OCALA, FL – While it took some time to find its stride, the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training gained momentum throughout the day and concluded with figures in line with the first session of its record-setting 2023 renewal.

“I thought it was a good day,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “A good horse sells well and I thought we had a lot of nice horses today. Holding true to last year, that's a great start to the week. Obviously, there are a lot of nice horses left to come.”

From a catalogue of 302 juveniles, 205 horses went through the ring Tuesday for a gross of $19,725,000. The average of $136,034 was right on par with the 2023 figure of $136,665, while the median of $87,000 rose 16% from a year ago.

With 60 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 29.3%.

The auction's first hour included a number of RNA's as the Spring Sale settled into rhythm and many of them were getting sold Tuesday evening after bidding had stopped for the evening.

“I think some of that was the sale just getting started,” Wojciechowski said of the measured start to the sale. “I think a little bit of that maybe getting their feet wet, getting their sea legs. I wouldn't be surprised to see a number of those horses getting sold in the post-sale setting here pretty quick.”

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni and trainer Bob Baffert purchased the session's top-priced lot, going to $775,000 for a filly by Caracaro on behalf of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The filly was consigned by Global Thoroughbreds.

Pedro Lantz, bidding on behalf of KAS Stables, purchased the session's top-priced colt, a son of Global Campaign, for $650,000. The juvenile was consigned by Eddie Woods, who was the session's leading consignor with nine sold for $2,213,500.

The OBS Spring sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10:30 a.m.

Three Amigos Strike for Caracaro Filly

A filly from the first crop of Grade I-placed Caracaro (hip 199) turned heads with a quarter-mile work in :20 2/5 during last week's under-tack show and she duly delivered in the sales ring Tuesday when selling for session-topping $775,000. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, alongside trainer Bob Baffert, handled bidding out back of the pavilion to acquire the speedy filly on behalf of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. She was consigned by Global Thoroughbreds and was bred by the consignment's Rafael Celis.

The Caracaro filly's work last week | Judit Seipert

“We are happy to get her,” Lanni said. “She did everything she was asked to do. She went fast, came back great.”

The filly is out of Key d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-sister to stakes-placed Twirled (Twirling Candy).

Caracaro, who was second in the 2020 GI Travers S. and GIII Peter Pan S., stands at Crestwood Farm for $6,500.

“He is throwing a beautiful athletic horse,” Lanni said of the stallion's first crop of foals. “You see a lot of Uncle Mo's influence.” @JessMartiniTDN

Caracaro Keeps Rewarding Celis

Caracaro is the stallion who keeps giving for Rafael Celis, who campaigned the bay in partnership with Lucas Noriego's Top Racing. After watching his homebred filly from the first crop of Caracaro sell for $775,000 at OBS Tuesday, the native of Venezuela was beaming with pride.

Rafael Celis and family | Jessica Martini

“That was our best filly in the whole program,” Celis said. “We had high expectations for her. She's by Caracaro, who is our stallion that we own with Crestwood Farm. We were really excited about her. She had been doing well all the way in training. We weren't sure if we should work her a furlong or a quarter, but she prepped really nice and we decided to go a quarter. She was really fast and the gallop out was really strong. She went out in :44 and :59, which was very good.”

Celis purchased Caracaro for $95,000 as a weanling at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. He admitted he almost had the horse sold as a 2-year-old in 2019.

“In our program, we buy weanlings and take them to the 2-year-old sales,” Celis said. “That's what we do. I almost had him sold, but he had an issue and we got him back after we sold him. So we decided to race him.”

In the COVID-delayed season of 2020, Caracaro broke his maiden by six lengths at Gulfstream Park in January and returned to just miss when second behind Country Grammer in the GIII Peter Pan S. in July. He was second behind Tiz the Law in the GI Travers S. in what proved to be his final career start.

“We qualified for the Kentucky Derby, but we couldn't make it because he had a problem with his suspensory,” Celis said. “We couldn't race in the Derby, so we went shopping around to see who wanted him as a stallion. The Crestwood people were open and we made a deal with them.”

While Celis has just 10 broodmares in the U.S., his family has plenty of experience in the breeding industry.

“We have a breeding farm in Venezuela,” he said. “So we have been in the horse business for 50 years. The name of Caracaro is actually the name of our farm in Venezuela, which my father, who passed away, named and that's why we named the horse Caracaro.”

Celis will offer two more juveniles by Caracaro this spring and has an additional 10 yearlings for next year. But he won't completely divest his foals by the stallion.

“We are going to keep two for racing,” he said. @JessMartiniTDN

Global Campaign Colt Sells To KAS Stables

Hip 291, a colt consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent III from the first crop of WinStar's Global Campaign, may be bound for Saudi Arabia after bringing a final bid of $650,000 from Pedro Lantz, acting as agent for KAS Stables. Selling late in Tuesday's session, the colt impressed Lantz not only during his :10 breeze last week but also as a yearling at OBS last October.

Global Campaign | Sarah Andrew

“I tried to buy this horse as a yearling at OBS October [last year]. And I saw his breeze–he has spectacular action and a very fluid stride.”

Buying for Saudi Arabia-based KSA Stables, Lantz noted that the colt may ship overseas but could also stay in America as KSA is looking to expand their operation. By Global Campaign, who is represented by his first 2-year-olds this year, the colt's price exceeded Lantz's expectations.

“I was expecting four [hundred thousand], maybe five [hundred thousand] but people are paying and everyone is on the same horses. So I told them [KSA Stables] to be prepared for at least five [hundred thousand] because the horse [vetted] clean and was about perfect.”

Lantz was busy throughout the day, also picking up hip 195, a filly by Nyquist also from the Eddie Woods consignment for KAS Stables bound for Saudi Arabia, and looks to stay busy throughout the remainder of the week.

“This is a sale that you can get a good horse,” Lantz continued. “I expect to go for [a few] more horses this week. There are a lot of nice horses–in the final two days especially.” @SGrimmTDN

Uncle Mo Filly to Coolmore

A filly by Uncle Mo (hip 166) jumped to the top midway through the session at OBS Tuesday when selling for $600,000 to Justin Casse, who was bidding on behalf of Coolmore's M.V. Magnier. The bay, who was consigned by Tom McCrocklin, worked a quarter-mile last week in :20 3/5. She is out of graded winner Jacaranda (Congrats), who is a half-sister to Constitution and is the dam of Grade I-placed Be You (Curlin) and stakes-placed American West (Curlin).

Justin Casse at OBS in March | Photos by Z

“She is extremely attractive,” Casse said of the filly. “It's a lovely family. The dam is a half-sister to Constitution. She's an Uncle Mo filly, everything you would want from a nice female family sire line and possible future broodmare prospect.”

McCrocklin purchased the filly for $380,000 on behalf of Michael Sucher's Champion Equine at the Fasig-Tipton October sale last fall.

Of the filly's final price tag Tuesday, Casse said, “I thought she was one of the best fillies here, so it was good to get in at that price. I haven't seen what the rest of the sale has been like, I know it's early, but we are happy to get her.” @JessMartiniTDN

Spendthrift Partners Up on Nyquist Colt

A third of the way through Tuesday's opening session, Spendthrift Farms's Ned Toffey started the action off, going to $550,000 for a colt (hip 125) by GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Bred in Maryland by Bowman and Higgins Stable, the colt was purchased as a yearling for a sale-topping $205,000 by Thorostock & Seth Morris Thoroughbreds at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale and is out of a winning half-sister to the dam of MGISW and young Spendthrift sire Cyberknife (Gun Runner).

