“The main thing was trying to break clean,” said winning rider Manny Franco. “That was what we did, and after that, I don't want my horse to do too much [going] six furlongs. I think the speed is good on the outer track. My horse pulled me right into the race behind the speed and I think that was the key.”

Ian Wilson, assistant to winning trainer Graham Motion, added, “Last time, he was on the lead and we didn't feel like he needed to be on the lead [today]. Manny got him settled behind horses and once he got some space to go, he went. Once he tipped him out and got somewhere to go, it seemed like he was moving well and moving comfortably. He got there and that's all that matters.”

Nagirroc closed to second in his five-furlong debut over the turf at Indianapolis Horseshoe Aug. 22 for owners Corrigan Racing Stable and Tom Campbell and trainer Jim Corrigan. He came back to break his maiden over the Futurity's course and distance in his first start for trainer Graham Motion and new owners Madaket Stables, Little Red Feather Racing and William Strauss.

“In his first start, which wasn't for us, he broke pretty poorly and it probably cost him,” said Wilson. “So, last race, we wanted Manny to get him out of the gate. Today, we weren't as worried. He showed professionalism from start to finish. He's a classy horse.”

Pedigree Notes:

Nagirroc has a weanling half-sister by More Than Ready. His dam, Emma Spencer, was bred back to Audible this year. The mare is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-placed Johann Strauss (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Group 1-placed Mythical (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) and graded-placed Inchargeofme (High Chaparral {Ire}).

Nagirroc is the third graded winner for Claiborne stallion Lea, who has also been represented by last year's GIII Turnback the Alarm H. winner Gibberish and 2020 GIII Ontario Colleen S. winner Chart. He is the sire of 10 stakes winners.

Sunday, Belmont at the Big A
FUTURITY S.-GIII, $150,000, Belmont at the Big A, 10-9, 2yo, 6fT, 1:09.36, fm.
1–NAGIRROC, 120, c, 2, by Lea
               1st Dam: Emma Spencer (Ire), by Zamindar
               2nd Dam: Inchmina (GB), by Cape Cross (Ire)
               3rd Dam: Incheni (Ire), by Nashwan
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Little Red Feather Racing & William
Strauss; B-Chervenell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-H. Graham
Motion; J-Manuel Franco. $82,500. Lifetime Record:
3-2-1-0, $141,550. Werk Nick Rating: B
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gaslight Dancer, 120, c, 2, City of Light–Raindrops
Droptops, by Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST
GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($80,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $260,000
2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Paradise Farms Corp., David
Staudacher, Skychai Racing LLC & Angelo Carlesimo;
B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $30,000.
3–Vacation Dance, 120, c, 2, The Lieutenant–Matinee
Express, by Zensational. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED
BLACK TYPE. ($45,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT; $140,000 RNA 2yo
'22 OBSMAR; $90,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Sleeping Giant
Stables, LLC, America's Pastime Stables & KimDon Racing,
LLC; B-Harry Landry & James Hogan (NY); T-John C. Kimmel.
$18,000.
Margins: NK, HD, HD. Odds: 3.60, 1.75, 11.50.
Also Ran: Inflation Nation (Ire), Dunedin, Determined Jester, Power Attack. Scratched: Bourbon Therapy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Emerging as the favorite among the thousands of fans who voted in the year-end online poll, Hot Rod Charlie started the season as a long shot but consistently showed speed and determination that carried him through the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Hot Rod Charlie is owned in a partnership with Boat Racing LLC, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss. Trained by Doug O'Neill and piloted by Flavien Prat, he was a surprise winner of the Louisiana Derby and later finished third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes, where his blistering fractions in the first quarter-mile rivaled the record-setting pace set in 1973 by Secretariat. Later in the year, Hot Rod Charlie answered an infamous disqualification in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes with a breathtaking comeback in the Pennsylvania Derby, his first graded stakes win.

The Oxbow colt's thrilling performances and his tenacity on the track endeared him to racing fans. Finishing in the money for five of his seven 2021 starts, Hot Rod Charlie tallied more than $2 million in earnings in 2021 and is poised for a sensational 4-year-old season in 2022. Off the track, his owners have donated a portion of Hot Rod Charlie's earnings to causes such as the Melanoma Research Alliance to honor O'Neill family members who had succumbed to the disease, as well as the Folds of Honor Foundation and the Jake Panus Walk-On Football Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of South Carolina.

