Colonel John |
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| Barbara D. Livingston |
2008 Prep Recap
| Date | Trk | Race | Chart | Distance | Time | BSF | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/1 | SA | Sham (G3) | Chart | 1 1/8m | 1:50 | 86 |  |
| 4/5 | SA | Santa Anita Derby (G1) | Chart | 1 1/8m | 1:48.16 | 95 | |
Analysis (by Michael Hammersly)
Strengths: His is without question the leader of the West Coast ranks, having won the Grade 3 Sham and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. He’s bred to relish this trip – sire Tiznow was a two-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles and damsire Turkoman was a champion handicap horse who did his best work at 10 furlongs. While there are questions about his ability to handle this surface, he dispelled much of that with a dizzying 57.80-second breeze here Monday.
Weaknesses: He has never raced on dirt, but he is bred for it and has handled the Churchill track well in the mornings. He also has just two preps as a 3-year-old – only two of the last 53 to try that have won the Derby – Sunny’s Halo and Street Sense.
Strategy: While he usually sits back and make a run, his Sham win, when he was right up on the pace, albeit a slow one, shows he’s not a one-dimensional deep closer. He sprinted quite nicely at age 2, showing speed on those occasions so that versatility gives rider Corey Nakatani a chance to get position where he pleases, likely in midpack.
Value: His bandwagon has gotten a bit more crowded in recent weeks, particularly off his strong works since the Santa Anita Derby. He may still be second choice behind Big Brown, probably around 5-1, so don’t expect to get rich if he win . . . unless you get the right ones into those exotic supporting spots.
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Owners: WinStar Farm |
Pedigree Profile (by Lauren Stich)
Sire Line: Tiznow was Horse of the Year at 3 and a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Cee’s Tizzy is a speed influence and Tiznow was his best runner by far. Relaunch was one of In Reality’s best sons on the track and at stud, and was known best for his prowess on wet tracks, a characteristic of the speedy In Reality/Intentionally sire line. In Reality was all high class and had the misfortune of being born in the same crop as Dr. Fager and Damascus.
Female Family: Sweet Damsel was a winner, and second dam, Grande Dame is a half-sister to Bodhavista, the dam of Imperialism, who finished third behind Smarty Jones and Lion Heart in the 2004 Derby.
Pedigree Pattern: Damsire Turkoman adds significant stamina to the speed of Colonel John’s sire line. Should transfer his good form to dirt, and is bred for the Derby distance.