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Essential Quality Extends His Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

Undefeated Essential Quality, fresh off a determined victory in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 3, maintained the top spot in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll.

Trained by Brad Cox and bred and owned by Godolphin LLC, Essential Quality ran his record to five for five in the Blue Grass. The Eclipse Award-winning two-year-old male of 2020, Essential Quality received 31 first-place votes and 371 points in this week's poll. He is expected to make his next start in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1. Concert Tour, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, remained in second place for the second consecutive week with five first place votes and 319 points. Concert Tour, bred and owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Bob Baffert, is expected to be favored in this Saturday's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Hot Rod Charlie, winner of the Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby on March 20, was third in the poll with one first place vote and 239 points.

Rock Your World, frontrunning winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby in California at odds of 5-1, moved up to fourth in the NTRA poll with 238 points. Rock Your World, who was bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Deborah, was making his first start on the dirt following two victories on the turf. Rock Your World is owned by Hronis Racing of brothers Kosta and Pete Hronis and Michael Talla's Talla Racing. St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda, winner of the Curlin Florida Derby on March 27, rounded out the top five in this week's poll with 233 points.

Greatest Honour, beaten favorite in the Florida Derby, was sixth in this week's poll with 160 points. Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Highly Motivated, a game second behind Essential Quality in the Blue Grass, was seventh in this week's poll with 151 points. Medina Spirit, beaten favorite in the Santa Anita Derby, was eighth in the poll with 96 points. Life is Good, who is sidelined with an injury and will miss the Triple Crown, was ninth with 69 points, followed by Midnight Bourbon with 35 points.

A Godolphin homebred, Mystic Guide, also retained the top spot in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, which saw no change to the top seven placings. Mystic Guide, winner of the Dubai World Cup, remained in the top spot with 24 first place votes and 346 points. Charlatan was second in the voting with seven first-place votes and 320 points. Two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl (six first-place votes, 306 points) remained in third place, followed by Eclipse Champion filly Swiss Skydiver (1 first-place vote, 248 points) and Knicks Go (225 points).

Grade 1 winner Colonel Liam remained in sixth place with 188 points and Idol remained in seventh place with 113 points. The lone change in the top 10 saw Eclipse Champion Gamine jump from 10th to eighth place with 93 points. Maxfield (57 points) and Shedaresthedevil (37 points) rounded out the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through November 6.

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Classic Bound Sophs Highlight Saturday Worktab

On a brisk spring morning, Juddmonte Farm's Mandaloun (Into Mischief) began his serious preparation toward the GI Kentucky Derby with a half-mile breeze in :49.80 under jockey Florent Geroux Saturday. The GII Risen Star S. winner worked outside of stakes winner Australasia through a moderate :25.40 opening quarter-mile fraction. The duo galloped out together through five furlongs in 1:02.60 and completed the work with a six-furlong time of 1:16.40, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. Trained by Brad Cox, Mandaloun was the 6-5 favorite in the Mar. 20 GII Louisiana Derby, but finished a disappointing sixth.

“There really wasn't an excuse in the Louisiana Derby,” Cox said. “I hate to use the cliché of drawing a line through the race, but that is what we are doing. At the half-mile pole, he really didn't continue to put himself into the race and was out of gas. We had high hopes, obviously, that he would run better in that race. We talked it over with the folks from Juddmonte and if he continues to train well, we are going to pursue the Derby.”

Moments before Mandaloun's work, Cox's top GI Longines Kentucky Oaks contender Travel Column (Frosted) breezed a half-mile in :48.60. She began the work with a :24.60 quarter-mile time and galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.

Other stars that recorded works Saturday morning at Churchill Downs included 2020 GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), who worked a half-mile in :48 under jockey Robby Albarado and undefeated GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf hero Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire)), who worked a half-mile in :48.60 under Geroux.

On the West Coast, Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) worked four furlongs Saturday morning in :49.40 under Flavien Prat, while Derby-bound GII Rebel S. winner Concert Tour (Street Sense) went six furlongs in a bullet 1:12.80 for Bob Baffert.

