He didn’t make it look too pretty as he struggled to the wire, but the $9.20 return Still Standing produced was not only a bit surprising considering his connections, but also gratifying for our Pix record. It was a very good week for BreezeFigs horses all over the place, with Firing Line and Dortmund placing in the Kentucky Derby, two Graded SWs at Churchill and both stakes on Parx Derby-Oaks Day, plus a dozen maidens who lost their best friend. The maiden winners came at Belmont, Churchill, Parx, Pimli
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DRF Past Performances
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Some thoughts that popped into my brain while I sat in traffic as 170,000 fans inched along in their cars leaving Churchill Downs after Saturday’s Kentucky Derby:
** What I muttered after the Derby break, when Materiality, on whom I wagered, started terribly: “Ugh,” along with some words from George Carlin’s famous stand-up routine of things you can’t say on television. Then I sprinkled in a few more as I watched him climb while eating dirt behind horses passing the stands the first time.
Belmont Park has a stakes-heavy card Saturday, topped by the Grade 1, $400,000 Man o’ War. The Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian, the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan (the erstwhile local prep for the Belmont Stakes), and the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay are the undercard stakes.
Eight horses came out of the Kentucky Derby starting gate with triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. Half of them finished 1-2-3-4. American Pharoah ran back to his Arkansas Derby with a winning 105 Beyer. Firing Line’s 104 was no surprise. Dortmund and Frosted went back a few points to 101 and 100. Materiality never had a chance after his early start. Bolo’s number regressed dramatically after his early traffic issues. Tencendur’s Wood Memorial 100 looked like a one-off, and it was. I have no idea why Upstart ran so poorly. That was the race’s biggest mystery.
I settled down on Saturday night and watched with a blank stare as the images flashed across the TV screen. The chyron at the bottom of the screen posted updates on the big fight in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao – a boxing match sure to end in a decision, unlike the knockout I experienced during the day at Churchill Downs.
CLOTHES FALL OFF
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Last race: May 3, 3rd
Finish: 2nd by 1
Beyer: 73
Up from Palm Meadows for her first start since winning her sloppy debut at Saratoga, this filly broke sluggishly, made up four lengths rallying into contention through the second quarter-mile, and closed well through the lane in a promising first allowance try.
Triple Strike (#3, ML 5-2) stretches out to one mile and 70 yards in Wednesday’s fourth race at ThistleDown. Since Jan. 1, 2014, trainer Robert Gorham is winning at a 30 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from sprint to route, for a return on investment of $3.74.
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Our Faith (#5, ML 9-2) will return to action in Wednesday’s third race at Evangeline Downs, a six-furlong maiden special weight race. It will be his first start since a third-place finish by 10 lengths in a maiden race Feb. 8 at Fair Grounds. The fourth- and fifth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.
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