O’Neill Hoping The Great One Can ‘Rebound’ In Santa Anita Derby

Doug O'Neill hopes The Great One rebounds from his disappointing fifth-place finish behind recently sidelined Life Is Good in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 6 when he runs in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby next Saturday, April 3.

Named for NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky, The Great One was coming off a smashing 14-length maiden win prior to the San Felipe, in which he finished almost 17 lengths behind Life Is Good after bumping a rival at the start and going four-wide into the stretch before weakening.

“The Great One is scheduled to work tomorrow and as long as that goes well and he comes out of it in good shape, that's the plan,” said O'Neil, who posted back-to-back Santa Anita Derby victories with eventual Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another in 2012 and Goldencents in 2013.

“Abel (Cedillo) will be back on him and we're excited about getting another chance against these caliber of horses,” O'Neill said. 'We're real happy with The Great One and think he can rebound and run a big race.”

Team O'Neill obviously was delighted with Hot Rod Charlie's dominant triumph in the Louisiana Derby on March 20. The son of Oxbow will train up to the Run for the Roses, which the trainer also won in 2016 with Nyquist, 2020's leading freshman sire.

“He's back here at Santa Anita and looks great,” O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie. “We're optimistic about the first Saturday in May with him.”

The Runhappy Santa Anita Derby headlines six stakes next Saturday, four of them graded and two showcasing California-bred or sired runners.

In addition to the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, they are the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles; the Grade 2 Royal Heroine for fillies and mares four and up at one mile on turf; and the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Also, two Golden State Series races, the $150,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs and the $150,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs.

In all, the six stakes offer $1,750,000 in purse money.

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Life Is Good Puts Perfect Record on the Line in San Felipe

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), the 7-1 individual favorite in Pool 3 of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager, will look to go three-for-three in Saturday's GII San Felipe S. The 1 1/16-miles contest offers 50-20-10-5 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

The blowout debut winner at Del Mar Nov. 22 set an uncontested pace while making his two turn-debut in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 2, and, after very confident handling beneath Mike Smith in the stretch, held a 3/4-length advantage over stablemate Medina Spirit (Protonico). The rail-drawn, 4-5 morning-line favorite tackles an additional sixteenth of a mile in the San Felipe.

Life Is Good, owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, is on the same trajectory, to this point at least, as another Bob Baffert-trained son of Into Mischief, the brilliant Authentic, who pulled off the Sham/San Felipe double in 2020 en route to a Horse of the Year campaign, which also included wins in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

The bargain $35,000 OBSOPN buy Medina Spirit, meanwhile, proved his effort in the Sham was certainly legit with a refuse-to-lose, front-running tally by a neck after taking heat through fast fractions in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Jan. 30.

“He's a good horse and I could tell that Mike was just cruising out there,” Baffert said of Life Is Good after the Sham. “It reminded me a lot of Authentic last year, when he did the same thing, and he looked like a drunk out there coming down [the stretch]. I think Mike did a great job just sort of cruising around there and it was just the kind of race we were looking for. They ran pretty fast, these are two good horses.”

'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) closed from last of six and made a flashy, four-wide rally on the far turn to finish a strong second in a blanket photo after bumping with a rival in the stretch in his stakes debut in the Robert B. Lewis.

“He's a very talented horse,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “I think the San Felipe will reveal a lot, but again, Roman Centurian is a very good horse. I'm happy with him and looking forward to the race.”

Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) heads straight to the deep end for trainer Peter Eurton following an eye-catching 'TDN Rising Star' debut score at 20-1–good for a 96 Beyer Speed Figure–going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Feb. 7. The stacked field that day included the very hyped Baffert-trained firster Bezos (Empire Maker), who never fired in seventh.

The Great One (Nyquist), second, beaten a nose as a maiden in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 19, enters off a blowout 14-length graduation for Doug O'Neill over three rivals at Santa Anita Jan. 23.

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Promising Baffert Trainee Life Is Good Headlines San Felipe

A winner of a Grade 3 stakes on Jan. 2, Bob Baffert's lightly raced Life Is Good heads an outstanding field of seven sophomores going a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

A key prep for the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3, the San Felipe, which was won last year by Baffert's eventual Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Authentic, will be contested for the 83rd time, with Baffert bidding to win it for a record eighth time on Saturday.

