Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

McPeek On Dash Attack’s Southwest Performance: ‘I Think We Left Him Short’

Locally based Dash Attack emerged in good order from his fifth-place finish in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds last Saturday, Jan. 29, at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., and will remain on the Kentucky Derby trail, his trainer, Kenny McPeek, said Tuesday night.

Dash Attack won his first two career starts, including the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1, before being beaten 7 ¾ lengths by heavily favored Newgrange in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest. Dash Attack was racing over a fast track for the first time in the Southwest, Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races.

“I think between that racetrack being a little bit deep and cuppy, and we kind of had to adjust our work schedule, I think we left him short,” McPeek said. “He got tired in the race. He seemed to come back fine, but I wish I had done a little more with him in hindsight. But the night before, it was extremely cold and I don't think they had much water on it (track) and he didn't handle it well.”

Dash Attack splashed to a two-length victory in the one-mile Smarty Jones, which was Oaklawn's first Kentucky Derby points race. Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 26 and the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2.

McPeek said Dash Attack “definitely” will be considered for the Rebel, which will offer 85 points (50-20-10-5, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated qualifying races.

Dash Attack ranks No. 9 on the latest Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory.

“We're not ruling the Rebel out at all,” McPeek said. “We're going to kind of regroup and put another plan together and hopefully it unfolds a little better than the Southwest did.”

Southern California-based Bob Baffert said he will “definitely have something for the Rebel,” a 1 1/16-mile race the Hall of Fame trainer has won a record eight times. Barber Road, runner-up in the Smarty Jones and Southwest, is likely headed to the Rebel, trainer John Ortiz said.

Vivar is off the Kentucky Derby trail following his 10th-place finish in the Southwest, trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday afternoon.

“We're going to give him a break and freshen him up,” said Cox, who trains Vivar for breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. “Don't really think he's a dirt horse. Kind of always thought he was more grass. We've given him the opportunity and he really didn't answer the questions we were asking, so it's time to back up and give him some time and maybe point him for a grass campaign this summer.”

Vivar finished fifth in the Smarty Jones.

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Pletcher Derby Dreaming? Emmanuel Impressive In Tampa Bay Allowance

As Pablo Morales returned to the jockeys' room alongside assistant trainer Juan Aguayo after his victory aboard Emmanuel in Tampa Bay Downs' sixth race on Sunday, a fan pretty much summed up what he felt privileged to observe.

“That was a magic carpet ride,” the spectator said. Morales nodded in assent.

Emmanuel, whose scheduled 2022 debut here on Jan. 7 was pushed back after he spiked a temperature, made the wait worthwhile today with a highly professional 4 ½-length victory from Glider in the sixth race, the mile-and-40-yard Cody's Original Roadhouse Race of the Week.

Already considered a Kentucky Derby prospect by a number of experts, the Todd Pletcher-trained 3-year-old colt broke alertly under Morales and led the six-horse field throughout. Trainer Mark Casse's colt Glider challenged at the 1/8-mile pole under Antonio Gallardo, but Emmanuel, as it turned out, was just getting started, as he finished in 1:40.24, impressive time on the fast but slightly tiring dirt surface.

Pletcher's other horse in the race, In the Union, finished third.

“I'm very pleased with the way he handled the two turns,” Pletcher said via text message. “We will keep all options open for his next start.”

Pletcher added that the Feb. 12 Sam F. Davis Stakes would be too soon to bring him back, but Tampa Bay Downs Racing Office officials will be working overtime to land him for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12.

Morales was more expansive in his comments, having piloted the Ferrari-like colt around the track.

“Just a class horse. I felt like I had so many gears underneath me,” Morales said. “Every time I would just move a hair, he would take off a little bit more and just do it easily. He felt (Glider) coming on the inside down the lane, so I decided to give him a little bit of a hand ride and I could feel him extending more and more.

“He just did it easy – it felt like a workout for him. He acts like an old horse who has run 100 times and he gives you what you ask out of him. I'm thankful I was considered to ride him. It was a pleasure.”

To casual observers, Emmanuel, a son of More Than Ready out of the Hard Spun mare Hard Cloth, seems to be setting out on a similar 3-year-old path as Pletcher's Always Dreaming in 2017. Always Dreaming broke his maiden at Tampa on Jan. 25 at the mile-and-40 distance in his third career start. What came next? Victories in an allowance/optional claiming event and the G1 Xpressbet Florida Derby at Gulfstream, followed by a triumph in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.

Owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, Emmanuel was a $350,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale. He was bred in Kentucky by the Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, out of a half-sister to both multiple Group 1-winner and $4.7 million-earner Hawkbill as well as Grade 1 winner Free Drop Billy.

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Rattle N Roll, Make It Big Top Nominees To Tampa’s First Derby Prep

Rattle N Roll, who won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Oct. 9 at Keeneland in his most recent start, and Make It Big, whose 3-for-3 record includes two stakes victories, head a list of 48 nominations for the 42nd renewal of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Feb. 12 Festival Preview Day card at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Sam F. Davis Stakes, contested at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main dirt track, is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with the top four finishers receiving points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward qualifying for a spot in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 7. The Sam F. Davis is also a precursor to the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race awarding 50, 20, 10 and 5 points to the first four finishers.

Three other stakes are scheduled on the Festival Preview Day card. They include the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which is a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes, for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

The list of Sam F. Davis nominations includes eight from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the race a record six times, most recently with Destin in 2016. Heading the list of Pletcher-trained candidates is Mo Donegal, who won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, and Emmanuel, who won Sunday's sixth race impressively at Tampa.

