Yes I know every weekend leading up to the Derby is big, but this one is different from last week. It's so big, that it's going to take two days to this preview (as the race I want to that's also Saturday doesn't get drawn until tomarrow). So part one will focus on a G1, the first major New York stakes of the year, and the return of a rivelry.
We start off at Aquaduct with a prep for Wood Memorial.
8th (3:49)
Whirlaway S.
1 1/16 Miles Open 3 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $100,000
1 Haynesfield Dominguez R A 122 L
2 Hehasnosay Castro E 118 L
3 Peace Town Pimentel J 120 L
4 Mike From Queens Maragh R 118 L
5 Zooger Hill C 118 L
6 Cellar Dweller Napravnik A R 118 L
Alot of people like the NY Bred Haynesfield, who won the Damon Runyon last year and the Count Fleet last time out. He's by Speightstown, so distance might be a bit on the long side, but his broodmare sire was third in the Queen's Plate (Canada's version of the Derby). I personally like Peace Town. He's by Peace Rules (3rd to Funny Cide in the 2003 KY Derby and G1 winner), out of a mare who is by a son of Seattle Slew. Won the Maryland Juvi last year and might be the horse to beat with Haynesfield who I'm going to put on top, but either way it will be interesting.
Top three:
Haynesfield
Peace Town
Mike from Queens
From Queens, we head to the Cresent City New Orleans, and the Fair Grounds for LA Derby Preview day.
6th (2:55)
Mineshaft H. (G3)
1 1/16 Miles Open 4 Year Olds And Up Stakes Purse: $125,000
1 Secret Getaway Graham J 119 L
2 Good and Lucky Valenzuela P A 120 L
3 Smokeyjonessutton Theriot H J II 112 Blk-Off L
4 Grasshopper Albarado R J 119 L
5 My Pal Charlie Bourque C C 121 L
6 Coragil Cat Hernandez B J Jr 114 L
7 Brothers Nicholas Prado E S 116 L
8 Honest Man Saez G 119 L
Honest Man is a really interesting horse pedigree wise. He's by Unbridled's Song out of G1 Oath. Now your proably saying is why is a horse by a Champion 2yo out of a G1 winning mar interesting, it's his dam side that's the interesting. Oath's half brother is War Pass, the 2007 BC Juvi winner. Now no mistake about it, Honest Man is a really nice horse. Won a G3 last year, he finished 3rd in his season debut this year. Grasshopper is another interesting horse, he gave Street Sense all he can handal in the 2007 Travlers finishing a soild second to the Derby winner. Another interesting thing is that Mineshaft and him share the same trainer. This is proably the most wide open race on the Fair Grounds card on Saturday.
Top Three:
Honest Man
Grasshopper
My Pal Charlie
8th (3:55)
Silverbulletday S. (G3)
1 1/16 Miles Fillies 3 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $150,000
1 Four Gifts Albarado R J 122 L
2 More of the Best Castanon J L 116 L
3 War Echo Bridgmohan S X 116 L
4 Flying Spur Valenzuela P A 116 L
5 Garter Belt Lanerie C J 116 L
6 Southern Yankee Saez G 122 L
7 Just Jenda Thompson T J 122 L
8 War Tigress Hernandez B J Jr 120 L
Last year the Fair Grounds had the fantastic rivalry of Indian Blessing vs Proud Spell. This year it's Just Jenda vs Four Gifts. But this is somewhat of a rematch between the trainers. Larry Jones (Just Jenda) and Steve Asmussen (Four Gifts), these two along with Carl Naftzger (trainer of Unbridled) gave us Street Sense (Naftzger), Curlin (Asmussen) and Hard Spun (Jones) in 2007. Just Jenda and Four Gifts have each taken one race. Four Gifts as a two year old and Just Jenda as a three year old. Look out for Four Gifts stablemate, War Echo a 3/4 sister to last year's Lousiana Derby winner Pyro.
