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Arkansas Derby An Asmussen Family Affair As Super Stock Posts $26.40 Upset

Getting a perfect trip under Ricardo Santana Jr. behind dueling front-runners Caddo River and Concert Tour, Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen's Dialed In colt Super Stock took command in the stretch for a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark.

Winning for just the second time in eight career starts, Super Stock ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.92 and paid $26.40. Brad Cox-trained Caddo River, who battled with previously unbeaten Bob Baffert-trained Concert Tour throughout the Arkansas Derby, finished second ahead of that rival by a head. Get Her Number, who like Super Stock was an also ran behind 1-5 Arkansas Derby favorite Concert Tour in the G2 Rebel Stakes on March 13, finished fourth, another half-length back.

The Arkansas Derby was the final qualifying points race for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, offering 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers.

The victory was the fifth in the Arkansas Derby for trainer Steve Asmussen, who was awarded victory in a division of last year's running with Basin following the disqualification of Charlatan due to a failed drug test. He also won with Creator in 2016, Curlin in 2007 and Private Emblem in 2002. The five wins ties Asmussen with Todd Pletcher for the most victories in the race by a trainer.

Caddo River, breaking from the two post under Florent Geroux, gunned for the lead after the break. Concert Tour broke sharply from post five in the six-horse field under Joel Rosario but was not able to outrun his rival into the first turn, sitting just off Caddo River's flank around the bend and down the backstretch. The opening quarter mile was run in a quick :22.62 and the half mile went in :46.51.

Rosario stepped up the pressure going into the far turn after six furlongs in 1:11.25, while Santana and Super Stock saved ground just behind the two front-runners after breaking from the No. 1 stall. After rounding into the stretch, Santana opted to swing to the outside of both rivals rather than look for an inside route, and Super Stock responded, overtaking the two leaders in the final furlong after a mile fractional time of 1:37.64.

The win was a family affair for the Asmussens, as the trainer's father, Keith, a longtime respected horseman and former quarter horse jockey, is co-owner. Steve Asmussen's son, also named Keith, rode Super Stock in his first three starts during a brief riding career that mirrored his father's short tenure in the saddle before outgrowing the occupation. One of the races in which Keith Asmussen rode Super Stock was the colt's only previous victory in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park last Aug. 11.

Bred in Kentucky by Pedro and P.J. Gonzalez, Super Stock is out of the Closing Argument mare, Super Girlie. He was a $70,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by Keith Asmussen and Erv Woolsey from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

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Dialed In’s Super Stock Upsets the Arkansas Derby

The GI Arkansas Derby has been won over the last 20-plus years by some short-odds favorites, like future GI Kentucky Derby winners Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality, even-money in 2004) and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile, 1-10 in 2015) and future Classic winners such as Curlin (Smart Strike, 4-5 in 2007) and Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet, 12-5 in 2005).

But the nine-furlong prep has tossed up its fair share of less-predictable winners, including Sir Cherokee (55-1 in 2003), Line of David (Lion Heart, 17-1 in 2010), Archarcharch (Arch, 25-1 in 2011), Danza (Street Boss, 41-1 in 2014) and the notorious Valhol (Diazo, 30-1 prior to being disqualified in 1999).

The betting public had Saturday's renewal as a match race between the undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense), so impressive in winning the GII Rebel S. last time, and fellow 'Rising Star' Caddo River (Hard Spun), well-beaten in the Rebel, but prior to that, the 10 1/4-length winner of the Jan. 22 Smarty Jones S. However, the longshot bug bit again, as the far less-heralded Super Stock (Dialed In) allowed those two to duel themselves into submission and picked up the pieces late at a bit more than 12-1 to give trainer Steve Asmussen a record-tying fifth win in the race.

It was an upset bigger than the pari-mutuel prices might indicate.