“Hot Rod Charlie represents the heart and purpose of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award, and his feel-good story and grit as a competitor remind us why we love racing,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “Traditional awards may overlook his accomplishments, but this award celebrates his endearing connection with fans.”

Greg Helm of Roadrunner Racing, representing Hot Rod Charlie's ownership interests, expressed gratitude for the honor, given the talented field of nominees.

“This colt has given our team such an incredible ride this year, and we are overjoyed he has been recognized as the winner of the Vox Populi Award,” Helm said. “We saw something special in him early on, and 'Charlie' has validated that time and time again. It means so much to us that fans have connected with him too.”

Hot Rod Charlie was one of a select group of six nominees submitted by the Vox Populi Committee and presented to thousands of voters in all 50 states and more than 40 countries who spoke as the “Voice of the People” in the Secretariat.com online poll. Other nominees were Echo Zulu, Essential Quality, Knicks Go, Letruska, and Life is Good. Voters also had the option to write in their own favorite candidate to recognize other exceptional horses.

Hot Rod Charlie now joins a list of cherished racing stars who have also received the Vox Populi Award: Authentic (2020), Bricks and Mortar (2019), Winx (2018), Ben's Cat (2017), California Chrome (2016 and 2014), American Pharoah (2015), Mucho Macho Man (2013), Paynter (2012), Rapid Redux (2011), and Zenyatta (inaugural 2010).

The trophy presentation for Hot Rod Charlie's connections is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., where race fans can also enjoy the official Vox Populi winner's print giveaway and special autograph appearances.

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Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20, and shortly afterward, Hot Rod Charlie worked seven furlongs in company in 1:26.80 for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Letruska was scheduled to work on her own, but she picked up some company on the backstretch.

“I was not planning on company; it was not ideal,” said exercise rider Roger Horgan, who was aboard Letruska who stayed to the inside of her unexpected companion. “She did relax. I was a bit concerned, but she switched off and let her do it on her own. I was very proud of her the way she relaxed.”

Gutierrez said Letruska handled the track well, noting that she has handled every track well in a 2021 campaign that has taken her to six tracks previously.

Shortly after Letruska finished, Hot Rod Charlie appeared on the scene working in company with Khantaro d'Oro, a 2-year-old maiden. Del Mar clockers caught Hot Rod Charlie in :47.80 for the half-mile, 1:00.20 for five furlongs, 1:13 for six furlongs, and 1:26.80 for the seven-eighths.

“I thought the work was visually impressive,” O'Neill said. “Charlie sat off his workmate and when Flavien (Prat) called on him, he responded well. He galloped out good and his energy was very high.”

O'Neill also sent out $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf pre-entrant Mackinnon to work six furlongs on the main track in 1:14.80.

Nine other Breeders' Cup pre-entrants worked: Ain't Easy (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) 5f in 1:01; Desert Dawn (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) 5f in 1:00.60; Helens Well (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) 5f in 1:00.60; Oviatt Class (TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance) 5f in :59.60 in company; Proud Emma (Filly & Mare Sprint) 5f in :59.80 with Prat aboard; Aloha West (Qatar Racing Sprint) 4f in :47.20; Channel Maker (Longines Turf) 4f in :48.40; Chaos Theory (Turf Sprint) 4f in :48.20; and Horologist (Longines Distaff) 4f in :49.60.

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At the break, Hot Rod Charlie with Flavien Prat took the early lead, with Midnight Bourbon and Ricardo Santana, Jr. to his outside, three-quarters of a length back. The two dueled on the front around the first turn and into the backstretch, with Speaker's Corner and Weyburn three lengths back. Hot Rod Charlie kept his advantage throughout, with Midnight Bourbon staying close to him as they rounded the far turn.

With the field still several lengths back, Hot Rod Charlie, running a couple of paths off the rail, went wide out of the far turn, Prat having to take up on him to keep him from blowing the turn altogether. That move took Midnight Bourbon still wider, but Prat was able to straighten his colt out as Midnight Bourbon kept pressuring the leader down the stretch. Hot Rod Charlie was too much for Midnight Bourbon, pulling away to a 2 1/4-length victory.

Immediately after the race, Santana, Jr. lodged a claim of foul for interference against Prat and Hot Rod Charlie. The inquiry sign went up as well, but ultimately the Parx stewards decided to keep the order of finish intact.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.63. Find this race's chart here.

Hot Rod Charlie paid $3.80, $2.60, and $2.10. Midnight Bourbon paid $3.60 and $2.40. Americanrevolution paid $3.00.

