The 2023 edition of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve was an unforgettable one, as Mage, making only the fourth start of his career, came from far off the pace, rallied past horses wide on the turn and into the lane, and then caught Two Phil's in deep stretch to win the run for the roses by a length.
Tag: Racing
Cal-Bred One In Vermillion Shortens Up, Goes Gate To Wire In Lazaro Barrera
The longest shot in a compact field of four and the lone California-bred in the lineup, the Eric Kruljac-trained One in Vermillion, a trouble fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, cut back in distance to seven furlongs and dealt all the cards on Saturday at Santa Anita, as he marched to an emphatic 5¼-length win in the $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes.
Breaking sharply from the rail, One in Vermillion was pressed by Bob Baffert's Hard to Figure through early splits of :22.39, :45.09, and 1:09.77, prior to coming home in 1:22.77 for the seven panels.
With Baffert's Tahoe Sunrise looming into contention turning for home, an upset seemed unlikely, but One in Vermillion was far from done with Hector Berrios aboard and he had the Barrera in-hand a furlong from home.
“My decision was to put him on the lead, but I knew we would have some pressure,” said Berrios. “My horse impressed me. When we hit the half mile, I asked him and he responded really well. Down the stretch he just kicked away.”
Fifth, beaten 4½ lengths by Practical Move and Mandarin Hero in the Santa Anita Derby, One in Vermillion, in only his second local start, was off at 5-1 and paid $12.
“He's a nice little horse,” said Kruljac. “The journey started when the owner bought the horse himself, he picked him out himself.”
A California-bred colt by Army Mule out of the Any Given Saturday mare Given Star, One in Vermillion is owned by Jonathan Kalman and was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises. A two-time stakes winner at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Arizona, One in Vermillion won his first start at age three by taking the ungraded Riley Allison going one mile at Sunland Park in New Mexico on Jan. 29.
With his win Saturday, all four of his wins have come in stakes from seven overall starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, One in Vermillion increased his earnings to $242,440.
Navy Man, last early under Kent Desormeaux, out-ran the two Baffert trainees late to be second by a half length over Tahoe Sunrise. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Navy Man, who broke his maiden going 6 ½ furlong here on April 8, was the second choice at 2-1.
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Godolphin’s Ottoman Fleet Takes Fort Marcy In First North American Start
Godolphin's British Group 3 winner Ottoman Fleet carried his winning ways overseas into his North American debut, finding room down the rail in overtaking the pacesetter Tide of the Sea and finishing strong for a 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy for 4-year-olds and up on the Belmont Park inner turf.
Ottoman Fleet, the even-money favorite, tracked comfortably in fifth position as 56-1 Tide of the Sea led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter mile in :23.71 seconds, the half in :47.81 and three-quarters in 1:11.91 over firm going.
Jockey Richie Mullen, who traveled with the British-bred Ottoman Fleet last week and cantered the horse over the Belmont training track, showed his familiarity with his charge, patiently saving ground before moving him up and surging past Tide of the Sea from the inside once straightened for home and completing the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in a 1:47.25 final time.
The Tom Morley-trained Tide of the Sea ensured a high-priced exacta, holding on for second by fending off City Man by a neck. Rockemperor finished fourth, with Dynadrive, King Cause, Fort Washington and Keystone Field completing the order of finish. Law Professor, entered for the main-track only, was scratched.
“It's a beautiful track. The ground is as good as I've ridden on,” Mullen said. “With the rain we had when we arrived on Sunday, I thought this guy wouldn't mind it. But I was surprised how it has dried out. There was no kickback and the important thing with this horse is that he gets into a nice rhythm and he doesn't over race.
“He had one to aim at and I thought he might have got there a bit sooner, but the opportunity came down the rail and I had to take it,” Mullen added. “He's a horse on the up. I wouldn't be surprised for this horse to step up in grade, especially over here as I think this style of racing and track suits him.”
Trainer Charlie Appleby registered another victory at Belmont Park, building on the success he compiled previously with Althiqa in the 2021 Grade 1 Just a Game and Yibir, who won the Jockey Club Derby en route to victory in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar and Eclipse Award honors as Champion Turf Male.
Ottoman Fleet, who improved to a 4-3-3 record in 11 career starts, finished on the board for the eighth consecutive time. The 4-year-old Sea The Stars gelding out of the Motivator mare Innevera, bred in Great Britain by SCEA Marmion Vauville and Alain Jathiere, returned $4 on a $2 win wager. He also improved his career earnings to $345,259.
