Kentucky Derby Watch List – Volume 7

By Jude T. Feld

Chaos.

No rhyme or reason to what we have witnessed.

Puzzling.

Who will win at Keeneland and Oaklawn and who will get in?

Muddled.

Like mint leaves in a julep cup.

Premier Pegasus and Jaycito exit stage left. Uncle Mo goes down to defeat. Silver Medallion fails to step up.

What is going on here?

All is right with the world.

In the last week, Nick Zito, Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert have all won major Derby preps – Dialed In, Joe Vann and Midnight Interlude.

WTF?

Time to reevaluate:

UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie 2.20 Pletcher)

The unthinkable has happened. Uncle Mo got beat. He made a relatively easy lead in the Wood (G1) and came up empty when the real running began. It wasn’t a terrible performance but it was very unMolike. I still think he is intrinsically the best three-year-old colt in the nation, so I’m not jumping ship because he blew the same race Secretariat lost before ripping through the Triple Crown. After all, Todd Pletcher is one of the most accomplished trainers in the world and he now has four weeks to get our boy physically and mentally prepared for the Run for the Roses.

TOBY’S CORNER (Bellamy Road 1.86 Motion)

The Whirlaway at Aqueduct has turned into a “key race,” with Toby’s Corner, J J’s Lucky Train and Arthur’s Tale running well from there. A lousy trip in the Gotham (G3) probably cost the son of 17-length Wood (G1) winner Bellamy Road a move forward, but the switch to the regular Aqueduct track and the mile and an eighth distance of Saturday’s race certainly had to help him keep up the family tradition. His trainer Graham Motion is among the best and will have him properly prepared for a Derby run.

THE FACTOR (War Front 2.73 Baffert)

I have never seen Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert at a loss for words but I have seen guys who couldn’t speak English give better interviews than the Silver Fox did after Rebel (G2). It was like when Dodger Kirk Gibson hit his famous home run and announcer Jack Buck said, “I don’t believe what I just saw!” This colt moved into a different dimension with his performance, rating nicely and drawing away, despite running on a speed biased track against less than top company. I think Bob even impressed himself with his “old school” training job. Now he knows why Charlie Whittingham worked so many stakes horses a mile. He breezed six furlongs in 1:11 2/5 on April 4 at Santa Anita in preparation for his Arkansas Derby (G2) engagement and should blow out this week.

ON THE RADAR:

SOLDAT (War Front 2.47 McLaughlin), STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini 2.25 Pletcher), ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimaux 1.67 Motion), PANTS ON FIRE (Jump Start 3.00 Breen) and CALEB’S POSSE (Posse 2.00 Von Hemel).

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 10th, 2011 at 9:50 am and is filed under Featured Articles. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.