UPI Horse Racing Roundup – April 6, 2015
April 6th, 2015By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
Carpe Diem and Frosted ran their way toward the top of the Kentucky Derby list with weekend victories but it was Dortmund’s dominant win in the Santa Anita Derby that had tongues wagging.
Meanwhile, Lovely Maria, Stellar Wind and Condo Commando stamped their tickets to the Kentucky Oaks with impressive victories in Kentucky, California and New York, respectively. Include Betty may have included herself on the Oaks list with an upset win in Arkansas.
Keeneland, Santa Anita and Aqueduct all had extensive stakes cards on both the turf and the dirt, sprinting and at longer distances.
Overseas, in Australia, Randwick’s stakes-rich Saturday card was washed out by rains even worse than Keeneland’s Friday downpour. In England, Godolphin won three of the seven races comprising the All-Weather Championship Finals and finished second twice more. And things went smoothly for the second straight year as Dubai racing officials staged a one-day race meeting in Chengdu, China.
Holy Week was scratched from race 5 at Aqueduct on Holy Saturday. Really.
Let’s get rolling.
The Road to the Roses
Dortmund was undefeated going into Saturday’s $1 million, Grade I Santa Anita Derby and put an exclamation point to his Kentucky Derby preparations with a front-running, 4 1/4-lengths victory over One Lucky Dane. Bolo was third. With Martin Garcia at the controls, the Big Brown colt set a quick early pace, hit another gear when he felt some pressure on the turn and won easily. The victory was visually impressive as the colt always seemed within himself as he toured 9 furlongs in 1:48.73 but Garcia said he still has upside potential.
“Even though he’s won all his races, he’s still learning,” Garcia said. Trainer Bob Baffert added, “He’s a big, long-legged horse. When he made the lead and when he gets by himself like that, he’ll idle on you a little bit, so he had to keep going.”
Baffert also has last year’s 2-year-old champion American Pharoah ready to run in next Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, potentially giving him the strongest hand in the May 2 Run for the Roses.
“We want to get there in top form and healthy,” Baffert said. “That’s the battle right there. We have good horses. I can’t believe I’m so fortunate to be in this position with two outstanding 3-year-olds like I have.”
Baffert also trains One Lucky Dane and plans to start him in the Run for the Roses, too.
Carpe Diem parked just behind the early lead in Saturday’s $1 million, Grade I Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland, waited patiently for his cue from jockey John Velazquez and went on to win convincingly. Danzig Moon ran on well to finish second, 3 lengths back and 2 1/2 lengths in front of pacesetter Ocho Ocho Ocho. Frammento finished fourth. The 1 1/8 miles on a fast track went in 1:49.77 and Carpe Diem, a Giant’s Causeway colt, wasn’t asked for his best in the final furlong. He now is 4-for-5, with the only loss being a second to the currently sidelined Texas Red in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall at Santa Anita. Todd Pletcher trains Carpe Diem for WinStar Farm.
“He did it pretty good,” Velazquez said. “Down the lane, I asked him and he responded right away. Once he gets to the lead, he wants to wait, so I have to make sure I keep his mind on running.”
Pletcher said he picked the Blue Grass for Carpe Diem’s final Derby prep because the colt showed he liked the track while winning over it last fall. He said he will stay at Keeneland for at least a week before shipping to Churchill Downs.
“It depends whether we decide to have him breeze once or twice at Churchill.”
Danzig Moon also is headed for Churchill Downs and assured spot in the Derby gate. Ocho Ocho Ocho still could go to Louisville, depending on how he bounces back from the Blue Grass, said trainer Jim Cassidy. And Nick Zito said Frammento also will start in the Derby if he can get in. He’s currently No. 28 on the list for 20 spots. Zito said the colt would have “easily been second or third” in the Blue Grass if he could have gotten out in the stretch. “He’s a true mile and a quarter horse,” Zito said.
Frosted emerged from behind a slow pace to win Saturday’s $1 million, Grade I Twinspires.com Wood Memorial at Aqueduct by 2 lengths over 21-2 long shot Tencendur. El Kabeir was third with a late run and the favorite, Daredevil, tired to finish fourth after pressing the pace. Frosted, a Tapit colt owned and bred by Godolphin Racing, got 9 furlongs in 1:50.31 under Joel Rosario. Frosted had appeared to be on a roll to Louisville when he finished second in both the Grade II Remsen last fall at Aqueduct and the Grade II Holy Bull in January in Florida. But then he suddenly stopped at the top of the stretch in the Grade II Fountain of Youth, finishing fourth.
