With a competitive field of nine signed on, Lothenbach Stables' Happy American and Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable's Mr. Wireless are set for another rematch in Saturday's 38th running of the $250,000 Mineshaft Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds.
The 1 1/16-mile Mineshaft will go as Race 10 of 14 with a post time of 4:37 p.m. CT. It is the second leg of the “All Stakes Late Pick Five” with a low 15% takeout and a guaranteed pool of $500,000.
Saturday's stellar program features six stakes events headlined by the 51st running of the $400,000 Risen Star (G2). The supporting stakes on the card are the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2), the $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3), the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial (Listed), and the $100,000 Colonel Power Stakes.
In last month's $150,000 Louisiana Stakes (G3), the local prep for the Mineshaft, Happy American stormed home from off the pace to nail Mr. Wireless in the final stages of the 1 1/16-mile race. Trained by Neil Pessin, Happy American began his meet at Fair Grounds on Dec. 26 with a 2 3/4-length score in the $100,000 Tenacious Stakes, beating out Mr. Wireless there as well. The 5-year-old son of Runhappy has recorded five wins from 16 starts and the local record is 9-2-1-2—$201,350.
“When he came back from winning the Tenacious he was dragging us around the barn,” Pessin said. “After the Louisiana, we gave him a week off, but then he got right back at it. (On Friday, Feb. 10) he worked 5/8ths in 1:02.04 and he came back acting like he didn't do anything. We'll need to give him a break at some point but right now, he's sharp. He's doing good. When they're good, you run them.”
Jockey James Graham will be back in the saddle for the Mineshaft and break from post No. 6.
Mr. Wireless will attempt to avenge his back-to-back defeats at the hooves of Happy American in Saturday's Mineshaft. Trained by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Wireless recorded two Grade 3 victories as a 3-year-old in the $300,000 Indiana Derby and the $500,000 West Virginia Derby. Mr. Wireless returned as a 4-year-old and scored a two-length win in the $100,000 Schaefer Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis and a determined head victory in a $150,000 allowance event at Churchill Downs.
“Even though they gave him a lower number (speed figure), I thought his last race (The Louisiana) was a better race than he ran in the Tenacious,” Calhoun said. “I think he moved forward a little bit (in the Louisiana). He's a consistent hard-knocking horse. He's going to win his share, and he's gotten close the last couple times. He's gotten good trips and there's been no excuses really. He just needs to continue to work out those kind of trips and try to turn the tables on him. I think this race will definitely be a tougher race than the previous two.”
The six-time winning son of Dialed In will be ridden by Deshawn Parker from post No. 8.
Along with Happy American and Mr. Wireless, the Mineshaft field features a deep cast of older horses including Peachtree Stable's multiple Grade 3 winner Tawny Port, who is making his 4-year-old debut. Trained by Brad Cox, Tawny Port earned his way into the Kentucky Derby 148 starting gates winning the Lexington (G3) going 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland.
“He's been breezing well and he looks really good physically,” Cox said. “It's a good spot to get him started back. It's definitely a solid race. I'm hopeful that he'll get a good run, a good performance and a good finish. We'll see about next steps, but we're looking for a big year from him. He doesn't have a ton of speed, he just grinds it out. He doesn't come out of the gates and put himself up in the mix very early.”
Rounding out the field of nine are Sumaya U.S. Stables' multiple graded stakes placed Pioneer of Medina, Dream Team One Racing Stable's Grade 1-placed Hoist the Gold, and Silverton Hill's recent Fair Grounds allowance winner Big Blue Line, trained by Paul McGee.
“There's some nice horses in there, but my horse is doing really well,” McGee said. “He showed a new dimension the other day (winning an allowance on Jan. 14) and won from off the pace. His other two wins were wire-to-wire. He's getting better, but I've really liked him all along. Some of those 3-year-old stakes he ran in were salty races. Ain't Life Grand who beat him in the Iowa Derby came back to win at Saratoga. My horse had dirt kicked in his face all the way around. Then it was Rattle N Roll in the St. Louis Derby. He's seen some good horses.”
