LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Todd Pletcher might not have the winner of the 139th Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs, and Bob Baffert might not either. But between them, they have 11 of the 23 separately listed interests in Pool 1 of the 2013 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, a development that seems to bode well for both.
Big Lute, a dominant debut winner of a maiden special weight sprint at Oaklawn last Friday, could make his stakes debut in the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel, trainer Steve Hobby said on Tuesday. The mile and a sixteenth race for 3-year-olds is March 16 at Oaklawn.
“The ideal situation would be to give him experience going two turns one time [in an allowance], then go into the Rebel,” said Hobby. “That would be the best-case scenario.”
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.