“We know he has a ton of ability and that last race really made us scratch our heads, asking, ‘Why?’ said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “We did everything we could possibly do to change everything we could that we thought went wrong.” Asked about the prospects of going 1 1/4 miles in the Kentucky Derby, McLaughlin said, “Given the way he finished today, I don’t think 10 furlongs will be a problem.” He still has not figured out where he will train the colt in the next four weeks. “We could stay here, work once here, work twice here, and then go to Kentucky. We could go there and work twice there. Or, we could go to Florida, like we’ve been training, fly in, work once — or not at all — and run. So we have to talk about it.”
Tencendur’s trainer, George Weaver, and El Kabeir’s, John Terranova, both said they hope to move along to the Kentucky Derby.
Dubai Sky, a late Triple Crown nominee after winning the Grade III Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park, is out for the season with a fractured cannon bone, suffered during a gallop Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.
After this weekend’s action, Louisiana Derby winner International Star leads in Kentucky Derby qualifying points with 171. Dortmund is second with 170, followed by Carpe Diem with 164, Frosted with 113, Mubtaahij and Materiality with 100 each, El Kabeir with 95, Upstart with 76, American Pharoah and Itsaknockout with 60 each, Firing Line with 58, Danzig Moon with 45, War Story with 44, Tencendur with 41 and Maftool, One Lucky Dane, Amy’s Flatter and Stanford with 40 each. The only remaining races on the qualifying list are next Saturday’s Arkansas Derby with 100-40-20-10 points for the first four finishers and the Lexington at Keeneland with 10-4-2-1 points.
The Derby “buzz” is that the “big four” — Dortmund, American Pharoah, Carpe Diem and International Star — comprise the best and most formful batch of contenders in many years. Others would throw in Frosted, the undefeated Materiality and the hard-knocking El Kabeir. Yet, the Run for the Roses is unique in distance and experience. With the possible exceptions of American Pharoah and Carpe Diem, each of the top prospects has a vulnerability or question mark.
Dortmund has won on the lead and the Derby almost always has more pace pressure than the prep races. A bad start could put the massive colt in traffic trouble. International Star runs from well off the pace, which makes him vulnerable to traffic issues in a big field. El Kabeir has been tough all winter on the Aqueduct inner track but couldn’t put in his best run when he moved to the main track for the Wood Memorial. A quick pace and a stalking trip could be just what the doctor ordered. American Pharoah has one more stop before the Derby and the Oaklawn Park setpiece can be problematic, especially with a wide draw. Frosted had that strange and still unexplained trip in the Fountain of Youth and didn’t like having dirt in his face in the Wood. Carpe Diem … well, so far so good.
But there are some others looming on the horizon. Firing Line pushed Dortmund to the limit twice before taking a different schedule. Mubtaahij won the UAE Derby with ease and is a total question mark for Churchill Downs. Materiality is undefeated in three starts but did not run as a 3-year-old. That’s seen as a Derby “jinx” for some reason but the colt probably hasn’t heard that. And after all the handicapping is done and judgments made, flash back to Calvin Borel sneaking Mine That Bird through a narrow hole along the rail to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby by 6 3/4 lengths — at odds of 50-1. His 2-year-old races were in Canada and his Derby preps were in New Mexico.
Kentucky Oaks preps
Lovely Maria took complete charge in the stretch run in Saturday’s $500,000, Grade I Central Bank Ashland at Keeneland, scooting clear to win by 3 1/4 lengths over Angela Renee. Silverpocketsfull was third. Lovely Maria, a Majesticperfection filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.66 with Kerwin Clark in the irons for the first Grade I win of his 40-year career. She was coming off a second-place finish in the Grade III Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds, behind only division leader I’m a Chatterbox and ahead of Angela Renee. The win was her third from seven career starts.
“It was a great trip … She’s a nice filly,” Clark said. She’s just coming into her own. You can pretty much put her anywhere you want to be.”
Condo Commando posted an equally impressive victory in Saturday’s $300,000, Grade II Gazelle at Aqueduct. With Joel Rosario up, the Tiz Wonderful filly made all the going and had plenty left in the lane, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths over Puca. Money’soncharlotte finished third at odds of nearly 60-1. Condo Commando ran 9 furlongs on a fast track in 1:52.17. The filly, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, has won five of her six lifetime starts. The only loss came in the Grade I Frizette at Belmont Park last fall in the slop.
“I told Joel if she broke good, just take it from there,” Rodriguez said. “She’s a very nice filly.” Asked if this race should make her a favorite for the Kentucky Oaks, he said, “I don’t know. But hopefully we can make it. It’s still a long way to go. Hopefully, she stays sound and we take it from there.”
