine furlongs in a controlled 1:47.86 over the Pro-Ride surface. He gave no indication he cant go beyond nine furlongs despite a sprint oriented pedigree. Hes now a multiple stakes winner and improved his two-turn record to 3-for-3. A serious racehorse, hell continue to improve with experience.
The HRI Derby Ten, Week 3
1-Old Fashioned (36): Hes still the one and for the third consecutive week. A big date is the week after next when the consensus leader of every poll on the planet makes his second start of the year in the G2 Rebel Stakes. It isnt likely to change a thing.
2-Pioneerof The Nile (26): Recent workouts, including Sundays six furlongs in 1:12 3/5, galloping out seven in 1:25 3/5, have been super. His education continues next weekend in the San Felipe. Have a feeling that every day until Mays first Saturday is like eternity for Bob Baffert. Bullet Bob has lots of options with this big-time talent. Lacks dirt form.
3-Stardom Bound (22): As stated last week, her Derby participation depends in large measure on how owners Patena performs in Louisiana Derby. Not sure what to expect beyond a victory this Saturday vs. three projected rivals, and how much it will matter. Had useful maintenance five-furlong workout over the weekend. Also no dirt form.
4-Friesan Fire (18): A great insurance policy for Larry Jones. Speedster will try to extend his unbeaten three-year-old stakes season next weekend in New Orleans. Well seasoned, he gets better by the day according to Jones, seemingly learning how to settle early.
5-The Pamplemousse(16): The connections were high on him even when the whole world wasnt. Its unlikely this guy will be underestimated again, such was his Shamsational performance last weekend. Friesan Fire notwithstanding, the only multiple graded stakes winner this year. Dirt, please.
6-Desert Party (14): Won the U.A.E. 2000 Guineas with style and appears to have all the tools. Runs next in the nine furlong UAE Derby, March 28. Has pedigree, acts on disparate surfaces, and proved his graded class state-side as a two-year-old.
7-Quality Road (12): The executive editor has to do a some crowing here as the only voter who included him on the first poll in mid-February. Dont want to be too hard on my colleagues, however, as his trainer didnt nominate him to the Triple Crown series. I forgot, Jimmy Jerkens said. Yeah, right.
8-Dunkirk (5): His fan club keeps growing as his legend spreads this spring. Garrett Gomez loves him and his second lifetime win without defeat was a remarkable effort vs. salty allowance types. Even unflappable Todd Pletcher was impressed. But can we wait until we see how he fares vs. seasoned stakes rivals before beginning to sculpt his likeness?
9-Hello Broadway (4) TIE: Ran all the way in good Hutcheson placing that doesnt look as promising after Capt. Candyman Can disappointed in the Fountain of Youth. Cant wait to see him run around two turns in the Tampa Bay Derby, March 14. Continues to work very well--:59 1/5 last week--for Derby-winning connections.
9-Haynesfield (4) TIE: Undeniably brilliant, hes seasoned enough and proven around two turns. But hes been beating questionable competition on brilliance alone. Must show an ability to rate and handle better horses. Hell get that opportunity in Saturdays Gotham.
Big Beyers continue to impress on Derby trail
By Dick Jerardi
PHILADELPHIA - This is getting serious quickly. I don't remember so many big Beyer Speed Figures by 3-year-olds by the end of the February.
Consider that last year Big Brown became a sensation when he got a 106 Beyer in an allowance race, followed by another 106 in the Florida Derby. If last year were this year, Big Brown would be just another horse.
This year we already had Notonthesamepage and the 114, followed by This Ones for Phil and the 116. The figures were live, but looked somewhat outrageous in relation to their overall form.
Well, the 113 Quality Road got when winning the Fountain of Youth does not look at all like that. Nor does the 103 that The Pamplemousse got when winning the Sham Stakes. (By the way, does that sound like the name of a Kentucky Derby winner? "Derby winners include Secretariat, Affirmed, and The Pamplemousse." What has happened to this sport?)
Quality Road gave a strong hint when he won his maiden with a 101 Beyer last fall. The colt was not included on my recent list of Triple Crown nominees with triple-digit Beyers for a very basic reason: Quality Road was not nominated. He will be nominated. And should be.
The Fountain of Youth win was no fluke. I like Old Fashioned so much because he has the Smarty Jones/Barbaro stalk-and-go running style. So does Quality Road, who, like Smarty Jones, is a son of Elusive Quality.
I don't remember a prep race before a final prep with a stronger field than the Fountain of Youth. Admittedly, the race was not run at all like most expected it to be. Still, Quality Road did not just win. The colt crushed the field.
I think the second and third horses - Theregoesjojo and Beethoven - are live Derby horses. If I think that, I have to be very impressed with the horse that beat them so easily. The 113 was slightly better than the pre-Derby numbers of Smarty Jones - 112 in the Rebel and 109 in the Arkansas Derby - and far better than the 103 Barbaro got in the Florida Derby.
Now, Quality Road has to do it again. Barbaro was trained to peak in the Derby and he did exactly that. Smarty Jones fired off one big Beyer after another.
So, let's wait and see on Quality Road. Whatever the colt does next, the Beyer gauntlet has been thrown down for Old Fashioned's next race in the Rebel.
As for the horse with that strange name, the colt looks as serious as the number. It is the rare horse who gets a Beyer jump in five consecutive races. But The Pamplemousse has done it with an 82 in his debut, followed by an 83, 89, 93, and 103.
It is probably no coincidence that the Beyer jump took place when The Pamplemousse started running around two turns. We need this horse in Kentucky, if for no other reason than Julio Canani will give the Derby Week backstretch some serious entertainment value.
If the colt wins the Santa Anita Derby, we will hear much talk about synthetic-track form in the run-up to the Derby. And I will have little, if any, clue how to assess what it means.
Isn't this complicated enough without all that?
I don't have any Dubai figures. Apparently, they will not be necessary with the two big names as Midshipman is gone and Vineyard Haven is in the witness protection program.
I do believe in the figures as they relate to the Derby. In this decade, they have been deadly on the first Saturday in May - if you get beyond the pace meltdowns in 2001 and 2005 that gave us one-hit wonders Monarchos and Giacomo.
It is why the Derby superfecta has become my favorite bet of the year, a chance to make a giant score even with a semi-obvious winner. I have made it into a trifecta in recent years, putting such stars as Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro, Street Sense, and Big Brown on top of my tickets with very few, if any, backups.
It is still too soon to say whether a single will be as obvious on May 2. I came into the year thinking Old Fashioned was going to be my horse. The numbers can change my mind. I am thinking Old Fashioned is going to get into the Beyer game in his next start. But, if he doesn't, I may re-think my position.
Whatever goes down over the next two months, this has become quite fascinating with so many strong performances so soon.
Is this going to be the norm? Can these horses run even faster? And what might happen when they all show up at the same place at the same time to see just how fast they can really run?
Top speeds side by side in Gotham
By David Grening
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Mr. Fantasy and Haynesfield, the two horses with the most early speed, won't have to look too far to find each other as they drew side by side when post positions were assigned Wednesday for Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.
Mr. Fantasy, who has won his first two starts by 19 lengths, landed in post 5 while Haynesfield, who has won his last four starts by 19 1/2 lengths, will break from post 6 in the nine-horse field of 3-year-olds hoping to get on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Inside of that duo, from the rail, are Naos, Russell Road, Masala, and Axel Foley. Outside of Haynesfield are Imperial Council, I Want Revenge, and Giant Ryan. The Gotham, run at 1 1/16 miles over the inner track, heads a 10-race card that also includes the Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes for older sprinters.
Mr. Fantasy, a New York-bred son of EoDubai, won his first two starts in front-running fashion, including a gate-to-wire score in a two-turn statebred allowance race in which he broke from post 10.
"We think he's going to be close," said Art Magnuson, assistant to Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Mr. Fantasy. "Whether he's on the lead or not will be up to Alan [Garcia]. We're going to break and be thinking forward as Alan usually does, but it's totally up to him from there."
Haynesfield has won from both on and off the pace under Ramon Dominguez. With Dominguez out of town Saturday, Haynesfield will be ridden by Chuck Lopez, who has built a reputation as top front-end rider.
"Chucky has a reputation indeed, but that's not why we chose him," said Toby Sheets, assistant to Haynesfield's trainer, Steve Asmussen. "He's doing well here, I think he fits the horse - our horse is not a horse that's going to come from 15 back. Chucky rides closer to the front very well, and he's very familiar with the inner track."
Eric Donovan, NYRA's oddsmaker, installed Imperial Council as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Imperial Council, trained by three-time Gotham winner Shug McGaughey, will be making his stakes and two-turn debut in the Gotham. Rajiv Maragh replaces Edgar Prado, who is committed to ride in California.
I Want Revenge, beaten a nose in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity last December, arrived on the grounds at 4:15 p.m Wednesday after a cross-country flight from California. The Gotham will mark his first start on regular dirt.
During the next two weeks, I Want Revenge and Papa Clem will provide
some integration to the Triple Crown map by shipping across the
country for major prep races.
The two colts are part of what is shaping up
to be a strong group of Southern California
three-year-olds, led by Pioneerof the Nile and
The Pamplemousse and flavored with the intriguing
presence of champion filly Stardom
Bound.
Californias synthetic surfaces are a major
complication in projecting how a horse will
perform on the Churchill Downs dirt in the
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands
(G1). The connections of I Want Revenge and
Papa Clem are seizing the opportunity to get a clearer picture.
I thought we might as well find out now, sooner than later, said
owner-breeder David Lanzman, who has shipped CashCall Futurity
(G1) runner-up I Want Revenge to Aqueduct for the Gotham Stakes
(G3) on Saturday.
Lanzman said trainer Jeff Mullins weighed in following I Want Revenges
third-place finish to Pioneerof the Nile and Papa Clem in the
Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) on Santa Anita Parks synthetic Pro-Ride
surface on February 7.
He looked at me right after
the Lewis and in a very colorful
way told me that he
wanted to get this horse off
synthetics, Lanzman said.
Joe Talamo, our rider,
thought at the quarter pole
it was not whether we were going to win, it was by how much. [After
finishing third], he just thought that the horse doesnt get a hold of
the synthetics so well and that he would do much better on dirt.
Lanzman said Mullins has felt that way since I Want Revenge first
joined his barn.
With the combination of those two [opinions], we started looking
for a dirt race, Lanzman said.
Axel Foley also will ship in from California for the Gotham. He finished
fourth in the El Camino Real Derby (G3) on the synthetic Tapeta
Footings surface at Golden Gate Fields on February 14. Owner Jeff
Singer subsequently moved the Officer colt to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin
in New York.
On March 14, Papa Clem will try dirt for the first time in the $600,000
Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds after finishing second by a halflength
to Pioneerof the Nile in the Robert B. Lewis.
Trainer Gary Stute and owner-breeder Bo Hirsch are passing up
the opportunity for a rematch with Pioneerof the Nile in the San Felipe
Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, in part because they are eager to test
different waters.
To me, its hard to evaluate the horses right now, Stute said. When
Pioneerof the Nile won the CashCall Futurity, the horse he beat was [I
Want Revenge], who had just broken his maiden. My horse ran big in
the Bob Lewis, and he had just broken his maiden. Quality Road won
the Fountain of Youth [Stakes (G2)] the other day, and he only had the
maiden win. The horses that we all thought were good seemed to have
left the country, and the way its looking, theyre not coming back.
I just really have no idea, and thats one of the reasons were going
to what looks like one of the toughest prep races. My owner figured,
Why run against the same horses that day for $200,000, when we can
run for $600,000, see if he likes the dirt, and find out what were doing?
Thats the bad thing about California, you just dont know where you
really stand.
Stardom Bound will have the spotlight one more time against females
on Saturday, when she attempts to record her fifth consecutive
Grade 1 win in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1). Success would likely put
her in line for the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4.
Mike Smith, who has been aboard Stardom Bound for each of her
six career starts, expects her to improve off a comeback victory in the
Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) on February 7.
She was probably only around 75% to 80% that day and still ran the
way she did, Smith said. As far as fitness goes, that was pretty impressive.
Once in a while a great filly comes around that can compete
with the boys, and I really believe she is one of them.
In other news, Rajiv Maragh will ride Imperial Council for the first
time in the Gotham. Maragh replaces Edgar Prado, who is riding at
Santa Anita on Saturday.
The Gotham attracted horses from all over. In addition to the California
shippers, Imperial Council and Masala both shipped in from
Florida, and West Virginia-based gelding Russell Road heads to New
York with six straight wins, including the Dancing Count Stakes at
Laurel Park.
The local contingent includes Count Fleet and Whirlaway Stakes
winner Haynesfield and unbeaten New York-bred Mr. Fantasy.
Jeff Lowe
Prado to Hello Broadway, Off Giant Oak. Edgar Prado, who rode Giant Oak in the Grade III Risen Star Stakes, will switch to Hello Broadway on March 14 when each horse races next. Giant Oak is scheduled for the Grade II Louisiana Derby, while Hello Broadway will compete in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby.
James Graham has picked up the mount on Giant Oak.
Johnny V. Intent on Quality Road. Among the excuses Bob Baffert admits he's looking for in order to pass on sending Indian Blessing to Dubai to compete in the Golden Shaheen on March 28 is John Velazquez' desire to ride Quality Road (Looking Good) in the Grade I Florida Derby the same date.
Im on the bubble. Its a long way to go, even though I wasnt planning to go myself. I was going to send Jimmy (assistant Barnes), but he doesnt want to go if I dont go. Im training her like shes running, but theres a lot of stuff going on. Johnny V. wants to ride Quality Road (in the Florida Derby), Baffert said.
A decision will be made prior to March 17, the scheduled departure date for Dubai.
Dunkirk Works. Dunkirk (Looking Good) worked a half-mile in :48.60 (5/21), handily, at Palm Meadows Friday for trainer Todd Pletcher in his first workout since an impressive 1 1/8-mile allowance win at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 19.
Dunkirk won his seven-furlong career debut by 5 3/4 lengths on Jan. 24, followed by the nine-furlong allowance by 4 3/4 lengths. Garrett Gomez flew in from California for the mount that afternoon.
Pletcher said afterward that Dunkirk would most likely make his third start in the Grade I Florida Derby on March 28 as a final prep for the Kentucky Derby. Were Dunkirk to win, he'd be assured of a Kentucky Derby berth. A second would make him $150,000 in graded earnings, making his chance of getting into the Derby iffy.
Papa Clem Heads to Big Easy Wednesday. Robert B. Lewis runner-up Papa Clem (Worth Watching) and trainer Gary Stute leave next Wednesday for next Saturdays Grade II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. The main reason were going there is to see if he likes real dirt. Plus the race is worth $600,000, Stute said.
Bullet Work: Probably No San Felipe. Impressive maiden winner Zensational worked six furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday in a bullet 1:10.60 under David Flores. According to sources at Santa Anita, however, trainer Bob Baffert said the $700,000 son of Unbridleds Song is not likely to start in next Saturdays San Felipe Stakes .
Silver City Set to Try Again. Trainer Bret Calhoun said Silver City (Worth Watching) will run in Saturdays Grade II Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16 Mile. The second place finisher to Old Fashioned in the Grade III Southwest Stakes worked yesterday at Fair Grounds, where he breezed a mile in 1:39 (1/1).
Silver City took the lead in the Southwest before being overtaken, and he'll being going another half-furlong in the Rebel.