Ned Toffey | Spendthrift

“He was hard to miss,” said Toffey after signing the ticket. “He's a big, beautiful colt and [we] had him identified based off his breeze. I love the sire and he's just a big, athletic-looking horse.”

Toffey confirmed that the colt, who worked in :10,  will head west to race in partnership with MKW Racing and Breeding LLC.

“He'll go back to Spendthrift to get a little bit of a break and then we'll send him out to Richard Mandella.” @SGrimmTDN

Maryland Sale Topper Shines at OBS

A Maryland-bred son of Nyquist (hip 125) brought the top price of last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale when bringing a final bid of $205,000 from Thorostock and Seth Morris Thoroughbreds and he helped kick start the OBS Spring sale Tuesday when selling for $550,000 to Spendthrift Farm/MKW Racing and Breeding.

“He was an extraordinarily well-balanced, good-minded horse,” Thorostock's Nick Sallusto said after sending the colt through the ring Tuesday. “He had almost perfect conformation. He was really typical of Nyquist. We felt really lucky the day we found him.”

Nyquist | Sarah Andrew

Sallusto continued, “At the time, Nyquist wasn't as fashionable as he is right now. But I have long been a fan of his. I just felt he was a lot of horse at that particular sale and I wasn't sure I would be able to get him.”

The juvenile worked a furlong during last week's under-tack show in :10 flat.

“He's really advanced since [October],” Sallusto said. “He is a later foal, so we knew he had plenty of advancement left in him. And he still does. He has so much more to go. He has put every foot forward the right way. He never had a day of missed training. He was a lovely horse.” @JessMartiniTDN

Omaha Beach Filly Brings $390,000 For JVC Training And Sales

JVC Training and Sales's Jorge Villagomez saw a good return on investment when the Omaha Beach filly (hip 127) he purchased for clients for $40,000 at Keeneland September last year brought a final bid of $390,000 from Woodford Thoroughbreds during Tuesday's session.

“Her particularly, she's been special for a long time,” said Villagomez. “They say the cream always rises to the top and she was always very fast so it's no surprise that she came over here and did what she did.”

Omaha Beach | Spendthrift/Autry Graham

After working in :10, hip 127 stayed busy throughout the lead up to the sale.

Villagomez continued: “She had a ton of activity–almost an overwhelming amount. She was shown over 100 times and got plenty of attention [from vettings]. We're not at all surprised that she brought the kind of money she did. [Her breeze] was exceptional and everyone was on her.”

Early in the sale, Villagomez, who will sell three more hips later in the week, was cautiously optimistic on his expectations.

“For the good horses? The buyers are here. They're here for horses that breeze well and [vet] well. The rest of [the horses] will be hit or miss. But I don't think anyone will have a problem selling a good horse.” @SGrimmTDN

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In response, the CHRB have denied a stay of the stewards' decision but stated that it will “assign a Hearing Officer in this matter where the issue of timeliness of the appeal and appeal itself will be heard and a proposed decision submitted to the Board for consideration,” according to an order issued by the CHRB Tuesday.

The plaintiffs in the appeal are owners China Horse Club International Limited, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm, jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert.

After the New York Times first reported that Justify had tested positive post-race for scopolamine, Mick Ruis, owner-trainer of the runner-up that day, Bolt d'Oro, sought to have the result of the race overturned with Bolt d'Oro declared the winner.

Ruis alleged that the CHRB failed to follow its own rules when it decided not to pursue penalties after Justify's positive test. The CHRB argued that Justify should not be disqualified because the positive test was the result of contamination linked to jimson weed.

At the end of last year, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered the CHRB to set aside the stewards' 2020 decision and issue a new ruling disqualifying winner Justify from the Santa Anita Derby.

Early in March, the CHRB reached a separate settlement that called for the agency to pay Ruis $300,000, and to order a redistribution of the $1-million purse.

In last week's notice, Amanda Groves, who represents Justify's connections, argued that grounds for an appeal included how the plaintiffs were not a party to the lawsuit between Ruis and the CHRB, leading to “Procedural irregularities and denial of due process and/or a fair and impartial hearing.”

Groves also reiterated the CHRB's original claim, writing that “it is undisputed that the positive scopolamine test was a result of environmental contamination due to inadvertent exposure to jimsonweed in hay/straw.”

BloodHorse reported that Ruis's attorneys had filed a response arguing that none of the grounds raised in the appeal are relevant.

When asked about the contents of the letter, Darrell Vienna, who represents Ruis, told the TDN that the CHRB issued the disqualification order “because they were ordered to do so by the court.”

The court did not demand that the CHRB hold another hearing on the matter, Vienna added. “It just issued an order to disqualify the horse, Justify, and to redistribute the purse,” he said.

“If the Justify parties have issue with that, that issue should be addressed at the Superior Court, in my opinion,” said Vienna. “If the court orders a subordinate agency to do something, they must do it.”

According to last week's notice of appeal, Justify's first-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby accrued the owners a combined $585,000, while Smith and Baffert each received $58,450.

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Bred by Richard Heysek's Caperlane Farm, who was also presented with the Needles Award recognizing the Small Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year in Florida, the Bob Baffert runner also took home the awards for champion 3-year-old colt and champion male sprinter. In 2023, Speed Boat Beach won the GI Malibu S. at Santa Anita Park and finished second in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship H.

Marilyn Campbell's Stonehedge LLC took home Florida Breeder of the Year and leading breeder by Florida-bred earnings awards after Stonehedge-bred runners earned over $3.3-million with 103 wins during the year. Arindel was crowned leading owner by state-bred earnings with over $1.69-million to their credit.

Florida stalwart Khozan took home honors as the 2023 Florida Stallion of the Year, a fourth consecutive title, and tied Montbrook and Wildcat Heir by title count. He's the only Florida stallion to be honored four years in a row going back to 1991.

Florida-based Jena Antonucci was presented the 2023 Bruce Campbell Award for outstanding achievement as the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race. Stuart Morris and Ruben M. Sanchez' Really and Truly Thoroughbreds were awarded the 2023 Joseph M. O'Farrell Memorial Award, presented by Ocala Breeders' Sales Company to the consignors of Speed Boat Beach, the top Florida-bred of the year who graduated from an OBS auction. Saffie Joseph Jr. was recognized as the leading Florida trainer by state-bred earnings and tied with Kathleen O'Connell and Jose D'Angelo as leading trainer by state-bred wins. Joseph and D'Angelo tied for leading trainer by black-type wins.

Other Florida-bred champions on the night were:

• 2-Year-Old Fillies: Honey Dijon (Girvin) and R Harper Rose (Khozan), who tied for the award
• 2-Year-Old Colt: Bentornato (Valiant Minister)
• 3-Year-Old Filly: Dorth Vader (Girvin)
• Older Female and Female Sprinter: Maryquitecontrary (First Dude)
• Older Horse: Isolate (Mark Valeksi)
• Male Turf Horse: Me and Mr. C (Khozan)
• Female Turf Horse: Sweet Dani Girl.(Jess's Dream)

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Ron Flatter of Horse Racing Nation reported that the judge in Zedan's lawsuit against Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) was “prepared to rule” on Zedan's motion for an injunction and/or on CDI's motion to dismiss the case entirely, but wanted to wait until the Kentucky attorney general weighed in on the constitutionality of a law that CDI is citing that is designed to prevent the filing of allegedly frivolous lawsuits.

Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal reported that John Quinn, an attorney representing Zedan, argued Apr. 15 that the decision to extend Baffert's previous two-year suspension was based on the “subjective opinion” of CDI's chief executive, Bill Carstanjen.

Matt Hegarty of Daily Racing Form wrote that judge Mitchell Perry “spent much of Monday's hearing drilling attorneys for Zedan on why the owner waited to file his request for a temporary injunction until April when it was known that Baffert had been banned through the 2024 Derby in July of the previous year.” Perry told Zedan's legal team that much of the relief they were seeking could have been issued at any point in the last 10 months after stating that the late hour of their request was putting 'an incredible time crunch on everyone involved, including this court.'”

Hegarty also quoted a lawyer for CDI, Thomas Dupree, as stating to the judge that Zedan was well aware his horses would not earn Derby qualifying points if they were under Baffert's care.

“He knew back in July of last year that if he kept Mr. Baffert as his trainer then his horses would not be eligible,” Hegarty's DRF story quoted Dupree. “Each time, he decided to stick with Mr. Baffert, knowing the consequences of his decision, and he now regrets that decision.”

After the Zedan-owned and Baffert-trained Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone in the 2021 Derby, Baffert was banned from CDI's properties for two years. A federal judge in February 2023 denied Baffert a preliminary injunction that the Hall-of-Fame trainer had sought to be eligible to race in the Derby. Last July CDI extended the ban at least through 2024. Baffert is not a party to this latest lawsuit.

Zedan owns the GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth (Good Magic), who would be among the Derby favorites if allowed to race.

It is unclear if a ruling in favor of Zedan would allow other Baffert trainees owned by different entities to also participate in the Derby, or if any lifting of the ban would also permit Baffert's trainees to enter the GI Kentucky Oaks.

After the hearing, a spokesperson for Zedan issued the following statement to TDN: “We appreciate the attention the Judge has paid to this case and we share the court's interest in definitively resolving these issues for the 150th Derby and beyond. We look forward to his rulings on our case.”

TDN also requested comment from CDI, but a spokesperson for the corporation did not respond prior to deadline for this story.

Next up is an Apr. 17 hearing.

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1) MUTH (c, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 6-4-2-0, $1,504,100. Last start: WON Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby.

Right now there's a court showdown in Kentucky initiated by Muth's owner, Amr Zedan, to try and get this son of Good Magic ($190,000 KEESEP, $2 million OBSMAR) eligible to start in the Derby despite a corporate ban by Churchill Downs against Bob Baffert's trainees.

This 'TDN Rising Star' and winner of the GI Arkansas Derby would be among the favorites if he were granted access to the gate in Louisville. Otherwise, Baffert has indicated Muth is on target for the GI Preakness S.

Muth reacted professionally to two disruptive attempts in the early stages of the Arkansas Derby. Off as the 2.3-1 second choice, he showed good speed early, then Juan Hernandez conceded the lead when a 26-1 shot slipped through at the rail. When 11-10 favorite Timberlake (Into Mischief) unexpectedly accelerated between rivals at the 6 ½-furlong pole to seize the lead, Muth shadowed him about a length back while not expending much energy in doing so.

Muth began to gather serious momentum 3 ½ furlongs out, and opened up under a hand ride past his spent rival. Muth was then kept to task by Hernandez in the stretch to win by two lengths over Just Steel (Justify), and at no point did he appear to be scraping the bottom of his stamina reserves.

Muth has four wins and a pair of seconds from six lifetime races since breaking his maiden way back on June 18. He was second in the GIII Best Pal S., first in the GI American Pharoah S., second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, then a winner in the GII San Vicente S. prior to his tally at Oaklawn.

2) SIERRA LEONE (c, Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael B Tabor, Derrick Smith Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing LLC & Peter M Brant; B-Debby M Oxley (KY); T-Chad Brown. Sales history: $2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-3-1-0, $918,000. Last start: WON Apr. 6 GI Blue Grass S.

When speed figures get adjusted several races after those numbers were initially assigned, it squares away potential inaccuracies moving forward. But this process of revising numerical ratings also can give horseplayers fits, because the changes can significantly alter one's perception of the overall pecking order.

A case in point was last week's Beyer Speed Figure change for Sierra Leone. After this $2.3 million FTSAUG sale-topper earned a 98 in winning the Apr. 6 GI Blue Grass S., Andrew Beyer told Daily Racing Form's David Grening that the colt's winning figure for the GII Risen Star S. would be upgraded from 90 to 95, and that all the horses who finished behind Sierra Leone would also be get a five-point boost.

“The Fair Grounds track was sloppy on Feb. 17, and may have been getting slower when the Risen Star was run,” Beyer told DRF. “Moreover, the pace of the Risen Star was slow enough to hinder horses from running a fast final time.

“The subsequent performances of horses in the field demonstrated that our initial figure was too low,” Beyer explained. “Three of the top five finishers all came back to win important stakes, and all five of these horses earned speed figures five or more points higher than their published numbers for the Risen Star.”

So Sierra Leone's career Beyer arc now reads 71-91-95-98 instead of 71-91-90-98.

The betting public's assessment of Gun Runner-sired 'TDN Rising Star' probably won't change all that much because of how the numbers paint him. He's capable of making one sustained run from five furlongs out, and as the Derby's best-credentialed closer, Sierra Leone will vie for favoritism with 2-year-old champ and fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness, who projects to be a pacemaker.

3) FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (c, Reel Steel {Jpn}–Forever Darling, by Congrats). O-Susumu Fujita; B-Northern Racing; T-Yoshito Yahagi. Sales History: ¥98,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHAJUL. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $2,049,451. Last start: WON Mar. 30 G2 UAE Derby.

The 5-for-5 Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) arrived at Churchill Downs on Saturday, then jogged in the one-mile chute for about 20 minutes before taking a 1 1/8-mile gallop Sunday.

This Yoshito Yahagi trainee, who sold for the equivalent of $720,603 at the JRHA Select Yearling and Foal sale, has earned the distinction of being the most credible foreign threat in the Derby since the advent of the points qualifying system.

Forever Young's victory in the G2 UAE Derby over 1900 meters stamped him as an A-lister based on his ground-conceding outside trip that featured deft shifting into consecutively higher gears and a confident drawing-away in the stretch.

Although there were only four dirt races on the G1 Dubai World Cup card at Meydan that day, two of them were blowout wins by speed horses who rode the rail, suggesting that the wide-all-the-way run by Forever Young could have been against the grain of the way the track was playing.

This colt's chances in the Derby will be augmented if jockey Ryusei Sakai can carve out a stalking trip that utilizes Forever Young's tactical speed to put him somewhere in the first flight or just behind it. Although he has come from farther back in several of his victories, rating from way off the tailgate in a 20-horse Derby doesn't seem like the most effective use of his cruising ability.