Rattle N Roll, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable and trained by Ken McPeek, won the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders' Futurity by a widening 4 ¼ lengths under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. After targeting a start in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar, McPeek changed course after the horse developed a minor foot issue.

Rattle N Roll returned to the workout tab earlier this month at Gulfstream Park and breezed three furlongs Saturday in 35.67 seconds.

Make It Big, owned by Red Oak Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., won the Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint Stakes on Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes on Dec. 17 at Remington Park in his last two starts. Jose Ortiz was aboard for the most recent victory.

Here are the links to the nominations and their past performances for the Sam F. Davis Stakes:

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SN-TAM-20220212-573142

https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=SNPP-TAM-20220212-573142

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Newgrange Back To Southern California After Southwest Score

Heavy favorite Newgrange, in his first race outside California, came from off the pace at Oaklawn under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez to score a 1 ½-length victory in the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds to remain unbeaten in three lifetime starts.

It was a record-tying fifth Southwest victory at the Hot Springs, Ark., track for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and his 18th overall in Oaklawn's four-race Kentucky Derby prep series – all since 2010. Newgrange was exiting a front-running 2 ¾-length victory over stablemate Rockefeller in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3) Jan. 1 at Santa Anita.

Although the Sham and Southwest offered 17 points (10-4-2-1, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, Newgrange was running for purse money only because of Baffert's suspension from Churchill Downs. It stems from a possible medication violation involving his 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. No stewards' ruling has been issued, but a Feb. 7 hearing is reportedly set.

So, when Churchill Downs released its official Kentucky Derby leaderboard late Saturday afternoon, Newgrange, instead of topping the list with 20, had zero since Baffert trainees are ineligible to collect Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

“I'm not going to worry about that right now,” Baffert, a record seven-time Kentucky Derby winner, said in a phone interview moments after the Southwest.

In a text message Sunday morning, Baffert said Newgrange emerged in “great” shape physically from his Southwest victory and would be flown back to his Southern California base Tuesday.

Newgrange and Grade 3 winners Rockefeller and Messier were Baffert's three nominees to the Southwest, which is Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races.

Newgrange and Messier worked against each other in a half-mile drill Jan. 23 at Santa Anita. Both horses were credited with :47.20, which ranked second of 114 times published at the distance.

Baffert, subsequently, opted to keep Messier home for the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 6 at Santa Anita and send Newgrange to Oaklawn for the Southwest. The colt arrived Wednesday – a day later than originally scheduled – following a flight from Southern California.

“I thought this horse kind of had a good mind,” Baffert said. “The ship in there is a little bit tougher now. You've got to go to Memphis (about 190 miles northeast of Hot Springs) and get them a van. I thought Newgrange's got a great mind and Messier's going to run here in the Bob Lewis with some other ones. Try to spread them out, try to see where they fit. So, that was the reason.”

After leading at almost every point of call in his first two starts, Newgrange showed a new dimension in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest.

Newgrange stalked front-runner Kavod down the backstretch, but appeared to be struggling on the second turn and in upper stretch. Newgrange ($5) found another gear inside the furlong marker and held late-running Barber Road safe in the run to the wire. The winning time over a fast track was 1:45.83.

“I think he needed it today,” Baffert said. “He had to really gut it out. Turning for home, I wasn't sure. Then, he came on. I thought it was a good spot for him and, hopefully, he just continues on. He showed today he's a pretty solid horse. I always try to bring my best horses up there that are doing the best.”

Baffert said next-race plans are pending for Newgrange, a son of Violence who has bankrolled $552,000 for a high-profile ownership group that includes SF Racing (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf), Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin) and Stonestreet Stables (Barbara Banke). Newgrange was purchased for $125,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby prep series continues with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26 and the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2. Baffert has won the Rebel a record eight times.

“We'll definitely have something for the Rebel,” Baffert said. “I just don't know which one.”

Baffert's longtime traveling assistant, Jimmy Barnes, saddled Newgrange for the Southwest.

Barber Road collected four points for his runner-up finish Saturday and now has eight overall to rank 13th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference based on horses with highest point totals accumulated in qualifying races like the Southwest and the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1. Barber Road also finished second in the 1-mile Smarty Jones, Oaklawn's first Kentucky Derby points race.

“Aiming for the Kentucky Derby now,” Barber Road's trainer, John Ortiz, said in a text message Sunday morning. “The dream is finally feeling very realistically possible. So, the next step would be the Rebel. Thoughts about going to Dubai have been put on the table as well, but most likely we'd love to stay home and run over the track he is loving right now.”

Barber Road finished 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Ben Diesel, a full brother to multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Will's Secret for trainer Dallas Stewart and breeder/owner Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark. Ben Diesel has three points to rank 24th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Kavod is No. 26, earning two points with fourth-place finishes in the Smarty Jones and Southwest.

Smarty Jones winner Dash Attack is No. 9 following his fifth-place finish in the Southwest. Dash Attack has 10 points. Osbourne, eighth in the Southwest, is No. 20 with four points. Ignitis, 11th in the Southwest, is No. 31 with two points.
The Rebel will offer 85 total points (50-20-10-5) to the top four finishers. The Arkansas Derby is a 170-point race, with the winner receiving 100. The 2-3-4 finishers will receive 40, 20 and 10 points, respectively.

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