Stardom Bound Doubtful vs. Boys. Asked today whether Stardom Bound (Worth Watching) would face males in the Santa Anita Derby after her desperate nose victory in Saturdays Santa Anita Oaks, trainer Bobby Frankel said, I dont think so. Talk to the owners.
Old Fashioned, Pioneerof the Nile Work. Grade III Southwest Stakes winner Old Fashioned (Looking Good) put in a workout this morning in preparation for Saturday's Grade II Rebel Stakes, and it was a bullet. The move was his first since the Southwest on Feb. 16.
With Terry Thompson aboard and trainer Larry Jones on barn pony Rascal, Old Fashioned encountered some unexpected traffic. The first quarter was timed in an easy 23.20, the three-eighths in 35.60, 47.20 for the half-mile, and finally stopping the clock in :59.00 flat. Thompson galloped Old Fashioned out six furlongs in 1:12.
He did well, we had some unexpected company along the way, but Terry did good handling that, and Old Fashioned worked well. It was easy for him, he trains so easily, he is his own horse, commented Jones. He doesnt have to train real hard, and he just does everything easy.
Wise Kid (Worth Watching) worked a half-mile for his anticipated start in the Rebel. The son of Lemon Drop Kid went a half mile in :47.60, posting the second fastest time for the distance. The Tim Ritchey trainee has won his last two races at Oaklawn, and will be taking his first try at stakes company in the Rebel.
Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile (Looking Good) worked five furlongs on Santa Anita's synthetic track in :58.80, handily, fastest of 85 at the distance, for his next start in Saturday's Grade II San Felipe Stakes.
He went really nice, trainer Bob Baffert said. All systems are go.
Turfway Prevue winner Loch Dubh (Just In Case), who was fifth in the Southwest and who is said to be Turfway Park-bound for the Grade II Lane's End on March 21, put in the second-fastest workout of the morning at Oaklawn Park.
Rachel Alexandra (Worth Watching), bound to compete in a short field in the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, also worked at Oaklawn today. She clocked off the first quarter in 25.60, three-eighths in 37.40, and her final time was 49.20.She galloped out an easy five-eighths in 1:01.40.
Trainer Hall Wiggins said he was pleased. We wanted a nice easy work with her, and thats what we got, he said. We wanted her to go about 48 or 49 for the half-mile and Calvin did just that. It was a nice workout, and she is cooling out well. We will leave Wednesday with her for New Orleans.
Meanwhile, Cribnote (Worth Watching) worked fastest of 19 today at Palm Meadows. It was his fifth workout since Feb. 6.
Flying Pegasus: Nicks Says He Ran Hard. Trainer Ralph Nicks is looking forward to running Flying Pegasus in the Grade II Louisiana Derby after finishing second to Friesan Fire in the Grade III Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 7 in a huge effort.
Flying Pegasus ran in the Risen Star off a layoff of over four months and started from post 12.
"He ran well enough," said Nicks. "That outside post might have cost us a little bit. As hard as he ran in that race as his first time out, we didn't ask him to do too much (in his most recent workout)," Nicks said. "We don't want to squeeze out every drop just yet with this horse. We wanted to leave a little bit left for the race.
"How he runs in the Louisiana Derby will dictate where we go from there," said Nicks. "We'd love to go to the Kentucky Derby with him, but we'd only go there if we felt like we belonged.
"Mr. Spence deserves everything that will happen to him if this horse turns out to be a good one," Nicks said. "He raced this horse's dam (Lilly Capote) and he bred this colt. He's been in this game a long time, and he's always been a player."
Terrain Finally Ready to Roll. Terrain (Looking Good) is ready to make his first start of the year in the Louisiana Derby. Winner of $344,830 in graded earnings, Terrain was last seen finishing fifth in the Grade III Delta Jackpot on Dec. 5.
Since his loss in the Delta Jackpot, the son of Sky Mesa has worked six times, interruped for a month between Jan. 10 and Feb. 9. He breezed a bullet six furlongs in 1:13.60 Friday at Fair Grounds.
"Curt Bourque was aboard Terrain for the move," trainer Al Stall Jr. said. "We worked him in company with an unstarted maiden. The two horses started off together but Terrain drew off during the last part of it.
"I'm going to give him an A' for today's work. That's the most important thing. He got the letter A' in my book."
Terrain, an Adele Dilschneider homebred, won the Grade III Arlington-Washington by disqualification last September and was fourth in the Grade III Breeders' Cup Juvenile last October before the Delta Jackpot.
"We never did really figure out why he didn't run well in the race at Delta," Stall said, "but we went back to basics and took the blinkers off in the mornings. He seems to have worked much better since we did that. He works much better as a 3-year-old than he did as a 2-year-old."
Stall has saddled the second-place finishers in each of the last two runnings of the Louisiana Derby, with My Pal Charlie in 2008 and Ketchikan in 2007. Dilschneider was co-owner, with Claiborne Farm, of 2000 Louisiana Derby winner Mighty.
No Danger to Florida? Danger to Society (Just In Case) is moving toward a hoped-for rebound in a major stakes, and his latest drill since finishing seventh in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes came yesterday at Gulfstream Park. With exercise rider/jockey Mario Madrid in the saddle, the son of Harlans Holiday breezed six furlongs in 1:12.40 (1/4), handily, his third workout since the Holy Bull.
We were looking for a good, easy six-furlong breeze, and it looks like we got it, said trainer Rick Dutrow, who was sent the colt from Ken McPeek a few days after the Holy Bulll.
Dutrow is concerned the Grade I Florida Derby might be too much for Danger to Society, so he may ship to New York, tentatively scheduling the Grade I Wood Memorial on April 4 for a next start.
Were looking at the Wood because the Florida Derby looks like its coming up really tough, said Dutrow. If some of the major players in there were to fall out wed be ready to go.
Leading Triple Crown contender PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) worked five furlongs in a bullet :58 4/5 over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride on Sunday morning under regular rider Garrett Gomez. The move, which was the best of 85 works at the distance on the day, is in advance of Saturday's $200,000 San Felipe S. (G2) going 1 1/16 miles.
"He went really nice," trainer Bob Baffert said. "All systems are go."
Pioneerof the Nile's already respectable reputation was enhanced dramatically after I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) scored an eye-catching 8 1/2-length victory in Saturday's Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct under jockey Joe Talamo. Pioneerof the Nile twice defeated I Want Revenge, in the CashCall Futurity (G1) and the Robert B. Lewis S. (G2).
"I Want Revenge had such a great trip," said Talamo, back at Clockers' Corner Sunday morning after a flight from New York following the Gotham. "I was really surprised at how easy we got to go, because on paper, I thought they might have gone in :47 flat for the half (mile; the time was :48.45). I mean, :48 to him is like :49. He's got such a big stride.
"Knock on wood, if everything goes well, we could make it to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1). That'd be sweet."
The San Felipe is shaping up to have a small field. Maiden winner JERANIMO (Congaree), also being considered for the San Felipe by trainer Mike Pender, worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:00 1/5 with Brice Blanc aboard. It was ranked 14th of the 85 works for that distance at Santa Anita. Trainer Ronny Werner is reportedly also considering O.B.S. Sprint S. hero PRAY FOR ACTION (Songandaprayer) for the West Coast's final major prep to the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4. The Florida-bred Pray for Action has been training at Fair Grounds.
Louisiana Derby (G2) contenders GIANT OAK (Giant's Causeway) and FREE COUNTRY (Big Country) both turned in works over the weekend. Giant Oak exercised at Fair Grounds on Saturday, while Free Country drilled at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. Both surfaces were fast.
Giant Oak completed his five-furlong trial in 1:00 4/5 in advance of Saturday's $600,000 event. With his Louisiana Derby jockey James Graham aboard, he posted the second-best of 36 works at the distance.
Although the move itself was routine, just past the wire, the big chestnut bobbled briefly, giving trainer Chris Block some moments of concern until he was able to check out his horse out back at the barn.
"I wasn't sure exactly what had happened there," Block said about an hour later after having gone over his horse with a fine-tooth comb, "but I needed to find out real quick.
"I asked James about it, and he said it was nothing. He said the horse just hit some uneven ground. Maybe it was from the tire tracks left over after the break."
With the brief scare behind him, Block was anxious to look at the upside of Giant Oak's move, accomplished in company with the Neil Pessin-trained You Dancing Devil (Joyeux Danseur), a stakes-winning seven-year-old mare.
"We got about what we were looking for," the trainer said. "He worked as well as you could want. We let the other horse get as far in front as we wanted, and James said 'Oak' relaxed real well behind him.
"I feel real good about the owners' decision to let James ride him this time in the Louisiana Derby. Although this will be the first time James has ridden him in a race, he's gotten to know this horse real well in the mornings, and they've always seemed to click together. Also, James knows this track very well, and you always know you're going to get 110 percent from him any time he rides any horse for you."
Giant Oak was a close runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) last November, beaten a neck by Beethoven (Sky Mesa). In his three-year-old debut in the Risen Star S. (G3) at Fair Grounds, the Illinois-bred was blocked behind rivals most of the way and finished fifth after making up ground in the late stages.
At Gulfstream, Free Country traveled five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 1/5 for Ken McPeek. Regular rider Kent Desormeaux was aboard for the work, which ranked as the fastest of 25 moves at the distance by four-fifths of a second.
"Everything went good. We're good to go," said John Gerbas Jr., the Silver Wing Stable principal.
Free Country suffered his first career defeat when fourth as the 9-5 favorite in the Sam F. Davis S. (G3) at Tampa last time out. He won his first two starts, including a highly regarded first-level allowance race at Gulfstream in early January. The placed horses in that event, Atomic Rain (Smart Strike) and Stately Character (Pleasant Tap), just placed behind Todd Pletcher's Al Khali (Medaglia d'Oro) in another Gulfstream allowance on Friday.
Free Country and the other Florida shippers for Saturday's Louisiana Derby Day are scheduled to arrive at Fair Grounds on Thursday.
I Want Revenge was an easy winner of the Gotham (Adam Coglianese/NYRA Photo)
Despite having to ship all the way from California and lacking any racing experience over dirt, David Joseph Lanzman's homebred I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) was well backed in Saturday's $250,000 Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct and justified that support with an overpowering performance over a field considered above average. Lapped alongside the pacesetting Mr. Fantasy (E Dubai) through fractions of :23 3/5, :48 2/5 and 1:12 3/5, I Want Revenge took over from that rival turning for home and opened up late to record an 8 1/2-length thrashing in a time of 1:42 3/5 for the fast 1 1/16 miles over the inner dirt. Under Joe Talamo, the 3-1 second choice paid $8.30, $4.50 and $3 while topping the $40.80 exacta, $111 trifecta and $351.40 superfecta (8-7-5-3).
"I had so much horse the whole way around," Talamo said. "There is no comparison between real dirt and synthetic -- he really took to it."
Imperial Council (Empire Maker), the 7-2 third choice, was always well back through the opening six furlongs, but made a good rally through the lane to pass Mr. Fantasy for second by a neck. Imperial Council paid $4.80 and $3.30 while Mr. Fantasy, the 2-1 chalk, gave back $3. Masala (Lion Heart) tracked in third most of the way but came up empty in the stretch, finishing 3 1/2 lengths behind in fourth. He was followed by Russell Road (Wheaton), Axel Foley (Officer), Naos (Lion Heart), Haynesfield (Speightstown) and Giant Ryan (Freud).
"The horse was closer than I really wanted him to be," winning trainer Jeff Mullins said. "The horse kind of towed (jockey Joe Talamo) up there and (Talamo) stepped on him the whole way. I guess he knew what he was doing.
"He's going to stay here and run in the Wood (Memorial S. [G1] on April 4). We're going to think about this one for a while."
The Kentucky-bred I Want Revenge will be stabled in New York with trainer Anthony Dutrow.
After finishing third in his first three appearances, all in sprints, I Want Revenge was heavily backed to take his two-turn debut in a Hollywood Park maiden last October and came through by 1 1/2 lengths over 1 1/16 miles. Taking a big class hike in the CashCall Futurity (G1) for his next start, I Want Revenge ran Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker) to a nose decision, finishing second to the favored rival over the same course and distance. Most recently, I Want Revenge added blinkers for the Robert B. Lewis (G2) at Santa Anita, but tired to third behind Pioneerof the Nile after leading briefly with a furlong to go. With this score, I Want Revenge saw his earnings inflate to $366,000 from a line of 7-2-1-4.
Produced from the Argentinean stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed Meguial (Arg) (Roy), I Want Revenge counts as half-siblings the unraced juvenile colt I Want Noise (Thunder Gulch) and a yearling filly by Tale of the Cat. This female family is also responsible for the full brothers Esposado and Basko Pinton, sons of Engrillado who were both Group 1 winners in Argentina earlier this decade.
Bill Dwyre:
Stardom Bound gets a narrow victory in Santa Anita Oaks
Benoit Photo
Stardom Bound and jockey Mike Smith, middle, managed to stay ahead of the field to win the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks in a blanket finish on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The 3-year-old filly barely beats Third Dawn at the wire.
Bill Dwyre
March 8, 2009
The filly Stardom Bound still is.
But her exact date with destiny in early May at Churchill Downs remained uncertain, after a rocky win in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday.
Einstein earns historic victory in Santa...The Kentucky Derby will be May 2. The entry of fillies into that race is a rarity; fillies winning even more so. There have been three -- Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988.
Winning Colors won the Santa Anita Oaks en route to the Derby. The discussion of Stardom Bound's following those footsteps remained alive, but shaky, after her dicey victory.
Trainer Bobby Frankel avoided the question after the race. That left it to Mike Iavarone of IEAH Stables, part owner of Stardom Bound, to address the Derby question.
"If they think they want to go forward, I'm willing to go forward," he said, "but she worked pretty hard against the girls today."
In other words, if they were making the decision tomorrow, Stardom Bound would be lining up, probably as the favorite, for the May 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Stardom Bound hung back, as usual, and made a trophy dash off the home turn, as usual. But this time, when she edged ahead in the stretch, several horses, especially Third Dawn with Rafael Bejarano up, swung wide and took Stardom Bound with them.
"Everybody went out," jockey Mike Smith said. "They took me 15-20 wide. You couldn't have had a worse trip."
But somehow, after nearly stopping, Stardom Bound got it in gear with about an eighth of a mile to go and nipped Third Dawn in a photo finish. That gave the veteran Frankel his second straight Oaks win, his third overall, and some decision making ahead, something he was hesitant to address.
McPeek picks Florida Derby for Theregoesjojo
By Mike Welsch
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - After originally leaning toward waiting for the Blue Grass for Theregoesjojo's final Kentucky Derby prep, trainer Ken McPeek has now decided to remain at Gulfstream Park and point his promising 3-year-old to the $750,000 Florida Derby on March 28.
Theregoesjojo rallied to finish second behind Quality Road when making his stakes debut in the one-mile Fountain of Youth on Feb. 28. Theregoesjojo had defeated Quality Road when the pair met in a seven-furlong allowance race earlier in the meet.
"We're here, he's doing well and it looks like it's going to be a short field," said McPeek on announcing his decision early Sunday morning.
Ky. Derby Trail: The Total Package
By Steve Haskin
Updated: Sunday, March 8, 2009 9:34 PM
Posted: Sunday, March 8, 2009 9:06 PM
Email Print RSS ShareThisMarch means many things to owners and trainers of horses on the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) trail. Theres the nail-biting, the sleepless nights, and the early morning phone calls that every owner dreads. And for many it sadly means the end of the road.
