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Louisiana Derby Aftermath: Hot Rod Charlie Back to California; Mandaloun May Run In Lexington

The dust has settled after a thrilling 14-race card Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, with the TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Oaks (G2) in the rearview mirror. Both the local Derby and Oaks offered 100-40-20-10 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, and the April 30 Longines Kentucky Oaks, and several of the top finishers emerged with both races firmly on their calendar.

The connections for several of the major players had a chance to sleep on the results, evaluate how their respective horses came out their races, and plot a path to Churchill Downs. Fair Grounds media caught up with several trainers Sunday morning to get their thoughts moving forward.

Louisiana Derby:
Doug O'Neill, trainer, Hot Rod Charlie (Leandro Mora was trainer of record in Louisiana Derby) (1^st): Charlie looked great this morning. 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 Boat Racing). He's a real good young man and I'm very excited for him and all of the owners.

Scott Blasi, assistant trainer to Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon (2^nd): Big effort and he's another horse (like Clairiere) that's just going to continue to improve. 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 28^th).

Greg Foley, trainer, O Besos (3^rd): 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 hi 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).

Mike Stidham, trainer, Proxy (4^th): He came back in good condition. I will discuss it with the Godolphin team and decide which direction we go in next.

Brad Cox, trainer, Mandaloun (6^th as the 6-5 favorite): We couldn't come up with any reasons for the dull performance. 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 Lexington (G3, April 10 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 was so dull). 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. He's not that bad. We were the favorite. It's almost like you'd like to see a reason or an excuse but we aren't seeing it yet. The six weeks (to the Derby) is almost a blessing. I don't think it's a bad thing. We'll see how he trains. I'm not going to change too much with him. He bounced out of it in good shape, scoped good, no issues. He'll probably go to Churchill at some point later this week.

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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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California Invader Hot Rod Charlie Scores Front-End Victory In Louisiana Derby

Second at 94-1 odds in last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and third in his 3-year-old debut in the G3 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita, Hot Rod Charlie scored a front-running two-length victory under Joel Rosario on Saturday in the $1-million, G2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans, La.

Sent away as the 5-2 second choice in the wagering behind the Brad Cox-trained 6-5 favorite Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie battled with Midnight Bourbon and Joe Talamo throughout the 1 3/16 miles, and put that rival away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win in 1:55.06 on a fast main track, a new track record at the infrequently run distance. He paid $7.80 to win.

Fractions of the race were :23.10, :47.04, 1:11.25 and 1:36.38.

Midnight Bourbon held second, with 28-1 longshot O Besos rallying up the rail late to finish a head back in third, with 3-1 third choice Proxy another 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Mandaloun finished sixth of the eight 3-year-olds. The Risen Star winner tried to reach contention with the top pair going into the far turn but was not able to sustain his rally.

Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill, was the trainer of record for the Louisiana Derby as O'Neill was serving a 10-day medication suspension for a lidocaine positive in California from March 8-17 when entries for the race were taken.

The son of the Awesome Again stallion, Oxbow, Hot Rod Charlie earned 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, with the second through fourth finishers getting 40, 20 and 10 points, respectively.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard

Hot Rod Charlie is owned by the partnership of Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and William Strauss.

The post California Invader Hot Rod Charlie Scores Front-End Victory In Louisiana Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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