©2020 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The Road
to the Kentucky Derby
will
log a lot of miles this Saturday with three qualifying races from
coast-to-coast. On the east coast, the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) post
time is 5:32 p.m. ET and the Gotham Stakes (G3) post time is 5:42 p.m. On the
west coast, the San Felipe Stakes (G2) post is 6:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s look at the $300,000 Gotham
Stakes (G3) where
MISCHEVIOUS ALEX will go to the starting gate as 3-1
morning-line favorite.
Mischievous
Alex comes into this race with a 3-1-1 record in six starts for trainer John
Servis including an impressive win in the Swale Stakes (G3). Here’s the video
and chart
call:
MISCHEVIOUS
ALEX bumped with UNTITLED at the start, recovered to a forward position, held
his spot at the rail contesting the pace inside FLASH PASS and SHIVAREE into
the turn, disposed of those two still going comfortably past the quarter-pole,
shifted to the two-path getting set down through the furlong grounds, drew well
clear switching leads several times and was geared down late.
Mischievous
Alex ran along the rail tracking the leader to the far turn when he made a big
move and pulled away in the stretch to easily win by seven lengths.
Into Mischief, the sire of Mischievous Alex, was a precocious
colt and multiple graded stakes winner that compiled a 3-3-0 record in six
starts with $597,080 in career earnings.
As
a two-year-old, Into Mischief easily won his maiden debut by 2½ lengths at
Santa Anita Park on October 21, 2007. He went on to finish second in the
Hollywood Prevue Stakes (G3) and followed that with a win in the 8½-furlong
CashCall Futurity (G1). His finish time of 1:40.82 was just a few ticks off of
the record time of 1:40.74 set by Afternoon Deelites and the second fastest time of 1:40.78 set by Valiant Nature.
In
his debut as a three-year-old in February 2008, Into Mischief finished second
to Georgie Boy in the San Vicente Stakes (G2).
He came out of that race with an injury to his right-hind foot and he
was taken off the Triple Crown Trail.
After
an extended break, Into Mischief returned to racing in October winning the
Damascus Stakes by two lengths. In December, Into Mischief finished his racing
season with a second-place finish in the Malibu Stakes (G1).
Into
Mischief’s best runners on the Kentucky Derby Trail have been Audible, Goldencents, Practical Joke, Vyjack and Vicar’s in Trouble. Audible won the Holy Bull Stakes (G2) and Florida
Derby (G1) en route to a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Goldencents won the Santa Anita Derby and finished 17th in the
Kentucky Derby (G1). Practical Joke finished second in the Toyota Blue Grass
Stakes (G2) and fifth in the Derby. Vyjack finished third in the Wood Memorial
Stakes (G1) and 18th in the Derby. Vicar’s in Trouble won the
Louisiana Derby and finished 19th in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Harlan’s Holiday, the grandsire of Audible, won the Florida Derby
(G1), Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby
(G1).
Mischievous
Alex has an G Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior
Index makes him competitive in this race.
ATTACHMENT RATE (9-2) comes into this race with a
1-1-0 record in three starts for trainer Dale Romans including a nice maiden
win last out at Gulfstream Park. Here’s the chart
call:
ATTACHMENT
RATE moved fast in tandem with RAG TAG as they overtook the spent pacesetter
midway on the turn, dueled inside RAG TAG in the two-path past the
quarter-pole, kicked away in upper stretch and drew off under pressure on the
wrong lead.
Attachment
Rate ran toward the rear of the herd early. Took the lead at the half and set
fast fractions while pulling away in the slop to easily win by 6¼ lengths. The
final time of 1:35.03 is what I like to see a young colt run on the Derby
trail.
Hard Spun,
the sire of Attachment Rate, 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.
Attachment
Rate has a D Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index
makes him competitive in this race.
A
long shot I like is FLAP
JACK (30-1) who comes into this race with a 1-1-0 record in three starts
for trainer Jack Sisterson including a nice maiden win in the Arlington Washington
Futurity Stakes last fall at Arlington Park. Here’s the video
and chart
call:
FLAP
JACK bumped with the horse to his outside leaving the gate, raced on the inside
just behind the frontrunners up the backstretch, came around the turn in the
two path, ran into traffic approaching the quarter pole, forced through a hole
entering the stretch and pulled clear while drifting in the final furlong.
Flap
Jack tracked mid-pack behind horses to the far turn where he found a hole and
made a huge move to pull away in the stretch and win by four lengths.
Oxbow, the sire of Flap Jack, was
a multiple graded-stakes winner and Classic Champion that compiled a 3-2-1
record in 13 starts with $1,243,500 in career earnings.
As
a two-year-old, Oxbow was 1-0-1 in five starts with a fourth-place finish in
the CashCall Futurity Stakes (G1).
