JC / Railbird

Derby Prospects

Friday Notes

As Ed DeRosa writes today in a piece about the importance of sanctuaries such as Old Friends, Joe Drape’s reporting on TRF has made the discussion about providing for racehoses when their careers end more public. It also seems to have made the conversation more urgent. The situations aren’t quite analogous, but there’s something reminiscent of the safety debate that followed Eight Belles’ death in the fresh attention on the retirement and rescue issue, a sense that racing has to come up with a solution to a problem that hasn’t been neglected — the work of hundreds of organizations attests to that — but is complex and will probably take collective action to solve. “The only chance that something good can come out of this mess is if this turns out to be a watershed moment in horse racing,” writes Bill Finley. He’s right.

Prepping for the Florida Derby, Dialed In worked four furlongs in :47.55 at Palm Meadows yesterday. Trainer Nick Zito, who said the colt “bounced” in his last race, “caught the final eighth in :11 flat.” Handicapper Mike Maloney calls Zito’s prospect one of three likely Kentucky Derby winners. “If he shows a decent finish in the FL Derby, even if not winning, I think he will be fine.”

Tomorrow is Dubai World Cup day, and Raceday 360 has an overview of every race. I wrote about the UAE Derby, a weak renewal this year, for the HRF Derby Prep alert, and only glancingly mentioned the remarkable entry of two Aidan O’Brien trained starters in the race, the first in six years. Like last year, I assumed that this year no UAE Derby finisher was likely for the Kentucky Derby — Sheikh Mohammed seems have given up on that path for Godolphin 3-year-olds after the disappointments of Regal Ransom and Desert Party in 2009 — but Alan Shuback proposes Coolmore could be using the race as a Derby prep for Master of Hounds or Alexander Pope. “It would be a large irony, indeed, if Magnier & Co. pulled a Kentucky Derby runner out of the UAE Derby hat in Sheikh Mohammed’s backyard.”

Sweet Ducky, recently sold and transferred to trainer Herman Brown, is apparently possible for Churchill Downs, though, if he runs big in the UAE Derby. “It would be tough to turn it down if he runs a great race.” That would certainly be an interesting move, considering the colt’s new ownership. Would Kentucky license Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, called by the late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, “a Stalin of our times“?

Black Caviar made it 11-for-11 in the William Reid Stakes.

Thanks to Pull the Pocket and The Knight Sky for posting about Kentucky Confidential. Have you pledged? We hope you’ll consider it.

Posted in Racing on March 25, 2011 / Tagged Black Caviar, Coolmore, Derby Prospects, Dialed In, Dubai, Dubai World Cup, Ex-Racehorses, International, Kentucky Confidential, Retirement, Sweet Ducky, TRF / Comments Off on Friday Notes

A Dreamy Man

It’s impossible not to root for Mucho Macho Man after reading this story:

“We’ve got thousands of pictures and the smiles on their faces are indescribable. You have to understand some of the partners that came on initially from day one when we offered the horse, they came on for $800 a share. One percent of the horse was for $800 and now they are living their dream,” Hatzikoutelis said. “This is why they’ve gotten into the horse ownership part, and it just goes back to what we want to do and the experiences we want to have together…. It’s pretty humbling.”

His original name was Lazarus, which seems fitting for a Derby prospect who won the Risen Star and is pointing to the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds.

Speaking of the the New Orleans track, it’s the subject of a neat exhibit in which open letters written by backstretch workers and jockeys about their lives will be on display alongside photographs from the Fair Grounds. “This moment exists for five months of the year … then the moment doesn’t exist.”

That sentiment certainly resonates with me; capturing, in words, such a rich, but ephemeral scene is part of the motivation for Kentucky Confidential.

3/24/11 Addendum: That’s enthusiasm! Part-owner drives 12 hours without stopping to see Mucho Macho Man at the Fair Grounds.

Posted in Racing on March 23, 2011 / Tagged Derby Prospects, Fair Grounds, Mucho Macho Man, New Orleans, Projects, Writing / Comments Off on A Dreamy Man

Hope Mo Loses?

Steve Haskin on the two-prep campaign era for Kentucky Derby prospects and the importance of at least one “gut check” before the big race:

Here is the kicker: of the four horses who have won the Derby off only two starts, three of them – Street Sense, Mine That Bird, and Super Saver — had at least one gut check, where they engaged in a head-to-head stretch battle. The only one who didn’t was Big Brown, who was, well, Big Brown, and who faced relatively weak fields in the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.

The Wood is Uncle Mo’s only chance to get dirty before May, and aside from Jaycito and Toby’s Corner, not many seem interested in facing the champion. A pity. If he were to lose, it might not be such a bad thing, writes Paul Moran:

If all this comes together, the month between the Wood and Derby will be an exciting time in New York…. An untimely defeat on April 9, though it may stun his supporters and connections and cool the fervor, may well serve Uncle Mo. Secretariat was upset by stablemate Angle Light in the Wood, leaving trainer Lucien Lauren if not the entire racing world dazed and speechless. Remember what happened after that?

Posted in Racing on March 22, 2011 / Tagged Derby Preps, Derby Prospects, Racing History, Triple Crown, Uncle Mo, Wood Memorial / 4 comments