©2017 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The
Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to the Empire State
Saturday where AVERY
ISLAND will
go to the starting gate as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the 103rd running of the $250,000 Remsen
Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack. Post time is 3:45 ET.
Avery
Island comes into this race for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin with a 2-0-0 record
in three starts including a 4¾ length win in the Nashua Stakes (G2) last out.
Here’s the video and chart call of that race:
AVERY ISLAND shook
off being bumped from between at the start to assume a prominent position, vied
for control rated along in the two path, went at it head to head with UNDER THE
GRAYDAR for the opening half, gradually cleared that foe during the run around
the bend, settled in upper stretch before having the rider go to work,
responded well and kicked clear, kept to encouragement to the end.
Despite
the early challenge from Under the Graydar, Avery Island appeared to be in
control throughout the race and he pulled away in the stretch to easily win by 4¾
lengths.
Street Sense,
the sire of Avery Island, was a multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a
6-4-2 record in 13 starts with $4,383,200 in career earnings.
As a two year old, Street Sense
finished third in both the Arlington-Washington Breeders’ Cup Futurity (G3) and
the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1). He followed that with a win in the 2006
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1) and was tabbed as the Eclipse Champion Two
Year Old.
Street Sense won his season debut
as a three year old in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and finished second in the Blue
Grass Stakes (G1) en route to a 2¼ length win over Hard Spun in the 2007
Kentucky Derby.
With an A Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Avery Island has good breeding
and he should appreciate the stretch out to nine furlongs.
Jockey Joe Bravo has ridden Avery
Island in his three previous starts and he retains the mount. I look for the
pair to be tough in this race.
ALKHAATAM (7-2) steps up in class and comes
into this race off a third-place finish in his maiden debut for trainer Chad
Brown. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:
ALKHAATAM four wide
down the backstretch, tucked inside half a mile from home, came under a ride
three furlongs out, angled out six wide a the quarter pole, closed well
knocking heads with the aforementioned foe [TRIPLE DOG DARE] through the final
eighth latching on the winner as that rival hit the finish while just being
bested for the place honors.
Alkhaatam
ran in dead last until the far turn and made up good ground in the stretch to
finish just three quarters of a length shy of victory.
Tapit, the sire of Alkhaatam, was a
multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a 3-0-0 record in six starts with
$557,300 in career earnings.
As
a two year old, Tapit was undefeated in two starts including a win in the
Laurel Futurity (G3). Tapit was troubled
by a lung infection for much of his three year old season but he did win the
nine-furlong Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in route to a ninth-place finish in the
2004 Kentucky Derby.
At
stud, Tapit has been America’s leading sire for the past three years and he’s
the sire of the Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Tonalist and Creator.
With
an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Alkhaatam is the best bred colt
in this race and a recent bullet work out could have him ready to earn graded
stakes honors.
CATHOLIC BOY (5-1) comes into this race with a
2-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Jonathan Thomas including a win in the
With Anticipation Stakes (G3) and a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Turf (G1). Here’s the video and chart call of his last race:
CATHOLIC BOY in
tight into the first turn, saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the
rail in the stretch and edged for third between horses late.
Catholic
Boy finished a respectable fourth and was only beaten by one and one-half
lengths. The final time of 1:35.97 is what I like to see young horses run on
the Kentucky Derby Trail.
More Than Ready, the sire of Catholic Boy, was a multiple
graded-stakes winner that compiled a 7-4-1 record in 17 starts with $1,026,229
in earnings. He won the WHAS-11 Stakes, Flash Stakes, Tremont Stakes (G3),
Sanford Stakes (G2), Hutcheson Stakes (G2) and finished second in the Louisiana
Derby (G2) and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) in route to a fourth-place finish
in the 2000 Kentucky Derby (G1).