But with March also comes the realization for a fortunate few that they have a legitimate Derby contender and that the dream lives on. On Saturday at Aqueduct, emotions were swirling around in the warm, spring-like breezes, along with the flocks of seagulls, as owners and trainers waited anxiously to find out whether or not they would be continuing on to Louisville.
When the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) was over and I Want Revenge had destroyed his field by 8 1/2 lengths, it meant the end of the road for most of the participants. But for I Want Revenges owner and breeder David Lanzman and his wife Desirae, trainer Jeff Mullins, and jockey Joe Talamo, the Twin Spires were now in clear sight, and it was apparent they were already getting high on the scent of roses.
A jubilant Lanzman planted a kiss on I want Revenge and told Talamo, Be back in four weeks, baby, referring to the April 4 Wood Memorial (gr. I). Desirae then gave the colt a pat on the forehead and said just one word to him, which best described his performance: Awesome.
I Want Revenge became the first horse on this years Derby trail to have answered every question. In short, he is now the complete package. He is versatile enough to be on, near, or off the pace. He is bred to run all day, but has the necessary speed you want to see. Hes won a graded stakes around two turns, and, unlike his California colleagues, he has proven he not only handles the dirt, but relishes it. Hes a magnificent-looking horse and was a standout in the paddock. He has the right temperament, never turning a hair before or after the race, even when lavished with affection and posing for photographs. He demonstrated his ability to come home fast, closing his final three fractions in :24 1/5, :23 4/5, and :06 1/5. And he wasnt even blowing after the race, which can be attributed in good part to all that stout, rugged Argentine and English blood in his tail-female family.
His trainer has won three consecutive Santa Anita Derbys and has been to the Kentucky Derby four times, with his best finish a solid fifth by Buzzards Bay in 2005.
His jockey has shown he has natural talent, but at age 19, he must make sure he remains an asset and not a liability when it comes to the Derby. This one time you can attribute his over-zealousness with the whip to youthful exuberance, but he has to remember from now on that the goal is for the horse to peak on May 2, not March 7. The lofty 113 Beyer he earned could be too much too soon, but at least this is a strong, tough colt whose talent is still untapped. Its not that Talamo was pasting him with the whip, but once I Want Revenge was well clear of the field and drawing off with every stride, while running straight as the proverbial arrow, he should have put the whip away and geared the horse down in the final sixteenth. The fact is, I Want Revenge had already put Mr. Fantasy away on his own and opened up by two lengths before Talamo even went to the whip, hitting him about a half-dozen times, then once again well inside the sixteenth pole when he was some six lengths in front. Finally, he put it away in deep stretch and vigorously hand-rode him to the wire.
With that said, he has ridden the horse flawlessly from a tactical standpoint, and obviously the two get along great with each other. If this were any other situation, there would be no issues. But the Derby trail is not any other situation and every move must be a building block to the first Saturday in May. And its tough to build off a monster performance such as this in early March. Fortunately, Mullins is an expert horseman and he and Talamo must now make sure the colt leaves something in the tank in the Wood Memorial (gr. I). Remember, Monarchos regressed slightly in the Wood after his spectacular performance in the Florida Derby (gr. I) and proceeded to run the second-fastest Kentucky Derby in history. Its fun to see your horse win by a pole and earn gigantic speed figures and become one of the hot Derby favorites. But the bottom line is, these are preps and should be used as such. The only thing that matters is peaking on Derby Day.
With all the pressure that comes with the Derby, even for veteran riders, and with the TV show Jockeys being renewed for a second season and filming to begin soon, Talamo has to keep his head on his shoulders and show a maturity beyond his years, just as Steve Cauthen did, if hes going to win the Derby. OK, thats our lecture for the month.
I Want Revenge, a son of Stephen Got Even , out of the Argentine-bred Meguial, by Roy, had done all his racing on the synthetic surfaces in California. He showed great promise when he was beaten a nose by Pioneerof the Nile in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at his home track of Hollywood Park last December. But when he turned in a flat performance in his 3-year-old debut, finishing third in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) as the 2-1 second choice, the decision was made to send the horse east to see how hed handle the dirt.
He was never comfortable on that track, Mullins said. They had gotten a bunch of rain and the track was spotty, and never did get hold of it.
Lanzman added, We were so confident going into in the Lewis. At the top of the stretch we almost started walking down to the winners circle. Even Joe said it was just a question of how much he was going to win by. But he never kicked it in. When I talked to Joe he said the horse was just spinning his wheels. Watching him struggle with that surface, we decided right then to come here and put him on the dirt. I own the mare, and when we ran her on anything but firm dirt she got her butt kicked. But when we ran her on firm dirt she ran great.
Lanzman, who won the 2001 Breeders Cup Sprint with Squirtle Squirt, bought Meguial privately after she had finished second in the group I Argentine Oaks and Argentine 1,000 Guineas. Im not in the breeding business; this is my first broodmare, Lanzman said. I spent hours on eNicks looking for a mating, and Stephen Got Even is who came up on the screen with the most quality points.
Mullins agonized all week whether to keep the blinkers on I Want Revenge, not knowing if they helped or hurt him in the Robert Lewis, or whether they had no effect at all. It wasnt until the day of the race that he made his decision.
I watched a few races here and saw the way the track was playing and figured Id leave them on, he said.
The biggest surprise in the Gotham was seeing Imperial Council and Haynesfield drop so far off the pace, racing at the back of the pack. Imperial Council, who was still seven lengths back at the three-sixteenths pole and looked like he had no shot to hit the board, put in a strong rally to get up for second, a neck in front of Mr. Fantasy. Considering it was his first two-turn race and he was taken completely out of his game plan, this was an excellent performance and he should only improve off it. An attractive, racy-looking colt, he also looked terrific in the paddock and is still one to watch.
He came out the race fine and is on his way back to Florida, trainer Shug McGaughey said Sunday. Well freshen him up a little, and if everything is right, well send him back up there and run him in the Wood Memorial (gr. I). I think hell learn a lot from this race. He finished strong and when he gets on that bigger track at Aqueduct I think itll suit him a lot better than the inner track. I was surprised to see him that far back. There was no pace, and when he finally got going the race was already over. I thought hed be right in behind the speed. Rajiv (Maragh) said he dropped his hands on him and the horse relaxed really well, but fell back farther than he thought he would. I feel we accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish except for winning and this wasnt a win-or-else race.
West Points Terry Finley said after the race that Mr. Fantasy likely will not continue on the Derby trail, and could be pointed for the Preakness.
Lanzman, who celebrated his birthday the day before the Gotham, has I Want Revenges half-brother in the Barretts 2-year-old sale March 10. I think his brother just got pulled out of the sale, he kidded. His price just went up. Im on cloud nine right now.
After the race, Desirae watched the replay, and as I Want Revenge drew off, she again used few words to describe what everyone was feeling: Oh my God.
Euros Vie for Spot in Kentucky Derby
Although we can expect a bit of controversy when the American horse with the 20th highest graded earnings gets left out of this years Run for the Roses, we all have to face the fact that there is an automatic spot open to the winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge at Englands Kempton Race Course March 18.
From the looks of it, there could be several interesting 3-year-olds looking for that spot.
One horse who has had designs on the Derby Challenge Stakes is Markyg, an English-trained son of Fusaichi Pegasus , out of the Storm Cat mare Spring Pitch who is two-for-two on Kemptons all-weather track and certainly bred for the dirt.
Markyg, trained by Karl Burke, proved a useful 2-year-old on grass, with his best effort coming in a third-place finish at odds of 22-1 in the seven-furlong Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Following a disappointing fourth against maidens at Ascot, he was put on the synthetic surface and responded with a half-length victory going a mile. Out for more than four months, he returned in a seven-furlong handicap and scored by two lengths under 133 pounds, giving 10 pounds to the runner-up and nine pounds to the third-place finisher.
Markyg was a $110,000 buy-back at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Sent to the Tattersalls April 2-year-old sale he was sold for $206,913 to the BBA Ireland, acting for Maura Gittins.
Another promising colt heading for Kempton is Team Valors Gitano Hernando, an easy winner at Wolverhampton going 1 3/16 miles in his only start on a synthetic track. The son of Hernando, who won under 129 pounds in a 12-horse field, is considered more of a Belmont Stakes (gr. I) horse at this point, but a big performance in the Challenge could redirect him to Churchill Downs.
Some of the leading trainers in Europe have expressed interest in the Kentucky Derby Challenge.
Aidan OBrien is considering Born to be King, a maiden winner at Gowran Park by Storm Cat; Chief Lone Eagle, a maiden winner at Leopardstown by Giants Causeway; or Great Wisdom. John Gosden, who won the Breeders Cup Classic with Ravens Pass last year, lists as possibles: Nawaadi, a son of El Corredor who won his only career start on Polytrack at Great Leighs; Close Alliance, also a maiden winner on the Polytrack at Great Leighs; Mafaaz, who won on Polytrack at Kempton in his career debut; and Red Spider, a son of Red Ransom who was an impressive winner on Polytrack at Kempton before running poorly in the group I Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on grass.
Other Challenge possibles are Deposer (John Best), the intriguing filly Pachattack (Gerard Butler), Haashad (Mark Johnston), and Formula and Weald Park (Richard Hannon).
Bubbling under the surface
It is now March 10. Is it possible there are still so-called under-the-radar horses out there that many people arent that familiar with?
The answer is yes, and several will show up this weekend looking to catapult themselves near the top of the Derby lists.
One horse who caught our attention when he finished a close second in a maiden race despite a nightmare trip is Wise Kid, who has since come back to win his next two races at Oaklawn. In that maiden race, the son of Lemon Drop Kid , trained by Tim Ritchey, overcame a bad start and traffic problems along the inside and still was beaten only a neck by Buzzin and Dreamin, who came right back in the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) off that race and finished a solid third at 64-1 behind consensus Derby favorite Old Fashioned.
Wise Kid had a clean trip next time out, made big run from 11 lengths back, and was able to wear down a loose-on-a-big-lead Good Sermon, who had been third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in the aforementioned maiden race. The margin likely would have been greater had Wise Kid not kept lugging in during the stretch run. Good Sermon boosted the form by coming back and breaking his maiden next time out by 2 3/4 lengths.
In Wise Kids next start, Ritchey got permission from the stewards to add blinkers off a victory in order to correct the colts greenness. Wise Kid ran into Buzzin and Dreamin again, who trainer Wayne Lukas was sending right back in 11 days. This time, Buzzin and Dreamin was no match for Wise Kid, who kept a perfectly straight course after tracking a slow pace in the slop and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory, the same number of lengths Old Fashioned had beaten Buzzin and Dream in the Southwest.
In his three races, Wise Kids Beyer figures have gone from 75 to 76 to 88. He still has a ways to go and may turn out to be more of a Belmont horse, but hes progressing the right way, Ritchey feels confident in bringing him back in 15 days in the Rebel Stakes (gr. III), and he is bred to run all day, being out of a Seeking the Gold mare. His third dam is Six Crowns (by Triple Crown winner Secretariat out of Triple Crown winner Chris Evert), who is the dam of champion Chiefs Crown. Look for this horse to keep improving.
With most of the Tampa talk focused on General Quarters and his human interest story, the Sam F. Davis (gr. III) runner-up Sumo has gone virtually unnoticed. But this son of Fusaichi Pegasus, trained by Graham Motion for Arthur Hancock, is improving with every race and is bred to run all day. His tail-female line is all stamina, made up of the best Darby Dan and C.V. Whitney blood, with names like Dynaformer , Roberto and Gulfstream Park Handicap winner Court Recess. His third dam, Quatre Saisons, is the granddam of grade I winner Honey Ryder. This is a tail-female family that has strong inbreeding to Man oWar and Sir Gallahad.
His first start at Tampa, a mile and 40-yard allowance race on a good track, had to be seen to be believed. After opening a five-length lead in the stretch, he started pulling him up, totally losing his action as if he were coming to a complete stop and ducking to the outside. In a flash, his lead was gone and he was passed on the inside, with another horse pulling alongside him on his outside. Then, as quickly as he had lost his action he got it back, leveling off and surging forward to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. He didnt beat much, but it still was quite extraordinary to see.
In the Sam Davis, Sumo broke from post 10, tracked the pace after going three-wide into the first turn. He was fanned four-wide turning for home, and although he couldnt catch General Quarters, who had a ground-saving trip throughout, he was striding out beautifully at the end, finishing three lengths ahead of Musket Man, earning a 94 Beyer. Hes now finished first or second at Tampa, Laurel, and Delaware Park. Watch for him at a price in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III). But even if he cant handle General Quarters again or Hello Broadway, hes still a horse to keep an eye on when the distances stretch out.
Following in the footsteps of his conqueror Dunkirk, Santana Six, who finished second to the Todd Pletcher colt in his career debut, came back to break his maiden on the front end for Nick Zito, earning a 95 Beyer (Dunkirk came back with a 98). Although his margin was only 1 1/4 lengths, the runner-up, Polished, finished 11 3/4 lengths ahead of the third horse in a 12-horse field.
Santana Six is by Hold That Tiger, winner of the group I Grand Criterium in France, third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at 1 1/8 miles, and second to Mineshaft in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I). His dam is by Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Cape Town, who is by Seeking the Gold, out of Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Seaside Attraction, also the dam of champion Golden Attraction. Santana Sixs second dam, Brush Back, is by the top-class sire Broad Brush, out of a Chieftain mare.
Keep a close eye on Mythical Power, who was relentless breaking his maiden by a neck over front-running stablemate Street Car going a mile on March 6. Trained by Bob Baffert, this son of Congaree is progressing the right way and Baffert has always been high on him. He posted a solid time of 1:37 1/5 and the runner-up finished 8 1/2 lengths ahead of the third horse.
Several others, some new faces and some old forgotten faces, who are worth watching in next weekends stakes extravaganza are Flat Out, who could be ready for a big performance in the Rebel Stakes; and Terrain, a top-class 2-year-old, who has been working lights out for his 3-year-old debut at Fair Grounds. Three horses in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) looking to move forward off defeats are Flying Pegasus, Giant Oak, and Free Country. Flying Pegasus, who could be a far superior horse than most people think, and Giant Oak both had been ranked fairly high on our Derby Dozen, and a big performance by either on Saturday would shoot them right back near the top. Even a big rebound race from Poltergeist in the Rebel or Free Country in the Louisiana Derby could spring them back into the mix, as it could an up-and-comer like Captain Cherokee.
Where is Stardom bound?
Judging from their comments, Stardom Bounds connections do not seemed as inclined to try the colts in the Santa Anita Derby (gr.I) as they did before her desperation nose victory in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I), especially after earning an 87 Beyer figure. Whether or not shes up to handling the boys, lets not ignore the fact that she showed true heart and a dogged determination to pull out this win after having to go some nine-wide turning for home.
It certainly was not her best effort in terms of speed and dominance, even though most everyone thought she would improve in leaps and bounds off her debut in the Las Virgenes (gr. I). But horses often will regress second race back off a layoff, and perhaps she ran harder than people thought in the Las Virgenes when only 70% fit. The Oaks did tell us something about her we didnt know before and that is she certainly has the will to win. The fact is, shes won five grade I stakes in a row and that is an incredible achievement. There is no doubt Bobby Frankel and IEAH Stables will do whats best for her.
Comments
Another Louisiana Derby probable starter--Uno Mas (Worth Watching)--was also on Monday's work tab with a six-furlong breeze in 1:14.80 (2/7). Uno Mas, conditioned by Steve Asmussen, ran third in the Risen Star and fourth in the Lecomte. He's expected to be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan in the Louisiana Derby.
