Newgate Hurt, Off Derby Trail

'TDN Rising Star' Newgate (Into Mischief), the winner of last Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita under Frankie Dettori, has been diagnosed with a minor hock issue that will prevent him from making a start in the GI Kentucky Derby.

The news of the injury was announced on Twitter early Friday by Tom Ryan, the managing partner of one of the colt's owners, SF Racing LLC.

“His prognosis to return is excellent,” Ryan wrote. “We look forward to seeing him back this summer.”

Ryan also wrote that veterinarians have recommended 60 to 90 days off for Newgate before he resumes training.

The setback may mean that Dettori will not have a Kentucky Derby mount. When announcing his decision to ride at the current meet at Santa Anita, Dettori said that one of the reasons he came to Southern California was that the move gave him a chance to pick up a Derby contender. He has only ridden in the race once, in 2000.

Dettori is the regular rider of the once-beaten G1 Darley Dewhurst S. winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a top contender for the G1 2000 Guineas, also run on the first Saturday in May.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Newgate only broke his maiden in three tries as a 2-year-old, but has improved this year to the point where he was considered by most to be among the leading contenders for the Derby. He finished second in the GIII Sham S. and then won the Lewis by a neck over stablemate Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

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The Week in Review: “Trice” As Nice on the Derby Trail

On a Saturday that included bi-coastal graded stakes for sophomores, the most emphatic performance on the GI Kentucky Derby trail was orchestrated in a first-level allowance race at Gulfstream Park by Tapit Trice (Tapit).

It wasn't just the eight-length blowout margin of victory or the 92 Beyer Speed Figure that made the athletic gray's effort stand out. It's the fluid, three-race progression and unruffled demeanor that suggests Tapit Trice is ascending his developmental arc while honing an air of confident capability.

A $1.3 million KEESEP yearling owned in partnership by Whisper Hill Farm and breeder Gainesway, this Todd Pletcher trainee debuted as the second favorite in a one-turn Aqueduct mile Nov. 6. Green at the break from the outermost post, Tapit Trice willingly tucked in behind traffic, split horses, and finished with interest before galloping out like he had won the race, even though he checked in third.

Start number two was another mile try in New York, this time over sealed mud as the 17-10 fave Dec. 17. Again in no rush out of the gate, Tapit Trice lagged but got maneuvered out to the eight path to avoid getting pelted with kickback. He quickly clicked into “chase” mode, latching on to the back of the first flight a half mile out. He unleashed a field-looping bid in the six path turning for home, picked off the two pacemakers, then seemed unfazed when brushing and bumping with the second fave before nailing the win by a neck. Initially assigned an 89 Beyer, Tapit Trice's figure got recalibrated to an 87 prior to his Feb. 4 start in Florida.

Tapit Trice drew the rail and got first-time Lasix for Saturday's one-turn mile at Gulfstream, and somewhat surprisingly, he wasn't favored in the betting. That distinction went to another Pletcher trainee, Shesterkin (Violence), who had won at first asking over the track and closed at 9-10 odds while Tapit Trice went off at 13-10.

Jockey Luis Saez had to shake the reins at Tapit Trice when the starter sprang the latch, but the colt's characteristically lackadaisical way of getting out of the gate allowed Saez to swing him out to the five path behind everybody else. Tapit Trice then didn't need much encouragement to pick off half the pack as the field cleared the chute, and he assertively took up a stalking spot while gaining methodically through the turn.

Shesterkin got first run on the wilting 13-1 pacemaker. At the same time, Tapit Trice crested the five-sixteenths pole like a rolling, gray wave. He took dead aim on his stablemate and cracked Shesterkin without much of a fight by the time they reached the quarter pole.

Tapit Trice got to gawking around a bit freewheeling off the turn, but Saez saw no need to over-correct the colt. A right-handed crack of the crop nearing the furlong marker and a mild, kept-to-task drive was all it took to produce a focused finish in 1:36.44, with another strong gallop-out whetting the appetite for what this colt might be capable of once he finally gets hooked into a true stretch test.

Post-race, Pletcher was non-committal about a next start beyond affirming that Tapit Trice would next show up in a stakes. The score elevated the colt to 'TDN Rising Star' status.

Double 'Mischief'

A pair of Into Mischief colts swept the pair of Grade III events over 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream and Santa Anita.

In the Holy Bull S., Rocket Can established a foothold in the Derby pecking order with a visually impressive victory that came back light on the Beyer scale (82).

In the Robert B. Lewis S., 'TDN Rising Star' Newgate won a last-to-first stretch scrap over three so-so stablemates, earning a strong number (a 100 Beyer, shared with the runner-up) while having to work harder than expected for the win.

The Holy Bull in recent history hasn't been a safe haven for favorites, who have lost every edition of this race since 2017, with the exception of Tiz the Law's win in 2020.

Rocket Can was off as the 5-2 second choice for owner Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and trainer Bill Mott, and jockey Junior Alvarado opted to let the gray roll straight out of the gate from the outermost eight draw even though it cost them five paths of real estate on the first turn.

