Kentucky Derby Radar – Chapter 9
April 25th, 2010By Jude T. Feld
With the defection of Eskendereya from the Kentucky Derby (G1), Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert must think his chances have become magically delicious. To access our facebook page, click here.It wouldn’t be Derby week without drama.
Racing aficionados were awakened Sunday morning to a Pletcher news conference – never a good sign – when the trainer announced Eskendereya had developed a filling in his left foreleg an would not contest the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Last year at this time we only had five horses left on our Derby Radar and this year, we are already down to four and there is a week left to go!
Stay tuned.
Here is the current ‘Radar list, subject to change until my full card selections are up for Oaks and Derby days later in the week:
(Up to the minute info will be posted in bold italics from now until Derby.)
LOOKIN AT LUCKY ($1,480,000 TOPS GRADED EARNINGS LIST) had more problems than Charlie Sheen in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). It is always easier to see the unfolding of a race through binoculars or on television than it is when you are riding in it, but heralded jockey Garrett Gomez never seemed to have this talented colt in a position to win at any time during the running. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was quite critical of his rider after the race, suggesting a remedial review of Jerry Bailey’s horseracing DVD, oft hawked on TVG, was in order. Watching the son of Smart Strike make two runs and still finish with something left did little to shake Baffert’s confidence in his charge and we have been on the bandwagon all season long. Gomez will reportedly keep the mount for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and in his defense and to his credit, he did not abuse LOOKIN AT LUCKY after the trouble encountered around the 5/16 pole, choosing wisely to save him for the first Saturday in May. Reports from the barn indicate their stable star exited the SA Derby in good order and he is kicking up his heels in the morning – a very positive sign. Worked five furlongs over the sloppy Churchill Downs surface in 1:00 4/5 on Monday morning, his final work before the Derby. “It was just perfect,” Baffert said. “It left him wanting to do more.”
ENDORSEMENT ($400,000) got just that from rival trainer Bob Baffert who said after the Sunland Derby (G3) loss by his previously unbeaten Conveyance, “I think the horse that beat us, of all the others I’ve seen lately, that was pretty impressive. I think we saw a star born today.†Shannon Ritter trains the talented son of Distorted Humor, who has made steady improvement in each of his four starts and seems destined for more. A bullet :46 and change workout at Keeneland since his race underlines how sharp he seems right now and his 1:01 2/5 in Lexington on Saturday was done with consummate ease.
MISSION IMPAZIBLE ($473,434), a son of top sire Unbridled’s Song, put it all together in the Louisiana Derby (G2) after only four starts and one race around two turns. Lightly raced and improving colts are highly sought after this time of year, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think another leap forward in the Kentucky Derby (G1) could find the Todd Pletcher trainee posing for pictures. He worked in 1:00 2/5 at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning, his trainer calling him, “an improving horse.”.
AWESOME ACT ($285,000) missed some training going into the Wood Memorial (G1) and then blew a shoe at the start. He still managed to run decently after all that, so it is evident that the son of Awesome Again has some grit. You hate to see a colt have anything but a perfect path leading up to the Derby but you’ve gotta give him an “A†for effort. He certainly has the talent to be part of the mix on the First Saturday in May if the rest of April is good to him. The Jeremy Noseda trainee worked a half-mile in the Churchill Downs slop on Tuesday morning. He posted a time of :48 2/5 while galloping out in 1:00 2/5. Julien Leparoux, who will ride him Saturday, was aboard for the work and was very pleased with his mount’s performance.
OFF THE RADAR SINCE CHAPTER 8
After missing a crucial workoutout two days in a row, ESKENDEREYA is now out of the Kentucky Derby (G1) due to filling in his foreleg. His adding front wraps to the equipment for the Wood (G1) was a talking point last week but the sources that told us that they were precautionary because several horses were burning their fetlocks at Aqueduct must be the same people that sent Richard Blaine to Casablanca for the waters.
