UAE Derby Racing Roundup

©2018 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

This weekend, we’ll log a lot of miles on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. On Friday the last race on the European road to Derby glory continues on the all-weather surface in the 32Red Burradon Stakes at Newcastle Racecourse at High Gosforth Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Saturday, the road takes us first to Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the “City of Gold” in the United Arab Emirates and finally we’ll travel to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

At Meydan Racecourse a field of nine young Thoroughbreds has been drawn for the 19^th running of the $2 million UAE Derby (G2), and GOLD TOWN will go to the starting gate as the Twinspires.com 6-5 morning-line favorite.

Live television coverage of Dubai World Cup Day can be seen on TVG beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET. XBTV will present online coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET.

Gold Town comes into this race with a 4-0-1 record in eight starts including an impressive win in the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3). Here’s the video and chart call:

GOLD TOWN soon led, kicked clear three furlongs out, ran on well, easily.

In his second start of the season, Gold Town pulled away in the stretch to win by an impressive 10 lengths.

Street Cry, the sire of Gold Town, was an outstanding, multiple graded stakes winner who finished in the money in all 12 of his lifetime starts, compiling a 5-6-1 record with $5,150,837 in career earnings.

As a two-year-old, Street Cry lost out on graded stakes honors by the narrowest of margins with second-place finishes in both the Del Mar Futurity (G2) and Norfolk Stakes (G2) and a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1).

As a three-year-old, Street Cry won the UAE 2,000 Guineas and finished second in both the UAE Derby (G2) and Discovery Handicap (G3).

Street Cry’s best season was as a four-year-old when he compiled a 3-1-0 record in four starts with victories in the Maktoum Challenge-Round 3 (G2), Dubai World Cup (G1) and Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). Street Cry finished his racing career with a second-place finish in the Whitney Handicap (G1).

Gold Town has a B Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive in this race. He’s undefeated in two starts as a two-year-old which he’s won by a combined 14¼ lengths.

He has room to improve in his third start of the season and I look for Gold Town to run a good race.

A long shot I like is THREEANDFOURPENCE (10-1) who comes into this race with a 1-2-0 record in four starts including a second-place finish in the 32Red Patton Stakes. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

THREEANDFOURPENCE Prominent, soon led, under pressure and headed 1½ furlongs out, kept on, not match winner final 100 yards.

In his debut as a three-year-old, Threeandfourpence finished a respectable second off a four-month layoff, just three quarters of a length shy of victory.

War Front, the sire of Threeandfourpence, 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. But, 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 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.

Threeandfourpence has an A+ Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and he’s the best-bred horse in this herd. His breeding indicates that he should run well in the stretch out in distance and he has room to improve in his second start of the season.

Another long shot I like is YULONG WARRIOR (15-1) who comes into this race off an impressive win in the Emirates.com Al Bastakiya Stakes. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

YULONG WARRIOR soon led, ridden clear two furlongs out, ran on well, easily.

Yulong Warrior set the pace from the start and pulled away in the stretch to easily win by an impressive 11 lengths.

Street Sense, the sire of Yulong Warrior, 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.

Yulong Warrior has a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him potentially competitive in this race. He’s an improving colt and I look for him to make another move forward.

MENDELSSOHN (5-2) comes into this race with a 3-1-0 record in six starts including a win in the 32Red Patton Stakes last out. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

MENDELSSOHN led early, soon tracked leader in second, third halfway, pushed along and headway to lead narrowly 1½ furlongs out, ridden and kept on best final 100 yards.

Mendelssohn tracked Threeandfourpence, who set the pace to the stretch, then quickened and pulled away to win by a narrow three-quarters of a length.

Scat Daddy, the sire of Mendelssohn, was a multiple graded stakes winner who compiled a 5-1-1 record in nine starts with $1,334,300 in career earnings.

As a two-year-old, Scat Daddy was 3-0-1 in five starts with wins in the Sanford Stakes (G2) and Champagne Stakes (G1), and he finished second in the Hopeful Stakes (G1).

In his season debut as a 3-year-old, Scat Daddy finished third in the one-mile Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and followed up with wins in the 9 furlong Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) in route to a eighteenth-place finish in the Derby.

His best runners on the Derby Trail include Daddy Long Legs, Daddy Nose Best, El Kabeir, Frac Daddy, Azar and Dice Flavor who was my long shot pick to win the 2013 El Camino Real Derby (G3).

Mendelssohn has a low E Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index potentially makes him competitive and I look for him to run a good race.

Honorable mention goes to Rayya (10-1) and the American import, Reride (12-1), who ships in for trainer Steve Asmussen off a win in the Mine That Bird Derby.

*****

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. Noble Indy, 110, Todd Pletcher, $640,000

2. Bolt d’Oro, 64, Mick Ruis, $780,000

3. Enticed, 63, Kiaran McLaughlin, $360,880

4. Bravazo, 54, D. Wayne Lukas, $349,913

5. Promises Fulfilled, 52, Dale Romans, $256,480

6. Magnum Moon, 50, Todd Pletcher $$540,000

7. Runaway Ghost, 50, $520,310

8. Quip, 50, Rodolphe Brisset, $212,000

9. Lone Sailor, 42, Tom Amoss, $273,347

10. McKinzie, 40, Bob Baffert, $320,000

11. +Good Magic, 34, Chad Brown, $1,200,000

12. +Solomini, 34, Bob Baffert, $616,000

13. My Boy Jack, 32, Keith Desormeaux, $502,000

14. Flameaway, 30, Mark Casse, $472,260

15. Firenze Fire, 29, Jason Servis, $582,500

16. +Free Drop Billy, 24, Dale Romans, $497,200

17. Snapper Sinclair, 22, Steve Asmussen, $321,810

18. Combatant, 22, Steve Asmussen, $300,000

19. *Blended Citizen, 22, Doug O’Neill, $129,644

20. Strike Power, 20, Mark Hennig, $199,560

+ = 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.