©2020 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The
Road to the Kentucky Derby
takes us to Louisiana,
Saturday, where SCABBARD will go to the starting gate as
the 7-2 morning-line favorite in the 76th running of the $200,000 LeComte
Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds Race Course. Post time is 6:55 ET.
Scabbard
comes into this race with a 1-2-0 record in four starts for trainer Eddie Kenneally
including fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1). Here’s
the video
and chart
call:
SCABBARD
settled four wide, angled in leaving the second turn and improved position.
Scabbard
trailed early on, gained ground in the stretch run, but was clearly beaten by 7¾
lengths at the finish.
More Than Ready, the sire of Scabbard, 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.
Scabbard
Has a C ClassicChampion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s a colt we profiled (Hip
802) at
the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His Behavior Index makes him
competitive in this race, but he’ll need to improve his game in order to earn
graded stakes honors.
A
long shot I like is ENFORCEABLE (15-1) who comes into this race
with a 1-1-2 record in six starts for trainer Mark Casse including a
fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs
last November. Here’s the video
and chart
call of that race:
ENFORCEABLE
trailed the field early on, shifted into the four path in the far turn, rallied
down the lane and was gaining in the late stages.
Enforceable
ran dead last to the far turn when he swung to the outside and rallied to
finish fourth only two lengths shy of victory.
Tapit,
the sire of Enforceable, 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 sired numerous
graded stakes winners including the Belmont Stakes (G1) champions Tapwrit
(2017), Creator
(2016) and Tonalist
(2014).
A full brother to Mohaymen
and a half-brother to New Year’s
Day, Enforceable is a colt (Hip
76) we profiled at the 2018
Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred
Profile®.
Enforceable has the breeding to
win this race. He’s been training well at the Fair Grounds and he has room to take
a big step forward in his first start of the season.
Another long shot I like is BANGO (20-1) who comes into this race
with a 1-2-1 record in five starts including a second-place finish last out for
trainer Greg Foley. Here’s the chart
call:
BANGO tracked the pace early,
shifted into the three path in the turn and was no match for the winner in the
stretch run.
Bango continued to show his
competitiveness since finishing fourth in his maiden debut.
Congrats, a full brother to Flatter and the sire of Bango, did his
best running at 8½ furlongs and farther. His most notable stakes wins were the
7½ furlong Ack Ack Handicap, the Alysheba Stakes and San Pasqual Handicap (G2),
both at the 8½ furlongs, and he won 9-furlong San Antonio Handicap (G2). In
addition, Congrats finished second in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) and third
in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), both at 10 furlongs.
As
a stallion, Congrat’s best runners include Turbulent Descent, Jupiter Gold (AUS), Haveyougoneaway, Polar River, Pat On the Back, I’m Steppin’ It Up, Toasting, Bravo Watchman (AUS) and Top
Decile
to name a few.
Foley has put a lot of condition
into Bango by running him in sprint races and, since his last race, he’s been
training well at the Fair Grounds.
With an A+ Classic Champion
Thoroughbred Profile®, Bango is the best-bred colt in this herd of runners and he
should like the stretch out in distance. I look for him to run a good race in
his first start of the season and, perhaps, upset at a nice price.
Trainer Steve Asmussen has three
horses entered in the LeComte and SILVER
STATE
comes into this race as the 5-1 morning-line third choice. With a 1-1-0 record
in two starts, Silver State comes into this race off a second-place finish last
out. Here’s the chart
call:
SILVER
STATE was squeezed at the start, chased the pace early, made a bid three wide
near the three sixteenths pole, was under a long drive and was out-nodded at
the wire.
Silver
State showed a lot of grit in his duel down the stretch with Necker Island.
Hard Spun,
the sire of Silver State, 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.
Silver
State has a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him
competitive in this race.
Silver
State has been training well at the Fair Grounds and I look for him to take another
step forward in his first start of the season.
SYCAMORE RUN (6-1) comes into the LeComte off
an impression maiden debut win for trainer Joe Sharp. Here’s the chart
call:
SYCAMORE
RUN was hustled to the lead, set the clear pace, dictated terms in the two path
through the turn, responded well when set down in upper stretch and held under
strong urging while continuing on his inside lead throughout the drive.
