Calder Derby: Ring Weekend taking unconventional path to Kentucky Derby
MIAMI – There are the more traditional ways to get a good 3-year-old to the Kentucky Derby in peak form – important preps like the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, Louisiana Derby, Arkansas Derby, and Blue Grass Stakes – or the not-so-traditional ways, as trainer Graham Motion proved so well when using Turfway Park’s Spiral Stakes as the final stepping-stone for Animal Kingdom’s victory in the 2011 Kentucky Derby.
Motion will take the not-so-traditional route again Saturday with his latest Kentucky Derby hopeful, Ring Weekend, who will use the $250,000 Calder Derby as his final prep for this year’s Run for the Roses.
Ring Weekend is virtually assured a spot in the Kentucky Derby field by virtue of the 50 qualifying points he earned for his gate-to-wire triumph four weeks ago in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. He will be the odds-on favorite against nine other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/8-mile Calder Derby, which does not carry any Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Ring Weekend has made steady progress this season. It took the son of Tapit five starts to win his maiden Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park but just one more to earn his spot in the Kentucky Derby by virtue of his three-length victory over Vinceremos at Tampa.
Motion contemplated only two options for Ring Weekend’s final Derby prep, the Calder Derby and the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes next week at Keeneland.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
“I like the fact of keeping conservative,” Motion said. “He already has enough points if we want to run in the Derby, I think, so I don’t know why I have to make things more difficult for him. Calder is 45 minutes down the road, but he still has to go a mile and one-eighth over a deeper track. It also gives us four weeks since his last start and another four before the Derby. I’m just not crazy about the three-weeks-before-the-Derby thing, if you want to make the Derby your biggest race. It all just seems very logical.”
Motion also took the opportunity to van Ring Weekend down from his winter home at Palm Meadows to work over the Calder track, where he went a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.60 last Friday.
“I thought we were close enough where we should take advantage of it,” Motion said. “I think he’s really an improving horse, knock on wood. He even showed it with the way he worked over that track. He really seems to be moving in the right direction.”
Although Daniel Centeno rode Ring Weekend to victory at Tampa, Alan Garcia will have the mount back in the Calder Derby.
“It wasn’t Alan’s fault he wasn’t able to ride him in Tampa,” Motion said. “He was in Saudi Arabia that day.”
Cleburne is the only other member of the Calder Derby lineup with Kentucky Derby qualifying points. He earned 10 for his victory in the Grade 3 Iroquois last September at Churchill Downs. The son of Dixie Union has not raced since, having suffered a bucked shin in his final workout prior to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Cleburne has been working steadily for his return at Gulfstream.
“We decided to bring him back in the race at Calder, and if he wins and 10 points happens to be enough points to get him in the Derby, then we’ll consider going there,” said trainer Dale Romans. “If not, it’s a long year, and there will be plenty of other opportunities.”
Our Caravan was an impressive debut winner going 1 1/16 miles Dec. 14 at Gulfstream but was overmatched in two subsequent starts against the cream of the south Florida 3-year-old crop in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.
Gaining Ground also will merit some consideration in the Calder Derby, having won each of his last two starts, including a seven-furlong allowance dash here March 21.
Rounding out the field are outsiders Russian Humor, Racetrack Romance, General Sham’mah, Charlie the Boss, Copa Del Rey, and Tapicero.