Trainer Bill Mott said Puca also is likely to move along to Churchill Downs.
Stellar Wind scored her third straight win in Saturday’s $400,000, Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, overcoming a slow start to come from last of seven and win by 5 1/4 lengths. Luminance was second and Wild At Heart finished third. Stellar Wind, a Virginia-bred Curlin filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.26 with Victor Espinoza up. She has won three straight races, starting with a maiden event at Laurel Park and moving well up in class to win the Grade III Santa Ysabela in her last previous start.
“Today, I rode her a little bit more because I think she needs a good race before going into the Kentucky Oaks,” Espinoza said. “Her last race was too easy for her. I wanted a harder race for her today. I think she’s a Kentucky Oaks filly.”
Include Betty ran from last of 11 to upset Saturday’s $400,000, Grade III Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, winning by a neck over Oceanwave and another neck from Achiever’s Legacy. The favorite, Feathered, finished seventh. Include Betty, an Include filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.16 with Rosemary Homeister Jr. in the irons.
“This is an amazing little filly,” Homeister said. “I was in the 11 hole, but I wasn’t all that concerned because she is a closer.”
There was some contact in the stretch and Homeister admitted she was trying to keep Achiever’s Legacy bottled up. The stewards denied an objection. Include Betty won the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, then finished fifth in the Grade III Florida Oaks before shipping to Arkansas for trainer Tom Proctor. The Fantasy is a qualifying race for the Kentucky Oaks.
Turf
Friday’s opening day at Keeneland was beset by a spring monsoon that washed out the last four races, including the Grade III Transylvania for 3-year-olds. That event was rescheduled for April 15.
Filly & Mare Turf
Spirit of Xian led from the start in Saturday’s $150,000, Grade III Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita and held off Spanish Queen in the final yards to win by a neck. The favorite, Entrechat, hopped at the start, then salvaged third with a late move. Spirit of Xian, an Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac, ran 9 furlongs on firm turf in 1:48.10 with Joe Talamo up.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Princess Violet relaxed behind a quick pace in Saturday’s $350,000, Grade I Madison at Keeneland, swept to the lead entering the stretch run and held off a late bid by Stopchargingmaria to win by 1/2 length. Clearly Confused was well back in third. Princess Violet, 4-year-old daughter of Officer got the 7 furlongs in 1:22.73 under Junior Alvarado.
“I switched her out and she was there for me,” Alvarado said.
She was coming off a second-place finish in the Grade II Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park — a race won by Lady Sebelia. Lady Sebelia led the way in the Madison as the 2-1 favorite but folded up in the late going, finishing last of six. Princess Violet now has five wins and four seconds from 10 career starts.
“Best race of her career, so far,” said Samantha Randazzo, assistant to winning trainer Linda Rice.
Sheer Pleasure came from next-last of 12 to win Saturday’s $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies by 3/4 length over Grand Yodeler despite drifting quite wide. Ashley’s Sassy rallied from dead last to finish third. Sheer Pleasure, a Birdonthewire filly, ran 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:17.09 for jockey Tyler Baze.
Sprint
Dads Caps came from off the pace in Saturday’s $400,000, Grade I Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, survived some bumping at the top of the lane and finally got by pacesetting 50-1 long shot Green Gratto to win by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival. Another long-priced horse, Dream Saturday, was along for third, followed by the favorites, The Big Beast and Palace. Dads Caps, a 5-year-old son of Discreet Cat, ran 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:23.64 with Jose Ortiz in the irons.
“The horse was great,” Ortiz said. “I had to wait a little on the turn but I had a lot of horse so I just wanted to wait and follow the instructions (trainer Rudy Rodriguez) gave me.”
Kobe’s Back dropped far back immediately after the start of Saturday’s $300,000, Grade III Commonwealth at Keeneland, kicked into gear around the turn and ran by the leaders in the stretch to win by 1 length. C. Zee finished second and the early leader, Rocket Time, held on to finish third. Kobe’s back, with Gary Stevens up, ran 7 furlongs in 1:22.16.
“He didn’t break too alertly and it turned out to be a blessing” because there was traffic up front,” Stevens said. “I was able to save ground and then I had to make a decision whether to go inside or out. There was no place to go inside.”
Kobe’s Back, a 4-year-old Flatter colt, shipped in from California after finishing second to Wild Dude in the Grade II San Carlos last month.