Soul Warrior (Just In Case), possible for the Louisiana Derby and another one from the barn of Asmussen, was also clocked in 1:14.80 (2/7) during his six-furlong breeze on Monday.
FB
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
It's not too early to start thinking about the Kentucky Derby. Not to speak disparagingly of the thick lint that they're racing on in certain locales, the product that the Europeans fancy, it's always good to get back to the basics of good old American dirt.
Here's an early Kentucky Derby primer.
Beware of extremes
Few Derbies are stolen up front or cashed from way back. There's a good reason for that. Derby horses are too good. This isn't a five-horse field out west where a 105 Beyer would translate to about a 93 in a full field elsewhere; or a rack full of dumb jockeys in the sticks, nine or ten of whom sprint for the lead out of habit.
Concerning late horses, the deep closers, they're like the Mickey Mantle baseball cards you tossed; it's like your ex-spouse marrying a billionaire; it's like the intelligent and pretty person who is allergic to your good dog: Late horses are heart-breakers.
Beware of success on the heavy lint
The fake dirt. Sometimes horses seen coming around the turn for home at Santa Anita look like Apollo Ohno, the speed skater, as they occasionally spin their shoes trying to hold traction and avoid drifting toward the outside rail.
Some fake dirt appears so shallow as to have been sprinkled.
Artificial racing surfaces have given rise to the phrase horse for the discourse.
Beware of elitism
Regional loyalty is part of the charm of the Triple Crown, 95 percent of the people watching at Oaklawn cheering the first Saturday in May for the Arkansas Derby winner.
But looking crossways at a winner from a track like Delta Downs can be bad business. Defeating a full field of rowdies at Delta, as Pioneer of the Nile did, is hard and honest work.
Be aware of an open mind
It's March, so who do I like in the Derby?
Here's who: One of those who survives the Beware List here; one of those who looks good after the post position draw, mid-week.
What's the rush?
If you put the time and energy wasted on nonsense like NCAA men's hoop bracketology to better use, we could have solved the recession. Who cares who the last teams into the basketball tournament are; the last teams in are junk, last in, first out.
Having to pick horses early is the hardest thing about the great job of handicapping for the globe.
So much changes the weather, the surface bias, the humans or the horses picking the night before can be too early.
Beware of experts
An expert's value is born of another's insecurity. What horse race experts know best is how to give a job interview.
Whereas extreme running styles are bad risks in the Derby, extremes in picking records are invaluable.
Who doesn't need advice once in a while; I listen only to handicappers who are proven winners.
Rotten handicappers are the most consistent things at a race track. Some friends and I go in on some Derby and big-race wagers and rely 100 percent on eliminating selections made by bad pickers. When a terrible handicapper puts a "value" tag on a runner, not only can you eliminate this horse from consideration, you up your wagers on others.
When a bad handicapper touts a three-horse Exacta box, it gets a little complicated, because one choice is apt to run second, the other two out.
Expert pickers have a hard time ditching the obvious. The obvious is not only the favorite in a race. Sometimes a 10-1 shot can appear obvious because of insignificant trouble that is overly evident to everybody and his tout sheet.
Be aware of small stuff
Human body language is important.
The terrific series "Jockeys" on the Animal Planet demonstrates how riders and trainers carry themselves before wins and losses.
Success over a track is important. Trendy picks seldom win. A trendy pick is one the celebrities can understand.
Getting back to the economy, I have chosen to cut back elsewhere, not at the races.
Fun might be the only antidote to a bad economy.
But Old Fashioned sits atop of the first National Thoroughbred Association Triple Crown poll to come out this year. Its a poll of 21 media types. Heres the rundown:
1. Old Fashioned
2. Pioneerof The Nile
3. The Pamplemousse
4. Quality Road
5. Stardom Bound
6. Friesan Fire
7. Dunkirk
8. Desert Party
9. Hello Broadway
10. Beethoven
Among the other horses receiving votes are Take The Points, Patena, Theregoesjojo, Haynesfield, Giant Oak and, strangely enough, Midshipman, who hasnt raced this year and who, after an injury, is no longer even on the road to the Triple Crown. Almost as strange, three of the top five horses in the poll race on Californias synthetic surfaces and may or may not transcribe their talents accurately onto dirt. Of those, The Pamplemousse in particular looks like a potential turf-synthetic specialist, given his high, pounding action.
Anyway, even at No. 4, Quality Road could be too low. In the context of Saturdays races at Gulfstream Park, the Fountain of Youth was conspicuously outstanding; but in the context of the tracks peculiar mile races, Quality Roads effort becomes luminous.
The splits for the Fountain of Youth, you probably noticed, were at the very least odd 23.83 the first quarter and 21.72 the next, for a 45.55 opening half-mile. The peculiarly slow opening quarter suggests somethings up a teletimer malfunction, a misplaced pole, an uphill climb. Obviously the horses run-up to the pole, where the clocking begins, is negligible for these races, and thats a large part of the explanation, maybe all of it, but Im not sure thats sufficient to account for the discrepancy between what the opening quarter was and what it should have been.
Fortunately, though, for handicappers, the weirdness is consistent. In the 11 one-mile races run last week on Gulfstreams main track, the average quarter-mile and half-mile splits were 24.55 and 47.70. Take the Fountain of Youth out of the mix, and the averages were 24.63 and 47.91. And, keep in mind, thats all straightaway. Although the pace didnt seem especially fast, the Fountain of Youth was the only one-mile race all week with a sub-46 opening half; in only one other race was the opening half under 47 seconds. In Sundays Davona Dale, Frolics Dream, one of the quickest fillies around, led early through splits of 24.48 and 47.39.
As for the Fountain of Youths three-quarter split, 1:09.40, that stands out like a redwood in a pine forest. After the strange opening quarter, This Ones For Phil ran the next half-mile in 45.57, partly around a turn, and Quality Road made up a length on him. The average three-quarter split for the week was 1:12.84. Not counting the Fountain of Youth, it was 1:13.19, and in only four races was the opening six-furlong split under 1:13, the second-fastest for the week being 1:12.30.
As for Quality Roads final time, 1:35.01, that, too, is towering. The average for the week was 1:38.60. Not including the Fountain of Youth, it was 1:38.96. In winning the Davona Dale by 3 3/4 lengths, Justwhistledixie ran the second-fastest mile of the week, 1:37.67, which, of course, is about 13 lengths slower than Quality Roads effort.
And so what does all this mean? Well, for one thing, it means the Fountain of Youth was superlative. For another, it means that Quality Road, even though he has yet to race around two turns, probably should be higher than No. 4. And, for yet another, it means he could become a superstar.
Daily Racing Form
ARCADIA, Calif. -- The road to the 135th Kentucky Derby veered into several lanes over the weekend, an autobahn for stakes winners Quality Road and The Pamplemousse, potholes for Capt. Candyman Can and This Ones For Phil, and a stop sign for Midshipman and Notonthesamepage.
Here at Santa Anita, The Pamplemousse turned in the best race of his career, romping to a six-length victory in the Grade 3, $200,000 Sham Stakes, in which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 103. His trainer, Julio Canani, arrived at the winner's circle fighting back tears, which he did successfully, but it was a window into how much this Derby chase means to him.
"Everybody wants to knock him," Canani said, referring to The Pamplemousse, when asked why he was so emotional.
"It's fun, but more pressure," Canani said a few minutes later. "I don't know how to take pressure."
The Pamplemousse, the odds-on favorite at 1-2, was flawless Saturday, leading from start to finish in the 1 1/8-mile race. It was his third straight win, all since he was stretched out around two turns. But as easily as The Pamplemousse won the race, he was noticeably winded in the winner's circle afterward, unlike the effortless appearance he gave in his brilliant, recent works.
Canani said The Pamplemousse would make his next start in the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 4. That would give The Pamplemousse five weeks until that race and another four until the Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2.
"This colt improves every time," Canani said. "He's still growing."
Canani left little to chance. Deeply superstitious, he wore the exact same pants and shirt that he had on when The Pamplemousse won his previous start, the San Rafael Stakes. He also had the computer bag of Jackie Licht - the teenage daughter of Roger Licht, who is a friend of Canani's and a former California Horse Racing Board chairman - locked in a bear hug. Seems Canani was left holding that bag when his horse Spring House won the San Luis Obispo Handicap six days earlier, so it has become a rather oversized, and heavy, good-luck charm.
Take the Points, who finished second, and Mr. Hot Stuff, who was third, both have the Santa Anita Derby as their next likely spot, though Take the Points could ship elsewhere.
"The Santa Anita Derby is certainly a possibility, as are a number of other races that weekend or the Blue Grass the following weekend," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Take the Points. "We'll sit back and see what happens in the San Felipe" - to be run here March 14, featuring Pioneerof the Nile - "and what the complexion of the Santa Anita Derby looks like."
Eoin Harty, who trains Mr. Hot Stuff, was impressed with the way his colt finished and galloped out.
"He's just a doofus," Harty said. "With three-sixteenths of a mile to go, he decides, I better get to running. The outrider had to pull him up afterwards."
At Gulfstream Park, Quality Road took advantage of his outside post to roll to victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, his second win in three starts, all around one turn. He got a 113 Beyer. His trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, on Monday said Quality Road would either come back in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 28 or await the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4.
"There are pros and cons to each race," said Jerkens, who likes training at the Palm Meadows facility in South Florida.
Quality Road was not an early nominee to the Triple Crown for $600 in January. Jerkens said that was an unfortunate oversight that would be corrected by the end of this month, when a second nomination deadline falls, this time for $6,000.
Theregoesjojo, second in the Fountain of Youth, will come back in either the Florida Derby or await the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 11, trainer Ken McPeek said.
Beethoven, third in the Fountain of Youth, will run next in the Florida Derby, trainer John T. Ward Jr. said.
Capt. Candyman Can (fourth) and This Ones For Phil (fifth) both disappointed in the race and may not continue down the Derby trail, said their respective trainers, Ian Wilkes and Richard Dutrow Jr.
Midshipman and Notonthesamepage are out of consideration for the Derby. Notonthesamepage bled in his trachea in the Fountain of Youth, trainer Wesley Ward said.
Midshipman, last year's champion 2-year-old male when trained by Bob Baffert in California, suffered a soft-tissue injury in his left front leg last week in Dubai and will miss the entire Triple Crown, according to a statement posted on the website of his owner, Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin Racing.
The specific injury was not disclosed, but soft-tissue injuries could range from something as minor as a muscle pull to something as major as a bowed tendon.
Midshipman was purchased last year by Sheikh Mohammed and was sent to Dubai, to be trained by Saeed bin Suroor, following his victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was scheduled to make his first start as a 3-year-old this Thursday night at Nad Al Sheba.
"It is a huge shame as he had been pleasing us enormously and was ready to make his reappearance next Thursday," Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager, said in the statement. "He is scheduled to return to America in early April, and hopefully he will be back on the track later in the season."
- additional reporting by Mike Welsch
By David Grening
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - For the last 23 years and counting, trainer Shug McGaughey's success in Thoroughbred racing has been directly linked with the Phipps family. But if McGaughey is to make a return to the Kentucky Derby for the first time in seven years, his best chance appears to be with a colt owned by an old friend who has started a new venture.
Imperial Council, a classically bred 3-year-old, will attempt to jump on the Triple Crown trail in earnest Saturday when he makes his stakes debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham at Aqueduct. The 1 1/16-mile Gotham will be Imperial Council's first start around two turns.
Imperial Council is owned by Sequoia Racing, a partnership group started in 2007 by longtime horseman Reynolds Bell Jr., whose relationship with McGaughey goes back 35 years. Bell, 56, is the son of Alice Chandler and the stepson of John Chandler, who owned Mill Ridge Farm, for which Bell served as general manager for 10 years before starting a bloodstock and consulting business in 1991.
With Sequoia Racing, Bell's goal is to buy colts in the $150,000 to $500,000 range that could make solid racehorses and go on to become top stallion prospects. In addition to McGaughey - who has two horses for the partnership - Sequoia also employs trainers Michael Matz, Kiaran McLaughlin, and Barclay Tagg.
Bell said the makeup of Sequoia is two-thirds established owners and one-third newcomers to the sport. Bell declined to name his Sequoia partners, saying that "if we have success, you'll see a lot of these folks start showing up at the races, and I'll let them talk about it."
Sequoia purchased 15 yearling colts in 2007 and the same number in 2008. Thus far, Imperial Council, who at $130,000 was the least expensive yearling purchase the group made in 2007, has shown the most potential.
Imperial Council, a son of Empire Maker, has won 2 of 3 starts. He finished second to the highly regarded Hello Broadway in his debut last summer at Saratoga before winning a maiden race at Belmont in October. Bothered by shins, Imperial Council was given some time off before winning an allowance race at Gulfstream Park by two lengths on Feb. 14.
Imperial Council has yet to run beyond seven furlongs. As a son of the Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker out of the Thunder Gulch mare Jaramar Rain, Imperial Council is bred to have success going long. In all three of his races, he has shown tactical speed that puts him right in his races from the start.
"What's surprised me so much about this horse is he's bred to go long and two turns, but he's got such a quick turn of foot," Bell said. "He's got so much tactical speed, I'm not sure where it comes from."
According to McGaughey, Imperial Council has a good mind as well. You wouldn't have suspected that, however, from his debut. While being saddled at Saratoga, Imperial Council kicked the back wall of a saddling stall and was a handful to saddle. Still, after breaking slowly, he got himself into contention, made the lead turning for home, and just got outfinished by Hello Broadway, losing by a neck.
"I was shocked when he acted up," said the 58-year-old McGaughey, a 2004 Hall of Fame inductee. "He never showed a sign of doing anything wrong. He got really upset that day. The second time we ran him he reared up one time, then he was fine. The other day, he never made a move, and he won't make a move at Aqueduct either."
McGaughey shipped Imperial Council on Tuesday from his Payson Park base in Florida to Aqueduct, and the colt was to train there for a few days before the race. Initially, the Gotham was not on McGaughey's radar for Imperial Council. McGaughey has won the Gotham three times, including in 1989 with Easy Goer, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby.
"If you asked me before he ran last time, I don't know that I would have mentioned the Gotham," said McGaughey, who has not run a horse in the Derby since Saarland finished 10th for Cynthia Phipps in 2002. "But he's done so well since then, and it's a good spot for him going a mile and a sixteenth on a regular [dirt] track. He's trained so well down here since his race - that's what makes it so exciting."
By Jay Hovdey
ARCADIA, Calif. - Julio Canani was on the roof. Don't worry. It was no big deal. In the wake of The Pamplemousse's comprehensive victory in the Sham Stakes a half-hour earlier, the trainer was hardly a candidate to jump for anything but joy. He knows all the nooks and crannies of Santa Anita, though, and going from the claustrophobia of the Directors Room to the raucous expanse of the blue-collar friendly Frontrunner Restaurant required merely a quick elevator trip to the press box level, a 25-yard trot across the roof, and descent through a winding, backstage staircase. Voila! His public awaited.
The idea of Canani in the Directors Room was weird enough. It's just as well he fled. Chances are, there have been more informally attired stakes-winning trainers lifting champagne flutes to significant events, but none come to mind. Over the years, Santa Anita has shed most if its Old Pasadena, high-society sheen. Commoners - including, gasp, the media - have become welcome in formerly hallowed enclaves. This, of course, falls into the category of not wanting to be a member of a club that would want me as a member, but that's another tale.
