Paladin, Renegade may take different paths on Derby trail
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Paladin and Renegade, the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, will soon head to South Florida to prepare for their 3-year-old seasons, but it’s uncertain if both will take the same path to try and get to the Kentucky Derby.
Despite losing his right front shoe and sustaining a cut on a hind leg in the race, Paladin came out of his two-length Remsen victory in good order, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday. Brown said he would let Paladin dictate how many races he would have before the Derby, but said the Blue Grass at Keeneland or the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, both likely to be run on April 4, would be his final prep for the Derby.
“If all things are equal and the horse stays healthy, his path to the Derby either goes through Keeneland or Aqueduct,” Brown said. “Three starts before the Derby, that would potentially be a positive, but I’m not convinced it’s necessary. The horse will tell us, based on how he’s taking his training, how he’s taking his races, and what we think we need him to improve on.
“In just his [Paladin's] second start, I thought he was very professional,” Brown said. “All in all, a serious horse.”
Paladin’s final time of 1:50.97 for 1 1/8 miles was .42 seconds slower than the time the filly Zany recorded winning the Grade 2, $200,000 Demoiselle earlier on the card. Paladin earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
Trainer Todd Pletcher finished second, fourth, and fifth in the Remsen with the trio of Renegade, Courting, and Grittiness, respectively. Pletcher felt that Renegade and Courting both had some excuses and will benefit from the experience and will certainly get opportunities to continue down the Triple Crown trail.
“I thought it was a big effort considering we missed a breeze, that might have told on him the last 100 yards,” Pletcher said of Renegade. “He too got roughed up a little bit at the start, had a three-wide trip all the way around there, so I think there’s room for improvement.”
Courting got jostled at the start, bumping with Chambersville, and was farther off the pace earlier than Pletcher had hoped under John Velazquez.
Additionally, “Johnny said the kickback was pretty abrasive, it took him a while to settle him down,” Pletcher said. “I felt like he subsequently put in a couple of pretty good runs along the way. . . . I think it was a sneaky good performance, obviously got a ton of experience out of it. The start probably cost him any real chance of winning.”
Both Renegade and Courting will soon ship to Pletcher’s South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs, where they will join Pletcher’s likely 2-year-old champion Ted Noffey. Renegade has all options available, including a maiden race. Courting could be considered for a prep at Fair Grounds, such as the Risen Star going 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 14.
Grittiness, who finished fifth in the Remsen, will likely remain in New York for his next start.
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