Wandering Eyes

DREAM MAKER (c, Tapit-To Dream About, by Monarchos) ‘TDN Rising Star’. O/B-John C. Oxley (KY). T-Mark Casse. Lifetime Record: 5-2-0-0, $72,850. Last Start: 10th, GII Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 9. Next Start: GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 0. Although he’s a gray, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker could be the proverbial dark horse in Saturday’s Blue Grass S. I had him ranked as high as No. 5 a month ago, and although he got dropped from the main list after his next-to-last finish in the Tampa Derby, I have to think that poor showing is not truly indicative of this Tapit-sired John Oxley homebred’s real ability. Tampa can be kind of a “twilight zone” track that produces off-kilter individual results, and Dream Maker broke poorly, rated in last, then had his head cocked to the infield while not responding to urging on the far turn. His dam-sire Monarchos won the 2001 Derby, and this colt’s second dam, Beautiful Pleasure, was a champion stayer for Oxley. In an effort to instill a newfound sense of urgency in Dream Maker’s breaks from the gate, trainer Mark Casse drilled him in :46 flat from the Keeneland barrier last Saturday, earning a bullet for the half-mile distance (1/48). Should Dream Maker figure things out this weekend, he’ll have good momentum, a 10-furlong pedigree, and a maiden win over the Churchill surface all in his favor heading to Louisville. VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 10th GII Tampa Bay Derby 1st Allowance 12th GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity 5th GI Hopeful S. 1st Maiden View the full article