Bred in Kentucky by Edward A. Cox, Jr., Hot Rod Charlie is by Oxbow out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Miss. He is owned by Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing, and Gainesway Stable. Hot Rod Charlie was consigned by Small Batch Sales and purchased by Dennis O'Neill at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale for $110,000. With his win in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby, the 3-year-old colt has two wins in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 11-3-2-3 and career earnings of $2,171,200.

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“I'm an incredibly even-keel, non-emotional guy,” Strauss told the KHBPA's Jennie Rees earlier this week. “”I have a son that's 33 and a daughter that's 30, and even they were impressed by how I was 'trending' on Twitter from that interview. I don't know where that came from. I had no idea I even had that in me. People are always telling me, 'Oh, we've never seen you like that.' Well, I've never been like that.”

“We're on our way!”

Owner Bill Strauss is living out his Kentucky Derby dreams following HOT ROD CHARLIE'S victory in the Louisiana Derby! He expresses his excitement with @ScottTVG @Fairgroundsnola. #RoadtotheDerby @SpendthriftFarm @dougoneill1 pic.twitter.com/dyfioKdpum

— TVG (@TVG) March 20, 2021

The co-founder and CEO of ProFlowers.com, an online flower company, Strauss has owned a share in two Breeders' Cup winners and a total of seven Grade 1 winners. There's something entirely different about having a horse headed for the first Saturday in May.

“Before I got involved in ProFlowers, I didn't know the difference between a flower and tulip, except for the first Saturday in May,” Strauss quipped. “I knew those were roses.”

He'd attended the Kentucky Derby before, as a guest of Chris McCarron in the year 2000, but said that experience pales in comparison to this year beneath the Twin Spires in Louisville, Ky.

“It was fun to come to the Derby, and it was a good life experience,” Strauss said. “But to have a horse in it, it's a completely different level of probably anything I've ever done in my life. I've not experienced or felt anything like I do now, having a horse in the Kentucky Derby.”

The other owners in Hot Rod Charlie include Gainesway Thoroughbreds; Roadrunner Racing, operated by the retired Silicon Valley advertising executive who worked with Steve Jobs on the Apple account three days a week, Greg Helm; and Boat Racing, operated by trainer Doug O'Neill's nephew, Patrick O'Neill, a 26-year-old Brown graduate and vice president for sales and strategic partnerships at Founder Sport Group.

Roadrunner Racing is comprised of a half-dozen retired country club members and their wives from Palm Springs, Calif., and led by Helm.

Boat Racing is comprised of a group of five fraternity brothers of Theta Delta Chi at Brown University who were also teammates on the football team: Eric Armagost, Dan Giovacchini, Reiley Higgins, Patrick O'Neill, and Alex Quoyeser. The syndicate was named for a drinking game they played in college.

At Tuesday's post-position draw, in which Hot Rod Charlie drew the nine-hole, Boat Racing led the chorus of cheers after the position was announced.

“We (the trainer and his sizable contingent of owners, including five former college football players who are in their 20s) decided we were going to give it a pump no matter what post we drew,” O'Neill told Churchill publicity. “But we're delighted with the nine. It's a real good post. And the way they load this field, it means we won't be standing in the gate very long. They'll put us in, then one other and we're gone. We're really happy with it.”

Owners of Hot Rod Charlie cheer at Tuesday's post position draw

Hot Rod Charlie is a half-brother to Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Mitole, so early expectations for the son of Oxbow were for him to enjoy shorter distances. He sold for just $17,000 as a short yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale, and was pinhooked through the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling sale, at which he brought a final bid of $110,000 from bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill, the trainer's brother.

Though it took him several starts to break his maiden for two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie did so in impressive enough fashion in his fourth race that O'Neill sent him straight to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sent off as the longest shot in the field at 94-1, Hot Rod Charlie finished second, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Champion Essential Quality.

“We were so happy to finish second, which I've never been happy to finish second at anything in my life, but it's what it symbolizes,” Strauss explained. “It symbolized that we were a legitimate horse on the Derby trail. That's when we realized we had something there, and he could really be good, and he's continued to get better and better, and he's a happy horse.

“I tell people that it's like the first time that you're in love. It's the first thing that you think about when you wake up, it's the last thing you think about when you go to sleep, and you think about it every minute in between. Literally it's been like that since the Breeders' Cup race.”