March celebrated April by rallying to the lead in the stretch run in Saturday’s $300,000, Grade III Bay Shore Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct and withstood a furious rally by Lord Nelson to win by 1/2 length over that one. Ready For Rye finished third. March, a Blame colt, ran 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:24.72 with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons. He finished fifth, 5 lengths in arrears, in the Grade III Withers around two turns in his previous start for trainer Chad Brown.
“My horse was coming from longer races,” Ortiz pointed out. “We just wanted to break good and come from behind and he did it.” March shifted out a bit in deep stretch, prompting an inquiry but the stewards let the result stand.
Gimme Da Lute rallied from just off the lead to win Saturday’s $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds at Santa Anita by 5 1/4 lengths over Grazen Sky. Richard’s Boy set the early pace and held on for third. Gimme Da Lute, a Midnight Lute colt trained by Bob Baffert, ran 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:14.64.
Turf Sprint
Something Extra showed the way, swept to a good lead early in the stretch run in Saturday’s $125,000, Grade III Shakertown at Keeneland and held off Channel Marker in the late going to win by 1/2 length. Undrafted was third and Australian import Power Alert finished fourth — his first loss in three U.S. starts. Something Extra, a 7-year-old Indian Charlie gelding, finished 5 1/2 furlongs on yielding turf in 1:02.85 with Shaun Bridgmohan aboard. He was second in the same race two years ago and third last year. It was his first start since finishing a fading 10th in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
“He had a great trip, he could do whatever he wanted,” said winning trainer Gail Cox, who blamed the Breeders’ Cup loss on Something Extra’s difficulty crossing the dirt on the Santa Anita downhill turf course. “Funny,” she added, “we always thought he liked really, really hard, firm turf. But he loved this.”
International
England
To the surprise of none, Godolphin landed three firsts and a pair of seconds from the seven races in Friday’s All-Weather Championship Finals Day at Lingfield. With the Meydan all-weather course in Dubai now history, Sheik Mohammed’s operation put a lot of effort into the qualifying races leading up to the finals day and entered with a very strong hand. Richard Buick rode Godolphin’s Pretend to a 1-length victory over Alben Star in the Unibet All-Weather Sprint Championship. Adam Kirby steered Four Seasons to a 1 1/4-lengths triumph in the 32Red Casino All-Weather Three-Year- Old Mile Championship. And Buick was back to take Tryster to the winner’s enclosure after the Coral Easter Classic All-Weather Middle Distance Championship.
In other races on the card, Fresles won the 32Red.com All-Weather Fillies’ and Mares’ Championship by a neck over Lamar; Grey Mirage prevailed by a neck in a four-horse photo in the Ladbrokes All-Weather Mile Championship; Lightcameraction took the Unibet 3-year-old All-Weather Sprint Championship by a neck over Godolpin runner Blue Agean; and My Mate Chris bested Godolphin’s Anglophile by a head in the 32Red Casino All-Weather Marathon Championship.
Jim Allen, director of racing for Arena Racing Company, said the finals event “was good last season but even better this season … We are aiming to get Pattern status for these races and today’s results will have helped that process.” He said ARC hopes to add a “pattern day” next year with handicaps for horses which did not make the finals.
China
For the second straight year, Meydan staged a successful race meeting Friday at Jinma Lake Racecourse in Chengdu, in the southwest of mainland China. Special Fighter won the featured Chengdu Dubai International Cup, presented by Longines, for UAE champion trainer Musabah Al Muhairi and jockey Silvestre de Sousa. Al Muhairi also saddled the winner of the Wenjiang Sprint, Special Boy. Doug Watson and Sam Hitchcott also combined for a double on the day when Life Partner won the Wenjiang Meydan Classic at 1,600 meters and Hacienda took the Guangsha Mile sponsored by the Bank of Dalian. Tadmir, trained by Erwan Charpy, scored his first career win in the 2,418-meters Meydan Handicap. The one-day meeting was attended by officials of the local and regional government as well as Dubai racing figures. The significance of the day is the ability — and willingness of Chinese officials — to move horses into and back out of the country. Should international, commercial racing ever be approved by the Central Committee, the Meydan model could serve as part of the solution to opening the country’s vast wagering market to pari-mutuel racing. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Coolmore and the China Horse Club also have stakes in the ground to participate in expansion of Chinese racing.
Hong Kong
Able Friend is the star attraction among eight entered for Tuesday’s HK Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin. The John Moore trainee has won his last four starts, including three Group 1 events, and could be headed for an international campaign later in the year. “He is one of the best around,” said regular rider Joao Moreira.
Australia
The first of two big weekends at Randwick in Australia was washed out by heavy rain. Among the stakes rescheduled for Monday are two qualifiers for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
