Sham Stakes Racing Roundup

©2018 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to California this Saturday where McKINZIE will go to the starting gate as the 3-5 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. Post time is 5:30 p.m. ET.

McKinzie comes into this race for Hall of Fame Trainer Bob Baffert off a controversial call in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity (G1). McKinzie finished second but was given the win when first-place finisher Solomini was disqualified and placed third. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

MCKINZIE four wide on the first turn, stalked outside then bid three deep on the backstretch an into the second turn, continued between foes leaving that turn and into the stretch, took a short lead in the lane, fought back inside under left handed urging through the drive, drifted out a bit and was bumped a sixteenth out and continued willingly to the end.

McKinzie is a talented colt and I look for him to continue to be a factor on the 2018 trail. However, I thought the disqualification of Solomini was unwarranted.

Street Sense, the sire of McKinzie, 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 a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, McKinzie has the breeding to be competitive in the Sham. Veteran jockey Mike Smith retains the mount and I look for McKinzie to run a another good race.

A long shot I like is MY BOY JACK (12-1) who comes into this race for trainer Keith Desormeaux with a 1-3-0 record in six starts including a win in the Zuma Beach Stakes (video) and a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes (G1). Here’s the video and chart call of the Juvenile Turf Stakes:

MY BOY JACK chased three deep then four wide on the second turn, came five wide into the stretch, was under urging in upper stretch then had the rider lose the whip in mid-stretch and also was out-finished late.

My Boy Jack chased fast fractions and only lost by three lengths in a final time of 1:35.97 for the winner, Mendelssohn. In the Zuma Beach, My Boy Jack made a tremendous move on the far turn to finish with the win in 1:33.84.

Creative Cause, the sire of My Boy Jack, was a multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a 4-2-3 record in 10 starts with $1,039,000 in career earnings.

As a two-year-old, Creative Cause compiled a 3-1-1 record in five starts with wins in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and Norfolk Stakes (G1). He finished second in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1).

As a three-year-old, Creative Cause was 1-1-2 in five starts. He finished third in his debut as a three-year-old in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) and followed that with a win in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and a second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) en route to a respectable fifth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Creative Cause finished his racing career with a third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

With an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, My Boy Jack is one of the best-bred colts in his herd and if he returns to the form of his win in the Zuma Beach Stakes, he has the breeding to pull off the upset at a nice price.

To round out the exotics, honorable mention goes to All Out Blitz (10-1), Mourinho (4-1) and Shivermetimbers (7-2).

*****

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).

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, $427,500

6. +Free Drop Billy, 10, Dale Romans, $400,000

7. Greyvitos, 10, Adam Kitchingman, $300,000

8. Catholic Boy, 10, Jonathan Thomas, $290,000

9. The Tabulator, 10, Larry Rivelli, $186,750

10. McKinzie, 10, Bob Baffert, $180,000

11.  Avery Island, 4, Kiaran McLaughlin, $170,000

12. Bravazo, 4, D. Wayne Lukas, $109,913

13. +Hollywood Star, 4, Dale Romans, $88,500

14. Combatant, 4, Steve Asmussen, $80,000

15. Instilled Regard, 4, Jerry Hollendorfer, $60,000

16. Tiz Mischief, 4, Dale Romans, $36,800

17. Givemeaminit, 2, Dallas Stewart, $152,000

18. Lone Sailor, 2, Tom Amoss, $71,347

19. Kingsville, 2, Danny Pish $44,000

20. Take the One O One, 2, Brian Koriner, $36,345

+ = Horses picked as yearlings on my 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sales list.

EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

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. Le Vent Se Leve (JPN), 10, Kiyoshi Hagiwara, $464,985

2. Ruggero (JPN), 10, Yuichi Shikato, $178,045

3. Don Fortis (JPN), 4, Mitsunori Makiura, $437,283

4. Mic Ben Hur (JPN), 4, Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, $106,766

5. Haseno Pyro (JPN), Kenki Sato, $264,191

6. Meiner Yukitsubaki (JPN) 2, Noboru Takagi, $99,210

7. Dark Repulser (JPN), 1, Takashi Kanari, $184,087

8. Bronze Kay (JPN), 1, Koichi Tsunoda, $75.979