Tag: Kentucky Derby

Hot Rod Charlie ‘Getting More And More Confident’ For Team O’Neill

Idle since a close third in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, Doug O'Neill's Hot Rod Charlie drilled five furlongs before Friday's first race at Santa Anita in 1:00.48, his final prep for the Grade I Belmont Stakes at a mile and one half a week from Saturday, June 5.

With Flavien Prat aboard, Hot Rod Charlie, who was accompanied by O'Neill's Hall of Fame gelding Lava Man and workmate Liam's Pride, came on Santa Anita's main track via the quarter mile chute at 12:14 p.m. PT, jogged by the Grandstand and was then set down for his work at the five furlong pole with Liam's Pride positioned about two lengths in front of him as a target.

With Prat sitting still, Hot Rod Charlie rattled off splits of 24.06 and 48.32 while gaining the advantage an eighth of a mile from the wire. With Prat remaining motionless, Hot Rod Charlie galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.62.

“Very happy with his breeze today,” said O'Neill. “Flavien was happy with the way he did it and that makes me happy. He had a good strong gallop going into this work and now he's got a strong work and gallop-out going into the race.

“We just want to stay injury-free and we're pumped up and optimistic about a week from tomorrow. This horse is getting more and more confident and he's starting to separate himself from the others. He'll leave Saturday morning at about 3 a.m., along with Lava Man, who's going to take him to the post for the Belmont.”

A winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby two starts back on March 20, Hot Rod Charlie, who broke his maiden at Santa Anita going a flat mile in his fourth start on Oct. 2, was third, beaten a neck three starts back by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes here on Jan. 30.

Owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Ltd, Hot Rod Charlie, who is a Kentucky-bred colt by Oxbow, out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Miss, is 8-2-1-3, has earnings of $1,305,700.

Prat, who won the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 15 aboard the Santa Anita-based Rombauer, made the decision to stick with Hot Rod Charlie, who skipped the Preakness, for racing's third and final jewel of the Triple Crown.

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Derby Runners Return in Matt Winn

O Besos (Orb) and Helium (Ironicus), fifth and eighth, respectively, in the GI Kentucky Derby, return in Saturday's GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs.

The late-running O Besos, just 5 1/2 lengths off the mark on the first Saturday in May, was previously a good third in the GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby Mar. 20.

“We love running at Churchill and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” trainer Greg Foley said. “He worked an easy half-mile [in :49] Monday morning and is doing well from the Derby. We can lead him over for the race right from Barn 11.”

The GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner, meanwhile, suffered his first career defeat in the Derby, finishing 10 1/2 lengths adrift of Medina Spirit (Protonico).

The in-form Fulsome (Into Mischief) is perfect in two attempts since switching to dirt, headed by a win in the Oaklawn S. May 1.

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Derby Fifth-Place Finisher O Besos Headlines Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes

Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry Stephens' Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) fifth-place finisher O Besos headlines a field of eight 3-year-olds that were entered in Saturday's $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) – one of seven stakes events on the 11-race Stephen Foster Preview Day card at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn shares the Saturday spotlight with the $150,000 Regret (G3), $150,000 Aristides (Listed), $150,000 Blame, $150,000 Shawnee, $150,000 Audubon and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes. The action-packed program gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Matt Winn is carded as Race 9 at 4:55 p.m.

O Besos, a 3-year-old son of Orb, closed into the early Kentucky Derby pace but flattened in the final furlong to cross the wire fifth. Trained by Greg Foley, O Besos had several options on the table following the Derby but opted to stay at Churchill Downs for the Matt Winn.

“We love running at Churchill and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” Foley said. “He worked an easy half-mile (in :49) Monday morning and is doing well from the Derby. We can lead him over for the race right from Barn 11.”

Jockey Marcelino Pedroza, who rode O Besos to a third-place finish in the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and in the Kentucky Derby, has the call in the Matt Winn from post No. 3.

Chief among O Besos' rivals in the Matt Winn is D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium. The Mark Casse trainee finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby. He'll be ridden in Saturday's race by Julien Leparoux from post 2.

Also entered in the Matt Winn field is Juddmonte's $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes winner Fulsome. Trained by Brad Cox, Fulsome broke his maiden on turf but was transitioned to dirt in April at Keeneland when a first-level allowance event changed surfaces due to inclement weather. Fulsome defeated six rivals by 3 ½ lengths that day, which catapulted him to a 1 ¼-length win in the Oaklawn Stakes on May 1.

Florent Geroux has the mount from post 5.

The complete field for the Matt Winn (from the rail out with jockey and trainer): Ready to Pounce (Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Pessin); Helium (Leparoux, Casse); O Besos (Pedroza, Foley); Southern Passage (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans); Fulsome (Geroux, Cox); Hello Hot Rod (Francisco Arrieta, Caio Caramori); Sittin On Go (Joe Talamo, Romans); and Game Day Play (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro).

Churchill Downs' admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and tickets, starting at $5, are available on www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets. For those outside the Louisville area, all 11 races are scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports 2 from 12:30-6 p.m. Fans can also watch the live simulcast feed and wager on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

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California Horse Racing Board Will Not Suspend Baffert’s License Without Due Process

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is aware of the situation surrounding Bob Baffert and the alleged positive relative to the Kentucky Derby.

Racetracks in Kentucky and New York have temporarily precluded Mr. Baffert from entering horses and/or using stalls. To date, the regulatory bodies in those two states – the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the New York State Gaming Commission – have not taken any action against Mr. Baffert's license. They face the same issue the CHRB does in that regulators cannot suspend or revoke occupational licenses without a hearing and due process. Should any regulatory body take action against any licensee, we would reciprocate that action in California.

Further, Noodles, a 2-year-old unraced colt in Mr. Baffert's care, suffered a non-racing or training-related death this weekend at Los Alamitos. That fatality will be posted on the CHRB website today, as is the practice, with the note: “Respiratory – Pneumonia (pending).” A necropsy will be performed and a fatality review conducted pursuant to the law and CHRB regulations.

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