The
“Road to the Kentucky Derby” takes us to the Blue Grass
State Saturday where an overflow field of 16 young Thoroughbreds have been
entered in the 100th running of the $400,000 Dixiana Breeders’
Futurity Stakes (G1) at Keeneland racetrack. Post time for the race is 4:55
p.m. Eastern time.
After
that race, the road takes us northeast to the Empire State where nine young
Thoroughbreds have been entered in the 143rd running of the $500,000
Foxwoods Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. Post time is 5:46 Eastern time.
Under
the new tiered-point system implemented by Churchill Downs last year, the
winner of the Dixiana and Champagne will receive 10 points apiece, while the
second-place finisher will receive 4 points, the third-place finisher will
receive 2 points and 1 point will be awarded to the fourth-place finisher.
DIXIANA BREEDERS’ FUTURITY
Trainer
Tom Amoss will send Kendalls’ Boy to the starting gate as the
lukewarm 4-1 morning line favorite. Kendall’s Boy is stepping up in class and
comes into the race off of a 5¼-length victory at Churchill Downs on September
13.
Jockey
Garrett Gomez picks up the mount while regular rider Rosie Napravnik is in New
York to ride a long shot I like in the Champagne Stakes (G1) – Grand Arrival.
If
Kendall’s Boy repeats the performance of his last race, he could be competitive
in the Dixiana. But, I’m not too keen on him for the win.
A
long shot I like is Conquest Titan (6-1) who comes into the Dixiana
off of a 5¼-length win in the 7-furlong Swynford Stakes at Woodbine. I especially
like his pedigree.
His
sire-line Ancestral Herd influence descends from Fappiano which has been the most
productive branch of the Mr. Prospector Ancestral Herd on the Triple Crown Trail. Three
of the stallions on the sire line – Birdstone, Grindstone and Unbridled – were Classic Champion
Thoroughbreds and that is a powerful influence in the pedigree.
Mineshaft, the damsire of Conquest Titan,
was an outstanding route racer who won races such as New Orleans Handicap (G2),
Ben Ali Stakes (G3), Pimlico Special Handicap (G1), Suburban Handicap (G1),
Woodward Stakes (G1) and the Jockey Club Gold Club Stakes (G1).
The
tail-female line of Conquest Titan is reinforced with the Classic Champion
Thoroughbreds Kingmambo and Seattle
Slew – winner
of the 1977 Triple Crown.
Conquest
Titan is owned and trained by the same winning connections of My Conquestadory, the brilliant winner of the Darley Alcibiades
Stakes (G1) on the Friday opening card at Keeneland.
Conquest
Titan is one of the best-bred colts in this field and, if he lives up to his
breeding, he’ll be competitive in the Dixiana.
Trainer
Doug O’Neill ships Rum Point (8-1) in from California for
the Dixiana. He’s stepping up in class and he’s never ran in a route race. But,
his pedigree indicates that Rum Point should run better as the races get
longer.
Malibu
Moon, the sire
of Rum Point, is the sire of the 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Rum Point’s grandsire, A.P.
Indy, and
great grandsire, Seattle Slew, were Classic Champion
Thoroughbreds and the Ancestral Herd descends from the Bold
Ruler
Ancestral Herd which dominated the Triple Crown Trail during the decade of the
1970’s.
Quiet American, the damsire of Rum Point, sired the Kentucky
Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Real
Quiet. And the
tail-female line is the same Ancestral Herd that produced the Classic Champion
Thoroughbreds A.P. Indy, Lemon
Drop Kid, Summer
Squall and Silver Charm.
If
he lives up to his breeding, Rum Point should be competitive in the Dixiana.
General Jack (5-1) comes into the race off of a 3-length win
in the Shakopee Juvenile Stakes at Canterbury Park and with Giant’s Causeway as his
sire, he has the breeding to be competitive.
A
recent bullet work out could have General Jack ready to run a good race.
CHAMPAGNE STAKES
Hall
of Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas will send the 5-2 morning-line favorite Strong Mandate to the starting gate. Strong Mandate comes into
the race off two impressive wins at Saratoga where he broke his maiden by
4½-lengths on August 17 and followed that performance with a powerful stretch
run over a sloppy track in the 7-furlong Hopeful Stakes (G1) to win by a
commanding 9¾-lengths.