With three major nine-furlong stakes upcoming this weekend, the first Saturday in April is usually when the sophomore division attains a new level of clarity. It had better. Favorites have now gone down in flames in nine consecutive Road to the GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points races run on United States dirt tracks, and only one of the top five horses in this week’s rankings won his last start. If a dominant division leader doesn’t emerge this weekend, it might be time to embrace the chaos rather than fight it. 1) GAME WINNER (c, Candy Ride {Arg}—Indyan Giving, by A.P. Indy) ‘TDN Rising Star’. O-Gary & Mary West. B-Summer Wind Equine (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $110,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 5-4-1-0, $1,646,000. Last Start: 2nd, GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 16 Next Start: GI Santa Anita Derby, SA, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 45. Two-year-old champ and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Game Winner has a chance to cement his status as the Kentucky Derby favorite with an emphatic, true-to-form win in Saturday’s GI Santa Anita Derby. The positives for this athletically built $110,000 KEESEP Candy Ride (Arg) bay include a been-there-done-that stakes résumé that is highlighted by a relentless, man-against-boys win over the Derby surface at Churchill Downs, a strong in-race presence and fighting spirit that belies his relative (five races) inexperience, a Classics-capable pedigree, and the well-seasoned guidance of five-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert. But Game Winner is up against a glaring historical trend as he marches toward Louisville, as only two GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winners from 34 runnings have gone on to win the Derby (Nyquist and Street Sense). And although it was obvious Game Winner wasn’t fully cranked to run his “A” race off a four-month layoff in the split-division (read: watered-down) Rebel S., it was a bit of a surprise to see how hard he had to be driven off the turn to engage a tenacious leader before fighting the length of the stretch to end up second, beaten a nose. Back on his home court and facing only six others based on probables listed for Saturday’s race, Game Winner will be a deserving–but not invincible–favorite. 2) WAR OF WILL (c, War Front—Visions of Clarity {Ire}, by Sadler’s Wells) O-Gary Barber. B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY). T-Mark Casse. Sales History: $175,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP; €250,000 2yo ’18 ARQMAY. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 8-3-1-1, $501,569. Last Start: 9th, GII Louisiana Derby, Mar. 23 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. Caulfield on War of Will. KY Derby Points: 60. Trainer Mark Casse wrote on Twitter that on Mar. 28 War of Will “went through extensive testing [that] included X-ray’s & ultrasound” and is now “cleared to start his training regimen” for the Kentucky Derby. That positive news arrived five days after this €250,000 ARQMAY War Front colt slipped and lost his action leaving the starting gate in the GII Louisiana Derby, then never looked comfortable when ninth as the beaten 4-5 fave. Like it or not, this “recovery” story line will shadow War of Will for the next 5 1/2 weeks, and although the issue of readiness is similar to the one Casse endured when juvenile champ Classic Empire battled season-long physical setbacks prior to his fourth-place run in the 2017 Derby, it is different because Classic Empire had a redemptive win in the GI Arkansas Derby just before heading to Louisville. Provided War of Will thrives in his training, I believe he’s got a big shot on the first Saturday in May, and I have zero problem with crossing a line through that Fair Grounds debacle and re-focusing on this colt’s powerful arc of races between November and February that established his dirt-form prowess. After a four-wide-both-turns, 3 1/2-length defeat in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, War of Will’s three main-track triumphs stamped him as a menacing stalker who has a high level of comfort racing in large fields and a keen willingness to finish with authority. 3) SIGNALMAN (c, General Quarters–Trip South, by Trippi) O-Tommie M. Lewis, David A. Bernsen, LLC & Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek). B-Monticule (KY). T-Kenneth G McPeek. Sales History: $32,000 Ylg ’17 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: GSW & MGISP, 6-2-2-1, $452,990. Last Start: 7th, GII Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 2 Next Start: GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 18. Forget about my prognosis a couple of weeks back that Signalman would be a wise-guy horse who could pop at a mild price in the GII Blue Grass S. Instead, he’s likely to go off as the favorite based on how that field is shaping up. This $32,000 FTKOCT General Quarters colt’s stock is on the rise again, largely because he’s cycling toward a much-improved comeback effort while other horses who had been ranked higher up the totem pole backpedaled because of their own poor efforts. Signalman is a bull of a racehorse with good tactical speed despite his brawniness, and trainer Ken McPeek has commented all winter and spring long how this colt also has a sharp mind to match his physical gifts. Signalman’s clunker of a seventh in the GII Fountain of Youth S. included a lost shoe at some point during the race, and I’m starting to think that race might be an aberration for everybody who ran in it because none of the 1-2-4 finishers from the Fountain of Youth were within 6 3/4 lengths of the winner in Saturday’s Florida Derby. 4) IMPROBABLE (c, City Zip—Rare Event, by A.P. Indy) ‘TDN Rising Star’. O-WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International Ltd. & Starlight Racing. B-St. George Farm LLC & G. Watts Humphrey Jr. (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $110,000 Wlg ’16 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-3-1-0, $419,520. Last Start: 2nd, GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 16 Next Start: GI Arkansas Derby, OP, Apr. 13 Equineline PPs. Caulfield on Improbable. KY Derby Points: 25. The fine-tuning for ‘TDN Rising Star’ Improbable over the past week included an announced jockey switch to Jose Ortiz for the GI Arkansas Derby and the addition of blinkers (at least during training) for the colt’s bullet 1:12.80 six-furlong work (1/24) on Saturday. Improbable capably reeled in a head-start workmate from about 2 1/2 lengths back, but despite the blinkers this $200,000 KEESEP City Zip chestnut did get to gawking toward the Santa Anita grandstand between the eighth and sixteenth poles, mirroring the occasional lack of mid-stretch focus he has exhibited in several of his races. His Oaklawn assignment is bound to draw a contentious, full field that will present additional tactical challenges, but Improbable’s neck defeat in the slightly slower (.07 seconds) division of the Rebel has to be viewed as a positive learning experience because of the way he overcame an outside post and gave up four paths of real estate on both turns before fighting on decently to the finish. Yet when you consider his entire body of work so far (just four races), this colt largely comes across like a work in progress whose peak potential is still not clearly in focus. Another ten solid days of training and an emphatic win in Hot Springs could change that. 5) OMAHA BEACH (c, War Front—Charming, by Seeking the Gold) O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc. B-Charming Syndicate (KY). T-Richard Mandella. Sales History: $625,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-3-1, $521,800. Last Start: 1st, GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 16 Next Start: GI Arkansas Derby, OP, Apr. 13 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 37.5. Of the four Southern-California based horses ranked within the Top 12, Omaha Beach is the latest to bloom, having been a four-time beaten-fave maiden before a nine-length MSW blast-off and next-out GII Rebel S. slugfest score over the divisional champ. In my mind, that also makes him the biggest unknown in terms of how much more untapped potential he might unleash in the Arkansas Derby. Let’s face it: Before the Rebel, the general consensus was that Game Winner would probably run well enough to win despite not being fully cranked off a four-month layoff, and that this War Front colt was an intriguing challenger with lots to prove. But Omaha Beach looked far more poised than the Breeders’ Cup winner turning for home while being hand-encouraged while Game Winner had to be pumped on to engage. Omaha Beach won by a hard-fought nose, and the two were 8 1/4 lengths clear of the rest of the pack. Instead of rematching in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, “Omaha Beach will go in the [Apr. 13] Arkansas Derby, mainly because I think he needs that extra week,” said trainer Dick Mandella. Omaha Beach worked a bullet :47.80 half-mile (1/25) at Santa Anita on Friday, leaving an overmatched maiden workmate about eight lengths in the dust. 6) ROADSTER (c, Quality Road–Ghost Dancing, by Silver Ghost) ‘TDN Rising Star’. O-Speedway Stable LLC. B-Stone Farm (KY). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $525,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-2-0-1, $106,200. Last Start: 1st, Allowance/Optional Claiming, SA, Mar. 1 Next Start: GI Santa Anita Derby, SA, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 0. Don’t look now, but ‘TDN Rising Star’ Roadster could be percolating as the classic “other” Bob Baffert horse in the Santa Anita Derby who gets overshadowed in the pre-race attention and in the betting by champion stablemate Game Winner. This $525,000 KEESEP Quality Road gray could be primed for an upset based on his easy win in a Mar. 1 allowance comeback from throat surgery. When you factor in that Game Winner had a fairly arduous, length-of-stretch fight in his own 2019 debut in the Rebel S., it would not exactly be a shocker if Roadster re-asserted himself as a major player with a more meaningful second-off-the-layoff race. Remember, it was only seven months ago that Roadster was being touted as Baffert’s best Derby prospect, and when you consider that he has zero qualifying points and either has to win or run second on Saturday to be in the hunt for Louisville, there will be added incentive for him to be fully primed to fire his best shot. Don’t say you weren’t warned. 