Divisidero points to Belmont Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There were plenty of terrific performances to go around last weekend at Churchill Downs, led, of course, by American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby and Lovely Maria in the Kentucky Oaks.

Beyond them, not many horses were more visually impressive than Divisidero, whose rally from far back carried him to victory in the Grade 2 American Turf on the Derby undercard Saturday.

“The colt did run huge,” trainer Buff Bradley said Wednesday. “The good thing is he’s got a lot of upside because he’s so smart and takes care of himself. Hopefully, we’ll have him around a long time.”

Owned by Pennsylvania-based Gunpowder Farms LLC, Divisidero earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure when surging past A Lot in the final yards of the 1 1/16-mile race to win by three-quarters of a length in just his third career start. Bradley said Divisidero will be pointed to the $1.25 million Belmont Derby on July 4, with one race in between.

“We still haven’t pinpointed his next race, although there is a suitable prep there in New York for him,” Bradley said, referring to the $200,000 Pennine Ridge on May 30 at Belmont Park.

Divisidero, by Kitten’s Joy, was a $250,000 yearling purchase at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale, and although Bradley has fielded numerous queries about a possible private purchase of the colt, “I’ve just referred them to the owners,” said Bradley. “From what I’ve gathered, this is why they spent as much as they did and what they’ve been waiting for, so there’s nothing going on as far as I know.”