4) FIERCENESS (c, City of Light–Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty) 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Repole Stable (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo, MGISW, 5-3-0-1, $1,703,850. Last start: WON Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby.

Now that all the speed-figure cards for the Derby are face-up on the table, the 110 Beyer awarded to 'TDN Rising Star' and 2-year-old champ Fierceness for his GI Florida Derby win stands atop the crop.

The chief question for handicappers though, is whether you think this Repole Stable homebred by City of Light can replicate or better that gaudy number in the Derby. It was earned under ideal circumstances in a 13 1/4 -length blowout against no other horses currently ranked among TDN's Top 20 sophomores.

A few weeks back the Derby was shaping up as a race lacking strong early speed horses. Now that vacuum has been theoretically filled, with Fierceness, Track Phantom (Quality Road), Dornoch (Good Magic), T O Password (JPN) (Copano Rickey (JPN)), and possibly Encino (Nyquist) all likely to want a say in the early fray.

When Fierceness is on his game, he is one of the most dangerous colts in the division. But excelling under adversity has not been his strong suit, with two baffling, odds-on losses in the GI Champagne S. and GIII Holy Bull S. offsetting resounding scores in his Saratoga unveiling, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and the Florida Derby.

5) TRACK PHANTOM (c, Quality Road–Miss Sunset, by Into Mischief) O-L and N Racing LLC, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom & Breeze Easy LLC; B-Breeze Easy (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Sales history: $500,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-2-1, $405,000. Last start: 4th in Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby.

I always try to rate “how he did it” over “how fast” when handicapping. But in Track Phantom's case, even though I've consistently liked the way he's gone about his business when challenges have been thrown in his path, I still have nagging doubts about whether this colt is truly fast enough to be able to pull off a Derby win.

This $500,000 KEESEP son of Quality Road has handled different types of pace pressure despite being routinely drawn in or near the outside stall. He has engaged in several hard-fought stretch battles, and has run well over two different types of wet tracks at Fair Grounds and Churchill.

Even his beaten-fave fourth-place try after setting a moderate pace in the GII Louisiana Derby wasn't as bad as it might seem. Closers stacked up five across the lane behind Track Phantom at the top of the stretch, yet he didn't capitulate until the sixteenth pole.

Track Phantom isn't a flashy sort, but you have to give him points for consistency. Getting out of the gate is crucial in the Derby. This colt has been on the lead at the first call in five of his seven lifetime races, and in the two others he was second, just a head behind.

Trainer Steve Asmussen will try blinkers on Track Phantom for the Derby. After pairing 94 Beyers in his last two efforts, he'll need about a 10-point improvement to win.

Dornoch is the full-brother to Derby winner Mage | Ryan Thompson

6) DORNOCH (c, Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown) O-West Paces Racing LLC, R A Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC, Two Eight Racing LLC & Pine Racing Stables; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-Danny Gargan. Sales history: $325,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 6-3-2-0, $552,275. Last start: 4th in the GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 6.

Dornoch has lost some steam in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools, going from 9-1 in February to 12-1 in March to 15-1 in April.

Although this son of Good Magic has cachet because he is a full brother to 2023 Derby winner Mage, his no-impact fourth in the Blue Grass S. wasn't an emphatic enough of a final prep to stamp him as a major contender.

Although I wouldn't recommend singling Dornoch, it wouldn't be prudent to eliminate him off your Derby tickets entirely. Trainer Danny Gargan was asking this $325,000 KEESEP colt to change tactics by rating from behind horses in the Blue Grass, and after conceding that bit of schooling didn't work out, he said Luis Saez will be instructed just to let Dornoch roll from the gate in the Derby.

Gargan has spent the winter at Palm Meadows trying to get the brawny-framed Dornoch to maintain a keen sense of focus. If the figurative lightbulb clicks on in the Derby, look out.

7) JUST A TOUCH (c, Justify-Touching Beauty, by Tapit) O-Qatar Racing LLC, Resolute Racing & Marc Detampel; B-Don Alberto Corp. (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $170,000 RNA '22 KEESEP; $125,000 yrl '22 FTKOCT; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 3-1-2-0, $281,700. Last start: 2nd in GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 6.

Just a Touch deserves praise for what he has accomplished in only three starts. But since his second-place effort in the Blue Grass S., his bandwagon has become crowded enough to warrant a reality check. Are Derby prognosticators “reaching” for a horse who has yet to truly peak?

In the Blue Grass, this Brad Cox-trained colt ($170,000 RNA KEESEP, $125,000 FTKOCT, $300,000 OBSAPR) pressed a rapid pace, then gained control of the lead from the three-sixteenths marker until just before the sixteenth pole. He was no match for the locomotive-like close of Sierra Leone, but he didn't pack it in, and after being beaten only 1 ½ lengths, galloped out well.

Prior to that, Just a Touch broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths sprinting at Fair Grounds Jan. 27, then was a wide but willing second in the Mar. 2 GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct, both in the slop.

The post-Blue Grass reasoning has focused on how if Just a Touch could deliver such a good showing in only his first race around two turns and in his first race on a dry track, he just might be capable of turning in the over-the-top effort he will need to win the Derby, which will be run one day prior to his third birthdate.

From 1900 to the present, 26 horses have attempted to win the Kentucky Derby with exactly three lifetime starts. Only four have won: Mage in 2023, Justify in 2018, Big Brown in 2008 and Regret in 1915. Beyond those four, only one of the remaining 22 managed to hit the board (Curlin, third in 2007).

Just a Touch's sire, Justify, in 2018 became the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Derby without having raced at age two. Mage then triumphed over the “Apollo curse” in 2023. But the record of horses in the Derby without a race at age two since 1937 is 2-3-5 from 73 starts.

8) ENCINO (c, Nyquist–Glittering Jewel, by Bernardini) O-Godolphin LLC; B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad Cox. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $378,315. Last Start: WON GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Apr. 13.

Encino (Nyquist) is a legit wild card if he goes in the Derby. He's in sharp form with three straight wins and a Beyer pattern that keeps improving. Yet he's taken an unconventional path to the Triple Crown level, pairing stakes victories in the John Battaglia Memorial S. over Tapeta at Turfway and wiring the GIII Lexington S. over Keeneland's short-stretch configuration for 1 1/16 miles.

Speed and the rail have produced favorable results this spring at Keeneland, and this Godolphin homebred had little trouble establishing himself at the head of affairs in his first dirt try, rattling off unopposed opening quarter-mile splits of :23.53 and :23.73.

Encino responded when roused to swat back the race's only true challenger. But it's not entirely clear if the three-quarter length win (94 Beyer) was more attributable to Encino's fighting spirit or the inability of The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) to seal the deal off a six-month layoff. The rest of the field was 8 ¼ lengths back.

Encino could end up being an intriguing wiseguy play in a year where the success of the two obvious Derby favorites (Fierceness and Sierra Leone) hinges upon whether they get the right pace and/or trips, and the next two logical horses in the betting (Just a Touch and Forever Young) still haven't won American dirt stakes.

9) IMAGINATION (c, Into Mischief–Magical Feeling, by Empire Maker) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan & Tom Ryan; B-Peter Blum Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $1,050,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-2-3-0, $406,800. Last start: 2nd in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 6.