Top three:
Just Jenda
Four Gifts
War Echo
9th (4:29)
Risen Star S. (G3)
1 1/16 Miles Open 3 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $200,000
1 Map of the World Bourque C C 116 L
2 Indygo Mountain Theriot H J II 116 L
3 Nowhere to Hide Lanerie C J 116 L
4 It Happened Again Thompson T J 120 L
5 Uno Mas Hernandez B J Jr 120 L
6 Friesan Fire Saez G 122 L
7 Giant Oak Prado E S 120 L
8 Dumar Bridgmohan S X 120 L
9 Code of Honour Toups R 116 L
10 Soul Warrior Valenzuela P A 116 L
11 Summer's Empire Campbell J M 122 L
12 Flying Pegasus Albarado R J 120 L
13 Au Moon Leparoux J R 116 L
Two years ago Larry Jones and Fox Hill Farm had Hard Spun win the prep for the Risen Star the LaComte. Lghting strook twice, this time with Friesan Fire (#5 3yo colts in the TC Top Five), who won the LaComte this year. He'll face some of the same horses, Uno Mas, Au Moon and Indygo Mountain being the big names. Giant Oak, who finished second in his first try on dirt at Churchill last year is the morning line favorite. It Happended Again is a fitting name for him as he's by Proud Citizen (sire of Proud Spell), owned by former Kentucky Gov. Breton Jones and trained by Larry Jones (owner and trainer of Proud Spell).
Top three:
Friesan Fire
Giant Oak
It Happended Again
Here is an interesting story about Giant Oak Link
Then it's off to California with SA Oaks, Derby and Handicap preps.
6th (3:05)
Las Virgenes S. (G1)
1 Mile (All Weather Track) Fillies 3 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $300,000
1 Navigator Espinoza V 116 L
2 African Skies (GB) Talamo J 116
3 Century Park Baze T C 118 L
4 Nan Nakatani C S 116 L
5 Stardom Bound Smith M E 122 L
6 Haka Bejarano R 116 L
7 Saucey Evening Gomez G K 118 L
8 Toro Bonito Velazquez J R 116 L
9 Pinkarella Rosario J 116 L
Stardom Bound (#1 in 3yo fillies) makes her season debut for her new owner and trainer. Honestly she is the class of the race, but I'm going to try to beat her. Saucey Evening looks to the horse to do it. She's by More Than Ready who has done quite well with his Australian crops out of a full sister to General Challenge and Western Hemisphere. A Cal bred stakes winner, she might be the one to dethrone Stardom Bound.
Top three:
Saucey Evening
Stardom Bound
Pinkarella
8th (4:07)
Robert B. Lewis S. (G2)
1 1/16 Miles (All Weather Track) Open 3 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $200,000
1 Bittel Road Velazquez J R 122 L
2 Pioneerof the Nile Gomez G K 122 L
3 Papa Clem Bejarano R 115 L
4 I Want Revenge Talamo J 115 Blk-On L
5 Mark S the Cooler Nakatani C S 115 L
6 Oil Man (IRE) Smith M E 115 L
7 Brother Keith Baze T C 115 L
8 Shafted Rosario J 117 L
9 Charlie's Moment Valdivia J Jr 117
Not much to really say about this race other then it's really between three horses.
Top three:
Pioneerof the Nile
Brother Keith
I Want Revenge
9th (4:38)
Strub S. (G2)
1 1/8 Miles (All Weather Track) Open 4 Year Olds Stakes Purse: $250,000
1 Dixie Chatter Baze T C 117 L
2 Blue Exit Smith M E 117 L
3 Trevor's Clever Baze M C 117 L \
4 Victory Pete Sutherland C 117 L
5 Gio Ponti Gomez G K 123 L
6 Medjool Solis A 117 L
7 Nownownow Talamo J 121 L
8 Cowboy Cal Velazquez J R 121 L
9 Wishful Tomcat Rosario J 119 L
10 Cause Garcia M 117 L
11 Cherokee Artist Valdivia J Jr 117 L
12 Wesley Castellano J J 119
13 Slew's Tiznow Bejarano R 119 L
Cowboy Cal, Nownownow, and Gio Ponti are actually turf horses who are benifitting from the Pro Ride surface (Although Cal did pretty well in last year's Derby). I gotta go with Dixie Chatter who is actually the only Grade One winner in the race. Nownownow is trained by Patrick Beincone who is coming off a suspention for cobra venom (yes cobra venom). He also bombed pretty badly last year. Gio Ponti had a rivalry with Court Vision and Cowboy Cal is the only Stonerside horse that is with the McNairs (the rest (except for stallions) where sold to Darley)
Top three:
Dixie Chatter
Cowboy Cal
Gio Ponti
Tomarrow, the Oaklawn race!
No comments:
Post a Comment