Aside
from his maiden debut, Strong Mandate has been dominant in his last two sprint
races and his breeding indicates that he will get better as the races get
longer.
Tiznow, the sire of Strong Mandate,
did not race as a 2-year-old. And it took him three tries as a 3-year-old
before he finally broke his maiden in impressive style with an 8½-length romp
running 8½-furlongs in a maiden special weight at Hollywood Park.
Unlike
Strong Mandate, Tiznow was not successful in sprint racing but he was an
outstanding router who won 10-furlong Super Derby (G1) by six lengths and the Santa
Anita Handicap (G1) by five lengths.
The
most notable 10-furlong wins of Tiznow came in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic
(G1) where he defeated the European champion Giant’s Causeway by a neck. In 2001, Tiznow defended his title of
champion in Breeders’ Cup Classic when he defeated the European invader and formidable
winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Sakhee, by a nose.
Deputy Minister, the damsire of Strong Mandate, is a proven
broodmare sire of the Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Sarava (2002), Jazil (2006) and Rags to Riches (2007). In addition, Deputy Minister also is the
sire of the Classic Champion Thoroughbreds Awesome Again and Touch
Gold. And he’s
the grandsire of Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Oxbow.
So
far, Strong Mandate has been brilliant in sprint racing and an extension of
that brilliance to route racing will make him competitive on the Kentucky Derby
Trail. I look for Strong Mandate to be competitive in the Champagne Stakes
(G1).
At
8-1 morning-line odds, Grand Arrival looks like an interesting entry. He comes into
this race off of an impressive 6¼-length victory at Saratoga in a 7-furlong
maiden race over a sloppy track.
Trained
by Nick Zito, Grand Arrival has been working out good at Saratoga, firing two
back-to-back bullet works outs. And he has the breeding to be competitive at
this distance.
Harlan’s Holiday, the sire of Grand Arrival, was 4-2-0 in six
starts as a two year old winning the Iroquois Stakes (G3), Miller Genuine Draft
Cradle Stakes, Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes and the Hoover Stakes.
As
a 3-year-old, Harlan’s Holiday finished second in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and
Fountain of Youth Stakes (G1). He followed up with a win in the Florida Derby
(G1) and Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and went into the 2002 Kentucky Derby as the
6-1 favorite but finished seventh in a field of 18.
The
tail-female line of Grand Arrival is reinforced by the Classic Champion
Thoroughbreds Grindstone, Unbridled, Damascus and Sword
Dancer.
Zito
knows how to get horses ready for big races. Jockey Rosie Napravinik, a tough
competitor who rode Grand Arrival in his previous two starts, retains the mount
in the Champagne, and I look the pair to be competitive.
Honor
Code, the 3-1
morning-line second choice, showed early brilliance in his maiden debut, coming
from dead-last, 23-lengths behind the leaders, to win the 7-furlong sprint by
an impressive 4½-lengths over a sloppy track at Saratoga. Honor Code is
stepping up in class, but, if he repeats the performance of his maiden win,
he’ll be competitive in the Champagne Stakes.
His
sire, A.P. Indy, broke his maiden on his
second attempt by 4-lengths, running 6½-furlongs at Santa Anita Park. He
followed that brilliant run with a victory in a one mile allowance race and
capped off his 2-year-old racing season with a narrow win by a neck in the 8½-furlong
Hollywood Futurity Stakes (G1).
As
a 3-year-old, A.P. Indy won his season debut in the one mile San Rafael Stakes
(G2) and followed that with a 1¾-length win over Bertrando in the Santa Anita Derby. On Kentucky
Derby day, A.P. Indy was scratched with a sore hoof, but finished his racing
season with wins in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2), Belmont Stakes (G1) and
Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
The
tail-female line of Honor Code is pretty good with the stakes winners Serena’s
Cat, Serena’s
Tune and, most
notably, Serena’s Song, an outstanding multiple
graded-stakes winning filly, who compiled a 18-11-3 record in 38 starts with $3,283,388
in career earnings.
Debt
Ceiling (10-1) is another interesting long shot who comes into the race with a
4-0-0 record in five starts. He’s stepping up in class, but has the breeding to
be competitive at this distance.