At
the age of three, Oxbow was 2-2-0 in eight starts with wins in the LeComte Stakes
(G3) and Preakness Stakes (G1). He finished second in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and
Belmont Stakes (G1).
Flap
Jack has a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive
in this race.
UNTITLED (4-1) comes into this race with a
1-1-0 record in three starts for trainer Mark Casse including a second-place
finish last out at Tampa Bay Downs. Here’s the chart
call:
UNTITLED
broke sharply, angled inwards to dictate the pace on a narrow margin racing a
bit off the rail, held sway into the far turn but proved no match for the
winner in the last furlong.
Untitled
took the lead on the first turn and led to the three-quarters mark where he
relinquished the lead to Gouverneur Morris
who proved best by 1 ¼ lengths at the finish.
Khozan, the sire of Untitled, showed a
lot of promise with two impressive wins at the age of two but during a workout he
suffered an injury that ended his racing career.
Untitled
has a D Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index makes him
competitive in this race.
*****
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.
2020 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Ete Indien, 54,
Patrick Biancone, $288,156
2. Modernist, 50,
Bill Mott, $240,000
3. +Enforceable, 33, Mark
Casse, $344,550
4. Storm the Court, 22, Peter Eurton, $1,136,351
5. Tiz the Law, 22,
Barclay Tagg, $456,000
6. Silver Prospector, 21, Steve Asmussen, $654,851
7. Thousand Words, 20, Bob Baffert, $181,000
8. Major Fed, 20, Greg Foley, $80,000
9. Candy Tycoon, 20, Todd Pletcher, $76,000
10. Shotski, 19, Jeremiah O’Dwyer, $212,466
11. Independence Hall, 14, Mike Trombetta, $205,000
12. Silver State, 14, Steve Asmussen, $80,000
13. +Azul Coast, 14, Bob Baffert, $80,000
14. Shoplifted, 13,
Steve Asmussen, $388,500
15. Anneau d’Or, 12, Blaine Wright, $385,000
16. Maxfield, 10, Brendan Walsh, $300,000
17. Eight Rings, 10, Bob Baffert, $200,35
18. Sole Volante, 10, Patrick Biancone, $173,510
19. Dennis’ Moment, 10, Dale Romans, $141,800
20. Gold Street, 10, Steve Asmussen, $141,000
21. +Max Player, 10, Linda Rice, $137,500
26. +Scabbard, 6, Eddie Kenneally, $178,000
33. +Wells Bayou, 4, Brad Cox, $150,000
+ = Enforceable (Hip 76), Azul Coast (Hip
1177),
Max Player (Hip
929),
Scabbard (Hip
802)
and Wells Bayou (Hip 3281)
were colts we profiled
at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
* Mr.
Monomoy, ranked 2nd with 52 Derby Points, is off the Kentucky Derby
Trail due to a minor
ankle injury.
Unlike other companies that
provide automatic computer-generated pedigree analysis of yearlings at auction,
Classic Champion Thoroughbreds LLC personally handpicks from the sales catalog
all yearlings to
be profiled at auction based upon their breeding.
EUROPEAN
ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking,
total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Chares (GER), 20, Jane Chapple-Hyam, $80,819
2. Crossfirehurricane, 20, Joseph
O’Brien, $49,507
3. Kameko, 14, Andrew Balding,
$192,894
4. Innisfree (IRE), 14, Aidan
O’Brien, $127,856
5. Victor Ludorum, 10, Andre
Fabre, $250,958
6. Royal Donarch (IRE), 10, Aidan
O’Brien, $115,813
7. Alson (GER), 4, J.P. Carvalho,
$135,572
8. Shekhem (IRE), 4, Dermot Weld,
$24,068
9. Year of the Tiger (IRE), 3,
Aidan O’Brien $36,086
10. Armory (IRE), 2, Aidan
O’Brien, $258,793
11. Iberia (IRE), 2, Aidan
O’Brien, $25,389
12. Gold Maze (GB), 2, Jessica
Harrington, $12,034
13. Mogul (GB), 1, Aidan O’Brien,
$111,879
14. Ecrivain (FR), 1, Carlos Laffon-Parias, $69.202
15. Camorra (IRE), 1, Ger Lyons,
$3,610
JAPAN ROAD LEADERBOARD
Ranking, total points, Trainer,
Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.
Café Pharoah, 30, Noriyuki Hori, $234,290
2.
Vacation (JPN), 20, Kenichi Takatsuki, $499,874
3.
Tango Beauty (JPN), 12, Masato Nishizono, $329,346
4.
Dieu du Vin (JPN), 10, Yukihiro Kato, $159,609
5.
Yaugau (JPN), 6, Naosuke Sugai, $182,385
6.
Longonot (JPN), 3, Mizuki Takayanagi, $158,202
7.
Daimei Corrida (JPN), 2, Naoyuki Morita, $107,736
No comments:
Post a Comment