Canani, who is from Peru, feels enough of an outsider as it is, and thrives. He wears his otherness as a defensive cloak, so thick at times that it tends to hide the fact that he is a remarkable horseman who gets astonishingly consistent results from animals who, in his words, were either "retreads or cucarachas" in the eyes of previous handlers.
The Pamplemousse, a $150,000 2-year-old purchase, is not one of those, although Canani will wave four fingers in your face - like Joseph McCarthy with his list of Commies in the State Department - and tell you that four different veterinarians turned down the big gray colt for clients who were in the market for a potential Derby horse.
"They look at his tendons, they thought he was too big, too clumsy," Canani said before the Sham. "He's beautiful. The thing I worry about is that he will do too much. I never work him fast. I woke up at two o'clock last night, worried he might try to do too much in this race."
It is a reasonable fear. Some Thoroughbreds are too fast for their own good. The Pamplemousse won the Sham by six lengths, just cruising at the end and shading 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles. This is racehorse time, even on a Pro-Ride surface that can lean toward quick. And forget about concerns that The Pamplemousse won't be able to handle the switch to dirt down the road. His high, ground-churning action would seem suited to any main track, unless they turn Churchill Downs into a squash court. Now it's Canani's job to keep the lid on until the time is right.
"I called Julio one day, just to check on things," said Bill Strauss, who owns 20 percent of The Pamplemousse with his brother, Jeff. "I asked him, 'How's our baby?' "
Canani's reply:
"He's no baby. He's a monster."
One of the good guys
The check for $5.7 million cleared and the new IEAH silks looked just fine atop champion Stardom Bound when she made her 3-year-old debut in the Las Virgenes Stakes last month. Every time she runs, though, the spirit of former owner Charlie Cono pervades the atmosphere, as it will again this Saturday when Stardom Bound runs in the Santa Anita Oaks.
It is probably inappropriate to wish for a win as a get well gesture for Cono, 75, who is battling the one-two punch of lupus and pulmonary fibrosis. Let's just say the sight of her, even on television, will do him good.
The last time Cono was seen by the racing public was at the Eclipse Awards ceremony in Miami Beach, Jan. 26, accepting Stardom Bound's honor alongside trainer Chris Paasch. The filly was odds-on, but the owner was a longshot to make the ceremony.
"He shouldn't have been there, but I'm glad he went," Paasch said earlier this week. "It was certainly the culmination of a great year. Going up on stage, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs and said, 'I can't make it.' I told him to just stop, take a little break, and tell me when you're ready. After a few seconds he said, 'Okay, let's go.' "
Stardom Bound was Cono's benediction, a farewell flourish to active participation in a sport he'd loved since his teens in Washington, D.C., when his fellow bellhops were also jockeys, and his track of convenient choice was Bowie. It was less than 10 years ago, though, that Cono got serious about plowing some of his San Diego real estate fortune into a first- class string of Thoroughbreds. With Paasch buying and training, they had a decent collection of decent stakes horses. Then came Stardom Bound.
Cono's legacy in the Southern California community was assured long ago, particularly as a driving financial force behind the Fresh Start Surgical Gifts program, which provides free surgical services to young people with physical deformities. Cono's concern now is that he lives long enough to see another of his projects to completion - the new campus in north San Diego County that will expand the reach of the Training, Education & Research Institute (TERI), serving children who are autistic or severely developmentally disabled.
"Charlie told me once that he thought God put people on earth for different reasons," Paasch said, "and that he was put here to make a bunch of money in order to help a lot of people."
Mission accomplished.
I Want Revenge (Looking Good) travels the most miles after being shipped in from Jeff Mullins' barn in Southern California. Shug McGaughey and Todd Pletcher send Imperial Council (Worth Watching) and Masala up from Florida. And Russell Road has taken an unlikely highway from West Virginia.
Waiting for them along with Haynesfield (Worth Watching), winner of the Count Fleet and Whirlaway Stakes at the Big A, are Naos, who's stationed for Pletcher across town at Belmont Park, and Mr. Fantasy (Worth Watching), an exciting prospect from Kiaran McLaughlin's northern division. Adding a dimension to the race is McLaughlin's Axel Foley (Worth Watching), who blew into town recently afer a poor effort for trainer Doug O'Neill in the Grade III El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 14.
Rounding out the Gotham field is Giant Ryan, born and bred in the Empire State, and trained by Bisnath Parboo.
Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, says Haynesfield is training well and expects he will be a contender.
Hes stepping up and its different competition, but thats the name of the game, he said. More money means better horses. I think he fits at this point and he hasnt proven otherwise. Im very happy about where Im at with him.
I Want Revenge will try to atone for a loss to Pioneerof the Nile and Papa Clem in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7. Mullins has decided that the son of Stephen Got Even might prefer dirt to Santa Anita's synthetic track. The colt will race with blinkers for the second time in the Gotham.
Joe (Talamo) thought he didnt get a hold of the synthetic that well and might do better on dirt, owner David Lanzman said. Thats been Jeffs opinion all along. We might as well find out now, sooner than later.
Axel Foley's blinkers days are over for now, as he'll shed them in the Gotham. They were tried on him for the first time in the El Camino Real, won by Chocolate Candy. Like I Want Revenge, Axel Foley will try dirt after a two campaigns spent on synthetic track.
Mr. Fantasy, a son of E Dubai, has only raced twice, both times at Aqueduct, and he won those races by a combined 19 lengths. His most recent victory was at the Gotham distance.
He is a very nice horse, and a very fast horse according to the sheets, said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. But, you dont really know who he has beaten yet, what the level of competition has been. Having said that, he has done everything weve asked of him so far and done it easily. He even won from post 10 last time out. The Gotham will be a big test for him because he is going to face tougher and even more seasoned horses.
Imperial Council, a son of Empire Maker, should enjoy going around two turns for the first time. The Gotham will be only his fourth career start, and the second this year. In his most recent outing, Imperial Council was impressive winning a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream on Feb. 14.
I look forward to running him two turns, trainer Shug McGaughey said. I think what weve been doing with him, sprinting, isnt what he wants to do naturally, so I dont think the distance will be a problem.
Masala, who, like Imperial Council, is experiened on dirt, most recently finished second to Take the Points in a Gulfstream Park allowance race. Take the Points shipped to California, where he finished second in last Saturday's Grade III Sham Stakes. Masala will get support if for no other reason than he broke his maiden at Aqueduct last November. That contest took place on a muddy/sealed track going two turns.
Russell Road is an outsider, having spent his time blowing away opponents at Charles Town, where he won five straight races last year, including the West Virginia Futurity. He returned to the races at Laurel Park on Jan. 31 and took the Dancing Count Stakes at 3-5 odds. The Gotham will be the first race beyond seven furlongs for the son of Wheaton.
Hes a pretty nice horse at Charles Town, and even though it was a short field (in the Dancing Count), he ran pretty good, said trainer James W. Casey. We thought wed try him against better competition to get a better line on him. He looks like he wants to go farther, and we know well be meeting tougher horses here, but hes beaten the ones weve had so far pretty easy and hes running his best parts late.
There are some interesting jockey moves in the Gotham. Joe Talamo will come into town to retain the mount on I Want Revenge, and Alan Garcia travels from Florida via Dubai to ride Mr. Fantasy after winning on him in his debut.
Meanwhile, Edgar Prado, who's been aboard Imperial Council in all three of his starts, will be in California riding Monba in the Big Cap and Becrux in the Kilroe Mile. And Ramon Dominguez, who's ridden Haynesfield in four of his five starts, is scheduled to join Prado at Santa Anita where he has mounts on Court Vision in the Big Cap and Gio Ponti in the Kilroe.
The weather forecast for Saturday calls for a few showers with a 30% chance of rain as of this posting on March 4.
Gotham Notes
Posted March 3, 2009
Updated March 4, 2009
Edgar Prado, rider of Imperial Council (Worth Watching), wont be in New York Saturday for the Grade III Gotham. Hes going to California instead for the Big Cap. Same with Ramon Dominguez, regular rider of Haynesfield (Worth Watching). Joe Talamo, regular rider of I Want Revenge (Looking Good), is making the trip East for the Gotham.
Alan Garcia has a busy week: In Dubai on Thursday, and then in New York Friday and Saturday, including a mount on Mr. Fantasy (Worth Watching) in the Gotham
The plane carrying I Want Revenge from California to New York for the Gotham was scheduled to leave Tuesday night at midnight Pacific time.
Trainer Barclay Tagg is committed to sending Hello Broadway (Worth Watching) two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16 mile, Grade III Tampa Bay Derby on March 14. Hello Broadway's three races as a 2-year-old in New York included a second-place finish in the Grade III Nashua Stakes on Nov. 2.
I like the progression of the races to the Florida Derby this year, but it just didnt fit my horse, said Tagg. I had originally lined it up and thought the Fountain of Youth at a mile would have been great to get to the Florida Derby, but I wasnt thinking at the time that it would have made five straight one-turn races. The Florida Derby would be his only two-turn race before the Derby, and I cant risk that.
For now, Taggs chosen road to Louisville includes a stop in New York for the Grade I Wood Memorial on April 4.
We dont have much choice now, said Tagg. If he can win in Tampa, we go to New York. If he can win there, on we go to Churchill.
Hello Broadway is sitting at number 26 on our Graded Earnings Chart, launched yesterday. He has $65,700 in graded stakes earnings.
According to Gulfstream Park officials, Hello Broadway breezed today at the track under exercise rider Carl Allsop, going went six furlongs in 1:14. The work isn't recorded at Equibase.com as of this posting. It was his third workout since finishing second behind Capt. Candyman Can in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes on Jan. 30.
It went good. Just what I wanted, said Tagg, who isn't always so complimentary. He seemed pretty relaxed this morning.
By Steve Haskin
Updated: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 7:09 PM
Posted: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 1:37 PM
Email Print RSS ShareThisI Want Revenge is a horse on a mission. The son of Stephen Got Even has traveled across the country to get a head start on his compatriots back home. While they remain in California, content to scamper along on the synthetic surface, oblivious to the test that awaits them on May 2, I Want Revenge is willing to find out right now, once and for all, whether he will get hit by a dirt bomb or take to the loam like a kid to a sandbox.
If it turns out to be the latter and he can defeat a talented field in Saturdays Gotham Stakes (gr. III), or at least finish an exceptional second, he will rise up the Derby lists as quickly as the temperature of owner/breeder David Lanzman and trainer Jeff Mullins. Of course, their illness will be nothing more than an acute case of Derby fever that they hope will burst the thermometer.
When I won the (2001) Breeders Cup Sprint with Squirtle Squirt, I had never experienced anything like that before, Lanzman said. I heard everybody say, Its nothing like the Derby, and I almost took offense to it. But now that Ive got one thats this close I totally see where everybody was coming from. Theres nothing like this. Its not only nerve-wracking, but with all the information thats out there on the Internet I probably get three or four calls a day from some friend of mine somewhere asking me, Did you read this; did you read that? Its overwhelming, but in a good way.
Lanzman said the decision to leave California and head to the dirt was finalized after jockey Joe Talamo told them the colt did not handle the Pro-Ride surface, which had taken a good deal of rain prior to the Robert Lewis Stakes (gr. II) and was spotty throughout. I Want Revenge gained narrow lead turning for home, but didnt kick on and had to settle for third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.
Joe said at the quarter pole, it wasnt a question of whether or not we were going to win, but by how much, Lanzman said. But the horse just wasn't getting hold of the track. Joe said he thought he would do much better on dirt. And that was Jeffs opinion basically from the day we brought him in from the farm. So, we started looking for a dirt race, and the timing of the Gotham was perfect. We decided to find out now rather than later whether hell handle the dirt.
I Want Revenge is a long-striding colt who covers a lot of ground and moves with great efficiency. How that will equate to Aqueducts inner track, which in the past has been conducive to inside speed, well have to see. So far, the track has been playing pretty fair, according to the NYRA handicappers.
Although hes won only one of six races, hes never run worse than third, and he turned in a super performance in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), coming off a maiden victory to be beaten a nose by Pioneerof the Nile, who has since established himself as the leading 3-year-old colt in California, along with The Pamplemousse. In the CashCall, I Want Revenge demonstrated his agility by doing some nifty broken-field running, slicing between horses in the stretch, only to get nipped right on the wire in a gutsy effort.
Even in the Robert Lewis Stakes (gr. II), on a track he didnt care for, he still finished a credible third, beaten only 1 1/2 lengths by Pioneerof the Nile and a length behind the improving Papa Clem, who also will skip town in search of dirtier pastures in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) March 14.
I Want Revenge could very well be one of those horses who actually is better on the dirt, in which case he will continue on the Derby trail possessing all the attributes you want in a Derby horse. He has the right running style, having shown he can be effective coming from mid-pack and negotiating traffic. And hes versatile enough to have broken his maiden on the lead the whole way. Hes trained by a three-time Santa Anita Derby winner (he won three straight from 2003-2005) who has been to the Kentucky Derby four times, his best finish being a fifth by Buzzards Bay in 2005.
And finally, he has a pedigree that provides him not only with a ton of stamina top and bottom, but toughness and durability, which he gets from a tail-female family dominated by Argentine and British classic horses.
His sire, Stephen Got Even, is by A.P. Indy , out of a Coxs Ridge mare who finished third in the Gazelle Handicap (gr. I) and whose dam was a graded stakes winner and second dam a half-sister to the top-class Lord Avie.
I Want Revenges dam, Meguial, second in a group I in Argentina, is by the grade II-placed Roy, who was the leading sire in Chile for nine consecutive years and also the leading sire in Argentina. In all, he sired 125 stakes winners. Meguials broodmare sire, Fitzcarraldo, finished second, third, and fourth in the Argentine Triple Crown, in which the first and third legs are run on dirt, and was the leading sire of stakes winners in 1992. Fitzcarraldos sire, Cipayo, won the Argentine 2,000 Guineas and the group I Gran Premio Montevideo. Fitzcarraldos broodmare sire, Vervain, won the group II King Edward II Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Royal Ascot. Vervains sire, Crepello, won the English Derby and 2,000 Guineas and was the champion sire in England in 1969 and champion broodmare sire in 1974. Vervains dam, Verbena, finished second in the 1 1/2-mile Ribblesdale Stakes (Eng-II) at Royal Ascot. Finally, Meguials third dam, Media Sombra, is by Seductor, winner of the last two legs of the Argentine Triple Crown, the Gran Premio Jockey Club and Gran Premio Nacional.
So, as you can see, this pedigree is pure stamina, with enough brilliance to win Guineas in Argentina and Great Britain. For breeders looking to get away from all the inbreeding in the sport, I Want Revenge is a complete outcross, mixing classic horses from Argentina and England with names like A.P. Indy, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Mr. Prospector, Fappiano, and Blushing Groom.
The Gotham could turn out to an important prep for the Kentucky Derby this year if I Want Revenge can use it as a springboard to the Wood Memorial and the Derby.
Adding some spice to the Gotham
While all eyes will be focused on I Want Revenge, Imperial Council, and the battling New York-breds, Haynesfield and Mr. Fantasy, there is another interesting colt who could be ready for a bust-out performance. Peachtree Stables Masala, named after an Indian hot sauce, has been the quintessential pro from the day he was born, and has always done everything the right way.
The son of Lion Heart has a win, a second, and third in three career starts, and is coming off an excellent runner-up performance against Take the Points in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream, in which he broke slowly, moved up to mid-pack, and then closed well off slow fractions to be beaten two lengths on a speed-favoring track, while finishing seven lengths ahead of the third horse.
