©2020 Calvin L.
Carter. All rights reserved.
The Road
to the Kentucky Derby
will
log a lot of miles this Saturday with two qualifying races in the heartland of
America. At Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the
Rebel Stakes (G2) post is 6:23 p.m. ET. At Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky,
the Jeff Ruby Stakes (G3) post is 6:42 p.m. ET.
Let’s look at the 49th
running of the $250,000 Jeff
Ruby Stakes (G3) where INVADER has been tabbed the 3-1
morning-line favorite.
Invader
comes into this race with a 2-0-1 record in six starts for trainer Wesley Ward
including a win in the John Battaglia Stakes at Turfway Park. Here’s the video
and chart call of that race:
INVADER
stalked the pace early, was in the three path into the lane, took over command
in the upper stretch then drew away in the final stages while much the best.
Invader
tracked the leader to the far turn where he took command and pulled away in the
stretch to win by an impressive 6¼ lengths.
War Front,
the sire of Invader, 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: War
of Will, 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.
Invader has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®
and he’s a colt we profiled (Hip 371) as a yearling at the 2018
Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 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.
A long shot I like is DACK JANIEL’S (30-1) who comes into this
race with a 1-0-1 in four starts including a maiden win last out at the Fair Grounds
for new trainer Jack Sisterson. Here’s the chart
call:
DACK
JANIEL'S went around the first turn in the four path, prompted the pace on the
outside, took the lead inside the three-eighths, was asked in the two path on
the far turn, moved clear under a strong hand ride approaching the
quarter-pole, responded well when put to a right-handed whip in upper stretch
and held under strong urging.
Dack
Janiel’s ran just outside the leader to the far turn where he took the lead and
held on to win by one length at the wire.
Tonalist, the sire of Dack
Janiel’s, was a multiple graded stakes winner and Classic Champion Thoroughbred
that compiled a 7-4-2 record in 16 starts with $3,647,000
in career earnings.
Tonalist finished fourth in his only
start as a two-year-old.
As a three-year-old, Tonalist was
4-2-1 in eight starts with wins in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2), Belmont Stakes
(G1) and the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1). He finished second in the Jim
Dandy Stakes (G2) and third in the Travers Stakes (G1).
At the age of four, Tonalist was
3-2-1 in seven starts with wins in the Westchester Stakes (G3), Jockey Club
Gold Cup Stakes (G1) and Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). He finished second in the NYRA.com
Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Suburban Handicap (G2). And, Tonalist was third
in the Whitney Stakes (G1).
Dack Janiel’s has an A Classic
Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s the second-best bred colt in this herd.
He’s an improving colt in his two starts for the season and I look for him to
take another step forward.
FIELD
PASS
(7-2) comes into this race with a
2-2-0 record in seven starts for trainer Michael Maker including a win in the
Dania Beach Stakes last out at Gulfstream Park. Here’ the video and chart
call:
FIELD PASS secured inside
position around the first turn then settled nicely near mid-range, switched out
a path and remained in range around the far turn then headed in pursuit for the
lead, steadily edged up closer then dug in gamely between foes nearing the wire
and got up in time.
Field pass ran along the rail in
the middle of the herd to the far turn where he had to work his way through a
wall of horses to get up in the final strides to win by a neck.
Lemon Drop Kid, the sire of Field
Pass, was a multiple graded-stakes winner and Classic Champion Thoroughbred who
compiled a 10-3-3 record in 24 starts with $3,245,370 in career earnings.
As a
two-year-old, Lemon Drop Kid was 2-2-1 in six starts with a win in the Futurity
Stakes (G1) and a second-place finish in the Champagne Stakes (G1).
At the age of
three, Lemon Drop Kid was 3-1-1 in nine starts with wins in the Belmont Stakes
(G1) and Travers Stakes (G1). He finished second in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and
third in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2).
As a
four-year-old, Lemon Drop Kid was 5-0-1 in nine starts with stakes wins in the
Brooklyn Handicap (G2), Suburban Handicap (G2), Whitney Handicap (G1) and
Woodward Stakes (G1). He finished third in the Pimlico Special Handicap (G1).
Field Pass has a B Classic Champion
Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive in this race. He has room
to improve in his second start of the season and I look for him to run a good race.
MYAMANOI (4-1) comes into this race with
a 1-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Danny Gargan including a
fourth-place finish last out in the Dania Beach Stakes. Here’ the video and chart
call:
MYAMANOI raced in the back three
to four wide, swung wide into upper stretch, set down seven wide for the drive
and rallied late.
Myamanoi ran toward the back of
the herd to the far turn where he made a huge move in the stretch to close ground
and just miss victory by three-quarters of a length.
Temple City, the sire of Myamanoi, was a
graded stakes winner that compiled a 4-2-4 record in 15 starts.
Unraced as a two-year-old, Temple
City won his only start as a three-year-old and followed that with a
third-place finish in the Del Mar Handicap at the age of four.
Temple City earned graded stakes
honors as a five-year-old with a win in the Cougar II Handicap (G3) and
second-place finishes in both the American Handicap (G2) and the Hollywood Turf
Cup Stakes (G1).
Myamanoi has a C Classic Champion
Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive in this race.
Honorable
mention goes to Toma Todo
(20-1), Victory
Boulevard (30-1) and Finnick the Fierce
(6-1).
*****
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. Authentic,
60, Bob Baffert, $300,000
2. Ete Indien, 54,
Patrick Biancone, $288,156
3. Mischievous
Alex, 50, John Servis, $308,410
4. Modernist, 50,
Bill Mott, $240,000
** King Guillermo,
50, Juan Carlos Avila, $217,050
5. +Enforceable, 33, Mark
Casse, $344,550
6. Storm the Court, 32, Peter Eurton, $1,196,351
7. Sole Volante, 30, Patrick Biancone, $243,510
8. Thousand Words, 25, Bob Baffert, $205,000
9. Tiz the Law, 22,
Barclay Tagg, $456,000
10. Silver Prospector, 21, Steve Asmussen, $654,851
11. Honor A.P., 20, John Shirreffs, $80,000
12. Major Fed, 20, Greg Foley, $80,000
13. Candy Tycoon, 20, Todd Pletcher, $76,000
14. Untitled, 20, Mark Casse, $67,275
15. Shotski, 19, Jeremiah O’Dwyer, $212,466
16. Independence Hall, 14, Mike Trombetta, $205,000
17. Silver State, 14, Steve Asmussen, $80,000
18. +Azul Coast, 14, Bob Baffert, $80,000
19. Shoplifted, 13,
Steve Asmussen, $388,500
20. Anneau d’Or, 12, Blaine Wright, $385,000
25. +Max Player, 10, Linda Rice, $137,500
30. +Scabbard, 6, Eddie Kenneally, $178,000
39. +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. 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.
* Mr.
Monomoy, with 52 Derby points, is off the Kentucky Derby Trail due to a minor
ankle injury. ** King Guillermo, with 50 Derby
points, is not nominated to the Triple Crown.
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
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