Once On Whiskey leads band of up-and-comers in West Virginia Derby

The Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-old made it to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

No – not that 3-year-old.

Eight hours and 20 minutes before Justify won the Kentucky Derby, his stablemate Once On Whiskey finished second in a first-level allowance race.

Justify has ridden – or walked, evidently, since an ankle injury ended his career – off into the sunset, but Once On Whiskey is just bellying up to the bar. Making his stakes and two-turn debut, he won the Los Alamitos Derby on July 14 and on Saturday at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort he might be favored to give Baffert his fourth win in the Grade 3, $500,000 West Virginia Derby.

Once On Whiskey and Justify in fact shared a flight out of California on Tuesday, with Once On Whiskey going on to Mountaineer for the 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby after his Triple Crown-winning travel companion went off to life as a stallion.

Once On Whiskey is one of nine entrants in Saturday’s race, which is the eighth of nine on the Mountaineer card and last of seven straight stakes. The first five of those carry a purse of $75,000 with the Grade 3, $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Cup immediately preceding the feature. Late-week rain is possible in the area, but dry conditions are forecast Saturday. First post for the card is 2 p.m. Eastern, with post time for the West Virginia Derby set for 5:35.

Once On Whiskey is one of three entrants exiting the Los Alamitos Derby along with runner-up Draft Pick and fourth-place King Cause. The other main West Virginia feeder race is the Iowa Derby in which victorious High North, second-place Mr Freeze, and third-place Lionite all last raced.

The mercurial Rugbyman also could prove a key player. Caloric and Pamir are major longshots.

Baffert started the odds-on favorite Ax Man in the Los Al Derby and said he entered Once On Whiskey only as an afterthought. Last early and wide both turns under Flavien Prat, Once On Whiskey made a sustained run and caught Draft Pick, who had bested Ax Man, in the final strides.

“I was a little surprised how well he ran at Los Alamitos,” Baffert said. “We took a shot; the field was really short. I was going to run him in an allowance race at Del Mar going a mile. I told Flavien to tie back and hopefully he’ll come running and get a piece. He got it all.”

Once On Whiskey is by Bodemeister out of Crespano, who was a sprinter during her career. The colt, owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, is on the small side and while he ran well as a closing sprinter it was no sure thing he’d stretch out.

“He’s come back from the last race and worked well,” said Baffert, whose most recent win in this race came two years ago with Cupid.

Draft Pick, a Candy Ride colt trained by Peter Eurton, needed six starts to win a maiden race, but after leaving the ranks of the winless in May he came right back to win the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over Axelrod, who franked that form with a victory in the $500,000 Indiana Derby.

At Los Alamitos, Draft Pick tracked Ax Man’s pace, hooked him around the far turn, and put away the favorite only to be nailed by Baffert’s supposed “B” team.

“Ax Man, in our mind, was the horse to beat, so we did try to go and engage him.” Eurton said. “Maybe he just took a breather at the wrong time. I loved his gallop-out.”

Eurton is confident it was the trip, not the nine-furlong distance, that got Draft Pick beat last time. “I love the distance for him,” he said.

High North won the Iowa Derby over 1 1/16 miles by a half-length over Mr Freeze and definitely had a better trip than the runner-up. Florent Geroux, who rides again Saturday, saved ground on High North all the way and got through at the rail in upper stretch. Mr Freeze, who again has Robby Albarado in the irons for trainer Dale Romans, was short of room between horses when trying to finish with the winner in midstretch while making just his fourth start. Lionite followed High North up the inside to finish third and lacks Mr Freeze’s upside.

Rugbyman, a Tapit colt trained by Graham Motion, possesses ample talent but has so far not honed it in his races. He has started poorly in all four of his races, and even with blinkers added for the July 7 Dwyer Stakes, Rugbyman had his head cocked toward the stands and his mind on something other than running as hard as he could. The West Virginia Derby does mark his first two-turn start, and perhaps that will help bring forth the full scope of his ability.