His Beyers have climbed from a 75 to an 89 to a 90, and should continue to improve. There is rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, and Masala broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths on a muddy track at Aqueduct last November. He is one to watch at a price.
His trainer Todd Pletcher also will be represented by Starlight Partners Naos, another son of Lion Heart who won his career debut impressively over this same Aqueduct inner track in December. Following a bad performance and a bad trip in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes, he went to Philly Park, stretched out to a mile and 70 yards in allowance company, and drew off to a comfortable 3 1/4-length victory, defeating Mike Trombettas highly regarded Casa dOro. Hes been working very well over the Belmont training track.
Redemption Friday
That's pretty much what Friday's 1 1/8-mile allowance race at Gulfstream is, with a number of once-promising 3-year-olds -- Well Positioned, Atomic Rain, Idol Maker, Stately Character, and Copper Cascade -- all attempting to rebound off poor performances. Two new and fascinating faces are the Smarty Jones colt Chef, an impressive maiden winner in his career debut, and the Peruvian import Al Khali -- who is now a WinStar/Pletcher horse, and who is coming off a bullet five-furlong work in :59 4/5 at Palm Meadows. The son of Medaglia d'Oro has won his last two in Peru.
Speaking of redemption, on Saturday at Gulfstream, Nicanor gets another shot in a seven-maiden race.
HRI Kentucky Derby Rankings March 4, 2009
Saratoga Springs, NY, March 3, 2009--In the grand scheme of classics things, the Fasig- Tipton Fountain of Youth and Sham Stakes are but cogs in a wheel of continuing momentum towards an ultimate goal. But last weekend was more. Two stars were born. How brightly they shine--and for how long--is the reason they run races.
Not to disparage Turfway Park but well need more information to find out where the winning Proceed Bee--now four-for-six lifetime--fits with the class of 2009, that seems to have gotten better by the day. Maybe more evidence will come from the Lanes End Stakes, March 21. But given its lack of recent Derby impact, maybe not.
And so the stars glowed, one on each coast, and if Quality Road and The Pamplemousse make it into the Churchill Downs starting gate, its going to be awfully crowded up front when the herd reaches the first turn. Theres no lack of brilliance in this years Derby class.
Quality Road, eligible for preliminary allowances, asserted himself to show that hes something more, maybe much more. After an impressive juvenile debut, a festering cough, poor start and hot pace forced him to settle for place in his first start of 2009. That day Theregoesjojo raced right on by him. On Saturday Quality Road would have widened his margin on the Fountain of Youth runnerup if allowed to go around again.
A high-cruising stalker, Quality Road took advantage of the outside slip and Johnny Velazquezs heady rating to attend the rapid pace of This Ones For Phil, who probably wanted a target himself but was much too keen, especially when the other burners failed to show speed. Edgar Prado wisely allowed him to roll but to no avail.
Quality Road finished up strongly, re-breaking after entering the straight, and it was all over. The Jimmy Jerkens-trained colt stopped the timer in 1:35, a distance that has not yielded fast times all meeting despite the speedy nature of this sprint configuration. It was a top effort from a very talented colt.
The winner was 4-¼ lengths better than Theregoesjojo, who showed an electric turn of foot at mid-far turn. Beethoven came from last of 10 with a strong, wide rally, showing improvement from his Holy Bull, his second encouraging sophomore performance. Hutcheson winner Capt. Candyman Can was too keen, also, and looked unsuited by Derby conditions.
The Pamplemousse, meanwhile, was very impressive in a dominating Sham performance, skipping the nine furlongs in a controlled 1:47.86 over the Pro-Ride surface. He gave no indication he cant go beyond nine furlongs despite a sprint oriented pedigree. Hes now a multiple stakes winner and improved his two-turn record to 3-for-3. A serious racehorse, hell continue to improve with experience.
The HRI Derby Ten, Week 3
1-Old Fashioned (36): Hes still the one and for the third consecutive week. A big date is the week after next when the consensus leader of every poll on the planet makes his second start of the year in the G2 Rebel Stakes. It isnt likely to change a thing.
2-Pioneerof The Nile (26): Recent workouts, including Sundays six furlongs in 1:12 3/5, galloping out seven in 1:25 3/5, have been super. His education continues next weekend in the San Felipe. Have a feeling that every day until Mays first Saturday is like eternity for Bob Baffert. Bullet Bob has lots of options with this big-time talent. Lacks dirt form.
3-Stardom Bound (22): As stated last week, her Derby participation depends in large measure on how owners Patena performs in Louisiana Derby. Not sure what to expect beyond a victory this Saturday vs. three projected rivals, and how much it will matter. Had useful maintenance five-furlong workout over the weekend. Also no dirt form.
4-Friesan Fire (18): A great insurance policy for Larry Jones. Speedster will try to extend his unbeaten three-year-old stakes season next weekend in New Orleans. Well seasoned, he gets better by the day according to Jones, seemingly learning how to settle early.
5-The Pamplemousse(16): The connections were high on him even when the whole world wasnt. Its unlikely this guy will be underestimated again, such was his Shamsational performance last weekend. Friesan Fire notwithstanding, the only multiple graded stakes winner this year. Dirt, please.
6-Desert Party (14): Won the U.A.E. 2000 Guineas with style and appears to have all the tools. Runs next in the nine furlong UAE Derby, March 28. Has pedigree, acts on disparate surfaces, and proved his graded class state-side as a two-year-old.
7-Quality Road (12): The executive editor has to do a some crowing here as the only voter who included him on the first poll in mid-February. Dont want to be too hard on my colleagues, however, as his trainer didnt nominate him to the Triple Crown series. I forgot, Jimmy Jerkens said. Yeah, right.
8-Dunkirk (5): His fan club keeps growing as his legend spreads this spring. Garrett Gomez loves him and his second lifetime win without defeat was a remarkable effort vs. salty allowance types. Even unflappable Todd Pletcher was impressed. But can we wait until we see how he fares vs. seasoned stakes rivals before beginning to sculpt his likeness?
9-Hello Broadway (4) TIE: Ran all the way in good Hutcheson placing that doesnt look as promising after Capt. Candyman Can disappointed in the Fountain of Youth. Cant wait to see him run around two turns in the Tampa Bay Derby, March 14. Continues to work very well--:59 1/5 last week--for Derby-winning connections.
9-Haynesfield (4) TIE: Undeniably brilliant, hes seasoned enough and proven around two turns. But hes been beating questionable competition on brilliance alone. Must show an ability to rate and handle better horses. Hell get that opportunity in Saturdays Gotham.
By Dick Jerardi
PHILADELPHIA - This is getting serious quickly. I don't remember so many big Beyer Speed Figures by 3-year-olds by the end of the February.
Consider that last year Big Brown became a sensation when he got a 106 Beyer in an allowance race, followed by another 106 in the Florida Derby. If last year were this year, Big Brown would be just another horse.
This year we already had Notonthesamepage and the 114, followed by This Ones for Phil and the 116. The figures were live, but looked somewhat outrageous in relation to their overall form.
Well, the 113 Quality Road got when winning the Fountain of Youth does not look at all like that. Nor does the 103 that The Pamplemousse got when winning the Sham Stakes. (By the way, does that sound like the name of a Kentucky Derby winner? "Derby winners include Secretariat, Affirmed, and The Pamplemousse." What has happened to this sport?)
Quality Road gave a strong hint when he won his maiden with a 101 Beyer last fall. The colt was not included on my recent list of Triple Crown nominees with triple-digit Beyers for a very basic reason: Quality Road was not nominated. He will be nominated. And should be.
The Fountain of Youth win was no fluke. I like Old Fashioned so much because he has the Smarty Jones/Barbaro stalk-and-go running style. So does Quality Road, who, like Smarty Jones, is a son of Elusive Quality.
I don't remember a prep race before a final prep with a stronger field than the Fountain of Youth. Admittedly, the race was not run at all like most expected it to be. Still, Quality Road did not just win. The colt crushed the field.
I think the second and third horses - Theregoesjojo and Beethoven - are live Derby horses. If I think that, I have to be very impressed with the horse that beat them so easily. The 113 was slightly better than the pre-Derby numbers of Smarty Jones - 112 in the Rebel and 109 in the Arkansas Derby - and far better than the 103 Barbaro got in the Florida Derby.
Now, Quality Road has to do it again. Barbaro was trained to peak in the Derby and he did exactly that. Smarty Jones fired off one big Beyer after another.
So, let's wait and see on Quality Road. Whatever the colt does next, the Beyer gauntlet has been thrown down for Old Fashioned's next race in the Rebel.
As for the horse with that strange name, the colt looks as serious as the number. It is the rare horse who gets a Beyer jump in five consecutive races. But The Pamplemousse has done it with an 82 in his debut, followed by an 83, 89, 93, and 103.
It is probably no coincidence that the Beyer jump took place when The Pamplemousse started running around two turns. We need this horse in Kentucky, if for no other reason than Julio Canani will give the Derby Week backstretch some serious entertainment value.
If the colt wins the Santa Anita Derby, we will hear much talk about synthetic-track form in the run-up to the Derby. And I will have little, if any, clue how to assess what it means.
Isn't this complicated enough without all that?
I don't have any Dubai figures. Apparently, they will not be necessary with the two big names as Midshipman is gone and Vineyard Haven is in the witness protection program.
I do believe in the figures as they relate to the Derby. In this decade, they have been deadly on the first Saturday in May - if you get beyond the pace meltdowns in 2001 and 2005 that gave us one-hit wonders Monarchos and Giacomo.
It is why the Derby superfecta has become my favorite bet of the year, a chance to make a giant score even with a semi-obvious winner. I have made it into a trifecta in recent years, putting such stars as Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro, Street Sense, and Big Brown on top of my tickets with very few, if any, backups.
It is still too soon to say whether a single will be as obvious on May 2. I came into the year thinking Old Fashioned was going to be my horse. The numbers can change my mind. I am thinking Old Fashioned is going to get into the Beyer game in his next start. But, if he doesn't, I may re-think my position.
Whatever goes down over the next two months, this has become quite fascinating with so many strong performances so soon.
Is this going to be the norm? Can these horses run even faster? And what might happen when they all show up at the same place at the same time to see just how fast they can really run?
By David Grening
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Mr. Fantasy and Haynesfield, the two horses with the most early speed, won't have to look too far to find each other as they drew side by side when post positions were assigned Wednesday for Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.
Mr. Fantasy, who has won his first two starts by 19 lengths, landed in post 5 while Haynesfield, who has won his last four starts by 19 1/2 lengths, will break from post 6 in the nine-horse field of 3-year-olds hoping to get on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Inside of that duo, from the rail, are Naos, Russell Road, Masala, and Axel Foley. Outside of Haynesfield are Imperial Council, I Want Revenge, and Giant Ryan. The Gotham, run at 1 1/16 miles over the inner track, heads a 10-race card that also includes the Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes for older sprinters.
Mr. Fantasy, a New York-bred son of EoDubai, won his first two starts in front-running fashion, including a gate-to-wire score in a two-turn statebred allowance race in which he broke from post 10.
"We think he's going to be close," said Art Magnuson, assistant to Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Mr. Fantasy. "Whether he's on the lead or not will be up to Alan [Garcia]. We're going to break and be thinking forward as Alan usually does, but it's totally up to him from there."
Haynesfield has won from both on and off the pace under Ramon Dominguez. With Dominguez out of town Saturday, Haynesfield will be ridden by Chuck Lopez, who has built a reputation as top front-end rider.
"Chucky has a reputation indeed, but that's not why we chose him," said Toby Sheets, assistant to Haynesfield's trainer, Steve Asmussen. "He's doing well here, I think he fits the horse - our horse is not a horse that's going to come from 15 back. Chucky rides closer to the front very well, and he's very familiar with the inner track."
Eric Donovan, NYRA's oddsmaker, installed Imperial Council as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Imperial Council, trained by three-time Gotham winner Shug McGaughey, will be making his stakes and two-turn debut in the Gotham. Rajiv Maragh replaces Edgar Prado, who is committed to ride in California.
I Want Revenge, beaten a nose in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity last December, arrived on the grounds at 4:15 p.m Wednesday after a cross-country flight from California. The Gotham will mark his first start on regular dirt.
some integration to the Triple Crown map by shipping across the
country for major prep races.
The two colts are part of what is shaping up
to be a strong group of Southern California
three-year-olds, led by Pioneerof the Nile and
The Pamplemousse and flavored with the intriguing
presence of champion filly Stardom
Bound.
Californias synthetic surfaces are a major
complication in projecting how a horse will
perform on the Churchill Downs dirt in the
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands
(G1). The connections of I Want Revenge and
Papa Clem are seizing the opportunity to get a clearer picture.
I thought we might as well find out now, sooner than later, said
owner-breeder David Lanzman, who has shipped CashCall Futurity
(G1) runner-up I Want Revenge to Aqueduct for the Gotham Stakes
(G3) on Saturday.
Lanzman said trainer Jeff Mullins weighed in following I Want Revenges
third-place finish to Pioneerof the Nile and Papa Clem in the
Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) on Santa Anita Parks synthetic Pro-Ride
surface on February 7.
He looked at me right after
the Lewis and in a very colorful
way told me that he
wanted to get this horse off
synthetics, Lanzman said.
Joe Talamo, our rider,
thought at the quarter pole
it was not whether we were going to win, it was by how much. [After
finishing third], he just thought that the horse doesnt get a hold of
the synthetics so well and that he would do much better on dirt.
Lanzman said Mullins has felt that way since I Want Revenge first
joined his barn.
With the combination of those two [opinions], we started looking
for a dirt race, Lanzman said.
Axel Foley also will ship in from California for the Gotham. He finished
fourth in the El Camino Real Derby (G3) on the synthetic Tapeta
Footings surface at Golden Gate Fields on February 14. Owner Jeff
Singer subsequently moved the Officer colt to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin
in New York.
On March 14, Papa Clem will try dirt for the first time in the $600,000
Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds after finishing second by a halflength
to Pioneerof the Nile in the Robert B. Lewis.
Trainer Gary Stute and owner-breeder Bo Hirsch are passing up
the opportunity for a rematch with Pioneerof the Nile in the San Felipe
Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, in part because they are eager to test
different waters.
To me, its hard to evaluate the horses right now, Stute said. When
Pioneerof the Nile won the CashCall Futurity, the horse he beat was [I
Want Revenge], who had just broken his maiden. My horse ran big in
the Bob Lewis, and he had just broken his maiden. Quality Road won
the Fountain of Youth [Stakes (G2)] the other day, and he only had the
maiden win. The horses that we all thought were good seemed to have
left the country, and the way its looking, theyre not coming back.
I just really have no idea, and thats one of the reasons were going
to what looks like one of the toughest prep races. My owner figured,
Why run against the same horses that day for $200,000, when we can
run for $600,000, see if he likes the dirt, and find out what were doing?
Thats the bad thing about California, you just dont know where you
really stand.
Stardom Bound will have the spotlight one more time against females
on Saturday, when she attempts to record her fifth consecutive
Grade 1 win in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1). Success would likely put
her in line for the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4.
Mike Smith, who has been aboard Stardom Bound for each of her
six career starts, expects her to improve off a comeback victory in the
Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) on February 7.
She was probably only around 75% to 80% that day and still ran the
way she did, Smith said. As far as fitness goes, that was pretty impressive.
Once in a while a great filly comes around that can compete
with the boys, and I really believe she is one of them.
In other news, Rajiv Maragh will ride Imperial Council for the first
time in the Gotham. Maragh replaces Edgar Prado, who is riding at
Santa Anita on Saturday.