7) LONG RANGE TODDY (c, Take Charge Indy–Pleasant Song, by Unbridled’s Song) O/B-Willis Horton Racing, LLC (KY). T-Steve Asmussen. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-4-1-1, $851,125. Last Start: 1st, GII Rebel S., OP, Mar. 16 Next Start: GI Arkansas Derby, OP, Apr. 13 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 53.5. Trainer Steve Asmussen has won the GI Belmont S. once (Creator) and the GI Preakness S. twice (Rachel Alexandra, Curlin). He has hit the board four times in the Kentucky Derby, including twice in the past three years, both with decent-odds horses (Lookin At Lee at 33-1 and Gun Runner at 10-1). If Long Range Toddy advances to the Classics, chances are he’ll similarly fly under the radar, betting-wise. In fact, this Take Charge Indy homebred is heading into the Arkansas Derby as the likely third favorite (behind Improbable and Omaha Beach) despite winning one division of the Rebel S. over Improbable. But take nothing away from this consistent colt: He owns a 4-1-1 record from seven starts, including three stakes wins, and even the races he loses are by small margins (never more than two lengths). Long Range Toddy has proven he can break well and maintain a position when pinned down on the rail, and when called upon for a stretch kick he nimbly uncorks late-race runs through chaos without seeming fazed by the task. A distance-centric Derby foundation (he’ll have six two-turn races heading to Louisville if he starts as expected at Oaklawn) is also in his favor. 8) PLUS QUE PARFAIT (c, Point of Entry—Belvedera, by Awesome Again) O-Imperial Racing, LLC. B-Calloway Stables, LLC (KY). T-Brendan P. Walsh. Sales History: $24,000 RNA Wlg ’16 KEENOV; $135,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-2-1-2, $1,590,400. Last Start: 1st, G2 UAE Derby, MEY, Mar. 30 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 104. Plus Que Parfait rocketed to both the top of the Derby points qualifying list (104) and sophomore earnings ($1.54 million) list over the weekend with a deft through-traffic win over 1 3/16 miles in the G2 UAE Derby. The field that this $135,000 KEESEP Point of Entry ridgling beat in Dubai did feature several Group 2 and 3 winning/placed horses, but it would be a stretch to say the also-rans included any serious Triple Crown-caliber contenders. Plus Que Parfait’s stateside company lines might yield better clarity as to where he fits in: The horses who ran second and third to him in his Oct. 7 Keeneland maiden win both eventually won stakes in 2019, and Plus Que Parfait did finish second, beaten only a neck, to the No. 3-ranked Signalman in a Nov. 24 Grade II stakes at Churchill. Several subpar runs behind No. 2-ranked War of Will suggested that Plus Que Parfait was heading in the wrong direction, but trainer Brendan Walsh surmised that this horse just didn’t like the Fair Grounds. Either way, Plus Que Parfait now sports a last-race win heading to Louisville, which is a feat only four other horses within this week’s Top 12 can boast. 9) CODE OF HONOR (c, Noble Mission {GB}—Reunited, by Dixie Union) O/B-W. S. Farish (KY). T-Shug McGaughey. Sales History: $70,000 RNA Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 4-2-1-0, $384,820. Last Start: 3rd, GI Florida Derby, GP, Mar. 30 Next Start: Possible for GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 74. As the connections of this first-crop Noble Mission (GB) homebred ponder whether they want to use their accrued points (74) to advance to the Derby, they’ll likely focus on how Code of Honor’s off-the-pace style was compromised by the moderate Florida Derby tempo that resulted in the one-two leaders at every call wiring the field while favorite Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) went missing in action. Proven as a closer, Code of Honor opted for a three-path spot in eighth for most of the race, then finished up capably enough at the rail to win a photo for third when it was evident he couldn’t reel in the top two. Surely the fractions will be more robust in the 20-horse Derby, and you can even make the case that Code of Honor’s light-bodied, agile frame will be an asset in a crowded field if a pace meltdown occurs. His pedigree also suggests he’ll be a stayer over longer ground. But still, Code of Honor is a May 23 foal who’s had trouble putting together back-to-back solid efforts so far this winter and spring, and he’s beginning to carve out a reputation of being an opportunist who capitalizes only under favorable circumstances rather than as a horse who seizes control of race dynamics to make his own breaks. 10) VEKOMA (c, Candy Ride {Arg}—Mona de Momma, by Speightstown) O-R. A. Hill Stable & Gatsas Stables. B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY). T-George Weaver. Sales History: $135,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-1, $188,850. Last Start: 3rd, GII Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 2 Next Start: GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 10. Vekoma will have a new jockey for Saturday’s Blue Grass S., with Javier Castellano replacing Manuel Franco (oddly enough, the Blue Grass is one of the few major Derby preps that Castellano has never won). This $135,000 KEESEP Candy Ride (Arg) chestnut was undefeated but green through the stretch as a juvenile, then ran a commendable third (while again shifting and drifting through the lane) when racing on Lasix for the first time in the Fountain of Youth S. What this May 22 foal lacks in in-race focus, he makes up for by generally being a hard trier, and he looks the part of a plausible play who might still have untapped upside heading into his Keeneland start. But with 2004 champion sprinter Speightstown as his dam-sire, 10 furlongs in the Derby remains a fuzzy proposition. 11) TACITUS (c, Tapit—Close Hatches, by First Defence) O/B-Juddmonte Farms, Inc. (KY). T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-2-0-0, $253,000. Last Start: 1st, GII Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 9 Next Start: GII Wood Memorial S., AQU, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 50. Trainer Bill Mott thinks nine furlongs in the Wood Memorial will suit Tacitus well, and that another eighth of a mile farther in the Derby should be within this homebred Tapit gray’s scope. Seasoning is what the large-framed GII Tampa Bay Derby winner lacks, as he’s only had one race in 2019 and three overall. As a first-time-Lasix winner at Tampa, Tacitus rated willingly and rallied through traffic, but he did hesitate for a beat or two when he hit the lead, prompting late-race encouragement from Jose Ortiz and the jockey’s post-race comment that Tacitus likely hasn’t yet given him 100% effort in his three races. Mott also trained this colt’s Juddmonte-bred dam, Close Hatches, who was the champion older mare in the 2014 Eclipse Awards and a MGISW who excelled in dirt routes. Sire First Defence was another Juddmonte homebred whose lone Grade I stakes win was at seven furlongs, but First Defence was out of a Seattle Slew mare, providing a Triple Crown connection in Tacitus’s not-too-distant bloodlines. 12) DREAM MAKER (c, Tapit–To Dream About, by Monarchos) ‘TDN Rising Star’. O/B-John C. Oxley (KY). T-Mark Casse. Lifetime Record: 5-2-0-0, $72,850. Last Start: 10th, GII Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 9. Next Start: GII Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 6 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 0. Although he’s a gray, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dream Maker could be the proverbial dark horse in Saturday’s Blue Grass S. I had him ranked as high as No. 5 a month ago, and although he got dropped from the main list after his next-to-last finish in the Tampa Derby, I have to think that poor showing is not truly indicative of this Tapit-sired John Oxley homebred’s real ability. Tampa can be kind of a “twilight zone” track that produces off-kilter individual results, and Dream Maker broke poorly, rated in last, then had his head cocked to the infield while not responding to urging on the far turn. His dam-sire Monarchos won the 2001 Derby, and this colt’s second dam, Beautiful Pleasure, was a champion stayer for Oxley. In an effort to instill a newfound sense of urgency in Dream Maker’s breaks from the gate, trainer Mark Casse drilled him in :46 flat from the Keeneland barrier last Saturday, earning a bullet for the half-mile distance (1/48). Should Dream Maker figure things out this weekend, he’ll have good momentum, a 10-furlong pedigree, and a maiden win over the Churchill surface all in his favor heading to Louisville. On the bubble (in alphabetical order): By My Standards (Goldencents): Ranked second in qualifying points based on 22-1 Louisiana Derby upset. That was his only win beyond MSW ranks, but he’s never been off the board in five tries. Country House (Lookin At Lucky): Mott told TDN last week that the Arkansas Derby is a “doable thing with him because he is a big, tough, robust kind of horse.” Cutting Humor (First Samurai): Stalked off fast fractions for track-record GIII Sunland Derby win; note that three GIII Southwest S. also-rans have now come back to win stakes next out. Haikal (Daaher): Rides three-race win streak into Wood Memorial but still must prove he’s not a middle-distance horse who requires speed setups. Instagrand (Into Mischief): Jockey change to Flavien Prat for Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby for this ‘TDN Rising Star’ who was a juvenile sensation, winning first two races by combined 20 1/4 lengths. Maximum Security (New Year’s Day): He’s gone from the $16,000 maiden-claiming ranks to being the undefeated winner of the Florida Derby in just 3 1/2 months. Got away with a moderate tempo last Saturday; questions abound over whether he can replicate that effort in Louisville. Outshine (Malibu Moon): Tampa Derby runner-up stretches to nine furlongs in Wood Memorial. Spinoff (Hard Spun): Followed up 11 3/4-length allowance romp at Tampa with decent second in Louisiana Derby. Owns 40 Derby qualifying points, currently good for 12th on that eligibility list. View the full article