No next start has been publicly disclosed for Imagination (Into Mischief), a Bob Baffert trainee who was most recently second in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

This $1.05-million KEESEP colt has been battle-tested by hooking up in prolonged late-race fights in three straight races. Even though he didn't come out on the winning end of all of those stretch tussles, it's the type of experience that will stand him in good stead at the Triple Crown level.

Imagination is now 2-4-0 from six lifetime starts, which include five two-turn races.

10) RESILIENCE (c, Into Mischief-Meadowsweet, by Smart Strike) O-Emily Bushnell & Ric Waldman; B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-1-1, $494,630. Last start: WON Apr. 6 GI Wood Memorial S.

The GII Wood Memorial S. win didn't appear to be an overlay demanding race for Resilience, and he does exit the most obvious key race among the points-awarding winter preps. Prior to his blinkers-on score in the Wood, he ran fourth in the Risen Star S., from which the first- and third-place finishers, Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom (Constitution) also won graded stakes in their next starts.

It took Resilience four starts to break his maiden. But the horses who won those first three at Saratoga and Churchill all eventually became stakes winners, so this colt gets points for taking a path to Louisville that has been laden with legit competition.

The question is whether this Bill Mott trainee is going take another leap forward (a small step won't do it) in Louisville.

11) CATCHING FREEDOM (c, Constitution–Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile) O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $575,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $877,350. Last start: WON Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby.

This medium-framed $575,000 KEESEP colt by Constitution from Brad Cox's barn waited patiently at the back behind a moderate tempo in the Louisiana Derby, then unwound 2 1/2 furlongs out and fanned 12 wide into the lane. He ran straight and reeled in his targets, but for the most part was passing horses who had already made their major moves in upper stretch.

The win returned a 97 Beyer, building on a previous upward trend of 72-77-87-92.

Only two horses have won the Louisiana Derby and then the Kentucky Derby: Grindstone in 1996 and Black Gold in 1924.

12) JUST STEEL (c, Justify–Irish Lights {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}). O-BC Stables, LLC; B-Summerhill Farm (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Sales History: $500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISP, 11-2-4-1, $724,545. Last start: 2nd Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby.

It's at this juncture within the Top 20 that we have to realistically start considering every Derby aspirant from Just Steel on down to be “chaos contenders.” In other words, a lot of things would have to go wrong, tactics-wise, with almost all of the projected favorites, and a lot of things would have to go right for these longer shots to envision one of them wearing a blanket of roses.

Yet it happens. Just ask Rich Strike (Keen Ice), the 80-1 Derby winner from two years ago.

This $500,000 KEESEP colt trained by D. Wayne Lukas already has 11 races of experience, and on three occasions at age three he's finished second around two turns in points-awarding Derby prep stakes. The one time he didn't, Just Steel was five wide round both turns in the GII Rebel S.

In the Arkansas Derby, Just Steel raced close to the pace throughout and finished only two workmanlike lengths behind No. 1-ranked Muth.

Potentially rounding out the Derby starting gate…

13) Domestic Product (Practical Joke)
Last week on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, trainer Chad Brown made a cogent case for this Klaravich Stables homebred to be “an under-the-radar real contender for the Derby” with a switch to jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. because Tyler Gaffalione is committed to No.2-ranked Sierra Leone.

Brown said he expected big things out of this son of Practical Joke in his Saratoga sprint debut, but attributed the subpar fifth to the colt getting pelted with dirt kickback. Domestic Product then missed some training, and although Brown doesn't usually like to run a 2-year-old at nine furlongs off just one six-furlong start, he did so on Oct. 27 and the result was a 4 1/2-length win at Aqueduct.

Brown said the muddy track was the primary reason for Domestic Product's poor seventh-place showing in the GII Remsen S., adding that a similarly wet track could be a problem if the rains come on Derby Day.

But, Brown added, Domestic Product's second in the GII Holy Bull S. and win in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby both were promising considering the colt closed into very slow paces in both races.

After the Tampa Derby, Brown said Gaffalione told him that Domestic Product is “not that far behind” Sierra Leone. “Going a mile and a quarter, they're not as much separating these two horses as you think,” the jockey told him.

“So I trust [Gaffalione],” Brown said. “I think taking the blinkers off of this horse was a positive move for him in his last two starts.”

14) Mystik Dan (Goldencents)
In the Arkansas Derby, this homebred son of Goldencents for owners Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby and 4G Racing didn't live up to his 101-Beyer winning, wet-track form from the GIII Southwest S. He was carried wide and encountered a bit of trip trouble, and ended up third, beaten 6 ½ lengths in his nine-furlong debut.

Throughout this colt's campaign, trainer Kenny McPeek has emphasized that Mystik Dan has a good mind and an easygoing attitude, both of which can be more valuable than what's on paper in his past performances.

McPeek said after a Saturday workout that Mystik Dan “got a lot” out of the Arkansas Derby “and has shown he handled it well in his training after.”

Co-owner Eric Waller, left, leads Stronghold and jockey Antonio Fresu into the winner's circle after their victory in the GI Santa Anita Derby | Benoit

15) Stronghold (Ghostzapper)
Stronghold is one of the more mature Derby aspirants, showing an ability to relax out of the gate, be responsive to his rider's cues to engage, and win stretch battles even after getting in front and then briefly losing the lead.

This Ghostzapper-sired homebred for Rick and Sharon Waller necked Imagination in the Santa Anita Derby. He earned an 89 Beyer, the same figure as his score in the GIII Sunland Derby Feb. 18. Those have been his only two starts at age three.

Although currently based in Southern California with trainer Phil D'Amato, Stronghold has already won over the Churchill surface. His one-turn-mile maiden victory back on Oct. 1 is notable because the second- and third-place finishers, Resilience and Track Phantom, are both currently ranked ahead of him on this list.

16) Endlessly (Oscar Performance)
Endlessly, whose six races thus far been all on either turf or Tapeta, is aiming for a May 4 start at Churchill. But trainer Michael McCarthy still hasn't zeroed in on whether that will be in the Kentucky Derby or the GII American Turf S.

This son of Oscar Performance won the Mar. 23 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. by four lengths with a complete-control outside move that outclassed the field.

Endlessly has won five races total, and his only loss is much better than it looks. This homebred for Amerman Racing was eighth, but beaten only 3 1/2 lengths, in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

17) Honor Marie (Honor Code)
This $40,000 KEESEP colt by Honor Code turns three on Derby Day. Although a touch behind his peers age-wise, Honor Marie does have the benefit of having won a two-turn stakes at Churchill at age two, the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S.

Trainer Whit Beckman is on record as saying that the 10-fulrong distance, “if not farther” might end up being Honor Marie's sweet spot.

He was most recently third in the Louisiana Derby with a seven wide bid from the back of the pack.

18) Society Man (Good Magic)
This $85,000 KEESEP son of Good Magic chased without making an impact in his July 22 Saratoga sprint debut, then resurfaced seven months later at Aqueduct tasked with nine furlongs.

Society Man was bumped at the break and wide on the turns when third in that try, then had a nearly identical trouble line when attempting stakes company as a maiden in the muddy GIII Withers S.

He was difficult to load but delivered in a one-turn maiden mile Mar 9 in New York (also in the mud), then was a best-of-the-rest second at 106-1 odds behind Resilience in the Wood Memorial.

A plus is three races of experience at nine furlongs.

