Daily Racing Form - Kentucky Derby - Contenders

ACTION THIS DAY

Graded Stakes Earnings: $780,000

Horsephotos

Breeding: Kris S. - Najecam (Trempolino)
Breeder: Jaime S. Carrion
State: Kentucky
Owner: B. Wayne Hughes
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Jockey: David Flores
2004 Record: 3 0-0-0 $4,884
Career Record: 6 2-1-0 $822,084
3-year-old wins: none.
2-year-old wins: Breeders' Cup Juvenile-G1 (Santa Anita); MSW (Santa Anita).
Best Beyer: 98
Most Recent Races: 4/10 - Blue Grass-G1 (Keeneland); 3/14 - 7th in San Felipe-G2 (Santa Anita); 2/8 - 4th in Sham Stakes-$81k (Santa Anita).
Next Race: 5/1 - Kentucky Derby-G1 (Churchill Downs).
Dosage Profile: 5-4-21-2-0
Dosage Index: 1.56
Center of Distribution: 0.38
$150,000 yearling

The Skinny
Last year’s two-year-old champion hasn’t reached the winner’s circle since his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile score, and has yet to hit 100 on the Beyer Speed Figure scale. Will the Juvenile-Derby jinx cast its ugly spell once again? Late-running colt always needs pace and race luck, and he benefitted from both when beating the below-average Juvenile cast in 2003. Couldn’t find an excuse for his sub-par Blue Grass try as he had a hot pace to rally into yet never got involved. First work at Churchill was very fast, and it’s difficult to simply dismiss a Mandella-trained runner on these big days (remember the barn’s huge 2003 Breeders’ Cup and 2004 Dubai World Cup). Action This Day is one of the few in this race to boast a true stayer’s pedigree, but he will need to show tremendous improvement in order to pull off the upset.

- Dan Illman

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