At
stud, More Than Ready made
quite a mark with in Australia with his sons Phelan
Ready and Sebring who were champion 2-year-colts with
over $2 million in career earnings. Some of his best runners in America have
been the turf-sprinter Regally Ready
with over $1 million in career earnings and Pluck, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Turf Stakes (G2) and Summer Stakes (G3) with $727,290 in career earnings, and
Verrazano.
Catholic
Boy has a C Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index makes him competitive and
I look for him to run a good race.
A
long shot I like is TAP
RAP STRIKE
(8-1) who comes into this race off a win in his maiden debut for trainer John
Servis. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:
TAP RAP STRIKE saved
ground, bided his time waiting for racing room on the final turn, swung out in
early stretch, drifted out under left handed pressure and then drifted in when
his rider switched to right handed pressure and was along in time.
The
fractions in this race were slower than what I like but Tap Rap Strike was also
sired by Tapit and with an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, he has the
breeding to be competitive in this race. However, he’ll need to step up his
game in order to earn graded stakes honors.
*****
This
is the sixth consecutive year for Churchill Downs to use a point system to
determine eligibility to get into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. A total of
36 races comprise the Road to the Kentucky Derby and a significant change to
the schedule is the addition of the Springboard Mile at Remington Park on
December 17.
In
addition to the Japan road to the Derby which features
the Cattleya Sho Stakes (November 25), Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushan Stakes (December
13) and Hayacinth Stakes (February 2018), Churchill Downs has added a European road to Derby glory consisting
of seven races: Juddmonte Beresford (September 24), Juddmonte Royal Lodge
(September 30), Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (October 1), Racing Post Trophy
(October 28, Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes (March 1), Patton
(March 2) and the Burradon (March 30).
2017/2018 KENTUCKY DERBY
LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. +Good
Magic, 24, Chad Brown, $1,200,000
2. Bolt d’Oro, 14, Mick Ruis, $540,000
3. +Solomini, 12, Bob Baffert, $400,000
4. Enticed, 12, Kiaran McLaughlin, $213,880
5. Firenze Fire, 10, Jason Servis, $407,500
6. +Free
Drop Billy, 10, Dale Romans, $400,000
7. The Tabulator,
10, Larry Rivelli, $126,750
8. Bravazo, 4, D.
Wayne Lukas, $109,913
9. +Hollywood Star, 4, Dale Romans,
$68,500
10. Tiz Mischief, 4, Dale Romans, $36,800
11. Givemeaminit, 2, Dallas Stewart, $152,000
12. Lone Sailor, 2, Tom Amoss, $71,347
13. Take the One O One, 2, Brian Koriner, $36,345
14. Promises Fulfilled, 2, Dale Romans, $18,400
15. Kowboy Karma, 1, Larry Jones, $70,000
16. Lionite, 1, Steve Asmussen, $25,000
17. Ayacara (GB), 1, Keith Desormeaux, $18,000
18. High North, 1, Brad Cox, $9,200
19. Ebben, 1, Steve Margolis, $7,875
EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
f-Happily (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $543,648
2.
Saxon Warrior (JPN), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $84,592
3. Roaring Lion
(USA), 10, John Gosden, $75,986
4.
Olmedo (FR), 4, Jean-Claude Rouget, $113,505
5.
Nelson (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $99,826
6.
Delano Roosevelt (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $38,074
7.
Masar (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $91,264
8.
Mildenberger (ENG), 2, Mark Johnston, $64,634
9.
Warm the Voice (IRE), 2, Brendan Duke, $12,904
10.
Kew Gardens (IRE), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $28,605
11.
Woodmax (GER), 1, Nicolas Clement, $23,610
12.
Petrus (IRE), 1, Brian Meehan, $7,182
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer
1.
Ruggero (JPN), 10, Y. Shikato
2. Mic Ben Hur
(JPN), 4, Y. Hatakeyama
3. Meiner
Yukitsubaki 2, N. Takagi
4. Bronze Kay, 1,
K. Tsunoda
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