“He broke nicely and Richie gave him an absolute peach of a ride around,” said Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. “When they peeled off the rail into the straight, he shot through there and put the race to bed pretty quickly. It was quite impressive.”
Flying P Stable's Tide of the Sea, ridden by Katie Davis, recorded his best finish since his last victory in the Japan Turf Cup in October 2021 at Laurel Park.
“I did gun him pretty good. He's a massive horse and I had to grab my saddle to get up on him,” Davis said. “Tom said, 'He has a big stride, don't take it away from him. Just gun him and take the lead and see if he holds on.' I looked between my legs and saw we were pretty far up there, so I kind of cocked his head towards the rail to slow him down a little, but you don't want to take away from his stride. He's got a big heart and he went on with it. It was beautiful and I'm so proud of him. He was game.”
Trevor McCarthy, the rider aboard City Man, rallied the Christophe Clement trainee from sixth to round out the trifecta. The multiple graded-stakes winning son of Mucho Macho Man was making his first start since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park.
“I think he just got a little tired when I needed him the most,” McCarthy said. “It was a beautiful trip, I was covered up the whole way. We were two-wide in the first turn and two-wide in the second turn and then got out at the corner, but we had no excuses today – the winner just had an even better trip than I did.”
City Man, bred in New York by Moonstar Farm, banked $24,000 for his third-place finish to earn millionaire status with $1,011,120 in career purse earnings.
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Strong-Finishing Pass The Champagne Tallies Stakes Breakthrough In Ruffian
R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, Blackridge Stables and James F. Brown's Pass the Champagne, a three-time runner-up in stakes competition, finally broke through, overtaking Gerrymander and Idiomatic at the top of the stretch before extending her lead en route to a 5 1/2-length win in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park.
Pass the Champagne, who started her 5-year-old campaign with runner-up efforts in the Wayward Lass in January at Tampa Bay Downs and last out in the Heavenly Cause in April at Laurel Park, sat in fourth position as the Chad Brown-trained Gerrymander, piloted by Dylan Davis, led the compact six-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.51 seconds before moving up to third with the half in 47.01 over the fast main track.
The George Weaver trainee, ridden patiently by Feargal Lynch, was tipped out exiting the turn. Once straightened at the top of the stretch, Pass the Champagne responded well to Lynch's right-handed encouragement, thundering home from the outside and drawing away to complete the one-turn mile in a final time of 1:36.13.
Idiomatic outkicked Gerrymander by 1 1/2-lengths for second, while Timeless Journey, Kathleen O. and Mommasgottarun completed the order of finish.
“This is very rewarding,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “She's such a great, talented filly and we knew she had it in her. For her to be able to pull that off today on such a big day is pretty special and amazing, because she's always been special. She has been training very well and it paid off. I'm very proud of the team.”
Off at 7-1, Pass the Champagne returned $17 on a $2 win bet. She increased her career bankroll to $315,070.
“I had a great trip, just like we planned it with George,” Lynch said. “We just wanted to take this filly back and make one run. We felt like when she's up there on the pace, she's just doing a little too much and can't finish it off. She's got a closing kick for an eighth of a mile and you just have to hold on to it as long as possible.”
The Flatter mare showed ability as a 3-year-old, as Pass the Champagne in just her second career start finished second to subsequent two-time Champion Malathaat in the 2021 Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland and finished her sophomore season with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks before returning last February to win an optional claiming event at Gulfstream Park. That marked her only race of 2022 before returning this year, earning a winner's circle trip for the first time in the current campaign.
Pass the Champagne's connections credited the previous race, where she ran second to Beth's Dream in Maryland, for the win in the Ruffian's 47th edition.
“It absolutely [gave her fitness] and it gave Feargal a chance to learn an awful lot about her,” Golen said. “I was very impressed with how she ran down there stretching out down the lane very nicely.”
Idiomatic, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Trevor McCarthy, has finished on the board in all seven of her career starts, moving to 4-1-2. The 4-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Curlin was making her graded stakes debut.
“It was a really great effort,” McCarthy said. “She broke very well and we wanted to let her run forward and take away nothing that came easy to her. Chad's filly [Gerrymander] wanted to go to the lead, so I kind of just sat my hands down and let them go. I got her into a comfortable rhythm and she's a horse who doesn't have a huge turn of foot, but she finished well and there was no beating the winner.”
Pass the Champagne was bred in Kentucky by the late Preston Madden. Her dam is the Distorted Humor mare Champagne Taste.
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