April, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

No Decision Yet: Sunland Derby Winner Wild On Ice To Breeze Friday, May Fly To Louisville Sunday

There's a flight from New Mexico to Kentucky on Sunday, April 9. Trainer Joel Marr told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday that he and owner/breeder Frank Sumpter have yet to decide whether their Sunland Derby upsetter Wild On Ice will be on that flight.

“He's doing well,” Marr told DRF. “We're planning on a little breeze on Friday. We're going to determine what's going on after that. We have a possible flight on Sunday, so we'll just see how it goes and how he comes back.”

The son of Tapizar won the G3 Sunland Derby by 1 1/4 lengths at odds of 35-1, earning 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. That total places Wild On Ice tenth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, and a late nomination fee of $6,000 was paid by the March 27 deadline to make Wild On Ice eligible for the Triple Crown.

Wild On Ice is out of the winning Grand Slam mare Slamitagain, from the family of Florida Derby winner Vicar.

That Sunday flight will have Sunland Park Oaks winner Flying Connection on board. Trained by Todd Fincher, the Nyquist filly has won four of her seven lifetime starts for earnings of $294,700.

Rick Dutrow Returns to Work

Rick Dutrow was on the Belmont backstretch Tuesday morning preparing for the rest of his career after an absence of more than ten years, the result of his license being revoked by the New York racing authorities. Dutrow had his license reinstated by the New York Gaming Commission on Feb. 27, but said that Tuesday was his first day back at work.

“They gave me stalls in barn 28,” Dutrow said. “They allowed me to come back [Tuesday]. It was mid-day and I went straight to the barn to set things up. I will have a couple of horses by the end of the week and hope to keep adding from there. I'm back and all is good. I just want to look forward. I don't want to look back at what happened. How does it feel? Great. Just great.”

Dutrow said he will welcome his first horse on Thursday, one that will be arriving from Ocala by van. He was not sure when he will make his first start, but said he will look to claim horses right away.

“Everything has been cleared up,” he said. “There are no more rules or regulations standing in the way. It's all good.”

Showing some of the same bravado that was one of his trademarks before he lost his license, Dutrow said he was ready to celebrate after finishing work on Wednesday.

“I'm sweating after working,” he said. “I'm going to go take a shower and then have a couple of beers. I love it.”

While he so far has commitments to train just a handful of horses, he expects that his numbers will grow quickly.

“I'm ready to claim, ready to buy,” he said. “Then I'll be ready to win. I can't wait to start training horses again. I think after Saratoga is over I should have 25 to 35 horses. But who knows? I want to start claiming horses, but that's not always so easy since so many of the claims come down to shakes. But my intention is to have as many racing as I can and as quickly as I can. We'll be as aggressive as we can be.”

At the height of his career Dutrow was winning 150 or more races a year and dealt with some of the best horses in the sport, including GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. winner Big Brown (Boundary) and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Saint Liam (Saint Ballado).

When asked if he could start winning at that rate and in major races again, Dutrow replied: “I'm hoping so, that I can do as well as I did. I'm going to try.”

Dutrow, 63, said he was pleased with his barn assignment because it included a lot of empty stalls, which he hopes to fill.

“They put me in a good barn,” he said. “If I had a van load of horses coming in I'd have spots for them right away. In this barn, there's a lot of room for me to grow.”

Dutrow's last start came on Jan. 16, 2013 at Aqueduct. In 2011, he had his license revoked for 10 years by State Racing and Wagering Board, the predecessor of the New York Gaming Commission. He was charged with a number of violations that included the finding of syringes loaded with unauthorized medication in the desk draw of his barn. He fought the case until exhausting all his legal challenges early in 2013 and had his license revoked for 10 years. Upon the end of what amounted to a 10-year ban, Dutrow applied to the Gaming Commission for a license, which was granted in late February.

“Following a review by the bureau of licensing in consultation with the division of racing, the review found that Mr. Dutrow satisfied the penalty imposed by the Racing and Wagering Board and his record is bereft of transgressions during his period of revocation,” Gaming Commission Executive Director Rob Williams said at the time. “Accordingly, the bureau has determined to issue a license to Mr. Dutrow to participate in New York horse racing.”

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Observations: Justify Duo Debut For Ballydoyle

Observations web blurb: Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring.Wednesday's Observations features a pair of Justify colts debuting for Ballydole at Leopardstown.

1.55 Leopardstown, Mdn, €15,000, 3yo, f, 10fT
ALL TIME GREAT (Justify) is the third foal out of the GI E. P. Taylor S. and G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who has produced the GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. runner-up Caisson (War Front). From the family of the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas-winning sire Power (GB), the February-foaled chestnut is partnered by Seamie Heffernan as Ballydoyle continue to put their Classic hopes under the microscope.

2.30 Leopardstown, Mdn, €12,500, 3yo, c/g, 10fT
THE BLACK TIGER is another progeny of Justify to represent Rosegreen on the card, with Ryan Moore opting for this unraced half-brother to the G3 Prix des Chenes scorer and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International-placed Ancient Rome (War Front) and his full-sister Etoile, who captured the G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies' Sprint S. on her debut. The dam Gagnoa (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who was twice a group 3 winner and was placed in three Classics including when second in the G1 Prix de Diane, is kin to the Derby hero Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Also from Ballydoyle is The Prairie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a son of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who was fourth at Killarney in October, while Jessie Harrington introduces Yuesheng Zhang's Dubawi Delight (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a gelded son of the famed Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) who was a 425,000gns Book 1 purchase.

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‘We’re Not Ruling Anything Out’: Arkansas Derby Fourth Rocket Can Still Under Consideration For Kentucky Derby

Fourth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, Frank Fletcher's Rocket Can may yet prove himself worthy of a start in the Run for the Roses. The 3-year-old son of Into Mischief remains under consideration for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Bill Mott told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday.

Rocket Can will ship to Churchill Downs with the rest of Mott's string late Tuesday night, but the trainer emphasized that shipping to Louisville doesn't mean a decision has been made about the Derby.

“We're not ruling anything out,” Mott told DRF. “We'll see how he comes back and how he does and we'll go from there. We have a stable there, anyways, so he's going to train there this month. If he continues to do real well and we're excited about the way he's training, we'll point him in the direction of the Kentucky Derby.”

With 60 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, currently ranking seventh, Mott believes Rocket Can “probably” has enough points to make the main body of the field.

Prior to the Arkansas Derby, Rocket Can won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes and finished second to champion Forte in the G2 Fountain of Youth. Rocket Can was bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds out of the placed Tapit mare Tension, herself out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Tiznow mare Tough Tiz's Sis.