West Side Bernie

2009 Prep Recap

Date	Trk	Race	Chart	Distance	Time	BSF	Video
1/31	GP	Holy Bull (G3)	Chart	1 1/8 m		92
3/21	TP	Lane's End (G2)	Chart	1 1/8 m		84
4/4	AQU	Wood Memorial (G1)	Chart	1 1/8 m		101

Profile by Jim Kachulis

Strengths: He showed the rare ability last year to win a graded stakes directly after a maiden victory, but the real tip-off to his true quality was his deceptively good try in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In that event, he lost more ground than the margin of defeat when burdened with post 12. Since then, he certainly has progressed nicely, running the race of his life in the Wood Memorial and finishing second to the exceptionally talented I Want Revenge. He could be peaking at just the right time. His latest half-mile breeze over the Churchill surface was upbeat as well.

Weaknesses: Many handicappers will downgrade West Side Bernie's second in the Wood, viewing the small margin of defeat as an aberration because of the nightmare journey of I Want Revenge. Bernie will undoubtedly have to overcome a much swifter early pace today, which will complicate matters as he will have to rally from much farther back than usual, no easy task in the bulky field of the Derby.

Strategy: He must somehow get into the race sooner than normal to avoid being caught in a logjam at the back of the back. If the pace is very intense, he could prove that the last performance was no fluke and land a minor share.

Value: There are certainly bettors who believe in the bounce theory, which says a horse will often regress after earning a personal best Beyer, and West Side Bernie is coming into the Derby off a Beyer top.

Pedigree Analysis By Dan Illman

Dosage Profile:  3-3-6-2-0
Dosage Index:  1.80
Center of Distribution:  0.50
Auction:  $62,000 short yearling, $50,000 yearling

Sire - Bernstein was a quick turf sprinter on the other side of the Atlantic.  He won four races in Europe between six and seven furlongs including a pair of Group 3 events in Ireland.  He never ran on the main track. 
Bernstein is a full brother to Caress, a three-time Grade 3 winner, and dam of Hopeful and Lane's End Breeders' Futurity winner Sky Mesa. 
Bernstein's best performers have raced in South America.  He is the sire of Storm Mayor, the champion stayer in Argentina with wins at 1 ½ miles on both turf and dirt, and at 1 9/16 miles on dirt.  He has also produced Storm Military, a stakes-winner at 1 1/4 miles in Argentina.

Dam - Time Honored, a $50,000 yearling purchase resold for $19,000 as a juvenile, won a pair of six furlong sprints in her career, and was 0-5 at distances of a mile or over. 
West Side Bernie's second dam, Hazel's Honor, was a three-time stakes-winner between six furlongs and one mile. 
Another notable runner from this female family is Hey Hazel, the winner of the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Handicap at 1 1/16 miles

Outlook:  West Side Bernie is bred for speed on both sides of the pedigree, but he's acted like a middle-distance horse since his career debut going two turns last year at Monmouth.  In fact, West Side Bernie has never sprinted in his career.  He's come up short in three races at 1 1/8 miles this year, and may find the Derby distance a bit too long.