Tag: Kentucky Derby

Hot Rod Charlie on to Derby

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) exited his win in Saturday's GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby in fine shape and will ship back to trainer Doug O'Neill's California base Tuesday to prepare for the May 1 GI Kentucky Derby.

“Charlie looked great this morning,” O'Neill said. “He flies back to California on Tuesday. I love the spacing [six weeks] leading up to the Kentucky Derby. It's ideal. He's proven to travel well. I'm very proud of my nephew Patrick [with co-owner Boat Racing]. He's a real good young man and I'm very excited for him and all of the owners.”

Hot Rod Charlie was second as a 94-1 longshot in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was beaten a neck when third behind Medina Spirit (Protonico) and Roman Centurian (Empire  Maker) in the Jan. 30 GIII Robert B. Lewis S. before his front-running victory Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Louisiana Derby runner-up Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) will also be heading to Louisville.

“It was a big effort and he's another horse that's just going to continue to improve,” Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen said of the Winchell Thoroughbreds runner. “I don't think distance will be an issue with him and the timing back to the Derby off this series here, there will be plenty of time to freshen up and run his best race. We'll train here for a week and ship a week from Sunday [the 28th].”

Of O Besos (Orb)'s third-place effort Saturday, trainer Greg Foley said, “We all want to go forward after yesterday. The only question we had was the distance, and he answered that pretty good. He galloped out past the winner. We've got 25 [Derby qualifying] points. If we got second, we wouldn't have to think about it, but now we have to hope we get in. We just have to wait and see. I don't want to run him back [before the Derby]. I don't think it will affect our training. He's a dead-fit horse. We'll get him back home next week [to Churchill Downs] and we'll just wait and see. If it gets us in, great, if it doesn't, oh well, we'll go from there. I'd like to try and get in the big one and hopefully that will get it done. At least we're not wondering any more [about the distance].”

Favored Mandaloun (Into Mischief) was a lackluster sixth in the Louisiana Derby.

“We couldn't come up with any reasons for the dull performance,” trainer Brad Cox said of the beaten favorite. “We'll get him back to Kentucky, see how he trains, and then go from there. I've thought about it, but I think right now I'll probably nominate him to the [Apr. 10 GIII Stonestreet] Lexington [S. at Keeneland] and we'll see. He was done at the half-mile pole, so I don't think the distance was the reason. He ran out of horse fairly quickly. He handled everything in the paddock, so to show up and get beat by those horses we had run so well against, that was obviously disappointing.”

Cox was pleased with the effort of Travel Column (Frosted), winner of Saturday's GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks.

“She came out of it good, scoped good, looked good,” Cox said. “I was super happy with her. She's had two races and that was our plan all along, to come down here and run twice and have a horse who is the third race off the layoff [in the GI Kentucky Oaks].”

Travel Column has been exchanging blows with Clairiere (Curlin) all winter and that filly also heads into the Kentucky Oaks after her runner-up effort Saturday.

“I love Clairiere stretching out to a mile and an eighth,” Blasi said of the Asmussen trainee. “The pace yesterday was very moderate and it really didn't benefit her running style. I thought it was an A-effort considering everything and she should move forward a lot off of it. With her breeding and her running style, the distance at Churchill should really benefit her.”

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Oxbow’s Hot Rod Charlie Scores Gutsy Win in Louisiana Derby

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), the 94-1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up, was sent to the front in a heady ride by Joel Rosario, and refused to lose, turning back Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to win going away by two lengths in Saturday's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby. O Besos (Orb) rallied nicely up the rail to just miss second by a head.

The 5-2 second choice broke inward and bumped with a rival at the start. He led through fractions of :23.10 and :47.04 with Midnight Bourbon shadowing his every move. Midnight Bourbon, winner of the GIII Lecomte S. and a last out third in the GII Risen Star S., reached even terms as they hit the quarter pole and looked to be going the better of the two, but Hot Rod Charlie had another gear once switching over and dug down gamely to post a career high while establishing a new track record.

“I wanted to get a little position,” Rosario said. “It didn't look like there was much speed in the race. He broke well and in the first turn I found myself on the lead. Working with him in the morning, he relaxes and you don't have to get him in the race. It worked out really well. He handled the distance very well. Very impressive. With the horse coming on his outside [Midnight Bourbon], he really fought back. He doesn't have to be on the lead. He can do anything. He can be a little bit off the pace and will run the same way.”

Favored Risen Star hero Mandaloun (Into Mischief) sat a good trip on the outside just behind the leaders, but had little run for the stretch after a wide journey, fading to finish a well-beaten sixth.

“He was flat and we're disappointed,” trainer Brad Cox said. “There's no other way to say it. I don't know. I have no excuse right now, we'll just have to see.”

A narrow maiden winner while showing speed at fourth asking at Santa Anita Oct. 2, Hot Rod Charlie followed his huge come-from-behind run at Keeneland–beaten only three quarters by champion Essential Quality (Tapit)–with a game third in a roughly run stretch drive of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. last time Jan. 30. Essential Quality kicked off his sophomore campaign with an impressive score in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S.

