©2018 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
This
Saturday, the Road to the Kentucky Derby will take us to the Fair Grounds
Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana where MY BOY JACK heads
a field of ten young Thoroughbreds as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the 105th
running of the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). Post time is 6:21
p.m. ET.
My
Boy Jack comes into this race for trainer Keith Desormeaux with a 2-3-1 record
in eightstarts including a win in the Zuma Beach Stakes (video),
a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes (video),
third-place finish in the Sham Stakes (G3) and a win in the Southwest Stakes
(G3). Here’s the video
and chart call of the Southwest:
MY BOY JACK was
unrushed early between foes, rallied inside at the three-eighths pole, went
clear in the stretch, then drew off under steady urging.
My
Boy Jack trailed near the back of the herd until the far turn where he found
room on the rail and took the lead in the stretch, pulling away to win by 4½
lengths.
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 this herd and I look for him to run a good race.
A
long shot I like in this race is DARK TEMPLAR (12-1) who is stepping up in
class and he comes into this race with a 2-1-1 record in four starts for
trainer Brendan Walsh including a nice win in an Allowance Optional Claiming
race at the Fair Grounds on February 19. Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
DARK TEMPLAR broke a
step slow, raced on the three path early on the first turn then dropped to the
two path, set the pace, vied inside on the far turn, spun into the two path
entering the stretch, responded well in the drive and gamely prevailed under
strong urging.
Dark
Templar set the pace from gate to wire to win his second start of the season by
1¼ lengths.
Tapit, the sire of Dark Templar, 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.
Dark
Templar, a chestnut colt by Tapit out of Hurricane Flag by Storm Cat, was a
yearling (Hip 1274) we profiled
at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He has an A+ Classic Champion
Thoroughbred Profile®, and, he’s the best-bred colt in this herd.
It
remains to be seen if Dark Templar can step up to earn graded stakes honors. However,
he has room to improve in his third start of the season and I look for him to
run a good race.
Another
long shot I like is LONE
SAILOR
(20-1) who comes into this race with a 1-2-1 record in seven starts for trainer
Tom Amoss including a second-place finish to Dark Templar last out. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:
LONE SAILOR was a step
slow, went three to four wide on the first turn, was reserved at the rear,
rounded the turn into the two path, was roused while shifting four wide into
the stretch, gained into the final furlong, drifted out near the sixteenth-pole
and finished willingly for the place.
Lone
Sailor trailed at the back of the herd until the stretch when he made a huge run
at the leaders to get up for second place.
He’s
yet to earn graded stakes honors but he’s been knocking on the door with a
third-place finish in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1), a second-place
finish in the Street Sense Stakes and a fifth-place finish in the Kentucky
Jockey Club Stakes (G2).
Majestic Warrior, the sire of Lone Sailor, compiled a 2-0-0 in seven
starts during his racing career with $239,229 in earnings including a win in
the Hopeful Stakes (G1) and a fourth-place finish in the Woody Stephens Stakes
(G2).
Currently
Majestic Warrior stands stud in Japan and as a stallion he’s sired
numerous graded stakes winners including: Princess of Sylmar, Best Warrior, Lady
Sabelia, Declan's Warrior and Mavic.
With
an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Lone Sailor has the breeding to be
competitive in this race and he has room to improve in his third start of the
season.
BRAVAZO (7-2) comes into this race with
a 3-1-1 record in seven starts for trainer D. Wayne Lukas including a win in
the Risen Star Stakes (G2). Here’s the video and chart
call of that race:
BRAVAZO went around
the first turn in the three path, contested the pace on the outside, was asked
in the two to three path on the far turn, came under a drive in upper stretch,
dueled gamely with the runner-up, drifted out a touch late and narrowly
prevailed under strong urging.
Bravazo
shadowed the leader Snapper Sinclair the entire race until the final strides of the
stretch when he edged clear to prevail at the wire and win by a nose.
Awesome
Again,
the sire of Bravazo, was a good router and multiple graded-stakes winner that compiled
a 9-0-2 record in 12 starts with $4,374,590 in career earnings. He ran his best
from a mile to 10 furlongs, and was selected as the 2001 Canadian
Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
As a two year old, Awesome Again was
unraced but at the age of three, he compiled a 3-0-2 record in six starts with
wins in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and the Canadian classic Queen’s Plate Stakes.
As a four year old, Awesome Again was
undefeated in six starts with wins in five stakes races including the Stephen
Foster Handicap (G2) and Whitney Handicap (G1), both at nine furlongs, and the
10 furlong Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (G3), Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap
(G2) and the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic where he defeated the 1997 Kentucky Derby
winner, Silver
Charm.
Bravazo has an F Classic Champion
Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index potentially makes him competitive
in this race.