The Gotham attracted horses from all over. In addition to the California
shippers, Imperial Council and Masala both shipped in from
Florida, and West Virginia-based gelding Russell Road heads to New
York with six straight wins, including the Dancing Count Stakes at
Laurel Park.
The local contingent includes Count Fleet and Whirlaway Stakes
winner Haynesfield and unbeaten New York-bred Mr. Fantasy.
Jeff Lowe
James Graham has picked up the mount on Giant Oak.
Im on the bubble. Its a long way to go, even though I wasnt planning to go myself. I was going to send Jimmy (assistant Barnes), but he doesnt want to go if I dont go. Im training her like shes running, but theres a lot of stuff going on. Johnny V. wants to ride Quality Road (in the Florida Derby), Baffert said.
A decision will be made prior to March 17, the scheduled departure date for Dubai.
Dunkirk won his seven-furlong career debut by 5 3/4 lengths on Jan. 24, followed by the nine-furlong allowance by 4 3/4 lengths. Garrett Gomez flew in from California for the mount that afternoon.
Pletcher said afterward that Dunkirk would most likely make his third start in the Grade I Florida Derby on March 28 as a final prep for the Kentucky Derby. Were Dunkirk to win, he'd be assured of a Kentucky Derby berth. A second would make him $150,000 in graded earnings, making his chance of getting into the Derby iffy.
Papa Clem Heads to Big Easy Wednesday. Robert B. Lewis runner-up Papa Clem (Worth Watching) and trainer Gary Stute leave next Wednesday for next Saturdays Grade II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. The main reason were going there is to see if he likes real dirt. Plus the race is worth $600,000, Stute said.
Bullet Work: Probably No San Felipe. Impressive maiden winner Zensational worked six furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday in a bullet 1:10.60 under David Flores. According to sources at Santa Anita, however, trainer Bob Baffert said the $700,000 son of Unbridleds Song is not likely to start in next Saturdays San Felipe Stakes .
Silver City took the lead in the Southwest before being overtaken, and he'll being going another half-furlong in the Rebel.
With Terry Thompson aboard and trainer Larry Jones on barn pony Rascal, Old Fashioned encountered some unexpected traffic. The first quarter was timed in an easy 23.20, the three-eighths in 35.60, 47.20 for the half-mile, and finally stopping the clock in :59.00 flat. Thompson galloped Old Fashioned out six furlongs in 1:12.
He did well, we had some unexpected company along the way, but Terry did good handling that, and Old Fashioned worked well. It was easy for him, he trains so easily, he is his own horse, commented Jones. He doesnt have to train real hard, and he just does everything easy.
Wise Kid (Worth Watching) worked a half-mile for his anticipated start in the Rebel. The son of Lemon Drop Kid went a half mile in :47.60, posting the second fastest time for the distance. The Tim Ritchey trainee has won his last two races at Oaklawn, and will be taking his first try at stakes company in the Rebel.
Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile (Looking Good) worked five furlongs on Santa Anita's synthetic track in :58.80, handily, fastest of 85 at the distance, for his next start in Saturday's Grade II San Felipe Stakes.
He went really nice, trainer Bob Baffert said. All systems are go.
Turfway Prevue winner Loch Dubh (Just In Case), who was fifth in the Southwest and who is said to be Turfway Park-bound for the Grade II Lane's End on March 21, put in the second-fastest workout of the morning at Oaklawn Park.
Rachel Alexandra (Worth Watching), bound to compete in a short field in the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks on Saturday, also worked at Oaklawn today. She clocked off the first quarter in 25.60, three-eighths in 37.40, and her final time was 49.20.She galloped out an easy five-eighths in 1:01.40.
Trainer Hall Wiggins said he was pleased. We wanted a nice easy work with her, and thats what we got, he said. We wanted her to go about 48 or 49 for the half-mile and Calvin did just that. It was a nice workout, and she is cooling out well. We will leave Wednesday with her for New Orleans.
Meanwhile, Cribnote (Worth Watching) worked fastest of 19 today at Palm Meadows. It was his fifth workout since Feb. 6.
Flying Pegasus ran in the Risen Star off a layoff of over four months and started from post 12.
"He ran well enough," said Nicks. "That outside post might have cost us a little bit. As hard as he ran in that race as his first time out, we didn't ask him to do too much (in his most recent workout)," Nicks said. "We don't want to squeeze out every drop just yet with this horse. We wanted to leave a little bit left for the race.
"How he runs in the Louisiana Derby will dictate where we go from there," said Nicks. "We'd love to go to the Kentucky Derby with him, but we'd only go there if we felt like we belonged.
"Mr. Spence deserves everything that will happen to him if this horse turns out to be a good one," Nicks said. "He raced this horse's dam (Lilly Capote) and he bred this colt. He's been in this game a long time, and he's always been a player."
Since his loss in the Delta Jackpot, the son of Sky Mesa has worked six times, interruped for a month between Jan. 10 and Feb. 9. He breezed a bullet six furlongs in 1:13.60 Friday at Fair Grounds.
"Curt Bourque was aboard Terrain for the move," trainer Al Stall Jr. said. "We worked him in company with an unstarted maiden. The two horses started off together but Terrain drew off during the last part of it.
"I'm going to give him an A' for today's work. That's the most important thing. He got the letter A' in my book."
Terrain, an Adele Dilschneider homebred, won the Grade III Arlington-Washington by disqualification last September and was fourth in the Grade III Breeders' Cup Juvenile last October before the Delta Jackpot.
"We never did really figure out why he didn't run well in the race at Delta," Stall said, "but we went back to basics and took the blinkers off in the mornings. He seems to have worked much better since we did that. He works much better as a 3-year-old than he did as a 2-year-old."
Stall has saddled the second-place finishers in each of the last two runnings of the Louisiana Derby, with My Pal Charlie in 2008 and Ketchikan in 2007. Dilschneider was co-owner, with Claiborne Farm, of 2000 Louisiana Derby winner Mighty.
We were looking for a good, easy six-furlong breeze, and it looks like we got it, said trainer Rick Dutrow, who was sent the colt from Ken McPeek a few days after the Holy Bulll.
Dutrow is concerned the Grade I Florida Derby might be too much for Danger to Society, so he may ship to New York, tentatively scheduling the Grade I Wood Memorial on April 4 for a next start.
Were looking at the Wood because the Florida Derby looks like its coming up really tough, said Dutrow. If some of the major players in there were to fall out wed be ready to go.
Leading Triple Crown contender PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) worked five furlongs in a bullet :58 4/5 over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride on Sunday morning under regular rider Garrett Gomez. The move, which was the best of 85 works at the distance on the day, is in advance of Saturday's $200,000 San Felipe S. (G2) going 1 1/16 miles.
"He went really nice," trainer Bob Baffert said. "All systems are go."
Pioneerof the Nile's already respectable reputation was enhanced dramatically after I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) scored an eye-catching 8 1/2-length victory in Saturday's Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct under jockey Joe Talamo. Pioneerof the Nile twice defeated I Want Revenge, in the CashCall Futurity (G1) and the Robert B. Lewis S. (G2).
"I Want Revenge had such a great trip," said Talamo, back at Clockers' Corner Sunday morning after a flight from New York following the Gotham. "I was really surprised at how easy we got to go, because on paper, I thought they might have gone in :47 flat for the half (mile; the time was :48.45). I mean, :48 to him is like :49. He's got such a big stride.
"Knock on wood, if everything goes well, we could make it to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1). That'd be sweet."
The San Felipe is shaping up to have a small field. Maiden winner JERANIMO (Congaree), also being considered for the San Felipe by trainer Mike Pender, worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:00 1/5 with Brice Blanc aboard. It was ranked 14th of the 85 works for that distance at Santa Anita. Trainer Ronny Werner is reportedly also considering O.B.S. Sprint S. hero PRAY FOR ACTION (Songandaprayer) for the West Coast's final major prep to the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4. The Florida-bred Pray for Action has been training at Fair Grounds.
Giant Oak completed his five-furlong trial in 1:00 4/5 in advance of Saturday's $600,000 event. With his Louisiana Derby jockey James Graham aboard, he posted the second-best of 36 works at the distance.
Although the move itself was routine, just past the wire, the big chestnut bobbled briefly, giving trainer Chris Block some moments of concern until he was able to check out his horse out back at the barn.
"I wasn't sure exactly what had happened there," Block said about an hour later after having gone over his horse with a fine-tooth comb, "but I needed to find out real quick.
"I asked James about it, and he said it was nothing. He said the horse just hit some uneven ground. Maybe it was from the tire tracks left over after the break."
With the brief scare behind him, Block was anxious to look at the upside of Giant Oak's move, accomplished in company with the Neil Pessin-trained You Dancing Devil (Joyeux Danseur), a stakes-winning seven-year-old mare.
"We got about what we were looking for," the trainer said. "He worked as well as you could want. We let the other horse get as far in front as we wanted, and James said 'Oak' relaxed real well behind him.
"I feel real good about the owners' decision to let James ride him this time in the Louisiana Derby. Although this will be the first time James has ridden him in a race, he's gotten to know this horse real well in the mornings, and they've always seemed to click together. Also, James knows this track very well, and you always know you're going to get 110 percent from him any time he rides any horse for you."
Giant Oak was a close runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) last November, beaten a neck by Beethoven (Sky Mesa). In his three-year-old debut in the Risen Star S. (G3) at Fair Grounds, the Illinois-bred was blocked behind rivals most of the way and finished fifth after making up ground in the late stages.
At Gulfstream, Free Country traveled five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 1/5 for Ken McPeek. Regular rider Kent Desormeaux was aboard for the work, which ranked as the fastest of 25 moves at the distance by four-fifths of a second.
"Everything went good. We're good to go," said John Gerbas Jr., the Silver Wing Stable principal.
Free Country suffered his first career defeat when fourth as the 9-5 favorite in the Sam F. Davis S. (G3) at Tampa last time out. He won his first two starts, including a highly regarded first-level allowance race at Gulfstream in early January. The placed horses in that event, Atomic Rain (Smart Strike) and Stately Character (Pleasant Tap), just placed behind Todd Pletcher's Al Khali (Medaglia d'Oro) in another Gulfstream allowance on Friday.
Free Country and the other Florida shippers for Saturday's Louisiana Derby Day are scheduled to arrive at Fair Grounds on Thursday.
Despite having to ship all the way from California and lacking any racing experience over dirt, David Joseph Lanzman's homebred I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) was well backed in Saturday's $250,000 Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct and justified that support with an overpowering performance over a field considered above average. Lapped alongside the pacesetting Mr. Fantasy (E Dubai) through fractions of :23 3/5, :48 2/5 and 1:12 3/5, I Want Revenge took over from that rival turning for home and opened up late to record an 8 1/2-length thrashing in a time of 1:42 3/5 for the fast 1 1/16 miles over the inner dirt. Under Joe Talamo, the 3-1 second choice paid $8.30, $4.50 and $3 while topping the $40.80 exacta, $111 trifecta and $351.40 superfecta (8-7-5-3).
"I had so much horse the whole way around," Talamo said. "There is no comparison between real dirt and synthetic -- he really took to it."
Imperial Council (Empire Maker), the 7-2 third choice, was always well back through the opening six furlongs, but made a good rally through the lane to pass Mr. Fantasy for second by a neck. Imperial Council paid $4.80 and $3.30 while Mr. Fantasy, the 2-1 chalk, gave back $3. Masala (Lion Heart) tracked in third most of the way but came up empty in the stretch, finishing 3 1/2 lengths behind in fourth. He was followed by Russell Road (Wheaton), Axel Foley (Officer), Naos (Lion Heart), Haynesfield (Speightstown) and Giant Ryan (Freud).
"The horse was closer than I really wanted him to be," winning trainer Jeff Mullins said. "The horse kind of towed (jockey Joe Talamo) up there and (Talamo) stepped on him the whole way. I guess he knew what he was doing.
"He's going to stay here and run in the Wood (Memorial S. [G1] on April 4). We're going to think about this one for a while."
The Kentucky-bred I Want Revenge will be stabled in New York with trainer Anthony Dutrow.
After finishing third in his first three appearances, all in sprints, I Want Revenge was heavily backed to take his two-turn debut in a Hollywood Park maiden last October and came through by 1 1/2 lengths over 1 1/16 miles. Taking a big class hike in the CashCall Futurity (G1) for his next start, I Want Revenge ran Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker) to a nose decision, finishing second to the favored rival over the same course and distance. Most recently, I Want Revenge added blinkers for the Robert B. Lewis (G2) at Santa Anita, but tired to third behind Pioneerof the Nile after leading briefly with a furlong to go. With this score, I Want Revenge saw his earnings inflate to $366,000 from a line of 7-2-1-4.
Produced from the Argentinean stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed Meguial (Arg) (Roy), I Want Revenge counts as half-siblings the unraced juvenile colt I Want Noise (Thunder Gulch) and a yearling filly by Tale of the Cat. This female family is also responsible for the full brothers Esposado and Basko Pinton, sons of Engrillado who were both Group 1 winners in Argentina earlier this decade.
Stardom Bound gets a narrow victory in Santa Anita Oaks
Benoit Photo
Stardom Bound and jockey Mike Smith, middle, managed to stay ahead of the field to win the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks in a blanket finish on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The 3-year-old filly barely beats Third Dawn at the wire.
Bill Dwyre
March 8, 2009
The filly Stardom Bound still is.
But her exact date with destiny in early May at Churchill Downs remained uncertain, after a rocky win in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday.
Einstein earns historic victory in Santa...The Kentucky Derby will be May 2. The entry of fillies into that race is a rarity; fillies winning even more so. There have been three -- Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988.
Winning Colors won the Santa Anita Oaks en route to the Derby. The discussion of Stardom Bound's following those footsteps remained alive, but shaky, after her dicey victory.
Trainer Bobby Frankel avoided the question after the race. That left it to Mike Iavarone of IEAH Stables, part owner of Stardom Bound, to address the Derby question.
"If they think they want to go forward, I'm willing to go forward," he said, "but she worked pretty hard against the girls today."
In other words, if they were making the decision tomorrow, Stardom Bound would be lining up, probably as the favorite, for the May 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Stardom Bound hung back, as usual, and made a trophy dash off the home turn, as usual. But this time, when she edged ahead in the stretch, several horses, especially Third Dawn with Rafael Bejarano up, swung wide and took Stardom Bound with them.
"Everybody went out," jockey Mike Smith said. "They took me 15-20 wide. You couldn't have had a worse trip."
But somehow, after nearly stopping, Stardom Bound got it in gear with about an eighth of a mile to go and nipped Third Dawn in a photo finish. That gave the veteran Frankel his second straight Oaks win, his third overall, and some decision making ahead, something he was hesitant to address.
"I'm just lucky my heart's strong," he said.
By Mike Welsch
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - After originally leaning toward waiting for the Blue Grass for Theregoesjojo's final Kentucky Derby prep, trainer Ken McPeek has now decided to remain at Gulfstream Park and point his promising 3-year-old to the $750,000 Florida Derby on March 28.
Theregoesjojo rallied to finish second behind Quality Road when making his stakes debut in the one-mile Fountain of Youth on Feb. 28. Theregoesjojo had defeated Quality Road when the pair met in a seven-furlong allowance race earlier in the meet.
"We're here, he's doing well and it looks like it's going to be a short field," said McPeek on announcing his decision early Sunday morning.
