Good article on Axel Foley (who goes in today's El Camino Real)
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from SF Gate:
Nobody knows better than Doug O'Neill the difficulty of keeping a top 2-year-old in good enough health and form to make it to the Kentucky Derby as a 3-year-old.
The winningest trainer on the Southern California circuit over the past six years, O'Neill has run six 2-year-olds in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and even won it with Stevie Wonderboy in 2005. Only Great Hunter, third in the 2006 Juvenile, made it to the Derby - finishing 13th.
"It's not easy if you're trying to get these newly-turned 3-year-olds to go the distance against the type of horses they need to be competitive with," O'Neill said. "It results in setbacks from time to time and you can't afford setbacks."
O'Neill already experienced a painful one a week ago with Square Eddie, the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up. A microfracture was discovered in his shin, and his chances of making it to the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs are very slim.
Now O'Neill's main Kentucky Derby hope is Axel Foley, who runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby today at Golden Gate Fields. He is named, of course, for the character played by Eddie Murphy in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies.
"I'm still sick to my stomach over Square Eddie," O'Neill said. "He is the real deal. Axel Foley is trying to become the real deal."
Like Square Eddie, Axel Foley began his career in England and after a win and a third on the Polytrack synthetic surface at Lingfield, he was sent to O'Neill. He finished sixth in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity on Dec. 20 at Hollywood Park and second in the California Derby on Jan. 17 at Golden Gate Fields and was purchased from his original ownership group by Jeff Singer on Thursday.
The favorite for the 11/8-mile El Camino Real Derby is Chocolate Candy, who outfinished Axel Foley by 3 1/2 lengths when third in the CashCall Futurity and by 1 3/4 lengths when winning the California Derby.
O'Neill is hoping to eliminate the narrowing deficit by using blinkers on Axel Foley in today's race.
"It's one of those things where he wasn't tired after that last race," O'Neill said. "He kind of loomed up there and then he hung a little bit and Chocolate Candy got the momentum. Let's see if we can sustain that kind of run with blinkers. He worked just unbelievably (6 furlongs in 1:12.20) in them. He's training like a horse that can get it done Saturday, and if he gets it done Saturday we can look at some other Saturdays."
Maybe even the first Saturday in May.
"He's getting bigger and stronger and he's never been out of his feed tub," O'Neill said. "He was an absolutely confident colt in the paddock at Hollywood Park and at Golden Gate. A lot of horses have a ton of talent but with the pressure of the paddock and the starting gate, they kind of wilt. I think he has all the characteristics of a horse that can get to the next level."
Briefly: The El Camino Real Derby field was reduced to six when Merus Miami, the third-place finisher in the California Derby, was scratched Friday due to an abscess in his left front foot. ... Autism Awareness, who won last year's El Camino Real Derby in a 62-to-1 shocker, runs in today's supporting feature - the $50,000-added McCann's Mojave Stakes.
Nobody knows better than Doug O'Neill the difficulty of keeping a top 2-year-old in good enough health and form to make it to the Kentucky Derby as a 3-year-old.
The winningest trainer on the Southern California circuit over the past six years, O'Neill has run six 2-year-olds in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and even won it with Stevie Wonderboy in 2005. Only Great Hunter, third in the 2006 Juvenile, made it to the Derby - finishing 13th.
"It's not easy if you're trying to get these newly-turned 3-year-olds to go the distance against the type of horses they need to be competitive with," O'Neill said. "It results in setbacks from time to time and you can't afford setbacks."
O'Neill already experienced a painful one a week ago with Square Eddie, the 2008 Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up. A microfracture was discovered in his shin, and his chances of making it to the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs are very slim.
Now O'Neill's main Kentucky Derby hope is Axel Foley, who runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby today at Golden Gate Fields. He is named, of course, for the character played by Eddie Murphy in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies.
"I'm still sick to my stomach over Square Eddie," O'Neill said. "He is the real deal. Axel Foley is trying to become the real deal."
Like Square Eddie, Axel Foley began his career in England and after a win and a third on the Polytrack synthetic surface at Lingfield, he was sent to O'Neill. He finished sixth in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity on Dec. 20 at Hollywood Park and second in the California Derby on Jan. 17 at Golden Gate Fields and was purchased from his original ownership group by Jeff Singer on Thursday.
The favorite for the 11/8-mile El Camino Real Derby is Chocolate Candy, who outfinished Axel Foley by 3 1/2 lengths when third in the CashCall Futurity and by 1 3/4 lengths when winning the California Derby.
O'Neill is hoping to eliminate the narrowing deficit by using blinkers on Axel Foley in today's race.
"It's one of those things where he wasn't tired after that last race," O'Neill said. "He kind of loomed up there and then he hung a little bit and Chocolate Candy got the momentum. Let's see if we can sustain that kind of run with blinkers. He worked just unbelievably (6 furlongs in 1:12.20) in them. He's training like a horse that can get it done Saturday, and if he gets it done Saturday we can look at some other Saturdays."
Maybe even the first Saturday in May.
"He's getting bigger and stronger and he's never been out of his feed tub," O'Neill said. "He was an absolutely confident colt in the paddock at Hollywood Park and at Golden Gate. A lot of horses have a ton of talent but with the pressure of the paddock and the starting gate, they kind of wilt. I think he has all the characteristics of a horse that can get to the next level."
Briefly: The El Camino Real Derby field was reduced to six when Merus Miami, the third-place finisher in the California Derby, was scratched Friday due to an abscess in his left front foot. ... Autism Awareness, who won last year's El Camino Real Derby in a 62-to-1 shocker, runs in today's supporting feature - the $50,000-added McCann's Mojave Stakes.
Comments
Chocolate Candy won the race, as expected, but i didn't think he looked very good either.