Here is the complete field for the Mineshaft from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Hoist the Gold (Brian Hernandez Jr. Dallas Stewart, 6-1);
Pioneer of Medina (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher, 9-2);
Mr. Wireless (Parker, Calhoun, 5-1);
King Fury (Mitchell Murrill, Kenny McPeek, 10-1).
Additional Quotes:
Run Classic (trainer Bret Calhoun)
“In the Louisiana, it was a split-second decision to push on through or to take hold, and (jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.) ended up taking hold,” Calhoun said. “We got caught behind traffic and a slow pace and basically lost all chance. He's a fast horse with a high cruising speed and that's his game. We just lost all chance when we got covered up. Reylu is going to be aboard Run Classic this time. I think there will be a bit more pace in the race, and I think Run Classic will be more involved in the race. He doesn't need the lead, and we won't rush him but we'll definitely get him in the race.”
Dallas Stewart (trainer of Hoist the Gold)
“It will be his first time stretching out,” Stewart said. “He's a solid horse, numbers are good all the way through. He went to the West Coast, performed great (in the Malibu [G1] at Santa Anita), came back here and has put in some very good, solid works. We're excited to see how it plays out. He's by Mineshaft and out of a Tapit mare so we think he can get the distance.”
The G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary will be run two weeks earlier on Sunday, May 14, in an effort to increase its exposure and maintain its Group 1 status, France-Galop revealed on Thursday.
The scheduling update was originally disclosed when 25 black-type races were cut by the European Pattern Committee on Wednesday, but it has now been announced that the race is under scrutiny to be downgraded by the EPC in 2024 if its field quality does not improve. A rating of 110 is required to maintain its Group 1 status, but the past three renewals have averaged just 108.9. France Galop's reasons for moving the date are as follows:
By running it five weeks before the G1 Prix de Diane Longines, it reinforces its ambition to become a major prep race for the fillies' Classic.
It will gain more exposure by being included on a card that already features two Classic races, the G1 French 1000 and G1 French 2000 Guineas.
The two extra weeks between the Prix Saint-Alary and the June 18 Prix de Diane at Chantilly will allow it to become a major prep race for the fillies' Classic and hence secure the rating of the Saint-Alary, whose Group 1 status is currently under threat.
In 2016 and 2017, the Saint-Alary was held at Deauville on the Poules d'Essai card when ParisLongchamp was being renovated, and both editions met the 110 minimum rating–111.3 in 2016 and 111 a year later. Trial races for the newly scheduled race include the 1800-metre G3 Prix Vanteaux at ParisLongchamp on Apr. 9, and two races at Saint-Cloud in April–the G3 Prix Penelope over 2100 metres on Apr. 1 and the G3 Prix Cleopatre going that same trip on Apr. 21.
For the seventh year in a row, America’s Best Racing is challenging some of the brightest minds in horse betting to come up with their top three picks for key races every weekend leading up to the 2023 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The handicappers face off in what we like to call the “Big Race Showdown.”
The Kentucky Derby prep schedule is starting to ramp up, which means it's time for detailed looks at the horses that could fill the starting gate with Andrew Champagne of Catena Media and The Saratogian's Pink Sheet.
Check back with the Paulick Report regularly for updated rankings that include news, notes, and opinions on the 3-year-olds that figure to take center stage.
It's an honor and a privilege to be back for another year of the Derby Bubble. With the exception of next week, I'll be here on a weekly basis leading up to the first Saturday in May. There will likely be significant movement from one set of rankings to another, and it's always fun see the Kentucky Derby picture come into focus.
One note before we get started: Currently, horses trained by Bob Baffert cannot accrue Kentucky Derby points and, therefore, cannot run in the Kentucky Derby. As such, I will not be including Baffert-trained horses in these rankings.
Should circumstances change, or should horses be officially moved to other barns, those horses would be Derby-eligible, and they'd be included here. The Baffert barn currently has some of the top 3-year-olds in the country (including Arabian Knight, who would otherwise be ranked no lower than second), so that makes this initial list even more challenging.