Though Haikal does not need another prep-race placing to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, the Wood will offer a valuable lesson in his ability to handle the kind of challenge awaiting him at 1 1/4 miles in the May 4 opening leg of the Triple Crown. View the full article

PLUS QUE PARFAIT (r, Point of Entry—Belvedera, by Awesome Again) O-Imperial Racing, LLC. B-Calloway Stables, LLC (KY). T-Brendan Walsh. Sales History: $24,000 RNA Wlg ’16 KEENOV; $135,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE & GSP-US, 7-2-1-1, $1,590,400. Last Start: 1st, G2 UAE Derby, MEY, Mar. 30 Next Start: GI Kentucky Derby, CD, May 4 Equineline PPs. KY Derby Points: 104. Plus Que Parfait rocketed to both the top of the Derby points qualifying list (104) and sophomore earnings ($1.59 million) list over the weekend with a deft through-traffic win over 1 3/16 miles in the G2 UAE Derby. The field that this $135,000 KEESEP Point of Entry ridgling beat in Dubai did feature several Group 2 and 3 winning/placed horses, but it would be a stretch to say the also-rans included any serious Triple Crown-caliber contenders. Plus Que Parfait’s stateside company lines might yield better clarity as to where he fits in: The horses who ran second and third to him in his Oct. 7 Keeneland maiden win both eventually won stakes in 2019, and Plus Que Parfait did finish second, beaten only a neck, to the number three-ranked Signalman in a Nov. 24 Grade II stakes at Churchill. Several subpar runs behind number two-ranked War of Will suggested that Plus Que Parfait was heading in the wrong direction, but trainer Brendan Walsh surmised that this horse just didn’t like the Fair Grounds. Either way, Plus Que Parfait now sports a last-race win heading to Louisville, which is a feat only four other horses within this week’s Top 12 can boast. VIDEO PPS FINISH RACE 1st GII UAE Derby 13th GII Risen Star S. 2nd GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. 1st Maiden 3rd Maiden View the full article

