Illinois Derby distance a challenge for Midnight Hawk

STICKNEY, Ill. – The “Hawk” in Midnight Hawk refers to the Chicago Blackhawks, whose coach, Joel Quenneville, owns a piece of the colt, and many handicappers will view Midnight Hawk’s presence at Hawthorne in the Illinois Derby as something akin to the Blackhawks meeting a squad of 13-year-olds.

None of the other seven 3-year-olds entered in the Grade 3, $500,000 Illinois Derby has earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 or above, while Midnight Hawk’s last four races have produced Beyers between 93 and 98. There’s a maiden in the field and four one-time winners, and four of the horses make their graded-stakes debut, while Midnight Hawk has run in nothing but graded races since capturing his career debut by more than six lengths. Midnight Hawk is priced at 4-5 on the morning line; he might go off at 2-5.[bc_video_id:321638:]

Yet hardened skeptics could find themselves picking at a sliver of doubt. Midnight Hawk’s two wins came at seven furlongs and one mile, and in three longer races, he has lost ground from the stretch call to the finish, never galloping out with much energy. His sire, Midnight Lute, was a crack sprinter, and his dam, Miss Wineshine, a speedy, precocious daughter of a sprinter. Midnight Hawk might be so much better than his rivals that distance won’t matter – but the long Hawthorne stretch could lead to anxious moments for anyone swallowing the short price.

“He was a big, heavy horse, and he’s getting fitter,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I think he can get a mile and an eighth. It depends on the company. That Hawthorne stretch, though – I don’t like those long stretches. I’m a short-stretch kind of guy.”

The Illinois Derby is the ninth of 10 races on by far the best card of Hawthorne’s winter-spring meet. First post is 1:50 p.m. Central, with post time for the Derby 5:42. The card, admirably stuffed with allowance races, also includes the Grade 3 Sixty Sails and two Illinois-bred sprint stakes. The track should be fast on a clear day.

Class Leader, one of three two-time winners in the field, is the most appealing alternative to the favorite in the Illinois Derby. The best horse Class Leader beat in winning two straight route races at Fair Grounds, Divine View, is not elite, but Class Leader has the pedigree and running style to move forward in his first nine-furlong start.

“He’s easy to train, which is one of the best parts about him,” said trainer Neil Howard. “He’s been just a little bit sharper maybe in the morning than before.”

Two horses cross-entered in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, Dynamic Impact and Global Strike, both will run at Hawthorne, their trainers said. Dynamic Impact won an Oaklawn maiden race last out in his fifth race, while Global Strike was a mildly troubled, distant sixth behind Midnight Hawk in the Sunland Derby. Todd Pletcher trains Global Strike and King Cyrus, who adds blinkers after a seventh-place finish in the Louisiana Derby.