This year, Hot Rod Charlie had a bit of a rough trip when finishing third, beaten just a neck for the victory, in the G3 Bob Lewis Stakes at his home track of Santa Anita Park in late January. O'Neill sent the colt to Fair Grounds to contest the G2 Louisiana Derby in March, and Hot Rod Charlie grabbed the lead shortly after the start and held it all the way through to the wire, earning himself the coveted spot in the starting gate for this Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Hot Rod Charlie will get a new pilot for the Run for the Roses, Flavien Prat, who was awarded victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby when the horse first across the wire, Maximum Security, was disqualified.

Strauss is feeling confident that Hot Rod Charlie and Team O'Neill, including Hall of Fame racehorse-turned-stable-pony Lava Man, who shipped to Louisville with the colt, are up to the task.

The “Coach,” Hall of Famer Lava Man, ponies Kentucky Derby contender Hot Rod Charlie at Churchill Downs

“If we cross that finish line first, if we're fortunate enough and lucky enough, and the horse is good enough, stay tuned,” said Strauss. “I just don't know; I've never showed that kind of emotion before, and I don't know what's ahead of me.

“I was fortunate enough to open Wall Street one time when we took our company public, and that was pretty exciting. It's far more exciting to have a $20,000 claimer cross the finish line first. It's that adrenaline rush, it's the competition… and just to be around the horses in the mornings. They all have such different personalities, and you can come feed them a carrot. There's just something very, very special about this whole game.”

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Sent away as the 5-2 second choice in the wagering behind the Brad Cox-trained 6-5 favorite Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie battled with Midnight Bourbon and Joe Talamo throughout the 1 3/16 miles, and put that rival away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win in 1:55.06 on a fast main track, a new track record at the infrequently run distance. He paid $7.80 to win.

Fractions of the race were :23.10, :47.04, 1:11.25 and 1:36.38.

Midnight Bourbon held second, with 28-1 longshot O Besos rallying up the rail late to finish a head back in third, with 3-1 third choice Proxy another 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Mandaloun finished sixth of the eight 3-year-olds. The Risen Star winner tried to reach contention with the top pair going into the far turn but was not able to sustain his rally.

Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill, was the trainer of record for the Louisiana Derby as O'Neill was serving a 10-day medication suspension for a lidocaine positive in California from March 8-17 when entries for the race were taken.

The son of the Awesome Again stallion, Oxbow, Hot Rod Charlie earned 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, with the second through fourth finishers getting 40, 20 and 10 points, respectively.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard

Hot Rod Charlie is owned by the partnership of Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and William Strauss.

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With Bob Baffert's first-time starter Fenway, who dominated the wagering as the even money favorite, gunning for the early lead from his rail post, The Great One pressed him every step of the way and was three quarters of a length back at the three furlong pole.  Well within himself, The Great One quickly opened up at two length advantage at the quarter pole and widened from there in a tremendous effort.

“When we made the lead at the top of the stretch, that was pretty amazing,” said Cedillo, who although he showed The Great One the stick several times to maintain focus, never hit him.  “This horse has gears.  Anytime you want one, you got it.  The way he won today, he's a top horse, no doubt about it.”

Second, beaten a nose at 33-1 in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in his most recent start, The Great One, in his fifth career start, was off at 8-5 in a field of four sophomores and paid $5.20 and $2.60 with no show wagering.

“I always loved Nyquist and this colt caught my eye when he first came in,” said O'Neill assistant Leandro Mora.  “He was very, very green, but we told the owners, please let us take our time with him and we have.  We knew the ability was there.  We have two horses for the Robert Lewis (G3, 1 1/16 miles) next Saturday, but I know Doug wants to try and keep these horses separated as long as we can.  This colt is Louisiana-bred, so we have some options.  We'll just see how he comes out of this race and then plan ahead.”

Owned by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's ERJ Racing, LLC, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables, Niall J. Brennan, Tom Fritz and William Strauss, The Great One is out of the El Corredor mare Little Ms Protocol.  A $185,000 Ocala Breeders' Sales July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale purchase, The Great One picked up $36,600 for the win, increasing his earnings to $83,940.

Although trainer Mark Glatt's Affable loomed a contender a quarter mile out, he never got on terms with the winner and finished second, some 11 ½ lengths in front of longshot There Goes Harvard.  Off at 2-1 with Juan Hernandez up, Affable returned $2.80 to place.

Fenway, who was ridden by Victor Espinoza, checked in last, beaten 29 ½ lengths.

Fractions on the race were 22.91, 45.76, 1:10.67 and 1:23.69.

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