Owned by CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good, a Kentucky-bred colt by Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, was making his second start in the Sham and was off as the 1-5 favorite. Although he opened up a four length advantage at the top of the lane, he narrowly held sway by three quarters of a length over stablemate Medina Spirit, who helps provide Baffert with a solid one-two punch on Saturday.

A 9 ½ length first-out maiden winner at 1-5 going 6 ½ furlongs on Nov. 22 at Del Mar, Life Is Good, a $525,000 Keeneland September Yearling, has been no secret and will likely go favored in his third start with regular rider Mike Smith up.

Baffert is also well-armed with Medina Spirit, who comes off a gutty neck win at even money in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 30. A bargain $35,000 purchase at age two, Medina Spirit set a fast pace and was extra game in victory while prevailing over both Roman Centurian and highly regarded Hot Rod Charlie on the gallop out as well. A fast finishing second, beaten three quarters of length by his stablemate Life Is Good in the Grade 3 Sham on Jan. 2, Medina Spirit has shown tremendous heart in his last two races.

Owned by Zedan Racing, Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit is a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Prontonico, out of Mongolian Changa, by Brilliant Speed. A winner of two of his three starts, Medina Spirit will be ridden for the first time by eastern-based John Velazquez.

Second, beaten a nose by Baffert's Spielberg while still a maiden in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 19, Doug O'Neill's The Great One came back to blitz maidens by 14 lengths in a one mile maiden race here on Jan. 23. A Louisiana-bred colt by O'Neill's 2016 Florida and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, The Great One has the benefit of ample seasoning, as he'll be making his sixth start and be going a route of ground for the fifth consecutive time.

A $185,000 purchase at age two, The Great One, who is out of the El Corredor mare Little Ms Protocol, is owned by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's ERJ Racing LLC, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables, Niall J. Brennan, Tom Fritz and William Strauss and is named for NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

A big second, beaten a neck by Medina Spirit in the Grade 3 Lewis Stakes Jan. 30, Simon Callaghan's Roman Centurian, who was an impressive maiden winner at the San Felipe distance two starts back on Jan. 3, rallied from well off the pace to come up a neck short in a three-horse Robert B. Lewis photo. Tractable early, this son of Empire Maker gives every indication he'll improve with added distance as he tries a mile and one sixteenth for the third consecutive time.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Roman Centurian is out of the Bernardini mare Spare Change. Owned by Don Alberto and Qatar Racing Limited, he'll be making his fourth start and be handled by regular rider Juan Hernandez.

Although he's only run once, Peter Eurton's Dream Shake could not have been anymore impressive in breaking his 6 ½ furlong maiden by 4 ¾ lengths here on Feb. 7. Despite the fact he was ridden by Joel Rosario, Dream Shake, a Kentucky-bred colt by Twirling Candy, was off at a whopping 20-1, but won like an odds-on favorite.

Owned by Exline-Border Racing, LLC, SAF Racing and Richard Hausman, Dream Shake, who is out of the Street Cry mare Even Song, would appear to be taking a giant leap in his second start, but he retains the services of Rosario and therefore looms a serious threat with a 96 Beyer in-hand.

THE GRADE 2 SAN FELIPE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

  1. Life Is Good—Mike Smith—122
  2. Dream Shake—Joel Rosario–120
  3. Medina Spirit—John Velazquez—122
  4. None Above the Law—Flavien Prat–120
  5. The Great One—Abel Cedillo—120
  6. Govenor's Party—Mario Gutierrez—120
  7. Roman Centurian—Juan Hernandez–120

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The Great One, A True Heart Horse For Coteau Grove Farms

Horses often hold a special place in the hearts of their breeders. After all, the breeder is almost like the parent as they are the ones who bring that horse to life and give them their start in the world. But, some horses are a little extra special to their creators for one reason or another and GII San Felipe S. contender The Great One (Nyquist) is one those for his breeders Keith and Ginger Myers of Coteau Grove Farms in Sunset, Louisiana.

In 2008, the Myerses started their broodmare band with eight mares purchased at the Keeneland November Sale. The first of those eight to foal was a mare named Character Builder (Coronado's Quest), who they bought for $65,000 in foal to El Corredor. The resulting foal, who was the first born on Coteau Grove Farms, was Little Ms Protocol, the dam of The Great One.