Rocket Can remained comfortably parked in the five lane while three lengths off the lead down the backstraight behind an opening quarter of :23.92 and identical second and third splits of :24.92.

Rolling four deep through the far turn, Alvarado nudged Rocket Can for more run five-sixteenths out, and the colt responded, seizing the lead off the turn and remaining mentally locked in once he hit the front under steady coaxing.

Rocket Can appeared to sense 34-1 stablemate Shadow Dragon (Army Mule) bearing down with a late bid, and maintained a three-quarter length margin under the short-stretch finish wire.

Although the 82 Beyer showed no progression over a same-fig second against allowance company at Churchill last Nov. 26, Rocket Can has now put together three straight races in which he's come out running to establish good early position, and he knows how to pounce off the far turn. This colt has also willingly engaged in deep-stretch showdowns in each of his last three, winning twice and not looking overmatched the day he was a runner-up.

It's also notable that Rocket Can won on Saturday despite the disadvantage of being a midpack stalker drawn outside over a track configuration that starts close to the first turn and ends at the sixteenth pole. He also had to make up ground into a moderate pace before finishing up with a respectable :24.78 final quarter and :6.43 last sixteenth for a final clocking of 1:44.97.

And on the left coast…

Newgate | Benoit Photo

The years-long quantity/quality decline in sophomore stakes on the southern California circuit reached a new nadir Saturday when a four-horse field went to post in the Lewis and every one of the entrants hailed from the same dominant stable.

The effect was like watching a set of trainer Bob Baffert's B-level 3-year-olds work out over 1 1/16 miles. The field was comprised of a maiden, two colts that had not won beyond the maiden ranks, and another who broke his maiden in a restricted stakes at Los Alamitos.

Even Baffert recognized the dysfunctionality of the situation in his post-race comments. “I was actually nervous before the race, worried that something weird might happen,” he said.

Something weird almost did happen: The longest shot of the quartet, the 12-1 Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), nearly stole the race.

In fact, Hard to Figure's gutsy loss by a neck resonated as a better performance than Newgate's all-out, last-to-first winning effort.

That's because Hard to Figure and Ramon Vazquez applied pressure outside of the second favorite, Arabian Lion (Justify), through lively early quarter-mile splits (:23.87, :23.89). The colt then had enough oomph left late to give Newgate and Frankie Dettori a serious run for the money through the lane.

The closing half of the race featured honest third and fourth quarters of :24.22, and :24.67 (plus :6.46 for the last sixteenth) for a final clocking of 1:43.11. Hard to Figure then galloped out past Newgate after the wire.

Hard to Figure is a May 19 foal whose only previous win came in the $75,000 Capote S. over 6 ½ furlongs, a race restricted to non-winners of a $50,000 stakes.

Newgate has been undergoing some change-of-tactics schooling that involves teaching him to make one sustained run instead of pressing the pace like he did at age two. He now sports a Beyer pattern that shows increases in four consecutive races.

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Newgate Last to First in Robert B. Lewis

In a sport often built upon uncertainty, the latest renewal of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. offered one foregone conclusion–a Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-old would emerge victorious. With only four horses–all trained by Baffert–going postward in Saturday's sophomore feature at Santa Anita, Newgate (Into Mischief) was most fancied of the quartet, with Arabian Lion (Justify) given a 2-1 chance over Worcester (Empire Maker) at 5-2. Accompanied by famed European rider Frankie Dettori, the favorite was held under restraint in last by about 2 1/2 lengths as Arabian Lion and Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), sent off at 12-1, led the way through :23.87 and :47.76 splits. Asked by Dettori for more approaching the quarter pole, the bay was three wide turning for home, and despite seeming like he had the most forward momentum, had to work hard down the lane to get past Hard to Figure, inching ahead in the final sixteenth en route to a neck victory. Worcester was third while Arabian Lion crossed the wire fourth.

“We had good pace in the race, we came back in good time,” said Dettori, who is planning to retire at the end of this season.  “Today, we moved sharper and we beat some good horses. He was a little slow with his lead changes, but he ran well.”

A TDN Rising Star-earning winner at Del Mar last July, the bay finished fourth next time out in the seven-furlong GI Del Mar Futurity before a fifth in the GI Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in October. Closing out 2022 with a runner-up finish in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 20, he returned in 2023 with a productive second, beaten only a neck, in Santa Anita's GIII Sham S. Jan. 8. Dettori was aboard for his latest start.

“Frankie Dettori has been teaching him how to just sit back, relax and come with a punch and that's what he did today,” said Baffert. “Newgate, before when we were sending him, he wasn't finishing. I wasn't sure how far he wanted to go…I was actually nervous before the race, worried that something weird might happen, but I can relax now.”

Pedigree Notes:
Into Mischief dominated Coast-to-Coast sophomore racing action with a pair of colts earning black-type at Santa Anita and at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Newgate's Robert B. Lewis score gave the Spendthrift stallion his 61st graded winner, following General Jim's 60th recorded winner earlier in the day in South Florida.

The winner's dam, Majestic Presence, was secured for $360,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale in foal to Runhappy. The 11-year-old mare has a year younger full-sister to Newgate, named Denim and Pearls, and a yearling half-sister by Authentic. She was bred back to Essential Quality.

