Tag: Triple Crown

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will look to secure his third Kentucky Derby (G1) win after Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal punched his ticket to the “Run for the Roses” with a neck score in the Wood Memorial (G2) Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Mo Donegal, with Joel Rosario up, rallied up the rail through the final turn before angling outside of pacesetter Early Voting to secure the victory in the nine-furlong test which offered 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The victory provided Pletcher a record-tying seventh win in the Wood Memorial, joining fellow Hall of Famer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons.

“I thought it was a super effort on his part. We worked out the trip we hoped to with the exception of the hot pace scenario we hoped would develop,” Pletcher said. “Aside from that, everything worked out well. He put in a good, sustained run and a fast final quarter. He found a seam when he needed it. It was a big run from him.”

On Friday, Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbreds Partners and Michael House's Nest posted an authoritative score in the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland to give Pletcher a shot at winning his fifth Kentucky Oaks (G1) and tying the record held by Hall of Famer Woody Stephens.

Pletcher won the Oaks last year with Shadwell Stable's Malathaat, who followed a similar path to Nest's, winning both the Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A and the Ashland. Both fillies picked up their first Oaks qualifying points in the Tempted at Aqueduct, which Malathaat won and Nest was a closing third.

Pletcher said Nest, by Curlin and out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, is following a tried and true path.

“They both broke their maidens on debut at Belmont before running in the Tempted and the Demoiselle and then the Ashland,” Pletcher said. “Both are Curlin fillies out of A.P. Indy mares and not that they physically resemble each other that much, but both are extremely talented.”

Pletcher said Nest will continue that trend by training at Churchill Downs.

“We'll look to follow the same path we did last year with Malathaat. We'll ship over to Churchill next week and she'll have a couple of breezes there,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said he will also send Mo Donegal to Churchill early as he looks to provide Donegal Racing with their first Derby score after previous attempts with Paddy O'Prado, (3rd, 2010) Dullahan (3rd, 2012) and Keen Ice (7th, 2015).

“We've always felt like the mile and a quarter distance would suit him well,” Pletcher said of Mo Donegal. “In the Derby, it's important for everyone to work out a trip. A lot of it will be pace dependent and being able to find seams when he needs to. It's important not to get stopped at a bad time.”

Pletcher said he feels like he holds a strong Derby hand which also includes Whisper Hill Farm's Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Charge It and possibly Sumaya U.S. Stable's Pioneer of Medina, who is currently 24th on the leaderboard with 25 points.

“We're blessed to have some candidates,” Pletcher said. “Like everyone else, we need them to continue to improve and stay healthy and keep moving forward and like the surface at Churchill, but we're pleased with where we are at the moment.”

Mo Donegal was one of three Pletcher trainees in the Wood along with maiden Long Term (7^th) and New York-bred maiden winner Golden Code (8^th), who finished third in the Grade 3 Gotham in March at the Big A.

“We were taking a chance, so we'll regroup and get back in a maiden race with Long Term and Golden Code is eligible for New York-bred allowance races. We'll give them plenty of time after that and let them re-group,” Pletcher said.

The post Mo Donegal Could Be Ace In Pletcher’s KY Derby Hand appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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It was all smiles Sunday morning in trainer Chad Brown's barn following the 2½-length victory by Jeff Drown's Zandon in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1), which secured a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 7.

“Everything is all good with him this morning,” said Baldo Hernandez, who is overseeing Brown's Keeneland string. “He ate up everything last night.”

Brown had indicated after the race that Zandon would remain at Keeneland for the time being before going to Churchill Downs “maybe a couple of weeks before the Derby.”

Another horse that could go to Churchill with Zandon is Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Robert LaPenta's Dolce Zel, who finished second in the Appalachian (G2).

Should she go to Louisville, Dolce Zel could point to the May 6, $500,000 Edgewood (G2) to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

“She came back good,” Hernandez said. “That was a good filly (Spendarella) that beat her.”

The post Zandon ‘All Good’ Following Blue Grass Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With less than four weeks remaining until the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen's duo of top contenders Epicenter and Echo Zulu returned to the work tab at Churchill Downs for the first time since their respective victories two weeks ago in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter, the likely favorite in the Kentucky Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:01 Sunday at 5:50 a.m. (ET) while his stablemate, L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' champion filly Echo Zulu breezed 20 minutes prior to Epicenter and completed five furlongs in 1:00.80.

Epicenter, with exercise rider Wilson Fabian up, worked outside of fellow 3-year-old Guntown through opening eighth-mile fractions of :13.40, :25.40, and :37. The duo stayed together for most of the breeze and completed six furlongs in a comfortable 1:14.60 and were up seven furlongs in 1:29.40.