“In those first mares we bought in 2008, was a mare named Character Builder,” Keith Myers said. “She had the first foal born on this farm, which was Little Ms Protocol, the dam of The Great One. My wife is a nurse and she is so passionate about the horses. They are all like children. She delivered Little Ms Protocol. We had a vet there as well, but she did everything. She imprinted her and stayed the whole night with her. Little Ms Protocol had a great career in Louisiana as a racehorse before she went to be a broodmare. So, we had a personal attachment through that which makes The Great One even more special.”

As they were brand new to the breeding business, the Myerses raced all of their homebreds themselves at first to establish their brand in the state, which included Little Ms Protocol. The chestnut carried the Coteau Grove Farms colors to nine wins–seven of which were stakes–from 30 starts, all of which took place in Louisiana. She placed in 12 additional races for earnings of $731,290.

“When we see him run, we see the determination and the competitiveness that Little Miss Protocol had,” Myers said. “When she was neck and neck coming down the stretch, more than a few times, we have seen her reach forward and try to bite the horse next to her coming down the stretch. When I see how he comes on at the end, I see a lot of Little Miss Protocol in him. I am sure a lot of that is in our minds because we love Little Miss Protocol so much, but it makes it extra special for us.”

A $125,000 OBSOCT yearling buy, The Great One brought $185,000 from Dennis O'Neill at the OBS June Sale, which was held in July last year, and sent to trainer Doug O'Neill. His connections thought highly enough of him to debut him in the grassy Speakeasy S. at Santa Anita in September, but he proved the turf was not for him, finishing sixth. Fourth to recent GIII Southwest S. runner-up Spielberg (Union Rags) next out going a mile on the Del Mar main track Nov. 1, he filled the same spot going a mile on the lawn there 28 days later. Second to Spielberg in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity S., The Great One dominated next out in a one-mile maiden special in Arcadia Jan. 23, graduating by 14 lengths.

“We will for sure be watching Saturday,” Myers said. “We already have our calendars blocked out for the first Saturday in May, as well! That [running the GI Kentucky Derby] would be huge, especially thinking about it in the context of a Louisiana-bred.”

While The Great One will attempt to fly the Coteau Grove Farms banner on the Derby trail this year, another talented colt looks to continue to make his mark–and that of his breeders–in the older male sprint division. That colt is Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' No Parole (Violence).

A $75,000 KEESEP purchase by Maggi Moss, No Parole crushed his competition at the start of his career, winning three Louisiana-bred events, including a stake, by a combined 34 lengths. Extended to two turns for last year's GII Rebel S., the bay proved to be distance-limited, finishing eighth, but bounced back with a pair of victories, including the GI Woody Stephens S. last June. Off the board in his next two starts in graded company, No Parole kicked off 2021 with a facile victory in the LA-Bred Premier Sprint S. Feb. 10.

“He was the first Grade I winner we bred. It is so exciting,” Myers said. “We watch him very, very closely and when he is finished on the track, we will certainly be interested in where he goes next [as a stallion].”

The Myerses were very busy at the November breeding stock sales, buying a substantial group of mares to improve their breeding program in the hopes of producing more Louisiana-breds of the same quality as No Parole and The Great One. They purchased 13 mares at Keeneland and two more at Fasig-Tipton through bloodstock agent Andrew Cary. Their purchases were topped by a trio of $500,000 mares in Miss Hot Legs (Verrazano, KEENOV)–a half-sister to champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil); the well-bred Contributing (Medaglia d'Oro, KEENOV), who was in foal to Speightstown; and Prado's Sweet Ride (Fort Prado, FTKNOV), who was carrying a foal by Justify.

This was a good investment year for us because they changed the breed-back rules in Louisiana to give us more flexibility for breeding out of state,” Myers said. “The stallion quality in Louisiana is not very high. The previous rules required you to breed [to a stallion] in the state every other year, which really limits the quality of mare you can buy. That rule change really gave us the opportunity to buy some high-quality mares.”

He continued, “This year we are breeding all of our mares to Kentucky stallions. I think this rule change will result in stud farms having to bring higher quality stallions into the state. In the future, we may breed some mares in Louisiana, but we will definitely breed most of our mares in Kentucky.”

With representatives like The Great One and No Parole on the racetrack and an influx of new bloodlines from the November Sales, the Myerses will have the racing world giving Louisiana-breds a much harder look in the future.

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