Closely Matched Kentucky Derby (G1) Field
January 7th, 2005by Chad Summers and Jude T. Feld
On May 7, 2005 it is abundantly evident that one group of Thoroughbred owners’ lives will change forever. Just three weeks before, the question begs, just who will win the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
This year’s Derby trail has had more plot twists than a John Grisham novel and most of the current leading contenders have at some point received less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. There are countless stories advertising how Thoroughbred racing is for anybody with “a buck and a dream,” and this year’s Derby takes those stories to a new level.
Of the 20 leading contenders as of April 18, just two, the regally bred Consolidator and the talented Noble Causeway, cost more than $500,000 at the sales. The next three range from 400,000-500,000, understandably outside many owner’s budgets, eight were sold privately or were owned from birth, while the other seven including likely Derby favorite Bellamy Road were sold from between $40,000 – $165,0000.
With all but one of the serious preps for the Run to the Roses in the history books, the focus has turned to Louisville and the newly rejuvenated Churchill Downs. Listed below is a list of the top 15 contenders by order of graded earnings, their background and a few thoughts.
Afleet Alex – Purchased by Cash Is King Stable LLC for a mere $75,000 as a two-year-old in training at the Timonium sale in Maryland, Alex earned back that money and more as he completed his juvenile season banking more than $680,000, with a record of four wins and two seconds from six races. His three-year-old season started out with a bang, easily defeating a small field in his first race back. After encountering a slight lung infection in his next start, he claimed victory in dynamic fashion, winning the Arkansas Derby (G2) by twice as big a magin as Smarty Jones did the year before, on his way to winning the Kentucky Derby (G1). Certainly, Cash Is King Stable has enjoyed counting the cash that Alex earns everytime he enters the starting gate.
Wilko – Purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $75,000, J. Paul Reddam purchased the son of Awesome Again privately shortly before making his U.S. debut, where he promptly made “mince meat” out of the best American-raced field in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). Reddam and the rest of Wilko’s connections have been patiently dealing with a foot injury he sustained early in 2005 and with the first Saturday in May approaching, that old saying, “patience is a virtue,”
may ring true.
High Fly – Anytime a homebred has a chance to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) it is a very special occasion. Live Oak Stud’s three-year-old son of Atticus has done little wrong in his career, and enters the big race having suffered the bitter taste of defeat only one time in his six race career. High Fly’s Florida Derby (G1) victory stamped him as a major contender.
Consolidator – The son of Storm Cat, who was purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $1,250,000, has already won won two graded stakes, the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and the San Felipe (G2). He will attempt to give owners Bob and Beverly Lewis yet another thrill on the Triple Crown trail, a path they have found more frequently than Dorothy found the Yellow Brick Road.
Bellamy Road – The most dynamic horse on the road to Louisville he was purchased by “The Boss,” New York Yankee owners George Steinbrenner for a mere $87,000 at the OBS Two-Year-Old in Training Sale. His Wood Memorial was “scintillating” as Trevor Denman would say. Steinbrenner, who has the highest payroll in baseball, may learn that sometimes it is the ones who fall through the cracks that can turn your team into a winner.
Bandini – Michael Tabor and Derek Smith purchased the rapidly improving colt for $500,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale. Already having won just about every trophy available in the “Sport of Kings”, Tabor and Smith would love nothing more than to win another Kentucky Derby (G1), with Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher. Bandini’s Toyota Blue Grass (G1) victory cemented him as a force to be reckoned with on the first Saturday in May.
High Limit – Gary and Mary West gave $145,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for High Limit. The West’s chose a simple beginning for the son of Maria’s Mon, keeping him with trainer Tony Dutrow at Delaware Park, where he won his first two starts by combined 18-½ lengths, before being transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel. His Louisiana Derby (G2) win was a cakewalk and he moved forward again in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1).
Flower Alley – Purchased by Melnyk Racing Stable for $165,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The Melnyks often have horses based in three different countries – U.S., Canada, and Barbados – with more than half a dozen trainers. The son of Distorted Humor has only raced four times, including a victory in the Lane’s End (G2) at Turfway Park, but those races have come at four different tracks and he has never run worse than third indicating that Churchill Downs should not pose a problem for him.
Buzzards Bay – Fog City Stable has been quite vocal about their deep desire to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) and a string of bad racing luck has kept them from bringing their best to Louisville on the first Saturday in May. The obscurely bred Buzzard’s Bay will enter the starting gate having won one of the three most coveted Kentucky Derby (G1) preps, the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his last start.
Sun King – Purchased by Tracy Farmer for $400,000 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages sale as a yearling. As a native of Louisville, the successful businessman would love nothing more than to win the Kentucky Derby (G1), although he said recently, just being in the Derby would be a thrill. One month ago, Sun King was the future book favorite, now, after his fourth-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1), the jury is out.
Greater Good – Lewis Lakin’s homebred by Intidab is one of the few horses in the Derby who likes to come from off the pace. He should be the beneficiary of any pace duels and the long stretch of Churchill Downs could help him mow down the competition. Lakin has been a member of the Thoroughbred industry for a long time, and did not hesitate after Greater Good’s rare clunker in the Arkansas Derby (G2) to add his ridgling to the list of Kentucky Derby (G1) probables.
Survivalist – A Phipps Stable homebred, just another regally bred horse owned by racing’s version of the New York Yankees. A son of Danzig, Survivalist is another who touts a powerful closing kick. The Phipps have won many important races in the last fifty years but the granddaddy of them all has eluded them. Survivalist will need to stretch his speed a bit to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) as his lone graded victory came in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct.
Rockport Harbor – Purchased by Fox Hill Farms for $470,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, this horse resembles “Team Smarty” in many ways. The one major difference is the price Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms paid for the son of Unbridled’s Song, but his grit and determination have shown that he may just be worth every dollar they paid. He is scheduled to run in the Coolmore Lexington (G2) at Keeneland.
Noble Causeway – Purchased for $1.15-million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by My Meadowview Farm, the three-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway has improved with every start and his breeding suggests he will have no trouble conquering the 11/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby (G1). His fast-closing runnerup finish in the Florida Derby (G1) put him on the Derby radar screen.
Giacomo – Bred by his owners Mr. And Mrs. Jerome Moss, the grey son of Holy Bull resembles his daddy in more ways than just looks. He broke his maiden by 10 lengths with the same dynamic move “The Bull” often used to post his victories. Giacomo appears to be peaking at the right time of the year and his owners hope that the son improves on his father’s twelfth-place Kentucky Derby finish.
Of the 35,804 Thoroughbred foals born in North America in 2002, only 20 can make it to the starting gate on May 7. Any one associated with any of those horses should feel both honored and proud to have achieved an accomplishment that so many in this industry strive for every waking moment of every fleeting day.
