Holy Bull Stakes Racing Roundup

©2016 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

The “Road to the Kentucky Derby” takes us to sunny Florida, Saturday, where Mohaymen, who is ranked 10^th in Kentucky Derby point standings, will go the starting gate as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the 31^st running of the $350,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

Undefeated in three starts, Mohaymen comes into this race for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin off of victories in the one mile Nashua Stakes (G2) and the 9-furlong Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. Here’s a look at the video and chart call of his Remsen win:

MOHAYMEN secured a prominent position after appearing to get away in good order, was patiently handled keeping an eye on the leader, alternating between the inside and the left border of the two path down the backstretch, pulling a bit on the bit but otherwise rating kindly, eased out into the two path past the five-sixteenths pole, continued to bide time until set down at the head of the stretch, won the duel with the runner up that followed to poke a head down in front with a furlong remaining, edged away while drifting out several paths in the course of doing so.

His finish time of 1:50.69 is slower than what I like to see a young colt run nine furlongs and I’d like to see him improve on that.

Mohaymen is a sire-line descendant of the Bold Ruler Ancestral Herd and with a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, he has the breeding to be competitive in the Holy Bull Stakes (G2).

Tapit, the sire of Mohaymen, was undefeated in two starts as a 2-year-old including a win in the Laurel Futurity (G3). As a 3-year-old, Tapit was troubled by a lung infection for much of the season but did win the nine-furlong Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in route to a ninth-place finish in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Regular jockey Junior Alvarado returns to the irons and a bullet work out on January 21 could have Mohaymen ready to run a good race.

Greenpointcrusader (8-5) is a full brother to Algorithms, who is a young colt I liked on the 2012 Derby trail, and he comes into this race with a 2-1-0 record in four starts for trainer Dominic Schettino. As a two year old, he was an impressive 4½-length winner of the Champagne Stakes (G1) and he finished seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1). Here’s the video and chart call of the Juvenile:

GREENPOINTCRUSADER was reserved early, fanned widest into the lane with a belated gain in the late stages.

Greenpointcrusader was never a factor in this race. However, he showed determination and made up good ground in closing from 12^th place at the top of the stretch to finish seventh. Like Mohaymen, Greenpointcrusader also has a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, and his breeding suggests that he should run better than indicated by his performance in the Juvenile.

Bernardini, the sire of Greenpointcrusader, was a classic champion that compiled a 6-1-0 record in eight starts with $3,060,480 in career earnings.

He broke his maiden on his second start running a mile at Gulfstream Park in 1:35.57. That’s the kind of time I like to see a young colt run in a mile.

Bernardini went on from that win to victories in the Withers Stakes (G3), Preakness Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), Travers Stakes (G1), Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and he finished second, a length behind the winner, Invasor, in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

It remains to be seen if Greenpointcrusader will live up to his breeding. He picks up the services of jockey John Velazquez and if he can return to his form in winning the Champagne Stakes (G1), he should be competitive in this race.

Conquest Big E (7-2) comes into this race with a 2-1-0 record in four starts for trainer Mark Casse. He’s yet to win a stakes race and he comes into the Holy Bull with an eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1) and a 2-length win in an Allowance Optional Claiming race at Churchill Downs on November 28. Here’s the video and chart call of his last race:

CONQUEST BIG E stalked the pace early while between horses, made a bid three wide entering the lane, took over command in the stretch and drew clear late under a steady drive.

Conquest Big E is a long-striding, son of Tapit and he appears to be a talented colt. With a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, I look for him to be competitive, but, he’ll need to improve his game in order to secure the win from the other Tapit colt in this race, Mohaymen.

Overall, with all the chalky runners, this race looks like it may be a good race to watch and pass on wagering.

*****

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 Holy Bull 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:

2016 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD

Rank, Horse, Points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Nyquist, 30, Doug O’Neill, $1,580,000

2. Exaggerator, 16, Keith Desormeaux, $940,000

3. Brody’s Cause, 14, Dale Romans, $500,000

4. Mor Spirit, 14, Bob Baffert, $246,800

5. Flexibility, 4, Chad Brown, $220,000

6. Swipe, 12, Keith Desormeaux, $597,130

7. Mo Tom, 21, Tom Amoss $188,326

8. Airoforce, 10, Mark Casse, $444,080

9. Greenpointcrusader, 10, Dominick Schettino, $300,000

10. Mohaymen, 10, Kiaran McLaughlin, $300,000

11. Cocked and Loaded, 10, Larry Rivelli, $280,840

12. Discreetness, 10, William “Jinks” Fires, $245,042

13. Riker, 10, Nicholas Gonzalez, $182,375

14. Collected, 10, Bob Baffert, $80,000

15. Sunny Ridge, 8, Jason Servis, $355,600

16. Rated R Superstar, 6, Ken McPeek, $80,200

17. Toews On Ice, 4, Bob Baffert, $228,900

18. Vorticity, 4, James Lawrence II, $100,000

19. Tom’s Ready, 4, Dallas Stewart, $66,670

20. Gordy Florida, 4, Kenny Smith, $30,000