When the votes were cast for the 2013 Eclipse Awards, we had the unusual situation where the winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile did not land the 2-year-old male award, even though he was to top the Experimental Free Handicap. The Juvenile winner, New Year’s Day, garnered 99 points, compared to Shared Belief’s 115. The voting was arguably swayed by the fact that Shared Belief looked hugely promising, having won his three starts, including the GIII Hollywood Prevue and GI CashCall Futurity, by a combined margin of 20 1/2 lengths. New Year’s Day, on the other hand, had already been retired because of a non-displaced chip to his left hind sesamoid. Although the commentary for the Juvenile said that the runner-up Havana “did everything but win it,” there had still been plenty to like about New Year’s Day’s effort, which was his second victory from three starts. The way he finished had suggested he’d have few problems with the extra 330 yards of the GI Kentucky Derby. All he had to do was overcome the hoodoo surrounding Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winners in the Churchill Downs’ Classic! When I reviewed New Year’s Day’s performance for the TDN, I began as follows: That was a pretty scary statistic that the NBC team trotted out after the 30th edition of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile–than not a single horse from the 2012 Juvenile had made it to the Kentucky Derby only six months later. Then there’s the fact that only one of the first 29 winners of the Juvenile has gone on to take the Kentucky Derby. This statistic highlights the huge chasm which separates the two races which, more often than not, fall to the future winners of their respective age-group’s Eclipse Award. Perhaps it was a shrewd decision by the connections of Honor Code to reroute their very promising son of A.P. Indy to the GII Remsen S., rather than subject him to the demands of a trip to Santa Anita. However, before anyone writes off the Kentucky Derby prospects of New Year’s Day, the 30th winner of the Juvenile, it is essential to point out that he shares the same sire–Street Cry–as Street Sense, the only colt to break the Juvenile hoodoo in the Derby. It’s easy to forget that Street Sense was an unexpected winner of the 2006 Juvenile at Churchill Downs, starting at 16-1. Although New Year’s Day’s trainer Bob Baffert made it clear that he had higher hopes of his other Juvenile contender, Tap It Rich, he wasn’t blind to New Year’s Day’s potential. “He can get the distance,” Baffert said as they entered the starting gate. “Also he’s got a little bit of speed and he’s tough and durable and he’s one that we should hear from down the road.” Of course New Year’s Day and Street Sense have more in common than just their sire. Whereas Street Sense is out of a daughter of Dixieland Band (also broodmare sire of another Kentucky Derby winner in Monarchos), New Year’s Day has a dam by Dixieland Band’s son Dixie Union. I should add that Nyquist has since emulated Street Sense’s double, but there is still a gulf between the two races. Only three of the 13 runners in New Year’s Day’s Juvenile contested the Kentucky Derby, finishing sixth, eighth and 10th behind California Chrome, but New Year’s Day has now entered the picture for the 2019 Derby. He’s the sire of the former claimer Maximum Security, who maintained his unbeaten record in plundering the GI Florida Derby. In starting his stallion career soon after topping the Experimental, New Year’s Day followed in the footsteps of Hail To Reason and Raise A Native, but he wasn’t to enjoy these great stallions’ immediate success–Hail To Reason’s small first crop featured the champion mare Straight Deal, while Raise A Native’s 11 first-crop foals included Exclusive Native, who was to give us two winners of the Kentucky Derby. Needless to say, today’s crops are generally much larger than they used to be. New Year’s Day covered 77 mares at a fee of $12,500 in his first season at Hill ‘n’ Dale, for 52 live foals. Reducing his fee to $7,500 in his second season boosted his book to 98 mares, for 60 foals, and year three saw him cover 92 mares at $5,000, for 56 foals. Then things became difficult. Even with his fee reduced to $3,500 in 2017, he covered only 32 mares for 21 foals, and his 2018 book comprised only 25 mares. It therefore came as no great surprise when an announcement was made in January that New Year’s Day had been sold to Brazilian owner/breeder Luis Felipe Brandao dos Santos. Prior to Maximum Security’s breakthrough, New Year’s Day’s best representatives included Yesterday’s News, runner-up in the GI Starlet S., and the black-type winners Dat Day, Day Raider, Cafe Du Monde and Parade of Roses. It is important to mention that Maximum Security’s achievements have come well before his actual third birthday, which occurs May 14. His dam Lil Indy has been sold several times, including for as little as $2,200 as a yearling in 2008. Although her price was $80,000 when she sold in foal to Pioneerof The Nile in January 2014, it fell to $11,000 when she was offered in foal to New Year’s Day last November. Lil Indy’s giveaway price as a yearling came before her half-brother Flat Out had become a multiple Grade I winner, taking the Jockey Club Gold Cup as a 5 and 6-year-old in 2011 and 2012 and the Cigar Mile as a 7-year-old. Lil Indy is a three-parts-sister to this son of Flatter, as she too was sired by a son of A.P. Indy. Her sire Anasheed–like Flatter–failed to win a black-type race but he was third in the GIII Arlington- Washington Futurity as a juvenile. He was also very well connected, coming from the female line which had provided A.P. Indy with the Grade I winners Mineshaft, Runup The Colors, Tomisue’s Delight and Little Belle and his pedigree was strong enough to earn him a place at stud in Florida. Anasheed made little impact with his 112 foals, but his presence in Maximum Security’s pedigree doesn’t rule out a bold Kentucky Derby bid by the Florida Derby winner. In recent years we have seen Kentucky Derby winners out of mares by Yankee Gentleman, who won nothing better than a restricted stakes race, and Not For Love, who failed to win a stakes race of any sort. I was quite impressed by Maximum Security’s performance at Gulfstream, even if his rivals’ riders helped him dominate. With his May birthday, he’s entitled to improve further and it’s going to be interesting to see how he progresses, especially when he isn’t given an easy lead. View the full article

