Atreides lays over rivals in Monarchos
The past performances of a 3-year-old named Atreides differ so dramatically from those of his opposition Saturday in the Monarchos Stakes at Gulfstream Park that the initial reaction is to think a mistake has been made. Did somebody put him in the wrong race?
Nope. With an unblemished record and eye-popping Beyer Speed Figures of 102 and 105, the simple fact is Atreides will be in the 1-5 range in odds in the Monarchos, a one-turn-mile that drew seven 3-year-olds.
“With certain horses, you can tell,” said Marty Wolfson, who trains Atreides (pronounced uh-TRAY-uh-dees) for the Stonestreet Stables of owner-breeder Barbara Banke. “They have that look. When he first came in, you could tell there was something special about him.”
Atreides, with leading jockey Edgard Zayas to ride, will break from post 5. The colt was an easy winner of his only two prior starts, both over his home track of Gulfstream.
Wolfson helped ensure the Monarchos would fill by entering two of the other six in the race: Woelf Den (post 1, Jilver Chamafi) and Tiz Marvelous (post 4, J.J. Gonzales).
First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern, with the Monarchos set for 5:30 as the ninth.
The Monarchos is named for the John T. Ward Jr.-trained colt who captured the 2001 Florida Derby at Gulfstream before going on to win the Kentucky Derby.
Key contenders
Atreides (Last 2 Beyers: 102-105)
◗ By the top-shelf sire Medaglia d’Oro out of the standout mare Dream Rush, Atreides always has beenhighly regarded, as evidenced by how bettors have latched on to him from the start.
◗ Even as he stretches out Saturday from shorter races, his style suggests he will be able to sit off another speed horse, and if not, simply control the pace from the start. “He’s not a speedball,” Wolfson said.
◗ Stonestreet is best known as the owner of Curlin and Rachel Alexandra.
Pontos (Last 3 Beyers: 91-57-71)
◗ As a romping winner of a starter-allowance sprint four weeks ago, his form shows marked improvement since being claimed by Efren Loza Jr. in June – so if Atreides happens to stub his toe, he would be the most likely to capitalize.
Black Label (Last 3 Beyers: 84-84-48)
◗ His last two starts both have resulted in victories, and although both were in “beaten” claiming events, he still has attained peak form and will have the benefit Saturday of the advantageous open-air outside post and hot-riding Ramsey Zimmerman in the saddle.