As anticipated, Caddo River, whom trainer Brad Cox promised would be ridden more aggressively than he was in the Rebel, kicked through inside and matched motors under the wire for the first time with Concert Tour before Joel Rosario took just a bit of a tug and asked the Gary and Mary West colorbearer to settle, albeit right off Caddo River's flank. The pace was very much on–the opening quarter was in a sharp :22.62–and Ricardo Santana, Jr. made best use of the one hole to land in third for the run around the turn, tracking the dueling pacesetters under a long hold.

Caddo River continued to bowl along up front through a half in a fast-enough :46.51, tugging Florent Geroux out of the saddle passing the five-furlong marker, but came back to his rider and relaxed better as they raced into the final 3 1/2 furlongs. The Shortleaf runner was holding Concert Tour gamely at bay approaching the stretch, but Santana, Jr. was feeling for Super Stock and the duo began to zero in on the front-runners at the head of the stretch. It looked for a few strides that Super Stock might try to come between the two favorites, but he was instead pulled off Concert Tour's heels at the furlong grounds, raced to the front with 100 yards to race and edged clear. Caddo River fought on gamely at the rail to hold second ahead of Concert Tour.

Asmussen's son Keith broke Super Stock's maiden in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star last August before stepping up steeply in class to be third in the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Sept. 5. An even third behind undefeated champion Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland the following month, he was a battling runner-up to Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. hero King Fury (Curlin) in the Oct. 25 Street Sense S. before calling it a season. Though never a danger to Concert Tour and his stablemate Hozier (Pioneerof the Nile) in the Rebel, it was a race he was certain to need and his even fourth-place effort set him up perfectly for his upset bid Saturday.

“[Tactically it set up] perfectly,” said Asmussen, whose father Keith is the colt's part-owner. “We wanted to use his post position. I thought he used his post position into the first turn extremely well. My confidence level was he was going to run really good. I've been in races like that, that you have no control over how good or bad somebody else runs. But I felt like that he was going to represent extremely well.”

Pedigree Notes:

Super Stock is the second Grade I winner and sixth graded for Darby Dan's Dialed In, whose son Get Her Number came with a run from last to finish a little more than three lengths behind Super Stock in fourth. He is the first Grade I winner and second graded winner produced by a daughter of Closing Argument, who famously went within a zop of causing a major upset of his own in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, going down by a half-length to Giacomo (Holy Bull) at 71-1. Barren to He's Had Enough for 2019, Super Girlie produced a colt by Mendelssohn last year.

Saturday, Oaklawn
ARKANSAS DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Oaklawn, 4-10, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.92, ft.
1–SUPER STOCK, 122, c, 3, by Dialed In
                1st Dam: Super Girlie, by Closing Argument
                2nd Dam: Beafleet, by Afleet
                3rd Dam: Leave It Be, by Lawmaker
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($70,000 Ylg '19
KEESEP). O-Woolsey, Erv and Asmussen, Keith; B-Pedro
Gonzalez & P.J. Gonzalez (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr.. $600,000. Lifetime Record: 8-2-2-2,
$804,762. *1/2 to Boujie Girl (Flashback), GISP, $167,897.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Caddo River, 122, c, 3, Hard Spun–Pangburn, by Congrats.
O/B-Shortleaf Stable (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $200,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Concert Tour, 122, c, 3, Street Sense–Purse Strings, by Tapit.
O-Gary & Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $100,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
Margins: 2HF, HD, HF. Odds: 12.20, 3.40, 0.30.
Also Ran: Get Her Number, Last Samurai, Hozier. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Miller Vaccinated Against Derby Fever: Arkansas Derby Contender Get Her Number Needs To Prove Himself

Trainer Peter Miller isn't ready to commit to a Louisville trip with this Saturday's Arkansas Derby contender Get Her Number.

“I've been vaccinated for COVID-19 and for Derby fever,” Miller quipped on Tuesday's NTRA media conference call. “Unlike most trainers, it's not as high a priority for me. I'd love to have a horse take me there. If someone takes me there, we'll go, but if not, we'll find another race.”