“He went the last eighth in :11 and change,” trainer Doug O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie. “I'm very happy.”

Of the 145 recorded workouts, including 25 on the training track, 21 were for runners conditioned by O'Neill. Baffert also sent Rebel runner-up Hozier (Pioneerof the Nile) four furlongs in a bullet :46.60 as the colt prepares for next Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby. It was the fastest of 67 drills at the distance and almost three seconds quicker than the average time of :49.26

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O’Neill Hoping The Great One Can ‘Rebound’ In Santa Anita Derby

Doug O'Neill hopes The Great One rebounds from his disappointing fifth-place finish behind recently sidelined Life Is Good in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 6 when he runs in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby next Saturday, April 3.

Named for NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky, The Great One was coming off a smashing 14-length maiden win prior to the San Felipe, in which he finished almost 17 lengths behind Life Is Good after bumping a rival at the start and going four-wide into the stretch before weakening.

“The Great One is scheduled to work tomorrow and as long as that goes well and he comes out of it in good shape, that's the plan,” said O'Neil, who posted back-to-back Santa Anita Derby victories with eventual Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another in 2012 and Goldencents in 2013.

“Abel (Cedillo) will be back on him and we're excited about getting another chance against these caliber of horses,” O'Neill said. 'We're real happy with The Great One and think he can rebound and run a big race.”

Team O'Neill obviously was delighted with Hot Rod Charlie's dominant triumph in the Louisiana Derby on March 20. The son of Oxbow will train up to the Run for the Roses, which the trainer also won in 2016 with Nyquist, 2020's leading freshman sire.

“He's back here at Santa Anita and looks great,” O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie. “We're optimistic about the first Saturday in May with him.”

The Runhappy Santa Anita Derby headlines six stakes next Saturday, four of them graded and two showcasing California-bred or sired runners.

In addition to the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, they are the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles; the Grade 2 Royal Heroine for fillies and mares four and up at one mile on turf; and the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Also, two Golden State Series races, the $150,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs and the $150,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs.

In all, the six stakes offer $1,750,000 in purse money.

The post O’Neill Hoping The Great One Can ‘Rebound’ In Santa Anita Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Taking Stock: Awesome Again Sires Have Puncher’s Chance

What do Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper), and Knicks Go (Paynter) have in common?

For one, they've cumulatively won three of the four most lucrative dirt races contested in North America so far this year. Hot Rod Charlie won the $1 million Gll Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds last weekend; Mystic Guide was first in the $600,000 Glll Razorback H. at Oaklawn Feb. 27; and Knicks Go took the $3 million Gl Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23. The other big-money race was the $1 million Gll Rebel S. at Oaklawn, won by Concert Tour (Street Sense).

The trio of Hot Rod Charlie, Mystic Guide, and Knicks Go also share something else in common with one another: they are each by sons of Awesome Again (Deputy Minister). The Deputy Minister sire line isn't particularly vibrant these days, mostly flourishing within the interior of pedigrees (through daughters and granddaughters), where it is incredibly potent in that capacity. At one time, however, there were plenty of Deputy Minister sons and grandsons at stud, horses like Silver Deputy, Dehere, Graeme Hall, Salt Lake, Victory Speech, Mane Minister, French Deputy, Touch Gold, Deputy Commander, Spring At Last, Archers Bay, Forest Camp, Toccet, Posse, etc., but most of them couldn't sustain stud careers here, much less create heirs to carry the line forward. This isn't an uncommon phenomenon and it's an example of how sire lines tend to either disappear altogether or ebb and flow over time.

The Deputy Minister horse French Deputy and his son Kurofune put up an admirable fight in Japan, but the Awesome Again branch is Deputy Minister's most notably viable tail-male representative in North America and elsewhere these days, and, frankly, Ghostzapper is its main proponent despite the recent efforts of the closely related duo of Oxbow and Paynter. And not only is Ghostzapper an excellent stallion, but, true to the ethos of his grandsire, he's turning into an equally adept broodmare sire. He announced this loudly when his daughter Stage Magic produced Triple Crown winner Justify, one of three Grade l winners for Ghostzapper as a broodmare sire to date.

