©2017 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The
Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to Oklahoma this Sunday
where GREYVITOS has been tabbed as the 6-5
morning line favorite in the $400,000 Remington Springboard Mile at Remington
Park. This is the first year for the Springboard Mile to be a qualifying race
for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Post time is 8:40 p.m. ET.
To
date, Greyvitos has compiled a 1-0-1 record in three starts with a win in the Bob
Hope Stakes (G3) for trainer Adam Kitchingman. Here’s the video and chart
call of that race:
GREYVITOS sped to
the early lead and drifted out, angled in and set the pace inside, came a bit
off the rail into the stretch, inched away again in mid-stretch and held on
gamely under urging.
Greyvitos
led from gate to wire setting fast fractions and broke his maiden with ease on
his third start.
Malibu
Moon, the sire
of Greyvitos, made only two starts as a two-year-old, compiling a 1-1-0 record,
before a slab fracture ended his racing career.
At
stud, Malibu Moon sired the
2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. In addition, he’s sired several horses that have been
competitive on the Derby trail such as Gormley, Danzig
Moon, Mr.
Z and Stanford. Other nice runners sired by Malibu
Moon include Life At Ten, Devil May Care,
Declan’s Moon, Ask
the Moon,
Prospective, Kauai
Katie, Moon Catcher,
Moonshine Memories, Ransom the Moon,
and Malibu Mint.
Greyvitos
is an improving colt. With an A Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, he has the breeding to be competitive in
this race and a recent bullet work out could have him ready to take another
step forward.
BELIEVE IN ROYALTY (5-1) comes into this race for
trainer Larry Jones with a 2-0-1 record in three starts including a win in an Allowance
Optional Claiming race last out. Here’s a look of the video and chart
call of that race:
BELIEVE IN ROYALTY
bumped RAPHAEL’S PROMISE twice when bearing in leaving the starting gate,
sprinted to the early lead, opened up entering the stretch and was ridden out.
Believe
in Royalty led from gate to wire to win with ease by 3¾ lengths.
Tapit, the sire of Believe in Royalty,
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®, Believe in Royalty is the
best-bred colt in this herd and he has the potential to win this race.
FLIP THE COIN JAN (8-1) is an improving colt for
new trainer Doug O’Neil and he comes into this race with a 1-2-1 record in five
starts. Here’s the video
and chart
call of his last race.
FLIP THE COIN JAN dueled
three deep, kicked clear off the rail on the second turn and drew off under a
moderate hand ride and a long hold late while drifting in.
Flip
the Coin Jan pulled away in the stretch to win easily by an 7¼ lengths.
Trappe Shot,
the sire of Flip the Coin Jan, raced mostly in sprints from the age of two to
four, compiling a 6-2-0 record in 12 starts with $703,884 in career earnings.
His best stakes victories were in the six furlongs Waldoboro Stakes, True North
Handicap (G2) and he did stretch out to win the 8½ furlong Long Branch Stakes.
In other route races, Trappe Shot finished second in the nine-furlong Izod
Haskell Invitational (G1) and ninth in the Travers Stakes (G1).
To date, Trappe Shot’s best
runners on the Kentucky Derby Trail have been Wild Shot and My Man Sam.
As a two-year-old, Wild Shot finished second in the 2016 Kentucky Jockey Club
Stakes (G2) and third in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stales (G1). As a
three-year-old, My Man Sam finished second in the nine furlongs 2016 Toyota
Blue Grass (G1) stakes.
With
a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Flip the Coin Jan has the breeding
to be competitive in this race.
COMBATANT (4-1) steps up in class and comes
into this race for trainer Steve Asmussen off a maiden win at Churchill Downs
on October 29. Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
COMBATANT chased
the pace early, shifted into the four path in the turn, took command in the
stretch then drew clear under a steady drive.
Combatant
has a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, but his Behavior Index makes in
potentially competitive in this race.
Scat
Daddy, the sire
of Combatant, was a multiple graded stakes winner who compiled a 5-1-1 record
in nine starts with $1,334,300 in career earnings.
As
a two-year-old, Scat Daddy was 3-0-1 in five starts with wins in the Sanford
Stakes (G2) and Champagne Stakes (G1), and he finished second in the Hopeful
Stakes (G1).
In
his season debut as a 3-year-old, Scat Daddy finished third in the one-mile
Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and followed up with wins in the 9 furlongs Fountain of
Youth Stakes (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) in route to a eighteenth-place finish
in the Derby.
His
best runners on the Derby Trail include Daddy Long Legs, Daddy Nose Best, El
Kabeir, Frac
Daddy, Azar and Dice
Flavor who was
my long shot pick to win the 2013 El Camino Real
Derby (G3).
Combatant
has room to improve in his third start of the season but it remains to be seen
if he can step up in class to earn stakes honors.
Honorable
mention goes to Redatory (12-1) and Bode’s Maker (20-1) who
finished first and second in the Clever Trevor Stakes. Here’s the video
of that race.
*****
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, 14, Bob Baffert, $436,000
4. Enticed, 12, Kiaran McLaughlin, $164,080
5. Firenze Fire, 10, Jason Servis, $407,500
6. +Free
Drop Billy, 10, Dale Romans, $400,000
7. Catholic Boy,
10, Jonathan Thomas, $290,000
8. The Tabulator,
10, Larry Rivelli, $126,750
9. McKinzie, 10, Bob
Baffert, $180,000
10. Avery Island, 4, Kiaran McLaughlin, $170,000
11. Bravazo, 4, D.
Wayne Lukas, $109,913
12. +Hollywood Star, 4, Dale Romans,
$68,500
13. Instilled Regard, Jerry Hollendorfer, $60,000
14. Tiz Mischief, 4, Dale Romans, $36,800
15. Givemeaminit, 2, Dallas Stewart, $152,000
16. Lone Sailor, 2, Tom Amoss, $71,347
17. Take the One O One, 2, Brian Koriner, $36,345
18. Vouch, 2, Arnaud Delacour, $25,000
19. Promises Fulfilled, 2, Dale Romans, $18,400
20. Kowboy Karma, 1, Larry Jones, $70,000
EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
1.
Saxon Warrior (JPN), 20, Aidan O’Brien, $245,017
2. Roaring Lion
(USA), 14, John Gosden, $136,807
3.
f-Happily (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $543,648
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, $101,264
8.
The Pentagon (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $71.981
9.
Mildenberger (ENG), 2, Mark Johnston, $64,634
10.
Warm the Voice (IRE), 2, Brendan Duke, $12,904
11.
Verbal Dexterity (IRE), 1, Jim Bolger, $280,269
12.
Kew Gardens (IRE), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $28,605
13.
Woodmax (GER), 1, Nicolas Clement, $23,610
14.
Petrus (IRE), 1, Brian Meehan, $7,182
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
Ruggero (JPN), 10, Yuichi Shikato, $114,835
2. Mic Ben Hur
(JPN), 4, Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, $36,360
3. Meiner
Yukitsubaki (JPN) 2, Noboru Takagi, $36,070
4. Bronze Kay
(JPN), 1, Koichi Tsunoda, $13,440
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