With that in mind, here's the first top-20 list!
Kentucky-bred contenders will be highlighted in red, and will receive additional analysis into their breeders, broodmares, and auction histories. Pedigree notes are written by Joe Nevills.
#1: Forte
Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrates Forte's Breeders' Cup Juvenile victory
It's impossible to start anywhere else. Forte was clearly the best 2-year-old of his class a season ago, when he won three straight Grade 1 races (including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile). He's been working steadily ahead of his return, which could come within the next few weeks. If he's moved forward off of his 2022 form, he's the 3-year-old every other horse in this list has to catch up to.
Forte was bred in Kentucky by South Gate Farm, out of the multiple stakes-winning Blame mare Queen Caroline. He sold for $110,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Amy Moore of South Gate Farm bought Queen Caroline as a yearling for $170,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale.
#2: Victory Formation
Trainer Brad Cox's Victory Formation tallies a three-length triumph under Flavien Prat in the Smarty Jones
Pedigree: Tapwrit – Smart N Soft (by Smart Strike)
You'll see Brad Cox's name on this list a lot, and this one may be the best 3-year-old in his barn. Victory Formation is a perfect three-for-three and will likely go favored in Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. His win in the listed Smarty Jones was very good, and his two-back allowance win has aged well (third-place finisher Lugan Knight won last month's Jerome at Aqueduct).
Victory Formation was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd., out of the winning Smart Strike mare Smart N Soft. He sold as a weanling for $100,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, then he brought $150,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale, and he sold to his current ownership for $340,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. Gainesway purchased Smart N Soft pregnant to Uncle Mo for $140,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale.
#3: Instant Coffee
Bolt d'Oro colt Instant Coffee, outside, en route to victory in the G3 Lecomte
Pedigree: Bolt d'Oro – Follow No One (by Uncle Mo)
Owner: Gold Square LLC
Trainer: Brad Cox
Breeder: Sagamore Farm (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 32
Instant Coffee rallied from last to first to win the G3 Lecomte a few weeks ago, and he runs like a horse that will have no problem getting the Derby's 1 1/4-mile distance. He also has a graded stakes win over the Churchill Downs surface, which came in last year's G2 Kentucky Jockey Club. If there's a negative here, it's that, as of this writing, he hasn't had a published workout since the Lecomte victory.
Instant Coffee was bred in Kentucky by Sagamore Farm, out of the stakes-placed Uncle Mo mare Follow No One. He hammered for $200,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. Sagamore Farm purchased Follow No One for $100,000 at the 2016 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
#4: Hit Show
Hit Show and jockey Manny Franco cruised to a 5 ½ length win in the G3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack for owners Gary and Mary West and trainer Brad Cox.
Yep, one barn holds down the second, third, and fourth spots on this list. A winner of three of four starts, Hit Show cruised home to win Saturday's G3 Withers at Aqueduct. It didn't seem like a great field, but he won the right way, overcoming some traffic and having plenty left when the field turned for home. Last year's Withers produced eventual Preakness winner Early Voting, and this year's renewal might age well, too.
Hit Show was bred in Kentucky by Gary & Mary West Stables Inc., out of the Tapit mare Actress, who was herself a Grade 2 winner as a homebred for the Wests.
#5: Litigate
Blame colt Litigate and Luis Saez annex the G3 Sam F. Davis
Unlike many of his rivals in the G3 Sam F. Davis (some of whom we'll get to later; that's called foreshadowing, kids!), Litigate sat a picture-perfect trip beneath Luis Saez. As a result, the Todd Pletcher trainee got the money and stamped himself as a Derby contender. He was certainly helped by others in the field having considerable traffic trouble, but he's lightly-raced and bred to improve with both distance and experience.
Litigate was bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Donaldson & Broadbent, out of the unplaced Mineshaft mare Salsa Diavola. Centennial Farms purchased Litigate for $370,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. Salsa Diavola was acquired privately after she was claimed for $12,500 out of a Woodbine maiden claiming race in November 2016.
