One in Vermillion moves to turf in Canterbury Derby
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One in Vermillion will be looking for the fifth stakes win of his young career Wednesday night, when he makes his turf debut in the $100,000 Canterbury Derby as part of the Northern Stars Turf Festival at Canterbury Park.
The one-mile race is one of six stakes on the card. The races are worth a total of $450,000.
Canterbury has some special wagers tied to the night’s five turf stakes. They will be grouped in a pick five that has a 50-cent minimum and a reduced takeout of 10 percent. The sequence is races 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8. There also is an all-turf pick three on races 4, 6, and 8. The $1 minimum bet has a reduced takeout of 14 percent.
The Canterbury Derby, which is part of both sequences, drew six, including supplemental entries We Storm and the stakes-placed Worthington.
One in Vermillion enters off back-to-back wins, having won the Lazaro Barrera in May at Santa Anita and an allowance over older rivals June 2 at Canterbury. Trainer Esteban Martinez is hopeful the horse will be as effective racing on turf.
“The way he gallops – I gallop him myself – I think he’s really going to be good on the turf,” he said. “They gave me a chance to breeze him on the turf, so that helps.”
One in Vermillion worked five-eighths in 1:00.80 on firm ground June 14 at Canterbury. The move came under regular rider Harry Hernandez.
“Harry thought he handled it, was pretty excited about the work,” Martinez said.
One in Vermillion is by the young stallion Army Mule, who is getting 20 percent winners on the grass. One in Vermillion’s half-sister, Judy’s Way, has placed on turf four times.
One in Vermillion, who races for Jonathan Kalman, has a career mark of 5 for 8. He won his first stakes in sprints at Turf Paradise, then moved to a mile and captured the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland Park ahead of his fourth stakes win in the Laz Barrera.
A determined horse, One in Vermillion’s attitude figures to serve him well Wednesday when the front-runner breaks from the rail and faces potential pressure from Golden Bandit, Happy Dancer, and Coffee Caliente.
“He’s a fighter,” Martinez said. “He likes to be in front, but he’s come from the back, too. He likes to be in front. If they fight him, he’ll fight them back.”
In One in Vermillion’s recent allowance win, he set a quick pace and came back along the rail when overtaken in the stretch by 4-year-old Xavey Dave. Xavey Dave has since returned to win an allowance at Canterbury.
We Storm is one of six horses Keeneland-based trainer Jonathan Thomas has entered in the local Turf Festival.
“We’re not afraid to ship,” Thomas said over the weekend. “We were in California last week, Belmont the week before. It’s what we do.”
We Storm was a maiden special weight winner over older rivals June 7 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He was making his first start on turf after his debut race in April at Gulfstream Park came off the grass. We Storm’s win in Indiana came by four lengths, at a distance of 1 1/16 miles.
“He ran well,” Thomas said. “We liked him first time out, but it came off the grass and was on the Tapeta. For some horses, it can be hard for them to be effective over the Tapeta, especially first time out. It’s a little bit of a demanding surface. Once he got on the grass, we were really happy with what we saw from him.”
We Storm is a full brother to multiple Grade 2 winner Artie’s Princess. Florent Geroux, a two-time winner of the Canterbury Derby, has the mount from post 4 for Augustin Stables.
The same connections will team with Regal Realm in the $75,000 Lady Canterbury, which is for fillies and mares at a mile on turf. She owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 91 for a second-level allowance win at seven furlongs on turf in May at Belmont Park.
“I think ideally, that’s her best trip,” Thomas said. “We’re hoping to eke an extra furlong out of her Wednesday.”
Geroux will be aboard from post 5. Thomas also has Mouffy entered, but she will not run, he said Saturday.
The field of 10 also includes Midnight Current, the horse of the meet last season at Canterbury. She won six straight races at the track, all on turf. Joel Berndt trains the daughter of Midnight Lute for her breeder, Lothenbach Stables.
◗ Jockey Jareth Loveberry, a past title winner at Canterbury, invades for some key mounts. He rides leading contender Max K.O. in the $75,000 Brooks Fields Mile and the multiple graded stakes-placed Artemus Citylimits in the $75,000 Dark Star.
◗ Flashy Gem, a maiden winner on turf who was second in the Bourbonette Oaks on the synthetic track at Turfway, leads the $75,000 Curtis Sampson Oaks for Spendthrift Farm, trainer Brad Cox, and Geroux.
◗ Mac Robertson, the all-time leading trainer at Canterbury, sends out fillies Thunders Rocknroll and Checkcashingconnie in the $50,000 MTA Stallion Auction Stakes for 3-year-olds.
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