Honorable
mention goes to Noble Indy (7-2) and Snapper Sinclair
(9-2). Both horses ran in
the Risen Star Stakes (G2), last out, with Snapper Sinclair finishing second and
Noble Indy finished third.
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.
Bolt d’Oro,
64, Mick Ruis, $780,000
2. Enticed, 63, Kiaran McLaughlin,
$360,880
3.
Bravazo, 54, D. Wayne Lukas, $349,913
4.
Promises Fulfilled, 52, Dale Romans, $256,480
5.
Magnum Moon, 50, Todd Pletcher $$540,000
6.
Quip, 50, Rodolphe Brisset, $212,000
7.
McKinzie, 40, Bob Baffert, $320,000
8.
+Good
Magic, 34, Chad Brown, $1,200,000
9. +Solomini, 34, Bob
Baffert, $616,000
10.
Flameaway, 30, Mark Casse, $472,260
11. Firenze Fire, 29, Jason Servis,
$582,500
12. +Free
Drop Billy, 24, Dale Romans, $497,200
13.
Combatant, 22, Steve Asmussen, $300,000
14.
Snapper Sinclair, 22, Steve Asmussen, $301,810
00.
*Blended Citizen, 22, Doug O’Neill, $129,644
15.
Strike Power, 20, Mark Hennig, $199,560
16.
Old Time Revival, 20, Kenneth Decker, $80,000
17.
Instilled
Regard, 19, Jerry Hollendorfer, $196,000
18. Catholic
Boy, 14, Jonathan Thomas, $330,000
19. Avery
Island, 14, Kiaran McLaughlin, $320,000
20. My Boy Jack, 12, Keith Desormeaux,
$402,000
+
= Horses we picked as yearlings at the 2016 Keeneland
September Yearling Sale. Good Magic = Eclipse Champion Two Year Old Male. *Blended Citizen is not nominated for
the Triple Crown.
EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. *MENDELSSOHN, 20, Aidan O’Brien, $747,307
2. Saxon Warrior (JPN), 20, Aidan
O’Brien, $245,017
3.
*GRONKOWSKI, 20, Jeremy Noseda, $0
4.
Roaring Lion (USA), 14, John Gosden, $136,807
5. f-Happily (IRE), 10, Aidan
O’Brien, $543,648
6. *THREEANDFOURPENCE, 8, Aiden O’Brien, $54,076
7. Court House (IRE), 8, John
Gosden, $0
8. *SEAHENGE, 4, Aiden O’Brien, $145,630
9. Olmedo (FR), 4, Jean-Claude
Rouget, $113,505
10. Nelson (IRE), 4, Aidan
O’Brien, $99,826
11. Delano Roosevelt (IRE), 4,
Aidan O’Brien, $38,074
12. Fortune’s Pearl (IRE), 4,
Andrew Balding, $1,800
13. Masar (IRE), 2, Aidan
O’Brien, $101,264
14. The Pentagon (IRE), 2, Aidan
O’Brien, $71.981
15. Mildenberger (ENG), 2, Mark
Johnston, $64,634
16. Warm the Voice (IRE), 2,
Brendan Duke, $12,904
17. f-Blackgold Fairy, 2, Michael
Halford, $4,618
18. Ventura Knight (IRE), 2, Mark
Johnston, $0
19. Verbal Dexterity (IRE), 1,
Jim Bolger, $280,269
20. Kew Gardens (IRE), 1, Aidan
O’Brien, $28,605
21. Woodmax (GER), 1, Nicolas
Clement, $23,610
22. Petrus (IRE), 1, Brian
Meehan, $7,182
*Mendelssohn,
Gronkowski,
Threeandfourpence
and Seahenge
are only horses nominated for Triple Crown. Here’s the video
of Mendelssohn’s win in the Patton Stakes. Here’s the video
of Gronkowski’s win in the Conditions Stakes.
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking,
total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Sumahama (JPN), 30, Ryo
Takahashi, $291,287
2. *RUGGERO
(JPN), 16, Yuichi Shikato, $220,861
3. Taiki Ferveur, 12, Mitsunori
Makiura, $299,689
4. Le Vent Se Leve (JPN), 10,
Kiyoshi Hagiwara, $463,935
5. Don Fortis (JPN), 4, Mitsunori
Makiura, $436,916
6.
Mic Ben Hur (JPN), 4, Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, $122,696
7.
Great Time (JPN), 3, Hideaki Fujiwara, $186,586
8.
Haseno Pyro (JPN), 2, Kenki Sato, $263,981
9.
Meiner Yukitsubaki (JPN) 2, Noboru Takagi, $151,796
10.
Dark Repulser (JPN), 1, Takashi Kanari, $200,920
11.
Bronze Kay (JPN), 1, Koichi Tsunoda, $75,979
*Ruggero is the only horse nominated for
Triple Crown. Here’s the video
of his last race, Hyacinth Stakes.
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