Tapiture to go in Pennsylvania Derby next

While Steve Asmussen has already circled the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby on his calendar for Tapiture’s next start, John Sadler and Mike Maker, who train the West Virginia Derby second- and third-place finishers, Candy Boy and Vicar’s In Trouble, are going to take some time to consider their next steps.

Tapiture’s victory in the West Virginia Derby was Asmussen’s fifth in the race since 2005. In addition to the Derby, he and jockey Rosie Napravnik won a pair of hundred-granders at Mountaineer on Saturday, the Robert Byrd Memorial with Mico Margarita and the off-the-turf Speaker’s Cup with Regally Ready.

Under a heady ride by Napravnik, Tapiture overcame traffic trouble in the stretch of the West Virginia Derby to catch Candy Boy in the final stride. Both Tapiture and Candy Boy earned career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figures.

The derby was Tapiture’s second straight win, coming seven weeks after his victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs. Asmussen is trying to give Tapiture plenty of time between races and likes the timing of the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. The Grade 2, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby tops a card that also includes the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion. Asmussen is considering that race for 3-year-old filly division leader Untapable.

Sadler was pleased by Candy Boy’s effort in the West Virginia Derby, even though he came out on the wrong end of the photo. After the long trip, Sadler wants to get Candy Boy home and evaluate him before selecting his next race.

“He came out of it fine,” Sadler said Monday from California. “He’s in the air as we speak and will be home later today. I would say any race more than 30 days out is a possibility for him.”

Those races include the Pennsylvania Derby; the Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 6; the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park on Sept. 28; and the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand on Oct. 4.

Trainer Mike Maker will be looking at the same set of races for Vicar’s In Trouble, who was beaten two lengths after setting the pace to midstretch in the West Virginia Derby. Vicar’s In Trouble earned a 98 Beyer, equaling his highest ever.

“No excuse. He ran hard and was third-best,” Maker said. “We’re going to nominate to everything around and see what looks right for him. There is a lot of stuff left.”

Maker won the $100,000 off-the-turf President’s Cup at Mountaineer on Saturday with Sassy Kitten, who is now 4 for 8. Maker said the 4-year-old daughter of Kitten’s Joy is under consideration for the $200,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at a mile on Sept. 13.

**Mountaineer handled more than $2.55 million on the West Virginia Derby card, up 15.3 percent from last year’s $2.21 million. Ontrack handle of $260,502 was up 4.3 percent from the $249,734 bet in 2013.

**Many fans voiced their displeasure over the weekend on social media regarding the horrific timing of races that sent the West Virginia Derby and Whitney off at the same time. Although television commitments were involved – Whitney (NBC), West Virginia Derby (Fox Sports Network) – can it really be that difficult to stagger the times of major races by a few minutes? This is the type of thing that infuriates racing fans.