©2015 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The
“Road to the Kentucky Derby” takes us to Louisiana,
Saturday, where Eagle will go to the starting gate
as the 3-1, morning-line favorite in the 77th running of the Lecomte
Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds Race Course.
Eagle,
an honorable mention in my 2015
Kentucky Derby Outlook,
is a colt I’ve had on my watch list for some time and I’m looking forward to
see how he runs in the Lecomte.
Trained
by Neil Howard and owned by William S. Farish, Eagle comes into this race with
a 2-1-1 record in four starts including a third-place finish in the Kentucky
Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs last November where he lost by only three-quarters
of a length to the current Derby point standing leader, El
Kabeir.
Eagle
has yet to win a stakes race and the Lecomte will be his first test as a three
year old to see if he can be competitive at the stakes level. Whether Eagle has
any classic potential remains to be seen but he has the breeding to be
competitive in this race.
Candy Ride, the sire of Eagle, did not race as a two year old
but, as a three year old, he was champion miler in Argentina. As a four year
old, Candy Ride was shipped to America where ran in three races. In the
10-furlong Pacific Classic Stakes (G1), Candy Ride was able to carry his speed
to a 3¼-length victory the in a record time of 1:59.11. During his racing
career, Candy Ride was undefeated in six starts.
Mineshaft, the sire of Bond Holder, 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).
Brian
Hernandez has ridden Eagle in all of his previous four starts and he retains
the mount in the Lecomte.
I
look for Eagle to run a good race.
The young colt
that interests me the most in this race is Another Lemon Drop (6-1). I also
wrote about him in my Derby Outlook and he comes into this race with a 2-0-1
record in four starts including a 5-length win running a mile in the slop in
his last race at the Fair Grounds.
The finish
time of 1:39.12 is not as fast as I like, but Another Lemon Drop won going away
and he has a lot of talent that will blossom as he gets older and the races get
longer. In fact, two races back Another Lemon Drop finished a respectable third
to Dortmund who is the current Derby favorite.
Lemon
Drop Kid, the sire of Another Lemon Drop, won the
1999 Belmont Stakes and the three-generation pedigree is further reinforced
with the Classic Champion Thoroughbreds: Kingmambo, King of Kings, Miesque, Seattle Slew, Sadler’s
Wells and St.
Jovite.
The
Lecomte will be the first test for Another Lemon Drop in stakes competition.
But, if he lives up to his breeding, he should be competitive.
A
long shot I like in this race is the maiden winner, Runhappy (8-1), who won his debut by an
impressive 8¼ lengths at Turfway Park last December. He’s never run in a stakes
or route race but he has good speed and his breeding suggests that he should be
able to stretch out in distance and be competitive on the Derby Trail.
Super
Saver, the sire
of Runhappy, was a Classic Champion Thoroughbred and my pick to win the 2010 Kentucky
Derby. As a two year old, Super Saver finished his racing season with a win in
the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) making him, along with Street
Sense, among a
select group of two year olds to win a
major end-of-year prep race that went on to victory in the Derby.
As
a three year old, Super Saver finished third in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and he
finished second in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in route to victory in the Kentucky
Derby (G1).
Broken
Vow, the damsire
of Runhappy, did not race as a 2-year-old but he was a pretty good
middle-distance runner that only finished out of the money once in 14 starts and
compiled an 8-2-2 record in 12 route starts.
At
the age of three, Broken Vow won the Sir Barton Stakes. As a 4-year-old, Broken
Vow won the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G2), Ben Ali Stakes (G3), R.R.M. Carpenter
Jr. Memorial Stakes and the Skip Away Stakes.
With
only one race to his credit, it remains to be seen if Runhappy can step up in
class to stakes competition. His sire, Super Saver, didn’t run in a stakes race
until his third start where he finished fourth in the Champagne Stakes (G1).
Tiznow
R J (5-1)
comes into this race with a 1-0-2 record in three starts including an
impressive 13-length romp at the Fair Grounds last December covering the same
distance of ground as that in the Lecomte.
Tiznow, the sire of Tiznow R J, was a
multiple graded-stakes winner and 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.
Broken
Vow, the damsire of Runhappy, is also the damsire of Tiznow R J.
If
Tiznow R J repeats the performance of his last race, he should be competitive
in the Lecomte.
*****
Under
the points system implemented by Churchill Downs to determine which horses will
qualify to enter the Kentucky Derby starting gate, the winner of the Lecomte
Stakes (G3) will receive 10 points, the second-place finisher will receive 4
points, the third-place finisher will receive 2 points and the fourth-place
finisher will receive one point. Here’s a look at the current top twenty Derby
qualifiers:
2015 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
Individual Leaders ranking,
total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. El Kabeir, 21,
John Terranova II, $330,792
2.
Carpe Diem, 14, Todd Pletcher, $660,000
3. Calculator, 14, Peter Miller, $180,000
4. Texas Red, 12,
Keith Desormeaux, $1,136,000
5. International
Star, 11, Mike Maker, $130,979
6. Ocho Ocho Ocho,
10, Jim Cassidy, $660,000
7. Mr.
Z, 10, D. Wayne Lukas, $473,326
8. American Pharoah, 10, Bob Baffert, $360,000
9. Daredevil, 10,
Todd Pletcher, $300,000
10. Dortmund, 10,
Bob Baffert, $300,000
11. Leave the
Light On, 10, Chad Brown, $240,000
12. Lucky Player,
10, Steve Asmussen, $96,481
13. Upstart, 6,
Rick Violette Jr., $300,000
14. Bold
Conquest, 6, Steve Asmussen, $72,176
15. Conquest Typhoon, 4, Mark Casse, $221,827
16. Imperia, 4, Kiaran McLaughlin, $163,804
17. Firing Line, 4, Simon Callaghan, $100,000
18. Frosted, 4, Kiaran McLaughlin, $80,000
19. Nasa, 4, John Servis, $40,000
20. Rock Shandy, 4, Peter Miller, $38,000
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