19) West Saratoga (Exaggerator)
As an $11,000 KEESEP bargain who has already bankrolled more than 40 times his purchase price in purses, this Larry Demeritte trainee deserves kudos for overachievement.

But despite running decently in several lower-profile stakes this season, West Saratoga (Exaggerator) hasn't hit the winner's circle since he registered a mild 12-1 upset in the Sept. 16  GIII Iroquois  S., a one-turn mile at Churchill.

This gray is also behind numbers-wise, with an 85 Beyer earned over Tapeta in his runner-up Jeff Ruby Steaks S. effort his career best.

West Saratoga's consistent tactical speed, which he's utilized to be within striking distance of the mid-race leaders in every single one of his 10 starts, could be an asset in the Derby.

20) T O Password (Jpn) (Copano Rickey {Jpn})
The “T O” in T O Password (Jpn) is a naming convention for horses owned by Tomoya Ozasa. This is a forward-running colt by Japanese champion dirt horse Copano Rickey (Jpn).

T O Password is a May 20 foal who did not make his debut until Jan. 6 at Kyoto in an 1,800-meter (about nine furlongs) maiden race. As the second favorite in the betting, he pressed a moderate pace and shook free over the final three furlongs to draw away by two lengths.

In the Mar. 23 1,800-meter Fukuryu S., this 13-1 Daisuke Takayanagi trainee went straight to the lead but tired late. He would have been nailed in the final jump by an onrushing closer had he not been saved by the wire.

T O Password figures to be a long-shot proposition north of 50-1 in the Derby. However, his tactics under Kazushi Kimura (Woodbine's leading rider last year) could play a major role in how the pace unfolds.

The post TDN Sophomore Top 20: Pace Scenario For Derby Coming Into Clearer Focus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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By the time Martinez set down his gelding at the eighth pole, Boys and Bullets was gathering momentum, but still five lengths behind the frontrunner.

As the line loomed, the pack tightened. With a hustling hand ride Martinez gunned for an inside split, then deftly readjusted his aim for a better hole between rivals to the outside.

Boys and Bullets burst through to head-bob with the leader in the final strides, and Martinez kept driving hard through the finish. It was only a few jumps later that the rookie rider gave a jubilant fist pump because he knew he had earned his first official winner as a licensed professional.

Or had he? On the gallop-out, doubts crept in. Returning to unsaddle, Martinez became even less sure, because none of the other riders were saying anything one way or the other.

Then he saw his number glowing on the infield tote board. Boys and Bullets had won by a head. After coming close with six seconds and seven thirds from 29 mounts since his Mar. 5 debut, Martinez was a maiden no more.

“My heart screamed inside of me, I was so happy,” Martinez told TDN. “I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe I got it done on a long shot-the one that you least expect.'”

You've seen the congratulatory rite-of-passage “baptism” that accompanies an apprentice jockey's first win in North America: A gleeful mob of riders and valets douse the grinning newbie with water, shaving cream, boot polish, toothpaste, shampoo, eggs, and whatever other gooey substances can be found in the jocks' room or kitchen.

Martinez's celebratory bath was no different. But his backstory certainly is.

For starters, he's 30 years old and has only been riding horses for 3 1/2 years despite having spent a childhood in a family of racetrackers on the now-defunct New England circuit. In addition, as a teenager, Martinez drifted away from the sport-and for a brief while, his family. He reconnected with both after figuring out, in his words, “that horses really do bring people together.”

“In Boston, I grew up in the 'hood,” Martinez said. “I come from poverty, so it feels nice to, like, be someone now in life. And if feels good to know that my parents are really, really happy for me, and my family supports me in everything I do. I thought I was lost at 20 years old.”

'You're going to be a jockey…'

Martinez's father, also named Francisco, has worked for decades in the stable of trainer Mike Aro. When Aro was based primarily at Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs, the younger Martinez recalls that he and his two younger brothers were always welcome under the shed row, where they got acquainted with racehorses from infancy.

In the early 2000s, the Martinez boys carried their equine enthusiasm home, where they were fond of watching the nightly televised Suffolk replay show while “riding” the arms of the couch with their dad's leather belts strapped to the furniture as reins.

Those pretend stretch battles did not exactly thrill their mother, Maria Rodriguez.

“My Mom would be like, 'What are you guys breaking down the couch for?'” Martinez reminisced. “And I would say, 'We're learning. We're riding.”

Martinez was allowed to do some hotwalking in the summers before he got out of grade school, and he gained a reputation for being able to handle difficult horses, even as a child.

“Especially the crazy ones. I used to get along with them really good,” Martinez said with pride.

He occasionally would be permitted to get up on horseback, but not beyond the shed row.

Martinez vividly recalls one of Aro's primary jockeys at the time, Michel Lapensee, giving him early encouragement.

“Mike Lapensee once threw his helmet and vest on me and put me up on a horse in Mikey Aro's barn and said, 'You're going to be a jockey when you grow up,'” Martinez recalled.

Decades later, that prediction resonates with poignancy: Lapensee died at age 58 in 2005 after a fall during a race at Suffolk.

But as Martinez grew into his teenage years, his interest in racing became eclipsed by a passion for soccer. He got recruited to play for a statewide team in Massachusetts.

At roughly the same time though, his father decided to follow a job offer to Parx when the Aro outfit relocated to Pennsylvania. This was a few years after Rockingham ceased Thoroughbred racing in 2002 and more than a decade before Suffolk would close in 2019.

“It was just me, my mom, and my two brothers back home,” Martinez said. “Then I broke my three last toes on my right foot, and I just couldn't get back into soccer shape. Every time I tried to run, I couldn't run. I'd fall or trip or something because I had no feeling there yet. And I kind of got mad and got away from it. Then I started hanging around the streets a lot. I got distant from everybody. I dropped out of school.”

Martinez has an uncle, Ruben Rodriguez, who had worked for standings-topping New England trainer Charlie Assimakopoulos. But Rodriguez left the backstretch life to take on construction work when that outfit also relocated as the New England circuit dissolved. Seeing that his nephew was in danger of going adrift, Rodriguez got him a job as a construction laborer in Boston. But Martinez didn't really relish the work and had a nagging feeling something was missing.

His dad phoned one day. “What are you going to do with your life?” he asked his son point-blank.

“Honestly, I was going to call you to come back to the horses,” Martinez told his father. “Because that's all I've known since I was little.”

So Martinez followed his father to Pennsylvania. Eventually, his younger brothers took jobs at Parx as well. Luis, the middle sibling, is now an assistant for Ron Dandy, another transplanted New England trainer. Juan, the youngest, is an exercise rider.

Asked approximately when he made that move to Parx, Martinez rattles off the exact date: Dec. 15, 2012.

“I remember it because it was the best thing I ever did in my life,” Martinez said.

'Never too late to start'

Aro took him on as a hotwalker, but Martinez had lost some muscle memory for the job after being away from horses for a decade.

“I had to basically learn everything again,” Martinez explained. “Because from 10 years old to 19 years old, I hadn't done anything with horses. I hadn't been around them. But I always had a really good connection with them.”

Later in the 2010s, Martinez worked as a groom for trainer Scott Lake. In the summer of 2020, he learned that he and his high school sweetheart were going to become the parents of a baby girl, and this got him thinking about trying to get a better-paying racetrack job.