#6: Blazing Sevens
Good Magic colt Blazing Sevens wins the G1 Champagne
Pedigree: Good Magic – Trophy Girl (by Warrior's Reward)
Owner: Rodeo Creek Racing
Trainer: Chad Brown
Breeder: Tracy Farmer (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 16
Blazing Sevens didn't do a lot wrong during his 2-year-old season. He won one Grade 1 (the Champagne), finished third in another (the Hopeful), and ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile after probably losing all chance at the start. He's been working steadily at Payson Park ahead of his 3-year-old debut, which should be coming sooner rather than later.
Blazing Sevens was bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer, out of the winning Warrior's Reward mare Trophy Girl. After bringing $140,000 as a newly-turned yearling at the 2021 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Blazing Sevens sold for $250,000 that summer at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Farmer acquired Trophy Girl as a weanling for $62,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
#7: Tapit Trice
Tapit 3-year-old Tapit Trice scores by eight lengths in a Gulfstream allowance-optional claiming race
Pedigree: Tapit – Danzatrice (by Dunkirk)
Owner: Whisper Hill Farm, Gainesway Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Tapit Trice turned plenty of heads in his first start against winners. He aired by eight lengths against allowance foes earlier this month at Gulfstream Park and ran the last furlong of the one-mile race in just over 12 seconds. His next start will almost certainly come against much stiffer competition, but if anyone can move a 3-year-old ahead in a hurry, it's Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
Tapit Trice was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd., out of the Grade 3-placed multiple stakes-winning Dunkirk mare Danzatrice. Tapit Trice sold to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $1.3 million at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. A half-sister to champion Jaywalk, Danzatrice was a $105,000 purchase by Gainesway at the 2014 OBS Spring 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.
#8: Rocket Can
Rocket Can wins the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Much was made about the quality (or lack thereof) in the G3 Holy Bull. Speed figures weren't kind to it, either, but Rocket Can did win while racing wide the whole way around the Gulfstream Park oval. Bill Mott's runners usually improve with experience, too, so while that prep was on the slow side, there may still be plenty to like here.
Rocket Can was bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, out of the placed Tapit mare Tension. Woodford Thoroughbreds bought Tension pregnant to Curlin for $750,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale, and sold her at this year's Keeneland January sale.
#9: Curly Jack
Good Magic colt Curly Jack takes the 2022 Iroquois (G3) at Churchill Downs
Pedigree: Good Magic – Connie and Michael (by Roman Ruler)
Owner: Michael McLoughlin
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Breeder: Breeder: Betz/J.Betz/Burns/Camaquiki/C.Kidder/et al
Kentucky Derby points: 17
A six-start 2-year-old campaign isn't as common as it used to be, and Curly Jack accomplished plenty in his. Most notably, he ran several strong races beneath the Twin Spires in winning the G3 Iroquois and running second in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club. His 3-year-old debut will come in Saturday's Risen Star, and he might need to bring that Churchill form with him to best 13 rivals (including several that are on this list).
Curly Jack was bred in Kentucky by the partnership of Betz/J.Betz/Burns/Camaquiki/C.Kidder/et al., out of the Grade 1-placed Roman Ruler mare Connie and Michael, whose runners also include stakes-placed Fannie and Freddie. Curly Jack sold to owner Michael McLoughlin for $180,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale.
#10: Dubyuhnell
Good Magic colt Dubyuhnell, ridden by Jose Ortiz, takes the G2 Remsen
Pedigree: Good Magic – Wild Gams (by Forest Wildcat)
Dubyuhnell ran a non-threatening eighth in the Sam F. Davis, but that effort looks like one you can draw a line through. Like several other runners in that race, he had a nightmarish trip, and the finish was a result of that rather than a regression or lack of ability. Assuming he's bounced out of that race in good health, the G2 Remsen winner will almost certainly get another shot at Kentucky Derby points later this season.
