Divine Intervention

By Jude T. Feld

There is nary a place to rest on the trail to the Triple Crown. It is all out all the time from February to the first Saturday in May and then two weeks to the Preakness and three to the Belmont. The plethora of prep races consume every owner, trainer and jockey with a “hopeful,” and racing scribes and pundits across the globe pontificate on each participant and every result.

With the Florida Derby in the books and a few days until the Santa Anita Derby, it seems like an ideal time for recap of what we have seen and heard on the Horse Racing Radio Network trail ride that began on Fountain of Youth day back in February.

To Honor and Serve was the buzz horse going into the FOY based on a nifty two-year-old record and some sensational workouts leading up to the race. His Hall of Fame trainer Billy Mott was full of exuberance for the colt and was “expecting him to show up for the race.” Soldat, a horse who had won on the turf and the mud, was entered in the race and his camp, headed by trainer Kieran McLaughlin, oozed enthusiasm for their charge. “He’s training unbelievable,” the conditioner said with such authority and confidence that the public actually made his horse the favorite in the race.

Soldat waltzed home an easy victor while To Honor and Serve folded like a lawn chair in the stretch to finish an ugly third. The former garnered an army of followers that day whilst the latter’s fans jumped off the bandwagon like rats on a sinking ship.

On to the Tampa Bay Derby, a race lately full of intrigue. Todd Pletcher was saddling Brethren, an undefeated colt who had looked mighty impressive winning the Sam F. Davis over the track in his previous start. Seeming a little light in the paddock, he was sent unneccesarily hard to the lead from his outside post position by jockey Ramon Dominguez. The son of Distorted Humor weakened entering the lane and finished third behind a local stakes performer and a horse who was claimed from his previous race. The disappointing effort cost him legions of fans and little has been or heard of him since, although he’s reportedly headed for the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

New Orleans is a favorite stop on the tour and certainly a major Kentucky Derby contender could exit the Louisiana Derby.

Mucho Macho Man had won the Risen Star at Fair Grounds in his last race and had been training nicely for Kathy Ritvo, a gal impossible not to like, especially when you find out she’s running on a transplanted heart. “Mr. Derby,” Calvin Borel, had been singing the praises of his mount, Elite Alex, all week, comparing him to Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, which made him an automatic contender, especially in the land of crawdads, cayenne and beads. Neil Howard, one of the best trainers not in the Hall of Fame was saddling two – highly regarded Machen, who had smoked in a workout under Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado prepping for the race and Wilkinson, winner of the Le Comte over the track.

Alas, a new shooter, Pants On Fire, took the field wire-to-wire under sensational jockey Rosie Anna Napravnik, muddling the picture even more. Granted, Mucho Macho Man blew a shoe, and Calvin gave his colt too much to do, but really folks, this is getting ridiculous.

Rated by many, “the deepest Kentucky Derby prep race of the year,” the Florida Derby had no less than four horses that appeared on most everyone’s top twenty list. Soldat exited the Fountain of Youth and “trained better than ever,” according to McLaughlin. Dialed In, who won the Holy Bull around one turn and then got beaten in allowance race going two was, “doing great,” according to his Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito. Gotham winner Stay Thirsty has his “marching and chowder society,” as Vin Scully would call them and beleaguered To Honor and Serve had the friends of Campbell’s Soup heiress, Charlotte Weber still supporting him at the wickets.

Trainer Rick “Babe” Dutrow entered a speedster named Flashpoint just to make the race more interesting and the colt drew some dough as well because Travelin Man, who he had trounced previously, won the Swale Stakes easily, eight races earlier on the card.

Flashpoint broke out badly, as young, inexperienced horses often do in their first two-turn event, losing all chance. This allowed 68-1 shot Shackleford to make the lead and almost pull off a major upset, but Dialed In managed to make a slow and steady run to nip the pacesetter at the wire. To Honor and Serve, who looked better in the paddock than he did in his 2011 debut, checked in third with the unlucky Flashpoint fourth. Soldat put in a dull effort and finished fifth.

Much ado was made about Dialed In running the last eighth of a mile in his allowance prep in :12 2/5. Zito assured this would make the horse he would later refer to as “a gift from God,” triumphant in the Florida Derby, in which it took him 13 seconds to optically illusionally close on Shackleford to win the race.

It is comforting to know that even with Haiti, Japan, Qaddafi and countless other scenes of world tragedy and unrest, God has time to send Nicky Z. another Kentucky Derby contender.

I would bet that Moses might be licking his chops after backing Uncle Mo in the future pool. After all, a guy that can part the Red Sea can certainly work out a perfect trip at Churchill Downs and right now at least, the competition looks a little suspect.

This year’s Triple Crown trail is above the Pope’s pay grade. We may need to call in the Dalai Lama to figure all this out.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 4th, 2011 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Featured Articles. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.