As a sire, Ghostzapper, who stands for $85,000 at Hill 'n' Dale, is represented by 12 Grade l winners and 83 black-type winners. He's got a great chance to add another Grade l winner to his tally when Mystic Guide starts as the probable favorite in the $12 million G1 Dubai World Cup this weekend, and it's quite amazing when you sit back and think about it that representatives of this sparsely represented sire line have been successful in some of the most valuable races this year with a chance at another, one of the biggest prizes of the season.

Certainly, it indicates that the Awesome Again sires have a puncher's chance in the big fights, particularly in races on dirt and at a distance, and frequently with older horses. It's something that defined Awesome Again's own career with such as Gl Breeders' Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper; Game On Dude, who won the Gl Santa Anita H. at seven; and Awesome Gem, winner of the Gl Hollywood Gold Cup at seven.

The Dubai World Cup is no longer the richest race in the world, that honor now belonging to the $20-million Saudi Cup. Recall that Knicks Go was one of the favorites in that race, though not successful that day after Charlatan (Speightstown) beat him to the early lead. However, the broader Deputy Minister line had success that day when the US-bred, Japanese-based 6-year-old Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) won the $1.5-million Riyadh Dirt Sprint. Copano Kicking's sire is by Silver Deputy, a son of Deputy Minister. Like Mystic Guide, Copano Kicking will be in action this weekend at Meydan, in the $1.5-million G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Had Knicks Go run well at Riyadh, he'd have been in Dubai this weekend, too. At least, that's what connections had suggested before the Saudi race. His sire Paynter, who stands for $10,000 at WinStar, has 16 black-type winners to his credit and has carved out a useful career at stud through four crops, and it's possible his momentum will build as he gets more older runners in the pipeline. He was produced from a full sister to Tiznow (Cee's Tizzy), as was Oxbow.

Oxbow, like Paynter with four crops at the races through the end of last year, stands for $7,500 at Calumet, which also stands the Awesome Again horse Bravazo. The latter also happens to be from a Cee's Tizzy mare (who, in turn, is out of a granddaughter of Seattle Slew, like the dams of Oxbow and Paynter) as well.

Oxbow hasn't been as successful as Paynter, with only six black-type winners so far, but he does have a colt at Meydan in a big race this weekend with an unusual background. Bred by Calumet like Bravazo, Tuz is entered in the $750,000 G2 Godolphin Mile. He'd been sold as a Keeneland yearling for $7,000 and dispatched to Russia, a country from which horses never usually resurface. Tuz, however, was something special over there, winning his debut at the Pyatigorsk Hippodrome by 25 lengths over Polytrack in 2019 at two. He returned to win his next start by 14 lengths, then made his way to Dubai where the next year he opened some eyes by running second of 16 in the Listed Al Bastakiya over a mile and three-sixteenths in only his third start.

Tuz wasn't heard from again until this season, when he reappeared in February in a Meydan handicap over 1600 meters, running fourth of 10. Brought back in early March in a Group 3 race over the same trip, Tuz ran an improved race, finishing third of 16 to Midnight Sands, beaten less than three lengths. He's in deep this weekend, but he appears to be rounding into form and is another with a puncher's chance.

Oxbow, by the way, will also be represented by the lightly raced Calumet homebred 3-year-old filly Bow Bow Girl in the $200,000 Gll Gulfstream Park Oaks on Saturday, a race that one of the stallion's most accomplished runners, Coach Rocks–also bred by Calumet–won in 2018, so he could potentially get two new black-type winners this weekend.

Like Paynter, Oxbow, winner of the Gl Preakness, stands to grow his profile as he gets more crops of 3-year-olds and older horses at the track. He isn't a consistent stallion–and believe it or not, four of his six stakes winners earned their black type at two–but the feeling here is that he'll make his money with later-maturing runners, three and up. It's in his genes. Hot Rod Charlie is exactly that type of horse, as Knicks Go is to Paynter and Mystic Guide is to Ghostzapper

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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