Dubyuhnell was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, out of the multiple Grade 3-winning Forest Wildcat mare Wild Gams, whose runners also include Grade 2 winner Cazadero, stakes winner Mt. Brave, and Grade 3-placed Almost Famous. Dubyuhnell brought $400,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale, while Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings secured Wild Gams as a broodmare prospect for $1 million at the 2008 Keeneland November sale.
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Spendthrift Farm's Uncle Mo colt Kingsbarns captures career debut under Luis Saez
Pedigree: Uncle Mo – Lady Tapit (by Tapit)
Owner: Spendthrift Farm
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Breeder: Parks Investment Group, LLC (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 0
One day after Litigate won the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs, stablemate Kingsbarns demolished a first-level allowance group by nearly eight lengths over the same surface. It was just his second lifetime start, and he didn't make his career debut until Jan. 14 of this year. However, while time isn't necessarily on his side (he may only have a chance at one Kentucky Derby prep race), there's no denying this regally-bred colt's potential.
Kingsbarns was bred in Kentucky by Parks Investment Group, out of the Grade 3-placed Tapit mare Lady Tapit, who is herself a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Gozzip Girl. After bringing $250,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, the colt sold to Spendthrift Farm for $800,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Select 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.
#12: Lugan Knight
Lugan Knight, with Dylan Davis aboard, winner of the Jerome
Lugan Knight made the lead in the Jerome, and things looked dicey when Arctic Arrogance ranged up alongside him turning for home. However, this colt found more beneath Dylan Davis and fended off a runner that came back to run second in the Withers. There are some distance questions here given his pedigree, but McCarthy conditioned a winner of a Triple Crown race just two years ago, when Rombauer sprang an upset in the Preakness.
Lugan Knight was bred in Kentucky by BG Stables, out of the winning Speightstown mare Sly Roxy. His second dam is two-time Canadian champion Roxy Gap.
Arctic Arrogance has yet to finish out of the top two through six career starts. He set a pressured pace in the Withers and had little left when Hit Show came running, but he held second while well clear of the rest of that field. He also ran second in both the Remsen (behind Dubyuhnell) and the Jerome (behind Lugan Knight). Another New York start likely awaits for this New York-bred, and another in-the-money finish could be enough to punch his ticket to Kentucky.
#14: Two Phil's
Hard Spun colt Two Phil's, ridden by Jareth Loveberry, rolls to a convincing win in the G3 Street Sense
Pedigree: Hard Spun – Mia Torri (by General Quarters)
Owner: Patricia's Hope, Phillip Sagan
Trainer: Larry Rivelli
Breeder: Phillip Sagan (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 8
Rivelli? I'll include Rivelli (I'm sorry, I had to). The form of Two Phil's looks much better if you can forgive his clunker in the G1 Breeders' Futurity. Do that, and you have a horse that won the G3 Street Sense over the Churchill surface and was a clear second behind Instant Coffee in the Lecomte. Several very promising horses will line up alongside this one in the Risen Star, but the Lecomte victor is conspicuously absent.
Two Phil's was bred in Kentucky by Phillip Sagan, out of the Grade 3-placed stakes-winning General Quarters mare Mia Torri, who Sagan acquired privately during her on-track career.
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#15: Giant Mischief
Giant Mischief wins an allowance optional claiming race at Keeneland
Pedigree: Into Mischief – Vertical Oak (by Giant Oak)
Owner: Spendthrift Farm, Stonestreet Stables, Steve Landers Racing, Et al
Giant Mischief ran a huge race second time out at Keeneland, when he won a seven-furlong allowance race in 1:22.30. He was then compromised by an awful start in the listed Springboard Mile at Remington Park, where he settled for second. He's since posted some head-turning workouts at Fair Grounds in the past few weeks. That makes him another potential contender in a loaded barn looking for either its first or second Kentucky Derby victory (depending on how you view the events of 2021, which still haven't been finalized in a court of law nearly two years later).