Sycamore
Run took command from the start and gradually extended his lead to win by an
impressive 3½ lengths.
Street Sense,
the sire of Sycamore Run, 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.
Sycamore
Run has a D Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index makes
him competitive. He’s been training well at the Fair Grounds and two bullet
work outs could have him ready to run a good race in his first start of the
season.
Honorable
mention goes to other Asmussen horses Excession (12-1) and Halo Again (15-1). Excession
is a colt (Hip 855)
we profiled at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®.
*****
A
total of 35 races comprise the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In addition, there
are seven races on the European road to the Kentucky Derby and there three
races on the Japan road to Derby glory.
2019/2020 KENTUCKY DERBY
LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Storm the Court, 22, Peter Eurton, $1,136,351
2. Anneau d’Or, 12, Blaine Wright, $381,000
3. Tiz the Law, 12, Barclay Tagg,
$304,100
4. Shoplifted, 10, Steve
Asmussen, $336,000
5. Maxfield, 10, Brendan Walsh, $300,000
6. Eight Rings, 10, Bob Baffert, $200,351
7. Silver Prospector, 10, Steve Asmussen, $197,351
8. Independence Hall, 10, Mike Trombetta, $165,000
9. Shotski, 10, Jeremiah O’Dwyer, $143,466
10. Dennis’ Moment, 10, Dale Romans, $137,800
11. Thousand Words, 10, Bob Baffert, $121,000
12. Authentic, 10, Bob Baffert, $60,000
13. +Scabbard, 6, Eddie Kenneally, $178,000
14. Wrecking Crew, 5, Peter Miller, $293,000
15. Ajaaweed, 5, Kiaran McLaughlin, $75,000
16. Green Light Go, 4, Jimmy Jerkens, $210,000
17. Gouverneur Morris, 4, Todd Pletcher, $100,000
18. Answer In, 4, Brad Cox, $80,000
19. American Theorem, 4, George Papaprodromou, $60,000
20. Finnick the Fierce, 4, Rey Hernandez, $58,200
21. +Azul Coast, 4, Bob Baffert, $20,000
22. +Enforceable, 3, Mark
Casse, $64,500
+ = Scabbard
(Hip
802), Azul Coast (Hip 1177) and Enforceable
(Hip 76) were colts we profiled at the 2018
Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
EUROPEAN
ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking,
total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
Kameko, 14, Andrew Balding, $192,894
2.
Innisfree (IRE), 14, Aidan O’Brien, $127,856
3.
Victor Ludorum, 10, Andre Fabre, $250,958
4.
Royal Donarch (IRE), 10, Aidan O’Brien, $115,813
5.
Alson (GER), 4, J.P. Carvalho, $135,572
6.
Shekhem (IRE), 4, Dermot Weld, $24,068
7.
Year of the Tiger (IRE), 3, Aidan O’Brien $36,086
8.
Armory (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $258,793
9.
Iberia (IRE), 2, Aidan O’Brien, $25,389
10.
Gold Maze (GB), 2, Jessica Harrington, $12,034
11.
Mogul (GB), 1, Aidan O’Brien, $111,879
12.
Ecrivain (FR), 1, Carlos Laffon-Parias, $69.202
13.
Camorra (IRE), 1, Ger Lyons, $3,610
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
Vacation (JPN), 20, Kenichi Takatsuki, $499,874
2.
Dieu du Vin (JPN), 10, Yukihiro Kato, $159,609
3.
Iolite (JPN), 8, Yoshinori Muto, $246,008
4.
T’s Dunk (JPN), 4, Takashi Mizuno, $143,414
5.
Shonan Mario (JPN), 4, Shizuya Kato, $96,526
6.
Meisho Tensui (JPN), 2, Katsumi Miani, $255,394
7.
Daimei Corrida (JPN), 2, Naoyuki Morita, $107,736
8.
Aurora Tesoro, 1, Yoshihiro Hatakeyama, $99,395
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