Juan kept pestering his brother to get on horseback and get licensed. One day Martinez accompanied Juan to a local farm where he exercised horses. The farm's trainer had heard that the older Martinez brother wanted to give riding a shot, so he handed Martinez a helmet and gave him a leg up on a massive Quarter Horse nicknamed Gorilla because of his size and strength.

“At that farm, it takes four rounds to jog a mile,” Martinez said. “By the third round my hands were asleep, and I thought he was going to run off with me. But when I laid back, he relaxed. And the more I did that, the more he got along with me.”

The trainer told him no other rider had ever had such kinship with Gorilla.

“What I like about you was you didn't panic, you didn't get scared, you stayed on the horse so he could do his job,” Martinez said the farm's trainer told him.

Back at Parx, Martinez's father had acquired three of his own horses that he cared for in addition to his work for Aro. Although initially reluctant to let his son get licensed and jog them, he relented. At age 27, after a lifetime at the races, Martinez took his first twirl around the track on horseback.

Soon after, someone from John Servis's barn approached Martinez, complimented his style, and asked who he worked for. Martinez said he only got aboard his dad's three horses. The Servis outfit was looking for a galloper, but would let him start learning that skill by jogging. It was a Thursday-could he start on Monday?

“I can start today if you need me,” Martinez beamed by way of reply.

Martinez credits Servis with teaching him to gallop and breeze horses the right way for the last 3 1/2 years.

“I turned into his main two-minute-licker,” Martinez said. “I hit every exact second that he asked me. He'd test me-1:56, 1:58-and I'd hit them. He told me, 'Kid, you've got a clock in your head.'”

Francisco Martinez receives the “initiation” celebration after capturing his first career win | EQUI-PHOTO.

It was also Servis who nominated Martinez to ride in the Amateur Riders Club of America series at Delaware and Laurel. Those are pari-mutuel races in which riders are allowed to tack higher weights well into the 130-plus pound range.

Martinez won the very first amateur race he attempted, on Oct. 6, 2022, at Delaware aboard Boffo Kid (Friesan Fire), who won by a neck with a furious late drive in an off-the-turf route.

“I was just so happy to be in the race that I forgot to put on my goggles,” Martinez said with a laugh. “I was just getting hit with dirt, dirt, dirt. At the three-quarters pole I said, “Should I bring my goggles down?' And I was like, 'Nah, I gallop like this every morning. I'll just leave them off.”

He competed in that series through 2023, winning two of seven races over two years. The amateur jockeys do not get awarded any purse money, and although Equibase lists the wins on their lifetime records, the victories don't count against an apprenticeship if a rider does turn pro.

At Parx, Martinez also got a taste of true horsepower during that time. When trainer Bob Baffert shipped Reincarnate (Good Magic) and Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) to run in a pair of Grade I stakes there, Servis recommended Martinez to get on them in the mornings.

As 2024 neared, Martinez knew it was now or never for taking his shot at being a jockey. Friends in the Parx riding colony were asking him what he was waiting for. His main concerns were getting his weight down from 118 to 110 without resorting to unhealthy measures, and dealing with the loss of steady income from exercising horses. As a jockey, he would still be getting aboard horses in the mornings, only now he'd have to do it for free in exchange for the never-certain prospect of getting mounts on them in the afternoons.

When Martinez told Servis what he was planning to do, the trainer further complicated the decision by saying he had just been about to offer Martinez an assistant's job.

“I told John, 'I want to try this, because if I don't do it, I'm going to regret it,'” Martinez said.

Martinez cut down his weight via diet and intense gym sessions, and February was supposed to be his target to start riding in races. Then his brother Juan broke five ribs in a training accident when his saddle slipped sideways trying to pull up a rank horse, and Martinez delayed his debut.

“He got stuck next to the rail,” Martinez said. “But Juan says the rail saved his life, because if not, that horse would have been dragging him on the ground.”

Martinez finally rode in his first race six weeks ago. He was 11th and last and didn't hit the board for a week, but was not deterred.

When Martinez hit the winner's circle Apr. 10, it unlocked more opportunities. After initially hustling his own mounts without an agent, Martinez has since teamed with Richard Englander, who has him booked on 18 mounts at Parx this Monday through Wednesday, plus two more at Aqueduct on Thursday.

“I'd been wanting to do this since I was little, but I never got the chance,” Martinez said. “And now that I'm doing it, I want to get everything out that I always wanted to get out. Every time I ride I try to give my all. It doesn't matter if the horse is a long shot, what the odds are. If I get along with the horse, I'm at peace with my heart.”

Although Martinez said he has accepted some good-natured ribbing about being a rookie at age 30, he replies pensively when asked what his advice would be to others looking to fulfill a difficult dream later in life.

“It's never too late to start,” Martinez said. “God is always, always open to anybody, and He will push you if you talk to Him. That's one thing that I have learned and believe in. And I believe that thanks to Him, I'm on the right track now.”

The post Week In Review: A 30-Year-Old Bugboy’s First Win: ‘The One You Least Expect’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor (m, 5, Uncle Mo–Brooklynsway, by Giant Gizmo), who so often shows her best on the front end, took her California tactics on the road with a 5 1/2-length score in Oaklawn's $1.25-million GI Apple Blossom S. Saturday while conceding between one and six pounds to her rivals. Flying Connection (Nyquist), who shipped in from Sunland Park after three straight stakes wins in New Mexico for the red-hot Todd Fincher barn, closed late to nab second over Mar. 24 Shantel Lanerie S. winner Free Like a Girl (El Deal). Last year's GI CCA Oaks winner Wet Paint (Blame), previously unbeaten in three stakes at Oaklawn, never got involved and finished sixth.

The 3-5 choice, Adare Manor showed old habits die hard as she went clear early under Juan Hernandez, running comfortably with her ears flicking back and forth, and set fractions of :23.68 and :46.95 while Honor D Lady (Honor Code) applied pressure to her outside. Even while Honor D Lady loomed and last summer's GIII Molly Pitcher S. winner Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner) threw her hat into the mix, Adare Manor never looked seriously threatened. She quickened on the turn, kicked clear with ease and opened up by daylight to hasten home an authoritative winner while Hernandez took a peek under his right arm as the pair's distance on the field remained intact. She got the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.48.

“[Trainer Bob Baffert] had her ready today,” said Hernandez. “They had a lot of confidence in her. I just felt it right away when I jumped on her. She was so calm and she was ready to run great. She loves a mile and a sixteenth. If you saw her, she's huge. She's really a big filly, so she needs a lot of distance in her races.”

A $375,000 Donato Lanni purchase at the 2021 OBS June sale after working a furlong in :10 1/5, Adare Manor won the GIII Las Virgenes S. at three by 13 lengths, had a five-win streak going at four that included the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. and three other graded races, and kickstarted her 5-year-old campaign with a 102 Beyer as the runner-up in the GI Beholder Mile S. at Santa Anita Mar. 9. Seven of her eight career wins have been on the front end, with the lone exception being a stalking trip in last summer's Clement L. Hirsch.

