Nobals gives owner and trainer early Derby Day success in Twin Spires Turf Sprint
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE?q=100)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Trainer Larry Rivelli sent out Two Phil's to win the Jeff Ruby, Turfway Park's signature Kentucky Derby prep, and was to saddle him in his first Derby later today for longtime owners Patricia's Hope.
Earlier on the Saturday card, Rivelli sent out another Patricia's Hope colorbearer with prior Turfway success to a graded stakes score at Churchill Downs, as Nobals sprang a $78.42 upset in the Grade 2, $500,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint.
Gerardo Corrales was aboard Nobals. He rode Nobals last time out, when the gelding was ninth in a Keeneland allowance race on April 22, a result that rendered him a longshot in Saturday's field. But Rivelli wrote that non-effort off.
"His last race was kind of a complete throwout," Rivelli said. "He had a little bit of a problem and broke horrible, and he's the kind of horse who had to be on the lead. ... I thought he was going to show up today because the last race was a complete throwout to me."
On Saturday, Nobals was ridden aggressively by Corrales, who later was to have his first Kentucky Derby mount on Raise Cain.
Breaking from the inside in the field of 11 turf sprinters, Corrales got Nobals away sharply and hustled him to the lead in the 5 ½-furlong race. Nobals had a head in front of Noble Reflection, who left from the outside post, through the opening quarter of 22.03 seconds. Nobals kept ahead of that foe and kicked on as the field came around the turn and into the stretch, spurting clear to a 2 ½-length lead. Under confident handling from Corrales, he held off the late-running Motorious by three-quarters of a length. The final time for the 5 1/2 furlongs on turf rated good was 1:02.45.
Nobals received a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.
After Motorious, it was 1 1/2 lengths back to Go Bears Go in third. They were followed, in order, by Noble Reflection, defending winner and favorite Arrest Me Red, Bad Beat Brian, Big Invasion, Evan Sing, Oceanic, Just Might, and Carotari.
This was the fifth stakes win but first graded stakes score and first stakes win on turf for Nobals, who first emerged won the 2021 Arlington-Washington Futurity as a juvenile. Last season, Nobals won the Turfway Prevue and Animal Kingdom stakes, both on Tapeta at Turfway, and the Woodstock Stakes on Woodbine's synthetic main track.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.