Flat jockey Fran Berry has retired from the saddle with immediate effect. The 38-year-old suffered spinal injuries in a fall at Wolverhampton on Jan. 29–and, after consultation with his surgeon, he has been advised to quit race-riding. “For the past 23 years, I have got to live out my childhood dream of being a jockey,” Berry told www.sportinglife.com, for who he will continue to write his regular blog. “But following recent scans and discussions with my medical team headed by my surgeon Dr. Mike Foy, as well as Dr. Jerry Hill, I have to accept that the dream is now over and that due to the injuries sustained in Wolverhampton on Jan. 29, I will not be able to make a return to race-riding. “While this news is heartbreaking on one level, I am fully aware how lucky I am. Riding has been a fantastic adventure for me, and I am very grateful for the way it allowed my family and me to experience the world and gain many friends over that time.” Berry will also pursue other ventures–including media work, and is poised to join the Racing TV team of pundits, that media outlet reported on Monday. All told, Berry booted home 1,387 winners, including four in the National Hunt sphere, with the remainder on the Flat primarily in Ireland. He rode a winner during the Cheltenham Festival at the age of only 18-the Christy Roche-trained Khayrawani (Ire) (Caerleon) in the Coral Cup for JP McManus. Berry’s father Frank is McManus’s racing manager. The understudy to Mick Kinane in the John Oxx yard following a switch to the Flat, Berry won the 2010 G1 National S. with Pathfork (Distorted Humor) for Jessica Harrington and also rode in Japan. Beginning in 2016, Berry moved his tack and family to Britain to ride for Ralph Beckett and later on went freelance. In 2018 the Irishman teamed up with David Menuisier’s Thundering Blue (Exchange Rate) and the duo won both the G2 York S. and G3 Stockholm Cup International and was runner-up in the GI Pattison Canadian International S. and third in the G1 Juddmonte International S. View the full article