“He's a wonderful individual,” Asmussen said following Epicenter's 2 ½-length win in the Louisiana Derby. “He's another product of Winchell and Dr. (Dave) Lambert's selection process. He had his early schooling at mom and dad's (Asmussen Horse Center) in Laredo, Texas. He came in highly recommended and has always been impressive physically. He's done well in his development and continues to improve as the races get longer.”

Bettors tabbed Epicenter as the 9-2 favorite in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Saturday prior to the runnings of the Blue Grass (G1), Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Wood Memorial (G2). He will enter the Kentucky Derby with four wins from six starts and boasts purse earnings of $1,010,639.

Echo Zulu, with Fabian in the saddle, worked inside of debut maiden special weight winner Belle Rebelle through opening fractions of :13, :24.40, and :36. The duo galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40.

Unbeaten Echo Zulu was the champion 2-year-old filly of 2021 following her emphatic 5 ¼-length score in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Her 3-year-old debut was in the Fair Grounds Oaks where she dug in during the late stages of the 1 1/16-mile race to hold off Hidden Connection by a scant nose.

“She got a little tired in the stretch but she got the job done,” jockey Joel Rosario said. “She showed how much of an amazing horse she is. She dug in and didn't want to get beat.”

“She was such a brilliant filly last year,” Asmussen said. “She really has a straight-forward attitude. She got a break and to compete in the Fair Grounds Oaks as a prep, and to do what she did, when in the past multiple great fillies have won this race, she can now add her name to that list. We're very proud of that.”

Echo Zulu is a perfect 5-for-5 and is one of several fillies that could vie for favoritism in the Kentucky Oaks.

Next weekend, several Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders that are stabled on the grounds are tentatively scheduled to record timed workouts, including Cyberknife, Secret Oath, and Zozos.

Training hours at Churchill Downs remain 5:30-10 a.m. with half-hour renovation breaks from 7-7:30 a.m. and 8:30-9 a.m. There is a 10-minute period for workers only from 7:30-7:40 a.m.

The 15-minute training window reserved for only Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders will begin Saturday, April 23.

The post Respective KY Derby, Oaks Hopefuls Epicenter, Echo Zulu Drill At Churchill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With his well-supported stablemate seemingly in control, trainer Tim Yakteen's Taiba wheeled three-deep at the top of the lane and assumed command approaching the sixteenth pole in a scintillating 2 ¼-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Mike Smith, Taiba, who is owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., got 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.67.

The Santa Anita Derby, which has produced 19 winners of the Run for the Roses in Kentucky, provided Taiba with 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with 40, 20 and 10 points to the second through fourth-place finishers.

Updated Kentucky Derby/Oaks leaderboard

As expected, Richard Mandella's Forbidden Kingdom went straight to the front, but was pressed every step of the way by Messier through early fractions of :23.23, :46.66 and 1:10.93.

A quarter mile from home, Messier, trained by Yakteen, put Forbidden Kingdom away but was no match for the winner late.

“You could have poured me out of a shot glass earlier,” said Yakteen, who took over the training of Taiba, Messier and fourth-place finisher Armagnac from the recently suspended Bob Baffert.  “But these two horses represented me unbelievably in this race and I'm just absolutely thrilled, floored, with the effort that Taiba put forth.”

A 7 ½-length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs March 5, Taiba was the third choice in a field of six at 4-1 and paid $10.60, $3.60 and $3.20.

“He didn't really (break) that very well,” said Smith, 56.  “I didn't want to get in the way.  I wasn't in a hurry.  I felt the others would do the dirty work for me and it set up just fine.  He showed just how special he is.  He belongs with anyone.  He just recovers really well.  I'm not getting any younger.  As I get older, I have felt that something special is going to happen.  This just may lead to that.  The sky's the limit.”

In addition to Baffert being absent from this year's festivities in Kentucky there will be added drama surrounding Taiba, as his owner experienced victory and subsequent disqualification via a positive test for a prohibited race-day medication with last year's Derby winner, Medina Spirit.

With the winner's share of $450,000, Taiba, a $1.7 million 2-year-old in training sale purchase, bumped his earnings to $490,200 as he heads to America's biggest race.

For his part, Messier, a 15-length winner of the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 6, ran his heart out but it wasn't near enough to hold off his upstart stablemate.  Off at 6-5 with John Velazquez, he paid $2.80 and $2.10 while finishing 10 lengths in front of longshot Happy Jack.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Happy Jack was off at 26-1 and paid $4.20 to show. Win the Day was fifth and Forbidden Kingdom, the even-money favorite, last.

Complete splits on the Derby were 23.23, 46.66, 1:10.93 and 1:35.97.

The post Former Baffert Runners Taiba, Messier Run 1-2 For Yakteen In Santa Anita Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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