Giant Mischief was bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, out of the Grade 2-winning Giant Oak mare Vertical Oak. He sold for $475,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. Stonestreet acquired Vertical Oak, with Giant Mischief in-utero, for $700,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
#16: Cyclone Mischief
Into Mischief colt Cyclone Mischief, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, draws off to win an allowance-optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park
Pedigree: Into Mischief – Areyoucominghere (by Bernardini)
Owner: Albaugh Family Stables, Castleton Lyons
Trainer: Dale Romans
Breeder: Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Dale Romans was very high on Cyclone Mischief earlier this month, and for good reason. His January allowance win, where he drubbed next-out Sam F. Davis winner Litigate by nearly six lengths, was outstanding. However, he was a non-threatening seventh as the 6/5 favorite in the Holy Bull. There's still time left for him to bounce back before the Derby, though, and anything close to his two-back form would make him a formidable foe.
Cyclone Mischief was bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, out of the unplaced Bernardini mare Areyoucominghere. He sold to Albaugh Family Stables for $450,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. Areyoucominghere was purchased by Castleton Lyons, pregnant to Into Mischief, for $350,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.
#17: Practical Move
Practical Move and jockey Ramon Vazquez winning the Los Alamitos Futurity
Breeder: Breeder: Chad Brown & Head of Plains Partners (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 10
Practical Move was the fourth choice in a five-horse field in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity, but he took to two turns like a duck to water, drawing away to win by more than three lengths. He has yet to make his 3-year-old debut, but he's been working consistently at Santa Anita and could get a chance in a high-profile Derby prep fairly soon. Odd fact: One of this horse's co-breeders is trainer Chad Brown (he trained stakes-placed dam Ack Naughty from 2014 to 2017).
Practical Move was bred in Kentucky by Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners, out of the stakes-placed Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty. He sold to his current ownership for $230,000 at the 2022 OBS Spring sale. Ack Naughty was recently sold, pregnant to Upstart, to Chester and Mary Broman for $500,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale.
Groveland's trip in the Sam F. Davis wasn't quite as poor as the ones experienced by some of his rivals, but he had some rough racing luck. He was shut off on the rail going into the far turn and seemed to lose interest when Litigate swept by, but he re-rallied to run second (and did so in a way where Litigate wasn't pulling away at the wire). He almost certainly needs to move forward off of that effort, but I think there's reason to believe he can do so.
Groveland was bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, out of the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Lucknow, who also raced a homebred for the operation of Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum. Lucknow, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Better Lucky, sold in-foal to Frosted for $35,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January sale.
#19: Red Route One
Red Route One breaks his maiden at Kentucky Downs, with Vincent Cheminaud aboard
Pedigree: Gun Runner – Red House (by Tapit)
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Breeder: Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY)
Kentucky Derby points: 13
The owner/trainer combination that suffered a horrendous beat in last year's Derby may be back with another runner this May. Red Route One is still eligible for a first-level allowance, but he's picked up some pretty big checks. He ran third in last year's Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and rallied from last to be second behind Arabian Knight in the G3 Southwest.
Red Route One was bred in Kentucky by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, out of the unraced Tapit mare Red House, and he is a full-brother to stakes-winner Red Run. Red House is herself a Winchell homebred, out of 2014 Broodmare of the Year Fun House, making her a full-sister to champion Untapable and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Paddy O'Prado.
#20: Shadow Dragon
Shadow Dragon
Pedigree: Army Mule – Fire Assay (by Medaglia d'Oro)
Owner: Peachtree Stable
Trainer: Bill Mott
Breeder: AJ Suited (NY)
Kentucky Derby points: 8
Last October's Sleepy Hollow Stakes turned out to be a pretty significant race. The winner, Arctic Arrogance, has run second in three straight races on the Derby trail. The sixth-place finisher, Shadow Dragon, pretty clearly bounced off of a solid first-out win that day and came back to run a close-up second in the Holy Bull. That race at Gulfstream wasn't the most highly-regarded event, but Gulfstream is also not always kind to closers, and this one ran pretty well in what was just his third lifetime start.