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost.Is Almond Eye better than Winx and Enable? – @RacingTVWinning at home is one thing, but there is no doubt that tasting success overseas enhances the reputation of any racehorse.Not only did Almond Eye’s victory in the Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) legitimise her standing as one of the best horses in the world, it also removed any lingering doubt about her quality… View the full article

Star trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen has won almost every major race in Hong Kong this term but there is a new title he can add to his resume – he is Sha Tin’s king of dirt racing.The second-season sensation has had more winners on the all-weather surface than any other trainer since he started and boasts a strike rate nearly double that of his overall record.Me Tsui Yu-sak, who travelled his top-rated Fight Hero to Dubai to race on dirt, was once considered the man to beat on the Sha Tin all… View the full article

The first stakes win for Law Abidin Citizen was marred when two horses fell in the March 31 $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (G3T), run at about 6 1/2 furlongs over Santa Anita Park's downhill turf course. View the full article

The first stakes win for Law Abidin Citizen was marred when two horses fell in the March 31 $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (G3T), run at about 6 1/2 furlongs over Santa Anita Park's downhill turf course. View the full article

Live Oak Plantation's homebred half brothers March to the Arch and Global Access impressed March 31 at Tampa Bay Downs, when the pair took a brace of stakes on the 17th annual Florida Cup Day card. View the full article

Updates on stewards' follow-ups to Friday meeting View the full article

Horse's test result April 1 View the full article

9th-Oaklawn, $90,000, Msw, 3-31, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.17, ft. LANDESKOG (g, 3, Munnings–Minewander {GSP, $224,591}, by Mineshaft), who was just shy of a bullet half-mile when he worked in :47 flat (2/103) at Oaklawn Park Mar. 23, was sent off at 5-1 for this unveiling. One of the smoothest away, the chestnut battled with Tut’s Revenge (Eskendereya) on his outside through an opening quarter in :22.21, while maintaining a head advantage. The duo reached the half in :45.83, but Landeskog switched to another gear, cut the corner, and strolled away to win by 5 3/4 good-looking lengths. Tut’s Revenge held for second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of 3-5 chalk Golden Notion (Goldencents), who rated just behind the two pacesetters in third while well off the fence and put in a belated rally. The third winner from three runners for his dam, who placed in the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie S. as a juvenile, the gelding is followed by juvenile filly Sense of Place (Blame). Minewander, who is a half-sister to GIII My Charmer H. heroine and GI Garden City Breeders’ Cup H. third Wander Mom (Maria’s Mom), produced a dead foal by Vancouver (Aus) last spring. Third dam and GIII Golden Rod S. victress Vivid Imagination (Raise a Man) is a half-sister to champion and top producer Serena’s Song (Rahy). Sales history: $75,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $54,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-ERJ Racing, LLC & John Fuller; B-CFP Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Doug F. O’Neill. View the full article

Linda Rice earned the leading trainer title at Aqueduct’s winter meet, which concluded Sunday. Rice captured 45 wins at the stand to claim her first New York Racing Association meet title since 2017. Manny Franco was the meet’s leading jockey with 98 wins and Michael Dubb led all owners. “It’s always nice to win a training title; Saratoga was my first, and I’ve finished second at the Aqueduct winter meet a few times, so it’s nice to get the win,” Rice said. Dubb, NYRA’s year-ending leading owner in seven of the last nine years, closed the meet with 15 wins. Drawing Away Stable was second with 10 wins. “It means a lot,” Dubb said. “Everybody who was involved worked hard and made good decisions and good choices and put the horses in the right spots. New York racing is what it’s all about. To be number one in New York is what it’s all about to me. The winter is kind of an under-the-radar meet, but I think it’s important to race in New York year-round and support New York racing in the winter, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.” The 12-day 2019 Aqueduct spring meet begins Apr. 5 and is highlighted by the Apr. 6 GII Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets. View the full article

Reigning Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz, Jr. claimed the riding title at Gulfstream Park’s Championship meet, which concluded Sunday, besting two-time defending titlist Luis Saez, 135-134. “It feels great,” Ortiz said of the title. “I got a lot of support from the owners and trainers and my agent, Jay Rushing, does a great job. I have no words for how I feel now.” Saez rode the winners of the third, fourth and ninth races Sunday to pull into a tie for the lead, but Ortiz came back to capture the 10th race to earn the riding title outright. Riding full time during the Championship Meet for the first time, Ortiz captured nine graded stakes race, including the inaugural $7-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational aboard Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) Jan. 26. Trainer Jorge Navarro, who saddled X Y Jet (Kantharos) to victory in Saturday’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan, captured his first Championship Meet title with 53 victories, breaking Todd Pletcher’s string of 15 consecutive titles. Pletcher finished second. Navarro’s client Joseph Besecker was the leading owner with 19 visits to the winner’s circle. Live racing will return to Gulfstream for the start of the Spring Meet Thursday. First-race post time for an eight-race opening day card is set for 1:15 p.m. View the full article

