Road to the Derby: Robert B. Lewis analysis
Road to the Derby: Robert B. Lewis Stakes analysis
Jay PrivmanFeb 06, 2017
Road to the Derby: Robert B. Lewis Stakes analysis
The colt who knocked the Florida road to the Kentucky Derby askew Saturday is named for Ireland, is by a Kentucky stallion, and has roots in European breeding. But his actual birthplace is from a state not often thought of as producing top Thoroughbreds – New Jersey.
Trainer Graham Motion said he was torn between whether to launch Irish War Cry’s 3-year-old campaign in Saturday’s $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park or wait a week for the Grade 3 Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. In the end, there was little doubt Motion made the right choice after Irish War Cry cruised to an impressive 3 3/4-length victory over Gunnevera, with reigning Juvenile champion Classic Empire finishing third as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Holy Bull, the first of two important local preps leading up to the $1 million Florida Derby here on April 1.
As well as El Areeb performed on a wet surface dominating the Grade 3 Jerome Stakes by 11 1/4 lengths at Aqueduct last month, his connections believe the 3-year-old is better on a dry surface. El Areeb certainly gave credence to that theory Saturday with another strong performance, taking over from True Timber in upper stretch and drawing off to a 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at chilly Aqueduct.
Gormley won the Grade 3 Sham last month, and on Saturday it was stablemate Royal Mo’s turn, as he scored a front-running victory over four rivals in the Grade 3, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes.
Trainer Doug O'Neill will be dividing up his 3-year-olds among several races locally and out of town in the upcoming weeks, with the newly acquired Iliad remaining home while So Conflated and the filly Shane's Girlfriend will head to Fair Grounds.
Though the three stakes horses I am eager to bet Saturday at Gulfstream Park quite possibly aren't the best horses in their respective races, they do seem the runners best played given the circumstances. All three – Gunnevera in the Holy Bull, Compelled in the Sweetest Chant, and Kitten's Cat in the Kitten's Joy – seem probable to start as mild overlays, and the race conditions favor them too
The understudy among 3-year-olds in trainer John Shirreffs's barn gets top billing on Saturday, as Royal Mo seeks to join stablemate Gormley as a viable Kentucky Derby candidate when he takes on four rivals in the Grade 3, $150,000 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.
Classic Empire, the winner of the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the 2016 2-year-old champion, was assigned 126 pounds to top the annual Experimental Free Handicap, a ranking of the top juveniles to run in North America last year.
Trainer Joe Sharp and owner Brad Grady’s pair of talented 3-year-olds, Girvin and Cool Arrow, are entered in the $50,000 Keith Gee Memorial, a one-mile grass race on the Saturday card at Fair Grounds.