Pedigree Notes:

Adare Manor is one of 49 graded winners and 100 black-type winners overall for exceptional Coolmore America stallion Uncle Mo, a regular among North America's leading sires. She is the second of her sire's progeny to win the Apple Blossom following Unbridled Mo's victory in 2018. She is, however, the lone stakes winner to date out of a Giant Gizmo mare. The latter was relocated to Panama following the 2019 breeding season after standing at Canada's Gardiner Farm. Uncle Mo does have four stakes winners out of mares by Giant Gizmo's sire, the late Giant's Causeway, who was a fellow Coolmore sire, as well as Mar. 30 GI Florida Derby third Grand Mo the First.

Stock in Brooklynsway has risen dramatically since Adare Manor's assent up the stakes ranks. Winner of the 2016 GIII Doubledogdare S. at Keeneland, she was a $170,000 RNA at Fasig-Tipton's November sale in 2017, then went through the same ring in 2020 at the Winter Mixed Sale, where Town & Country picked her up in foal to Into Mischief for $95,000. Adare Manor, then a short yearling, sold at the same sale to Walmac Farms and Gary Board for $180,000 before being pinhooked the next year. Brooklynsway has a 2-year-old filly by Ghostzapper named Nosleeptilbrooklyn, who went to Boardshorts Stables at Keeneland September for $500,000, and a yearling full-brother to Adare Manor. The mare was a $1.2-million RNA at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale; she has aborted her 2024 Tapit foal.

#4 ADARE MANOR scampered away!

The 3-5 choice wins the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) under @JJHernandezS19 for trainer Bob Baffert. She is a daughter of @coolmoreamerica Uncle Mo that runs for Michael Lund Petersen. pic.twitter.com/qxBxmK8wVV

— TVG (@TVG) April 13, 2024

Saturday, Oaklawn
APPLE BLOSSOM H.-GI, $1,250,000, Oaklawn, 4-13, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:42.48, ft.
1–ADARE MANOR, 123, m, 5, by Uncle Mo
       1st Dam: Brooklynsway (GSW-USA, MSW &
                 GSP-Can, $724,597), by Giant Gizmo
       2nd Dam: Explosive Story, by Radio Star
       3rd Dam: Maya's Note, by Editor's Note
($180,000 Ylg '20 FTKFEB; $190,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL;
$375,000 2yo '21 OBSOPN). O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Town
& Country Horse Farms, LLC & Gary Broad (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Juan J. Hernandez. $675,000. Lifetime Record: 16-8-5-0,
$1,736,600. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Flying Connection, 118, f, 4, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Free Flying Soul (MSW & MGISP, $423,177),
                                 by Quiet American
                2nd Dam: Ruby Surprise, by Farma Way
                3rd Dam: Santa Rosalia, by Bold Bidder
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Brad King,
Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby
and Lee Lewis; B-Liberty Road Stables (KY); T-Todd W. Fincher.
$225,000.
3–Free Like a Girl, 117, m, 5, by El Deal
                1st Dam: Flashy Prize, by Flashy Bull
                2nd Dam: Rich Peace, by Rizzi
                3rd Dam: Lockpeace, by Hold Your Peace
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($5,500 Ylg '20 ESLYRL). O-Gerald Bruno,
Jr., Chasey Deville Pomier and Jerry Caroom; B-Kim Renee
Stover & Lisa Osborne (LA); T-Chasey Deville Pomier.
$112,500.
Margins: 5HF, 3/4, 2. Odds: 0.70, 26.20, 58.30.
Also Ran: Shotgun Hottie, Taxed, Wet Paint, Bellamore, Misty Veil, Honor D Lady.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Zedan's Apr. 11 legal response in Jefferson Circuit Court underscored the time-pressing need for a swift judicial response to Zedan's request for an injunction before the Apr. 27 deadline for all entered Derby horses to be on the grounds prior to the May 4 race. The next hearing in the case is Apr. 15.

Zedan articulated concerns that CDI's legal invocation of an Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) statute was “not only meritless, but perverse.”

An Anti-SLAPP claims process might take months to legally unfold, and while it played out there would be a mandatory halting of all other legal proceedings, including Zedan's pending motion for the temporary injunction.

After Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone in the 2021 Derby, Baffert was banned from CDI's properties for two years. A federal judge in February 2023 denied Baffert a preliminary injunction that the Hall-of-Fame trainer had sought to be eligible to race in the Derby. Last July CDI extended the ban at least through 2024.

Zedan owns the GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth (Good Magic), who would be among the Derby favorites if allowed to race.

It is unclear if a ruling in favor of Zedan would allow other Baffert trainees owned by different entities to also participate in the Derby, or if any lifting of the ban would also permit Baffert's trainees to enter the GI Kentucky Oaks.

CDI's Apr. 8 motion to dismiss stated that “The demand for a last-minute judicial takeover of the world's most storied horse race…is baseless, outrageous and should be immediately rejected.”
Zedan's responded in the Apr. 11 filing: “CDI has given away the game at the outset. In purporting to uphold the right 'to petition and speak freely on issues of public interest,' CDI has discredited its sole gripe against Baffert: far from acting on any substantive concerns about the health or safety of horses, CDI admits its extended ban is based only on its dissatisfaction with Baffert supposedly 'pedd[ling] a false narrative,' i.e., uttering words, in public interviews, that displease CDI.”

In a different section of the filing, Zedan stated, “Observers to this point might have thought that CDI stands behind its ban-and CDI's professed concerns about an actual threat to 'integrity' and 'safety'-as reflecting hard, objective facts that CDI has diligently verified. But observers now know better. CDI has admitted to this Court that its banning of an all-time-great horse trainer was and is just a matter of CDI's casual, subjective opinion!”

Zedan's filing later continued: “CDI argues that Zedan suffers no serious detriment and that CDI gains no unfair advantage from any inconsistency, but the facts amply refute that. CDI's bait-and-switch tactics have cost Zedan millions of dollars in sunk costs while enabling CDI successfully to defend a two-year ban against legal challenge, only thereafter to extend the ban indefinitely.”

Baffert is not a party to the lawsuit filed by Zedan.

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Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal was among the first to report on the motion, which was filed in Kentucky the same morning as a Jefferson County Circuit Court hearing was held on the matter.

That Monday hearing put off until at least Apr. 15 a decision on owner Amr Zedan's request for an injunction or on CDI's motion to dismiss.

“Everybody involved in horse racing is watching this issue, I'm sure,” Judge Mitch Perry was quoted in the Courier Journal.

Zedan owns the GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth (Good Magic), who would be among the Derby favorites if allowed to race.

It is unclear if a ruling in favor of Zedan would allow other Baffert trainees owned by different entities to also participate in the Derby, or if any lifting of the ban would also permit Baffert's trainees to enter the GI Kentucky Oaks.

According to the Courier Journal, CDI's motion stated that “The demand for a last-minute judicial takeover of the world's most storied horse race…is baseless, outrageous and should be immediately rejected.”

After Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone in the 2021 Derby, Baffert was banned from CDI's properties for two years. A federal judge in February 2023 denied Baffert a preliminary injunction that the Hall-of-Fame trainer had sought to be eligible to race in the Derby. Last July CDI extended the ban at least through 2024.

Baffert is not a party to this latest lawsuit filed by Zedan in a Kentucky state court.

“CDI's spurious, illegal extension of the suspension does not withstand scrutiny and imperils a host of interested stakeholders,” Zedan's Apr. 3 complaint stated.

The post Report: CDI Files Motion To Dismiss Zedan’s Derby Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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