By Steve Haskin
Updated: Sunday, March 8, 2009 9:34 PM
Posted: Sunday, March 8, 2009 9:06 PM
Email Print RSS ShareThisMarch means many things to owners and trainers of horses on the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) trail. Theres the nail-biting, the sleepless nights, and the early morning phone calls that every owner dreads. And for many it sadly means the end of the road.
But with March also comes the realization for a fortunate few that they have a legitimate Derby contender and that the dream lives on. On Saturday at Aqueduct, emotions were swirling around in the warm, spring-like breezes, along with the flocks of seagulls, as owners and trainers waited anxiously to find out whether or not they would be continuing on to Louisville.
When the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) was over and I Want Revenge had destroyed his field by 8 1/2 lengths, it meant the end of the road for most of the participants. But for I Want Revenges owner and breeder David Lanzman and his wife Desirae, trainer Jeff Mullins, and jockey Joe Talamo, the Twin Spires were now in clear sight, and it was apparent they were already getting high on the scent of roses.
A jubilant Lanzman planted a kiss on I want Revenge and told Talamo, Be back in four weeks, baby, referring to the April 4 Wood Memorial (gr. I). Desirae then gave the colt a pat on the forehead and said just one word to him, which best described his performance: Awesome.
I Want Revenge became the first horse on this years Derby trail to have answered every question. In short, he is now the complete package. He is versatile enough to be on, near, or off the pace. He is bred to run all day, but has the necessary speed you want to see. Hes won a graded stakes around two turns, and, unlike his California colleagues, he has proven he not only handles the dirt, but relishes it. Hes a magnificent-looking horse and was a standout in the paddock. He has the right temperament, never turning a hair before or after the race, even when lavished with affection and posing for photographs. He demonstrated his ability to come home fast, closing his final three fractions in :24 1/5, :23 4/5, and :06 1/5. And he wasnt even blowing after the race, which can be attributed in good part to all that stout, rugged Argentine and English blood in his tail-female family.
His trainer has won three consecutive Santa Anita Derbys and has been to the Kentucky Derby four times, with his best finish a solid fifth by Buzzards Bay in 2005.
His jockey has shown he has natural talent, but at age 19, he must make sure he remains an asset and not a liability when it comes to the Derby. This one time you can attribute his over-zealousness with the whip to youthful exuberance, but he has to remember from now on that the goal is for the horse to peak on May 2, not March 7. The lofty 113 Beyer he earned could be too much too soon, but at least this is a strong, tough colt whose talent is still untapped. Its not that Talamo was pasting him with the whip, but once I Want Revenge was well clear of the field and drawing off with every stride, while running straight as the proverbial arrow, he should have put the whip away and geared the horse down in the final sixteenth. The fact is, I Want Revenge had already put Mr. Fantasy away on his own and opened up by two lengths before Talamo even went to the whip, hitting him about a half-dozen times, then once again well inside the sixteenth pole when he was some six lengths in front. Finally, he put it away in deep stretch and vigorously hand-rode him to the wire.
With that said, he has ridden the horse flawlessly from a tactical standpoint, and obviously the two get along great with each other. If this were any other situation, there would be no issues. But the Derby trail is not any other situation and every move must be a building block to the first Saturday in May. And its tough to build off a monster performance such as this in early March. Fortunately, Mullins is an expert horseman and he and Talamo must now make sure the colt leaves something in the tank in the Wood Memorial (gr. I). Remember, Monarchos regressed slightly in the Wood after his spectacular performance in the Florida Derby (gr. I) and proceeded to run the second-fastest Kentucky Derby in history. Its fun to see your horse win by a pole and earn gigantic speed figures and become one of the hot Derby favorites. But the bottom line is, these are preps and should be used as such. The only thing that matters is peaking on Derby Day.
With all the pressure that comes with the Derby, even for veteran riders, and with the TV show Jockeys being renewed for a second season and filming to begin soon, Talamo has to keep his head on his shoulders and show a maturity beyond his years, just as Steve Cauthen did, if hes going to win the Derby. OK, thats our lecture for the month.
I Want Revenge, a son of Stephen Got Even , out of the Argentine-bred Meguial, by Roy, had done all his racing on the synthetic surfaces in California. He showed great promise when he was beaten a nose by Pioneerof the Nile in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at his home track of Hollywood Park last December. But when he turned in a flat performance in his 3-year-old debut, finishing third in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) as the 2-1 second choice, the decision was made to send the horse east to see how hed handle the dirt.
He was never comfortable on that track, Mullins said. They had gotten a bunch of rain and the track was spotty, and never did get hold of it.
Lanzman added, We were so confident going into in the Lewis. At the top of the stretch we almost started walking down to the winners circle. Even Joe said it was just a question of how much he was going to win by. But he never kicked it in. When I talked to Joe he said the horse was just spinning his wheels. Watching him struggle with that surface, we decided right then to come here and put him on the dirt. I own the mare, and when we ran her on anything but firm dirt she got her butt kicked. But when we ran her on firm dirt she ran great.
Lanzman, who won the 2001 Breeders Cup Sprint with Squirtle Squirt, bought Meguial privately after she had finished second in the group I Argentine Oaks and Argentine 1,000 Guineas. Im not in the breeding business; this is my first broodmare, Lanzman said. I spent hours on eNicks looking for a mating, and Stephen Got Even is who came up on the screen with the most quality points.
Mullins agonized all week whether to keep the blinkers on I Want Revenge, not knowing if they helped or hurt him in the Robert Lewis, or whether they had no effect at all. It wasnt until the day of the race that he made his decision.
I watched a few races here and saw the way the track was playing and figured Id leave them on, he said.
The biggest surprise in the Gotham was seeing Imperial Council and Haynesfield drop so far off the pace, racing at the back of the pack. Imperial Council, who was still seven lengths back at the three-sixteenths pole and looked like he had no shot to hit the board, put in a strong rally to get up for second, a neck in front of Mr. Fantasy. Considering it was his first two-turn race and he was taken completely out of his game plan, this was an excellent performance and he should only improve off it. An attractive, racy-looking colt, he also looked terrific in the paddock and is still one to watch.
He came out the race fine and is on his way back to Florida, trainer Shug McGaughey said Sunday. Well freshen him up a little, and if everything is right, well send him back up there and run him in the Wood Memorial (gr. I). I think hell learn a lot from this race. He finished strong and when he gets on that bigger track at Aqueduct I think itll suit him a lot better than the inner track. I was surprised to see him that far back. There was no pace, and when he finally got going the race was already over. I thought hed be right in behind the speed. Rajiv (Maragh) said he dropped his hands on him and the horse relaxed really well, but fell back farther than he thought he would. I feel we accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish except for winning and this wasnt a win-or-else race.
West Points Terry Finley said after the race that Mr. Fantasy likely will not continue on the Derby trail, and could be pointed for the Preakness.
Lanzman, who celebrated his birthday the day before the Gotham, has I Want Revenges half-brother in the Barretts 2-year-old sale March 10. I think his brother just got pulled out of the sale, he kidded. His price just went up. Im on cloud nine right now.
After the race, Desirae watched the replay, and as I Want Revenge drew off, she again used few words to describe what everyone was feeling: Oh my God.
Euros Vie for Spot in Kentucky Derby
Although we can expect a bit of controversy when the American horse with the 20th highest graded earnings gets left out of this years Run for the Roses, we all have to face the fact that there is an automatic spot open to the winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge at Englands Kempton Race Course March 18.
From the looks of it, there could be several interesting 3-year-olds looking for that spot.
One horse who has had designs on the Derby Challenge Stakes is Markyg, an English-trained son of Fusaichi Pegasus , out of the Storm Cat mare Spring Pitch who is two-for-two on Kemptons all-weather track and certainly bred for the dirt.
Markyg, trained by Karl Burke, proved a useful 2-year-old on grass, with his best effort coming in a third-place finish at odds of 22-1 in the seven-furlong Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Following a disappointing fourth against maidens at Ascot, he was put on the synthetic surface and responded with a half-length victory going a mile. Out for more than four months, he returned in a seven-furlong handicap and scored by two lengths under 133 pounds, giving 10 pounds to the runner-up and nine pounds to the third-place finisher.
Markyg was a $110,000 buy-back at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Sent to the Tattersalls April 2-year-old sale he was sold for $206,913 to the BBA Ireland, acting for Maura Gittins.
Another promising colt heading for Kempton is Team Valors Gitano Hernando, an easy winner at Wolverhampton going 1 3/16 miles in his only start on a synthetic track. The son of Hernando, who won under 129 pounds in a 12-horse field, is considered more of a Belmont Stakes (gr. I) horse at this point, but a big performance in the Challenge could redirect him to Churchill Downs.
Some of the leading trainers in Europe have expressed interest in the Kentucky Derby Challenge.
Aidan OBrien is considering Born to be King, a maiden winner at Gowran Park by Storm Cat; Chief Lone Eagle, a maiden winner at Leopardstown by Giants Causeway; or Great Wisdom. John Gosden, who won the Breeders Cup Classic with Ravens Pass last year, lists as possibles: Nawaadi, a son of El Corredor who won his only career start on Polytrack at Great Leighs; Close Alliance, also a maiden winner on the Polytrack at Great Leighs; Mafaaz, who won on Polytrack at Kempton in his career debut; and Red Spider, a son of Red Ransom who was an impressive winner on Polytrack at Kempton before running poorly in the group I Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on grass.
Other Challenge possibles are Deposer (John Best), the intriguing filly Pachattack (Gerard Butler), Haashad (Mark Johnston), and Formula and Weald Park (Richard Hannon).
Bubbling under the surface
It is now March 10. Is it possible there are still so-called under-the-radar horses out there that many people arent that familiar with?
The answer is yes, and several will show up this weekend looking to catapult themselves near the top of the Derby lists.
One horse who caught our attention when he finished a close second in a maiden race despite a nightmare trip is Wise Kid, who has since come back to win his next two races at Oaklawn. In that maiden race, the son of Lemon Drop Kid , trained by Tim Ritchey, overcame a bad start and traffic problems along the inside and still was beaten only a neck by Buzzin and Dreamin, who came right back in the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) off that race and finished a solid third at 64-1 behind consensus Derby favorite Old Fashioned.
Wise Kid had a clean trip next time out, made big run from 11 lengths back, and was able to wear down a loose-on-a-big-lead Good Sermon, who had been third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in the aforementioned maiden race. The margin likely would have been greater had Wise Kid not kept lugging in during the stretch run. Good Sermon boosted the form by coming back and breaking his maiden next time out by 2 3/4 lengths.
In Wise Kids next start, Ritchey got permission from the stewards to add blinkers off a victory in order to correct the colts greenness. Wise Kid ran into Buzzin and Dreamin again, who trainer Wayne Lukas was sending right back in 11 days. This time, Buzzin and Dreamin was no match for Wise Kid, who kept a perfectly straight course after tracking a slow pace in the slop and drew off to a 4 1/4-length victory, the same number of lengths Old Fashioned had beaten Buzzin and Dream in the Southwest.
In his three races, Wise Kids Beyer figures have gone from 75 to 76 to 88. He still has a ways to go and may turn out to be more of a Belmont horse, but hes progressing the right way, Ritchey feels confident in bringing him back in 15 days in the Rebel Stakes (gr. III), and he is bred to run all day, being out of a Seeking the Gold mare. His third dam is Six Crowns (by Triple Crown winner Secretariat out of Triple Crown winner Chris Evert), who is the dam of champion Chiefs Crown. Look for this horse to keep improving.
With most of the Tampa talk focused on General Quarters and his human interest story, the Sam F. Davis (gr. III) runner-up Sumo has gone virtually unnoticed. But this son of Fusaichi Pegasus, trained by Graham Motion for Arthur Hancock, is improving with every race and is bred to run all day. His tail-female line is all stamina, made up of the best Darby Dan and C.V. Whitney blood, with names like Dynaformer , Roberto and Gulfstream Park Handicap winner Court Recess. His third dam, Quatre Saisons, is the granddam of grade I winner Honey Ryder. This is a tail-female family that has strong inbreeding to Man oWar and Sir Gallahad.
His first start at Tampa, a mile and 40-yard allowance race on a good track, had to be seen to be believed. After opening a five-length lead in the stretch, he started pulling him up, totally losing his action as if he were coming to a complete stop and ducking to the outside. In a flash, his lead was gone and he was passed on the inside, with another horse pulling alongside him on his outside. Then, as quickly as he had lost his action he got it back, leveling off and surging forward to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. He didnt beat much, but it still was quite extraordinary to see.
In the Sam Davis, Sumo broke from post 10, tracked the pace after going three-wide into the first turn. He was fanned four-wide turning for home, and although he couldnt catch General Quarters, who had a ground-saving trip throughout, he was striding out beautifully at the end, finishing three lengths ahead of Musket Man, earning a 94 Beyer. Hes now finished first or second at Tampa, Laurel, and Delaware Park. Watch for him at a price in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III). But even if he cant handle General Quarters again or Hello Broadway, hes still a horse to keep an eye on when the distances stretch out.
Following in the footsteps of his conqueror Dunkirk, Santana Six, who finished second to the Todd Pletcher colt in his career debut, came back to break his maiden on the front end for Nick Zito, earning a 95 Beyer (Dunkirk came back with a 98). Although his margin was only 1 1/4 lengths, the runner-up, Polished, finished 11 3/4 lengths ahead of the third horse in a 12-horse field.
Santana Six is by Hold That Tiger, winner of the group I Grand Criterium in France, third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at 1 1/8 miles, and second to Mineshaft in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I). His dam is by Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Cape Town, who is by Seeking the Gold, out of Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Seaside Attraction, also the dam of champion Golden Attraction. Santana Sixs second dam, Brush Back, is by the top-class sire Broad Brush, out of a Chieftain mare.
Keep a close eye on Mythical Power, who was relentless breaking his maiden by a neck over front-running stablemate Street Car going a mile on March 6. Trained by Bob Baffert, this son of Congaree is progressing the right way and Baffert has always been high on him. He posted a solid time of 1:37 1/5 and the runner-up finished 8 1/2 lengths ahead of the third horse.
Several others, some new faces and some old forgotten faces, who are worth watching in next weekends stakes extravaganza are Flat Out, who could be ready for a big performance in the Rebel Stakes; and Terrain, a top-class 2-year-old, who has been working lights out for his 3-year-old debut at Fair Grounds. Three horses in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) looking to move forward off defeats are Flying Pegasus, Giant Oak, and Free Country. Flying Pegasus, who could be a far superior horse than most people think, and Giant Oak both had been ranked fairly high on our Derby Dozen, and a big performance by either on Saturday would shoot them right back near the top. Even a big rebound race from Poltergeist in the Rebel or Free Country in the Louisiana Derby could spring them back into the mix, as it could an up-and-comer like Captain Cherokee.
Where is Stardom bound?
Judging from their comments, Stardom Bounds connections do not seemed as inclined to try the colts in the Santa Anita Derby (gr.I) as they did before her desperation nose victory in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I), especially after earning an 87 Beyer figure. Whether or not shes up to handling the boys, lets not ignore the fact that she showed true heart and a dogged determination to pull out this win after having to go some nine-wide turning for home.
It certainly was not her best effort in terms of speed and dominance, even though most everyone thought she would improve in leaps and bounds off her debut in the Las Virgenes (gr. I). But horses often will regress second race back off a layoff, and perhaps she ran harder than people thought in the Las Virgenes when only 70% fit. The Oaks did tell us something about her we didnt know before and that is she certainly has the will to win. The fact is, shes won five grade I stakes in a row and that is an incredible achievement. There is no doubt Bobby Frankel and IEAH Stables will do whats best for her.