With trainer Doug O'Neill currently serving a 10-day suspension for a positive Lidocaine finding, Hot Rod Charlie was saddled by his longtime assistant Leandro Mora.

“We are so extremely blessed,” said winning co-owner Patrick O'Neill of Boat Racing. “I just missed a phone call from Doug and Dennis [O'Neill] my uncles. It's a family affair, but we added friends and we couldn't be more fortunate. What an amazing horse. An amazing sport. We're going to the Kentucky Derby, hopefully, ya know.”

Pedigree Notes:

Hot Rod Charlie, a half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya), becomes the third graded winner and sixth blacktype winner for his classic-winning sire.

Indian Miss, a homebred for the late Edward A. Cox Jr. and a maiden of two career starts, brought $1.9 million from Larry Best's OXO Equine in foal to Into Mischief at last year's Keeneland November Sale.

Her 2-year-old filly by leading sire Into Mischief brought $525,000–also from Best's OXO Equine–at last year's Keeneland September Sale. She also has a colt by Into Mischief of this year. Indian Miss is a half-sister to late graded winner Live Lively (Medaglia d'Oro).

Saturday, Louisiana Derby
TWINSPIRES.COM LOUISIANA DERBY-GII, $1,000,000, Fair Grounds, 3-20, 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:55.06, ft.
1–HOT ROD CHARLIE, 122, c, 3, by Oxbow
                1st Dam: Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken
                3rd Dam: Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($17,000 Ylg
'19 FTKFEB; $110,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-Roadrunner Racing,
Boat Racing, LLC & William Strauss; B-Edward A. Cox (KY);
T-Leandro Mora; J-Joel Rosario. $610,000. Lifetime Record:
7-2-1-2, $1,005,700. *1/2 to Mitole (Eskendereya), Ch. Male
Sprinter, MGISW, $3,104,910. Werk Nick Rating: A+.  
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 122, c, 3, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $200,000.
3–O Besos, 122, c, 3, Orb–Snuggs and Kisses, by Soto.
O-Bernard Racing LLC, Tagg Team Racing & West Point
Thoroughbreds; B-L. Barrett Bernard (KY); T-Gregory D. Foley.
$100,000.
Margins: 2, HD, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.90, 7.20, 28.80.
Also Ran: Proxy, Starrininmydreams, Mandaloun, Rightandjust, Run Classic. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Maiden Winner With ‘Un’-Tapped Potential

The GI Kentucky Derby-bound Helium (Ironicus) wasn't the only 3-year-old colt to impress on the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby card Mar. 6.

Untreated (Nyquist) put on a show earlier that day as well, graduating by a pole for Todd Pletcher at second asking with a flashy, come-from-behind maiden tally in his two-turn debut (video). He earned a very solid 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

A well-beaten sixth as the 4-5 favorite behind next out GIII Sam F. Davis S. winner Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}) going six furlongs in his unveiling for the late Paul Pompa, Jr. and trainer Chad Brown at Gulfstream Jan. 9, Untreated brought $300,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young on behalf of Team Valor just five days later at the Keeneland January Sale. He was previously a $550,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, the most expensive of 44 yearlings from the first crop of promising young sire Nyquist to switch hands.

“The bottom line is, we got lucky,” Team Valor head Barry Irwin said. “Everybody knew about the horse before he ran. I was prepared to go to what he cost as a yearling, $550,000, and we got him for $300,000. Steve Young, who I've known pretty well for years, is the one who pushed me to buy the horse.”

That must have been one heck of a push considering Irwin's recent words regarding the current state of affairs for racing in this country and his plans for his longtime partnership to compete predominantly abroad going forward.

“I do not like racing in America anymore at this time,” Irwin said. “I am sick of it. The only horse I bought the previous year to stay here was [GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and GI Arkansas Derby second and 'TDN Rising Star'] Gouverneur Morris [by Constitution]. I can't stand this crap that's going on. But this horse was very intriguing.”

Untreated came out firing once joining Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs string, highlighted by a trio of bullet workouts. He did, however, have a gap between his Jan. 30 and Feb. 20 breezes.

“His first work was a bullet work, but the guy had to tap him on the shoulder to get him to gallop out,” Irwin said. “The next work, another bullet work, but he can't even gallop out a furlong this time. He gets back [to the barn] and he's got an entrapped epiglottis. Now, I would be willing to bet, based on my experience with that, that this horse was already starting to do this when Chad him, but didn't show enough evidence of it yet. So, we got lucky. We had Dr. Yarborough do the procedure in his stall.”

Irwin continued, “It worked and his next two works were just unbelievable. Especially the last one. We knew we had something.”

Drawn wide in post eight in his first try for Team Valor and Pletcher, Untreated was about three deep while rounding the clubhouse turn and raced near the rear heading into the backstretch. The bay traveled nicely from there and launched an eye-catching, four-wide move leaving the four-furlong marker into third. He took over with ease approaching the top of the stretch and increased his margin to the wire, scoring by 8 3/4 lengths. The final time of 1:39.17 was just a few ticks off the Tampa track record of 1:38 3/5 for a mile and 40 yards.

