©2019 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
This
Saturday, the Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to Fair Grounds Race Course
where WAR
OF WILL has
been tabbed as the 6-5 morning line favorite in the 106th running of
the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). Post time is 6:13 p.m. ET.
War
of Will comes into this race with a 3-1-1 record in seven starts including a
win in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and Risen Star
Stakes (G2)for trainer Mark Casse. Here’s the video
and chart
call of the Risen Star:
WAR OF WILL was
asked to establish position leaving the gate, went four wide on the first turn,
tracked the pace down the backstretch, engaged the leader while three wide
early on the far turn, took the lead just inside the three eighths, moved clear
approaching the quarter pole responded well in the stretch and held under
steady urging.
War
of Will was clearly dominate in this race and he took another step forward to win
his second start of the season by 2¼ lengths.
War Front, the sire of War of Will, was a
graded-stakes winner of the 8½-furlong Princelet
Stakes which he won by 8-lengths in a
final time of 1:41.79. However, most of War Front’s other races were in sprints
where he had a penchant for finishing second. However, he did win the 6-furlong
Alfred G. Vanderbilt Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) by 2½-lengths.
At stud, War Front sired Soldat, winner of the 2010 With Anticipation Stakes (G2) and
second-place finisher in the 8-furlong Breeders'
Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes (G2), and 8½-furlong Pilgrim Stakes (G3). Soldat went
on as a three-year-old to win the 9-furlong Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).
He also sired The Factor,
a speedy colt who as a two-year-old won the 7-furlong San Vicente Stakes (G2)
and went on as a three-year-old to win the 8½-furlong Rebel Stakes (G2).
War Front’s lifetime top runners
include: Lines
of Battle, Departing,
Declaration
of War, Warning
Flag, Lancaster
Bomber, Summer Front,
War
Dancer, Roly Poly,
Avenge,
Jack
Milton, Air Force
Blue, Data Link
and Hit
it a Bomb.
War
of Will has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred
Profile® and his
profile ranks him second in this herd of runners. He’s been training well at
Fair Grounds and I look for him to take another step forward in his run to
potential Kentucky Derby glory.
COUNTRY HOUSE (9-2) comes into this race with
a 1-2-0 record in four starts for trainer Bill Mott including a second-place
finish in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) last out. Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
COUNTRY HOUSE was
off slow, spotted the front a couple of lengths, moved in near the back, raced
inside early on the first turn then moved to the two path, settled towards the
rear, was urged along while three then four wide on the far turn, came between
horses at the five sixteenths, gained five wide into the stretch, lugged in
significantly near the three sixteenths then was straightened by the rider,
continued to lug in some in the final furlong and finished willingly for the
place.
Country
House looked good in his second start of the season to finish with second-place
stakes honors.
Lookin at
Lucky,
the sire of Country House, was a multiple graded-stakes winner that compiled a
9-1-1 record in 13 starts with $3,307,278 in career earnings.
Undefeated in four starts, Lookin
at Lucky scored impressive stakes victories as a two year old in the Best Pal
Stakes (G2), Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Norfolk Stakes (G1), before suffering
his first loss
by a neck to Vale
of York in the 2009 Grey Goose Breeders’
Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1). He came back from that loss to close the season with
a win in the CashCall Futurity Stakes (G1).
As a three year old, Lookin at
Lucky won the Rebel Stakes (G2) and he finished third in the Santa Anita Derby
(G1) en route to a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Lookin at
Lucky went on to earn Classic Champion Thoroughbred honors with a three-quarter
length victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
Country House has a B Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s a yearling
(Hip 2203) we
profiled at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. However, the only yearlings I
mentioned in my blog post were ones with an A+ or A grade
ranking.
Country House is an improving
colt and I look for him to take another step forward in his third start of the
season.
SPINOFF (8-1) comes into this race for
trainer Todd Pletcher with a 2-0-1 record in three starts including a win in an
Allowance Optional Claiming race last out. Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
SPINOFF was bumped
soon after the start, vied inside for the early lead, eased back off the pace
on the backside, re bid outside of MERCUSIO entering the far turn, took charge
at the quarter pole, responded when roused under right handed urging in upper
stretch and drew away for the win.
After
taking a break for six months, Spinoff looked good to win his first start of
the season by a dominating 11 lengths.
Hard Spun, the sire of Malpais, was
undefeated in three starts as a two-year-old, including wins in the Port Penn
Stakes and Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes. As a three-year-old on the Derby trail,
Hard spun was 2-0-0 in three starts including wins in the Le Comte Stakes (G3)
and Lane’s End Stakes (G2).
