Wild Shot, beaten 3 1/2 lengths when fourth behind McCraken last weekend in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, will return to Tampa Bay Downs for the March 11 Tampa Bay Derby “unless I see no reason not to go,” said trainer Rusty Arnold.
Like McCraken, Wild Shot was making his first start since the Nov. 26 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. A son of Trappe Shot, Wild Shot is based at Payson Park.
From the time the horses crossed the wire in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile until the Holy Bull was run on Feb. 4, Classic Empire, last year’s champion 2-year-old male, was the acknowledged favorite for the Kentucky Derby on May 6. But his third-place finish in the Holy Bull has left the Derby scene as muddy and roiling as the Ohio River after a springtime storm, with the likes of Irish War Cry and McCraken ascending in the standings.
WHO’S HOT
Kentucky Derby-winning trainers Bob Baffert (American Anthem and Mastery), John Shirreffs (Gormley and Royal Mo), and Todd Pletcher (Always Dreaming, Battalion Runner, and Tapwrit) all have multiple runners on the top 20 list. Other Derby-winning trainers who have a runner on the list are Graham Motion (Irish War Cry) and Doug O’Neill (Iliad).
Classic Empire
Pioneerof the Nile-Sambuca Classica, by Cat Thief
(Bred in Kentucky by Steven and Brandi Nicholson; $475,000 purchase by John Oxley at 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale)
Classic Empire, who debuts as the favorite on Mike Watchmaker’s Kentucky Derby future line, became the second Eclipse Award champion juvenile in three seasons for sire Pioneerof the Nile.
Grade 3, $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Tampa Bay Downs; Feb. 11, 2017
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: McCraken, by Ghostzapper
Trainer: Ian Wilkes
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Owner: Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 95
ARCADIA, Calif. – The saddle towel may have been misspelled but there was nothing else out of place with the performance on Sunday of Iliad, who pressed a hot pace and then pulled clear to win the Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita, earning him a shot at a key Kentucky Derby prep next month.
OLDSMAR, Fla. – McCraken appears to be every bit as good as advertised. As the late NFL coach Dennis Green might say, he is who we thought he was.
McCraken used his come-from-behind style to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Tapwrit at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, confirming his status as a top-tier Kentucky Derby prospect and keeping his record perfect with four wins in as many starts. McCraken set a track record for 1 1/16 miles at 1:42.45, breaking the mark of 1:42.82 set by Destin in winning the Tampa Bay Derby last year.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher said he plans to put off any decisions on where to run his long list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls until after Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. But one top 3-year-old in the barn whose itinerary has been set is Battalion Runner, who Pletcher said will not run again until the Grade 1 Florida Derby here on April 1.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Mark Casse reported on Thursday that 2016 2-year-old male champion Classic Empire is doing well after popping an abscess in his foot. The abscess was discovered less than 48 hours after his third-place finish as the heavy favorite in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
“The good news is I’ve seen these foot abscesses last a long time, but if all goes well he’ll go back to the track to train on Friday,” said Casse.
A couple of weeks after trainer Mike Maker started three horses in the Grade 3 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston and watched them run 1-2-3, he is running another trio, this time at Turfway Park in the $50,000 WEBN Stakes on Saturday evening, with En Hanse, Hey Mike, and Hunka Burning Love.
He isn’t about to predict another Maker-trained trifecta.
“They got to beat Wesley,” he said, referring to trainer Wesley Ward, whose has two entrants in the 12-horse WEBN, Star Empire and Bound for Nowhere, although only one is likely to race.
