Not This Time punches ticket for BC Juvenile
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Most horse trainers, including Dale Romans, don’t like getting too far ahead of themselves. But after Not This Time confirmed his suspicions about the colt’s potential with an 8 3/4-length romp Saturday in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, Romans couldn’t help himself.
“The key is going to be getting him to the Kentucky Derby at a peak,” Romans said. “Everything will be done with the Derby in mind.”
With his Iroquois victory, Not This Time earned a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita and most likely will go straight to the Nov. 5 race without another prep, Romans said.
Bred and owned by the Albaugh family of Iowa, Not This Time was sired by Giant’s Causeway and is a half-brother to Liam’s Map, the 2015 BC Dirt Mile winner. Having proven his ability at a distance in the 1 1/16-mile Iroquois – and with so few two-turn stakes having been run so far this year for 2-year-olds – he might well be considered the leading candidate for the BC Juvenile at this moment and therefore the leading prospect for the 2017 Derby.
“He’s got the pedigree, the talent, all the tools,” Romans said. “He’s spooky good.”
Born and raised in Louisville, Romans never takes his eye off the ball when it comes to the Derby. He’s had eight Derby starters, with a pair of thirds from Paddy O’Prado [2010] and Dullahan [2012] being his best finishes.
“It’s my job to keep this colt happy and healthy and moving forward at the right time,” he said. “Everybody knows the Derby is my No. 1 quest.”
Borel ends drought
The Sunday finale at Churchill was a mere $5,000 claiming race, but to prepare Calvin Borel for his ride aboard Playing a Joke, trainer Ron Moquett asked Borel earlier in the day to watch replays of the 8-year-old gelding’s last three races.
“I didn’t even ask Victor [Espinoza] to watch Whitmore’s last three races,” Moquett said, referring to his 2016 Kentucky Derby starter. “Calvin sat there in my upstairs office and watched them all on my I-Pad. It showed me a lot about his attitude and commitment.”
The studying paid off in a late-running 22-1 upset by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile race, giving the 49-year-old jockey his first victory in 24 mounts since he emerged last month from a brief retirement. His last win had come precisely six months earlier aboard Thrylos on March 18 at Oaklawn Park.
For Moquett, the win was special for a number of reasons. The only Grade 1 triumph of his 19-year training career came when Borel guided Seek Gold to a come-from-behind stunner at 71-1 in the 2006 Stephen Foster at Churchill.
“If you look back, Calvin had been in a drought for quite a while when he won the Foster for me,” Moquett said. “That really kick-started him back to popularity. He went to Saratoga that summer and won a few, then he won the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile] that fall with Street Sense. Then things really took off.”
Borel won the Kentucky Derby the following spring on Street Sense, then won two more aboard Mine That Bird (2009) and Super Saver (2010) to eventually catapult him into the Racing Hall of Fame.
Moquett watched the Sunday race from the Keeneland yearling sale and received a phone call later from Borel.
“We talked about what he went through before Seek Gold, so he was really happy to end this drought,” Moquett said. “It does me and the sport good if Calvin is happy.”
Borel abruptly “retired” in late March at Oaklawn and went into seclusion from the racing world for several months while dealing with personal issues. His win aboard Playing the Joke was No. 5,147 in a career that began in 1983.
◗ The veteran jockeys Jon Court and Joe Rocco Jr. will be sidelined for varying lengths of time after being injured in separate spills on the opening-day card Friday at Churchill.
Court was the more seriously injured of the two, suffering three fractured vertebrae and two fractured ribs. His agent, Steve Krajcir, said Monday that Court, 55, was discharged Saturday night from University Hospital and will be reexamined in a month.
“He definitely intends to make a comeback,” Krajcir said. “I’d say the goal right now is to be completely healthy for Oaklawn” in January.
Rocco, 34, broke his wrist and could be sidelined for four to six weeks, depending on a closer diagnosis to be made Tuesday, according to agent Jay Fedor.
◗ The Churchill Downs Racing Club was to be in action on back-to-back racing days. Its 2-year-old filly, Dial Me, will try to rebound off a poor effort in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga by running in the seventh race Thursday, a $45,000 allowance at six furlongs.
The club’s 2-year-old colt, Warrior’s Club, finished a late-closing second in a maiden race Sunday before being disqualified to ninth for impeding a rival in upper stretch.
Each horse is owned by 200 club members who paid $500 apiece to become participants.
◗ Marquee Miss is expected to lead a field of at least seven 3-year-old fillies when entries are drawn Wednesday for the $100,000 Dogwood Stakes, which highlights the second weekend of racing at this 11-day meet with its 41st running Saturday night.
The seven-furlong Dogwood anchors the only Downs After Dark card of the meet, along with the Grade 1 President of the United Arab Emirates Cup for Arabians. First post is 6 p.m. Eastern. Ben Sollee and Linkin’ Bridge will perform live.
◗ The rollover jackpot in the Single 6 for Thursday stands at $21,895 following a modest handle on the three-day opening weekend. There were no winning tickets Saturday, when $16,218 was bet. Payoffs are made only when there are perfect tickets, and in the case of just one winning ticket, the jackpot is swept.