 

Saturday, Santa Anita
ROBERT B. LEWIS S.-GIII, $196,000, Santa Anita, 2-4, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.11, ft.
1–NEWGATE, 120, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Majestic Presence (GSP-USA, MSP-Can, $227,896), by Majestic Warrior
                2nd Dam: Shining Victory, by Victory Gallop
                3rd Dam: Phoenix Sunshine, by Encino
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($850,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight
Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet
Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC &
Catherine Donovan; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
6-2-2-0, $241,975. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hard to Figure, 120, c, 3, Hard Spun–Ani La, by Mr. Greeley.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($40,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $200,000
2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul
Weitman; B-James Heyward (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.
3–Worcester, 120, c, 3, Empire Maker–Lil Super Bear,
by Super Saver. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($180,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing,
Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A.
Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan;
B-Jerry Dixon Revocable Trust & Empire Maker Syndicate (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $24,000.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 12.80, 2.50.
Also Ran: Arabian Lion.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Busy Weekend For Derby Preps on Both Coasts

Saturday's graded stakes races stretch out from coast to coast and feature significant GI Kentucky Derby implications, but not entirely for the reasons we've come to expect. In South Florida, it is business as usual for the Derby preps while on the West Coast all things Kentucky Derby took an unprecedented turn.

On the heels of a very successful GI Pegasus World Cup weekend, Gulfstream Park offers a tremendous card with five graded races, including the 34th running of the GIII Holy Bull S. named for the Hall of Famer and 1994 Horse of the Year, who won that year's GI Florida Derby. Forty Kentucky Derby points are on the line with the winner collecting the lion's share.

Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief) enters off a 5 3/4-length allowance romp at a mile over this surface Jan. 8. The $450,000 KEESEP yearling purchase is out of a half to GSW Suddenbreakingnews (Mineshaft) and hails from the female family of MGIW Composure (Touch Gold).

“I think he's one of the best 3-year-olds in the country, and he's training like one,” trainer Dale Romans said. “There are a lot of good horses out there, but we're in a good spot right now.”

Legacy Isle (Shackleford) would be undefeated and the only stakes winner so far of the bunch after wiring the Mucho Macho Man S. on New Year's Day, but was disqualified for bothering a rival in the lane and was placed second.

Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott entered two in the Holy Bull, Rocket Can (Into Mischief) and Shadow Dragon (Army Mule).

The GIII Claiborne Swale S. doesn't offer any Derby points and isn't considered a Derby prep, but it is named after the 1984 Derby winner and Hall of Famer who died suddenly eight days after the GI Belmont S.

The streaking Super Chow (Lord Nelson) drew the outside in the six-runner test, which will be contested at seven furlongs. The winner of five of his six career races is coming off three straight listed stakes wins and makes a jump back into graded company. He broke his maiden in his debut July 2 at Gulfstream and was third in the GII Saratoga Special S. before shipping back to Florida to collect his last three wins.

“He's in his best shape ever,” trainer Jorge Delgado said. “He's been maturing race to race. He's been showing a lot of class. From race to race, he's a more professional horse. He's becoming a man.”

Not to be overshadowed by the boys, 10 fillies are set to race seven-eighths on the main track in the GIII Forward Gal S.

Atomically (Girvin) is the likely favorite in her first start since an even seventh-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 4. It was her first start for trainer Todd Pletcher after being sold privately to a group headed by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners after winning the Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. over the Gulfstream Park main track Oct. 1.

Ginger Brew S. winner Cairo Consort (Cairo Prince) is the 2-1 morning-line favorite against eight other sophomore turf fillies in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Sweetest Chant S. The Todd Pletcher-trained filly won Woodbine's Catch A Glimpse S., was second in the GI Natalma S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This race will be her first start beyond a mile.

Only four will line up in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S., a 1 1/16-mile test offering 41 Road to the Derby points to the top-four finishers on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale. This is where the race's Kentucky Derby implications take a turn. Each of the four runners are trained by a single trainer and that trainer–currently–is forbidden from participating in racing at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has saddled a record 10 winners of the Robert B. Lewis–including the last four in a row–sat in a Louisville courtroom for two days this week. His team of attorneys is seeking an injunction against his two-year ban from competing at Churchill Downs following Medina Spirit's post-race positive for the prohibited steroid betamethasone after crossing the wire first in the 2021 Derby. Medina Spirit also won the 2021 Lewis.

Arabian Lion (Justify) will lead his stablemates. The $600,000 OBSAPR 2-year-old was a dismal fifth in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 17 at odds of 2-5 but has been working lights out for his return here.

Newgate (Into Mischief) hasn't reached the winner's circle since breaking his maiden at Del Mar but was a short second in the GIII Sham S. a month ago. The $850,000 KEESEP yearling was also second to last week's GIII San Vicente S. winner and stablemate Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) in the GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar Nov. 20. Maiden winner Hard To Figure (Hard Spun) and maiden Worcester (Empire Maker) round out the Baffert quartet.

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