Hard
Spun went on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the
Preakness Stakes (G1) and rounded out his classic campaign with a fourth-place
finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
As
a stallion, Hard Spun’s best runner on the Kentucky Derby trail was Wicked Strong who finished fourth in the 2014 Derby. His other
top runners include: Le Romain, Hard
Aces, Hard Not to Like, Someries, Gatting, King’s
Spun, Promising Run, Questing and Hardest Core.
Spinoff
has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and I look for him to take another
step forward in his second start of the season.
SUENO (8-1) comes into this race with
a 2-2-1 record in five starts for trainer Keith Desormeaux including a
second-place finish in the Southwest Stakes (G3). Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
SUENO stalked the
pace between foes, bid late in the four path outside of the winner and missed.
Sueno
tracked the leaders mid pack to the far turn then made his move on the far turn
to get up for second just three-quarters of a length shy of victory.
Atreides, the sire of Sueno, was a precocious
and brilliant son of Medaglia d’Oro and multiple stakes winner that compiled a 4-0-0
record in five starts with $120,000 in career earnings before he was retired due to a tendon injury.
Atreides did not race as a two-year-old
but at the age of three he showed a lot of promise as a quality stakes horse
winning his stakes debut in the Monarchos Stakes by an outstanding 17½ lengths.
In his last race, Atreides won the Aventura Stakes by 4½ lengths.
Sueno
has an E Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index makes him,
potentially, competitive in this race.
*****
A
total of 35 prep races comprise the USA Road to the Kentucky Derby. In
addition, there are seven races on the European road and four races on the
Japan road to Derby glory.
2019 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. War of Will, 60,
Mark Casse, $440,840
2. Code of Honor, 54, Shug McGaughey, $338,070
3. Long Range Toddy, 53.5, Steve Asmussen, $830,000
4. Haikal, 50, Kiaran McLaughlin, $247,500
5. Tacitus, 50, Bill Mott, $210,000
6. Game Winner, 43, Bob Baffert, $1,610,000
7. Omaha Beach, 37.5, Richard Mandella, $450,000
8. Mind Control, 30, George Sacco, $355,000
9. Improbable, 25,
Bob Baffert, $389,520
10. Gunmetal Gray, 21.75, Jerry Hollendorfer, $247,500
11. Bourbon War,
21, Mark Henning, $90,200
12. Somelikeithotbrown,
20, Mike Maker, $321,665
13. ++Country
House, 20, Bill Mott, $80,000
14. Outshine, 20,
Todd Pletcher, $74,500
15. Knicks Go, 18,
Ben Colebrook, $656,085
16. Signalman, 18, Ken McPeek, $392,840
17. Mucho Gusto, 14, Bob Baffert, $210,000
18. Tax, 12, Danny Gargan, $167,500
19. +Harvey
Wallbanger, 10, Kenny McPeek, $208,320
20. Well Defined,
10, Kathy O’Connell, $172,970
+
= Profiled as an A+ yearling on our 2017 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sales list. ++ = Profiled as a B yearling at the 2017 Keeneland
September sale.
EUROPEAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
Royal Marine (IRE), 10, Saeed bin Suroor, $264,968
2. Magna Grecia
(IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $185,000
3. Mohawk (IRE),
10, Aidan O’Brien, $128,702
4.
Japan (GB), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $75,316
5.
Phoenix of Spain (IRE), 4, Charlie Hill, $157,944
6.
Broome (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $140,871
7.
Sydney Opera House (GB), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $40,956
8.
Mount Everest (IRE), 4, Aidan O’Brien, $24,254
9.
Anodor (FR), 2, Freddie Head, $99,215
10.
Western Australian (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $43,084
11.
Cape of Good Hope (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $41,515
12.
Power of Now (IRE), 2, Michael O’Callaghan, $11,489
13.
Boitron (FR), 1, Richard Hannon, $44,917
14.
Victory Command, (IRE), 1, Mark Johnston, $35,108
15.
Circus Maximus (IRE), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $24,368
16.
Sovereign (IRE), 1, Aiden O’Brien, $5,106
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Earnings
1.
Nova Lenda (JPN), 20, Takashi Saito, $446,285
2.
f-Make Happy, 12, Koichi Shinkai, $184,181
3.
Derma Louvre (JPN), 8, Hirofumi Toda, $447,672
4.
Gal Vihara, 4, Kiyoshi Hagiwara, $216,271
2.
Kingen (JPN), 4, Kunihide Matsuda, $97,867
3.
Johaan (JPN), 2, Yasuyuki Takahashi, $72,900
4.
Romantico (JPN), 1, Kazuo Fujisawa, $91,245
No comments:
Post a Comment