HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - My Name Is Michael and Speak Logistics, the third- and fourth-place finishers in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa, could return here on Feb. 23 in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, said their respective trainers, Mott and Eddie Plesa Jr.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
Between them, trainers Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert have 52 of the 369 horses nominated to this year’s Triple Crown, and their strength in numbers was on display again over the weekend, when both saw leading prospects in their barns record important victories.
Pletcher scored wins with Revolutionary in the Withers at Aqueduct and Verrazano in an allowance race at Gulfstream, to strengthen an already powerful hand that holds aces such as Overanalyze, Shanghai Bobby, and Violence. Verrazano got a Beyer Speed Figure of 105, while Revolutionary received an 86.
After last week’s races featuring Verrazano, Flashback, Revolutionary, and Falling Sky, one can feel the excitement building as it pertains to the Kentucky Derby. In this space, over the next several weeks, we’ll spotlight one promising 3-year-old that has yet to garner much press.
Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher have dominated the Derby landscape thus far in 2013, but you can never count out a Steve Asmussen-trained performer, especially one that is moving forward with each race.
Revolutionary’s thrilling neck victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct not only earned him a spot on the Triple Crown trail, but it also earned him a trip to south Florida, where he will train while his connections plot out his next race.
Revolutionary, owned by WinStar Farm, overcame a slow start and New York City-like rush hour traffic to get up in the final strides over Escapefromreality to win the Withers. It was Revolutionary’s second straight victory and it earned him 10 points toward qualifying for the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
Trainer John Terranova left his options open on Saturday with Falling Sky, entering his recently acquired 3-year-old in both the seven-furlong Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park and the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. And in the end, Terranova made the right choice.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Honorable Dillon may be a little on the green side but was still talented enough to outlast the fast-closing Forty Tales to register a half-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
ARCADIA, Calif. – In a race tailor-made for his front-running style, Flashback proved yet again that talent trumps experience by running away from his three rivals in the Grade 2, $196,000 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, firmly establishing himself as one of the leading Kentucky Derby contenders on the West Coast.
Mac the Man broke fastest of all and proceeded to lead all the way in the $50,000 96Rocks Stakes, giving jockey Norberto Arroyo Jr. a Saturday stakes sweep at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky.
Trained locally by Jeff Greenhill for his wife, Sherri, Mac the Man returned $4 as the favorite in a field of 10 after finishing two lengths ahead of his race-long pursuer, Bye Bye Bernie. It was another 6 1/4 lengths back to Takin the Sloroad.
Mac the Man, a Kentucky-bred colt by El Corredor, finished the one-mile distance in 1:40.52 over Polytrack.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It may not have been as dominant as his maiden win here five weeks ago, but Revolutionary’s neck victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct was equally if not more impressive.
Shuffled back to last down around the far turn and with seemingly no room to run in upper stretch, Revolutionary, under Javier Castellano, split horses in deep stretch and ran down Escapefromreality to win the Withers by a neck and put himself on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Verrazano wowed not only the crowd but his trainer, Todd Pletcher, as well when cruising to as easy-as-can-be 16 1/4-length victory over Eton Blue in Saturday’s fifth race at Gulfstream Park, carded at a mile under first-level optional $75,000 claiming conditions. Verrazano was never asked to run by jockey John Velazquez in what proved to be little more than a paid workout. It was the second one-sided win in as many starts for Verrazano.
[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]