“We were thrilled to see how he did it,” Irwin said.

Untreated is out of the graded-stakes placed Unbridled's Song mare Fully Living and is from the same family of champion Halfbridled (Unbridled). He was co-bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Old Oak Farm.

Untreated is scheduled to return to the worktab Saturday, per Irwin.

Will we see him in a Derby prep next time out?

“I'll quote Mr. Todd Pletcher, 'We're gonna let the horse lead us to that decision,'” Irwin responded. “If we do the conservative thing, we'll look to run him in a small race somewhere. If we want to go crazy, we'll look at either the [GII Toyota] Blue Grass [at Keeneland Apr. 3] or [GII] Wood [Memorial at Aqueduct Apr. 3].”

Irwin concluded, “The problem is, he was ready to run in a prep race for the Tampa Bay Derby. If we had gotten that prep race in, then we'd be in a nice spot. Now, we have to be Big Brown in order to pull off something like that [make the Kentucky Derby]. My clients, by in large, are all dreamers and the Derby is the ultimate lure.”

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Sky Racing World: First 100-Point Prep Kicks Derby Fever Into High Gear

The $1 million, Grade 2 Louisiana Derby headlines a loaded card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Saturday and represents the first Kentucky Derby prep race this year offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top four finishers. Saturday's card at Fair Grounds will also feature a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks with the $400,000, Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks drawing a field of eight sophomore fillies.

NBC Sports will broadcast the Louisiana Derby life to kick off its “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series for 2021. The show begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Post time for the Louisiana Derby is set for 6:44 p.m. ET. NBCSN will also present the Fair Grounds Oaks.

TVG will be broadcasting live from Louisiana with expanded coverage of the 14-race card. In addition to racing from Fair Grounds, Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, TVG will feature racing from Oaklawn Park, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

“America's Day at the Races,” presented by Claiborne Farm and America's Best Racing, will air on FS1 and FS2 March 21, showing races from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park and other tracks.

Saturday, March 20

4:48 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

If e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Sound Machine can notch her first graded-stakes success in Saturday's Hurricane Bertie, it will be music to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s ears. Sound Machine is winless in seven starts since capturing the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman by 6 ½ lengths in January 2020, but she produced a graded-stakes finish in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico, where she rallied to third, beaten 1 ½ lengths, after getting bumped at the start.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032021USA10-EQB.html

5:12 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds on TVG

Multiple graded stakes winner Owendale headlines a competitive field of eight older horses for Saturday's 96th running of the New Orleans Classic. Trained by Brad Cox, Owendale began his 5-year-old campaign with a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn Park on February 27 behind top Dubai World Cup contender Mystic Guide. The Into Mischief colt will break from post 2 with Florent Geroux aboard as he eyes his first graded stakes score since his 3-year-old campaign.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA11-EQB.html

5:43 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds on TVG

Since switching Colonel Liam to the grass, trainer Todd Pletcher has found himself with a new stable star on his hands, one who can further enhance his budding reputation when he starts in Saturday's Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes contested at 1 1/8 miles over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course. The expectations Colonel Liam has carried since being purchased for $1.2 million at the 2019 OBS April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale were met in his last start when he prevailed in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 23. Since making his first two starts on dirt, Colonel Liam has won three of his four tries on the turf.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA12-EQB.html

6:14 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks at Fair Grounds on NBCSN and TVG

Something will have to give when Clairiere and Travel Column meet for the third time in a row, this time with a lot more than the $400,000 that's on the line in the Fair Grounds Oaks. The talented 3-year-old fillies meet again, with a berth into the Kentucky Oaks waiting in the balance, along with 170 qualifying points for the race, on a 100-40-20-10 scale. Clairiere pulled off a slight upset when she beat Travel Column in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on February 13, winning a stretch duel by a neck. Clairiere was making her seasonal debut and first start since running second to Travel Column in Churchill's Grade 2 Golden Road Stakes in November.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA13-EQB.html

6:44 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on NBCSN and TVG

Trainer Brad Cox is looking forward to showing the rest of the racing world what he's thought all along—that Mandaloun is one serious 3-year-old—when he starts as a strong favorite in the 108th running of the Louisiana Derby. Cox decided to make what would be a key equipment change after Mandaloun ran third in the Grade 3 Lecomte, as he put blinkers on for the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and saw a much more polished colt turned the tables on both Proxy and Midnight Bourbon with an authoritative 1 ¼-length win. Godolphin's homebred Proxy was a game second in the Risen Star and will try to emulate Mandaloun's path to victory, as he'll add blinkers for the meet's signature race.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA14-EQB.html

7:25 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Richard Mandella's classy multiple stakes winning United, idle since early November, will square off with Richard Baltas' sharp recent winner Masteroffoxhounds, as they head a field of five older horses in the San Luis Rey Stakes. A winner of four out of nine Santa Anita turf starts, United has been idle since running a disappointing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf last November at Keeneland – a race in which he finished second, beaten a head at Santa Anita in 2019. United enjoyed a terrific year in 2020, winning four out of his six starts, all in graded stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA032021USA7-EQB.html

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