The 3-year-old son of Dialed In won the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes on Sept. 26, just his third career start, but did not return to the races until the G2 Rebel Stakes on March 13 at Oaklawn Park. Miller said the colt had a few minor issues that caused him to miss the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall.

In the Rebel, Get Her Number was making a move around the far turn and endured a hard bump at the eighth pole, fading to finish seventh.

“He could have been third,” Miller suggested. “He had some scrapes and scars from the bump, all of which set us back maybe a week. He seems good now, though, and we're excited to give it another shot.”

This time, Miller would like to see Get Her Number closer to the front early.

“As long as he has a clean trip, we'll live with the results,” the trainer said.

The current Kentucky Derby point standings have Get Her Number, owned by Gary Barber, at 33rd on the leaderboard with the 10 points he earned in the American Pharoah. The Arkansas Derby offers points on a scale of 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers, so a top two finish would likely secure the colt a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

“He's got a good mind; he's got a lot of class about him,” said Miller. “He's rateable, he doesn't want to run off or be silly. He's easy to handle in that respect. And he tries hard. I don't know if he's got the quality to run with the top 3-year-olds, but I know he's gonna try and he's doing well, and that's all you can ask.”

Get Her Number drew post four of six for the G1 Arkansas Derby.

The full field is as follows:

Super Stock
Caddo River
Hozier
Get Her Number
Concert Tour
Last Samurai

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Thursday’s Racing Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

8th-Fair Grounds, $55K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 5:23 p.m. ET

An intriguing cast of sophomore colts seek their diplomas at Fair Grounds Thursday. Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc. paid $500,000 for K C Rocket (Kantharos) at OBSAPR '20 off a powerful :10 flat breeze and strong gallop out before turning him over to Al Stall, Jr. A $75,000 KEENOV weanling and $165,000 KEESEP yearling, the chestnut is out of a Midnight Lute daughter of dual champion Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy). While that Hall of Famer hasn't necessarily had the same success as a broodmare that she did on the track, her daughters have passed on the running gene, notably when matched up with fellow Baffert/Pegram standout Midnight Lute. A pair of half sisters to K C Rocket's dam Illicit Affair have produced GISW Shakin It Up (Midnight Lute) and GSW Govenor Charlie (Midnight Lute), respectively.

David Ingordo and Cherie DeVaux's Tulane Tryst (Into Mischief) figures to take some beating in his second start. The $310,000 KEESEP acquisition earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure for a debut second over track and trip Jan. 30 behind the Stall-trained He's in Charge (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Bret Calhoun has a pair signed on. Newcomer Mr. Wireless (Dialed In) is half to Ain't No Elmers (Goldencents), who garnered 'TDN Rising Star' status after going two-for-two by daylight here last year for the same barn. She'd go on to finish second in the GIII Miss Preakness S. in October. Calhoun also sends out Tom Durant's $950,000 Keeneland September buy Find New Roads (Quality Road), who is out of a half-sister to the dam 2017 GIII Lecomte S. winner Guest Suite (Quality Road) and from the family of A.P. Indy. The bay gets blinkers this time after checking in sixth as the favorite following a tardy start here Feb. 4.

Brad Cox pupil Colonel Bowman (Curlin) looks to atone after a pair of defeats as the favorite. The Godolphin homebred was second on debut here Jan. 2–one spot ahead of coupled entry-mate Gershwin (Distorted Humor), who came back to graduate next out. Colonel Bowman, meanwhile, checked in two spots behind Tulane Tryst last time. The son of GISW Dubai Escapade (Awesome Again) will shed the blinkers he sported last out.

Robert and Lawana Low homebred Artwork (Munnings) hinted at potential speed when firing a 1:00 flat bullet from the gate here Feb. 24. He is out of a Curlin daughter of the Lows' GISW Capote Belle (Capote). TJCIS PPs

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