A Long and Winding Road
January 3rd, 2006by Jude T. Feld
Live Oak Plantation’s Famous Colors
Derby season is in full stride and this week, racing fans across the country will be selecting their stables in the popular Road to the Roses online contest put on by Churchill Downs. The 2006 event, sponsored by ticketcity.com, offers a first prize of a V.I. P. trip for two to Kentucky Derby 133 in 2007.
Free to enter, this interesting game gives prospective Thoroughbred owners an excellent opportunity to practice the operation of a racing stable without the stress of paying training bills. It is up to the player to select a stable of horses, two trainers and two jockeys. Following the exploits of the selections as they traverse the Derby trail is a solid primer on the sport, as some horses endure athletic injuries, some will fare poorly and fall to the wayside, while others will explode into the spotlight.
Some new faces have emerged on the Kentucky Derby scene since our Rose Parade piece on New Year’s Day. You might consider adding a couple of these fine colts to your Road to the Roses Stable roster:
Barbaro – This colt looks like the real deal as he changed his style in the Holy Bull (G3) while trying dirt and mud for the first time. Still undefeated, he stepped into a new dimension with his Gulfstream Park performance. Where he’ll stop improving, nobody knows.
Brother Derek – California-bred beat two-year-old champion Stevie Wonderboy at Santa Anita, stamping himself a true Triple Crown contender. He has the pedigree to go a mile and a quarter and trainer Dan Hendricks can keep the son of Benchmark sound, he could be a major force in the Derby.
Great Point – Jockey Jeremy Rose compared him to last year’s Triple Crown star Afleet Alex after his big second-place effort behind Barbaro in the Holy Bull (G3). A son of multiple classics winner Point Given, Great Point could have been closer with a better trip. Keep an eye on him in the coming weeks as Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito might have another star in the making.
Hesanoldsalt – Campbell’s Soup heiress Charlotte Weber has had a great run of luck with her Live Oak Plantation runners lately. Another Derby contender from the Zito barn, Hesanoldsalt has improved with racing and might get the famous white with red polka dots and black sleeves in the Churchill Downs winners’ circle on Derby Day.
Keyed Entry – Fast colt in the Pletcher barn impressed with a track record performance in the Hutcheson (G3) at Gulfstream Park. He’ll need to learn to ration his speed to be effective at longer distances, but he relaxed nicely in the Hutcheson and can improve. Demi O’Byrne doesn’t think he’ll stay but the son of Hennessey may have different ideas.
Latent Heat – Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel hasn’t been favored by the Derby gods and he is relatively non-committal about Latent Heat. The son of Maria’s Mon has run back-to-back triple digit speed figures in his first two starts and can only improve from there.
Lawyer Ron – Ultra-impressive in the Risen Star (G3), veteran trainer Bob Holthus has a good one on his hands. Has a nice late turn of foot, but showed tactical speed in Louisiana and should be a force to reckon with during the Oaklawn Park meeting.
Sacred Light – Amerman Racing’s grey son of Holy Bull, sire of last year’s Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, needs a fast pace to be effective and should be able to strut his stuff come the first Saturday in May. Might not get the pace he needs in some of the preps, but if trainer Dave Hofmans can get him to the Derby, don’t be surprised if he comes up with a top effort.
To sign up go to www.roadtotheroses.com.
