Myopic brings strong Beyer to Manitoba Derby
Myopic, a blowout maiden winner in his last start, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the 73rd running of the $100,000 Manitoba Derby over 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds on Monday night at Assiniboia Downs.
Myopic missed the board in his first two starts, both at Santa Anita, in the spring, when the son of Candy Ride was trained by Bob Baffert. He was subsequently turned over to trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who sent him out to graduate by six lengths with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure going 1 1/16 miles on June 23 at Indiana Grand.
Myopic is making his first start for trainer Robertino Diodoro in the derby. The Kentucky-bred colt is owned by SF Racing.
Cozy Bear is the 4-1 second choice in the 12-horse field. Trained by Tom Rycroft, the Alberta shipper finished third in each of his last three races, all at Century Mile, most notably in the Western Canada Handicap.
Uncharacteristic, 6-1 on the line, ships in from Hastings off a second in a 1 1/16-mile allowance, for which he got a 67 Beyer. Robert Van Overshot trains the improving gelding, who was claimed for $8,000 in September.
Flash of Glory, the 8-1 fourth choice, saved ground early before closing wide from the back of the pack to take the one-mile Derby Trial here July 12.
Warriors Hero (10-1) was beaten just a neck when third in the Derby Trial. He was previously competitive in conditioned-claiming company at Canterbury.
Rounding out the field are Etu Babou, Major Shepard, Midnight Salute, Mister Snickers, Stone Cafe, Witt’s Taquito, and Yerosilverbiz.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the field in this race,” Assiniboia CEO Darren Dunn said. “This has shaped up to be a highly competitive race and one of the largest fields for our signature event.”
There will be a mandatory payout of the Jackpot Pick 5 pool, which will have a minimum $1 million guaranteed payout if there is a single winner. The jackpot pool going into the program is $327,526, and the pool may exceed $1 million by the time the pool closes. It’s a 20-cent base wager covering the last five races of the program.
In addition, the Jackpot Hi 5, which requires the selection of the first five finishers in the last race, has a carryover of $74,759. The pick four will carry a $50,000 pool guarantee.
“We wanted to make this an outstanding event this year for fans and horseplayers,” Dunn said. “We are thrilled to have some fans in the stands and offer what is set up to be a huge betting event with a potentially life-changing payout for someone with the $1 million guarantee.”