Trainer Larry Rivelli harbors no illusions that 4-for-5 Act a Fool can measure up to the ability of his Kentucky Derby runner-up and $1.5 million-earner Two Phil's, who impressively won the June 24 Ohio Derby only to sustain a career-ending injury.
But Rivelli will be plenty thrilled if Act a Fool proves good enough to win Saturday's Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Act a Fool is co-owned by Vince Foglia's Patricia's Hope LLC, the majority owner in Two Phil's.
“There's not much sting with Two Phil's,” Rivelli said of his stable star's premature retirement. “It was bad luck and stuff happened. But he's going to have a career as a stallion, hopefully a really successful one. We just ended up retiring him a couple of races earlier than we probably would have, that's all.
“As far as this horse, he's got to step it up a little bit. But he hasn't done anything wrong. It's time to take that next jump. His last race, the Hawthorne Derby, was a little bit of a jump. There were a couple of horses in there better than the horses he'd beaten before. He kind of ran them off their feet. It wasn't even close. He was in front and never looked back.”
Hence, Rivelli makes no bones about his tactics: Make 'em catch Act a Fool, who has been on or very near the early lead in all his victories, expanding his margin through the stretch. The pace those days was moderate, if not pedestrian, so the question remains if Act a Fool is best on the lead or just towered over his Hawthorne rivals and found himself in front by being more athletic.
“He definitely can rate outside of one or behind one,” Rivelli said. “(But) I'm going to send him to the lead and let those guys figure it out. I'll be in front, I promise you that.”
Act a Fool's wins have all come at Rivelli's home track of Hawthorne Race Course since a disastrous debut Jan. 13 over Turfway Park's Tapeta surface, when he faded to last of 12, beaten 60 lengths. Act a Fool won three races on dirt at the Chicago track by 16 1/2 lengths before rolling to a 4 1/2-length romp in the $100,000 Hawthorne Derby at 1 1/8 miles over yielding turf.
“I've always thought he was a pretty nice horse,” Rivelli said. “We ran at Turfway and had high hopes that day, and he just didn't run at all. I don't know what it really had to do with. We went back to the drawing board, and I put him in at Hawthorne. It's obviously an easier venue, and he hasn't lost since.”
That he thrived on grass was not a surprise, with Act a Fool being a son of turf standout Oscar Performance.
“I don't know if it's dirt, turf, if he likes one better, but he's certainly taken care of the competition there pretty easily,” Rivelli said. “Much deeper waters here, but he definitely warrants a shot to see if he can hang with these kind of horses.”
Rivelli also is running Patricia Hope's speedy turf sprinter Nobals in Friday's $100,000 William Garrett Stakes. Nobals — a $3,500 yearling purchase for his prior owner and winner of Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at 38-1 odds in his last start — is the 8-5 favorite in the William Garrett.
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