Reigning Eclipse Award champion Irad Ortiz Jr. claimed the 2018-2019 Championship Meet riding title at Gulfstream Park March 31 prevailing over defending two-time titlist Luis Saez, 135-134. View the full article

Trainer Linda Rice won her first NYRA meet title since 2017, jockey Manny Franco paced all riders with 98 victories, and Michael Dubb led all owners with 15 wins for the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack that spanned Dec. 7, 2018 to March 31. View the full article

Though Haikal does not need another placing in a prep race to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, the Wood will offer a valuable lesson in his ability to handle the kind of challenge awaiting him at 1 ¼ miles in the May 4 opening leg of the Triple Crown. View the full article

Godolphin 4-year-old has won eight of 13 starts View the full article

Andrew Balding may choose next month’s G2 Bet365 Mile at Sandown for the return of Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}). A winner of the G2 Summer Mile S. at Ascot and the G2 Celebration at Goodwood last year, the gelding’s campaign ended with an unplaced effort in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. “Beat The Bank might start off at Sandown in the Group 2 over a mile [on Apr. 26],” said Balding. “I’ve been very happy with him at home–he’s been going very well. He had a nice break after Hong Kong, and everything has gone very nicely.” View the full article

Jockey Trevor McCarthy and trainer Claudio Gonzalez earned titles at Laurel Park’s 46-day winter meeting, which concluded Sunday. The 24-year-old McCarthy won 53 races during the stand, including the GIII General George S. aboard Uncontested (Tiz Wonderful) Feb. 16. “I’m really fortunate to become the leading rider again this meet. It means a lot to me and to my family,” McCarthy said. “I want to thank my agent, Scotty Silver, and all the trainers and owners for riding me. Without the horses, we don’t have racing and we don’t have fun and we can’t get in positions that we are. I’m very fortunate and blessed.” Gonzalez led all trainers with 40 wins, including a stretch of seven consecutive victories over two racing days, Mar.17 and 22. Maryland’s leading trainer the past two years, Gonzalez has captured four straight meet titles at Laurel and six of the last seven dating back to the 2017 winter-spring stand. Overall, he owns nine meet championships. “All the time, I say you have to put the horses in the right spot. My owners know when you put the horses in the right spot, you have a big chance to win races,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody is happy. My team, they do all the hard work. Everybody sees my name and they see me, but behind the scenes everybody is working really hard.” Laurel’s 19-day spring meet kicks off Apr. 5 and runs through May 5. View the full article

Stakes-winning Arms Runner (Overdriven) suffered an injury during the running of Sunday’s GIII San Simeon S. at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old gelding fell as the field crossed over the dirt track in the down-the-hill stakes race, causing La Sardane (Fr) (Kingsalsa) to also fall. La Sardane was quickly back on her feet, according to Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen, who reported Arms Runner was tended to by track veterinarians before being vanned off. The incident comes on just the third day that racing returned to Santa Anita after a spate of fatal equine injuries this winter. Arms Runner, owned by Rockingham Ranch and trained by Peter Miller, most recently won an optional claimer down the hill Jan. 27. This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. View the full article

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby officially ended March 31, when undefeated 3-year-old Der Flug (JPN) took the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse. View the full article

As so often happens when a subject is so controversial, contentious and so important, people take sides and then the rhetoric, and even nastiness, gets to the point that people are more concerned about slinging arrows than having sensible and meaningful debate. In the age of social media, it’s worse now than ever. That has been the case throughout the Santa Anita situation, and it reached a fever pitch when The Stronach Group called for many new regulations, including the banning of Lasix and the use of the whip. There are a lot of people you may want to tune out. But Walker Hancock is not one of them. Walker Hancock is the President of Claiborne Farm. He is smart, sensible, influential, picks his words carefully. He’s not angry. He is not a saber-rattler. Most importantly, he is a mere 29 years-old, a millennial in an industry where most leaders are considerably older and products of another era. So of all the things written last week on social media, perhaps none were more significant and worth paying attention to than a tweet Hancock wrote that read: “We can all debate whether we should validate and cave to PETA, but one thing every one needs to keep in mind is it only takes 600,000 signatures to get a measure on the ballot to eliminate horse racing in California and PETA has over 700,000 members living in the state.” It would have been a lot easier for him to keep his mouth shut and stay out of the way, but he didn’t do so because he cares deeply about the industry and the legacy of Claiborne Farm. “I think we are at a critical point right now and I want what’s best for the industry and I want this industry to be around for another 50, 75, 100 years,” Hancock said. “And I think we are at a very critical time right now and our decisions are very important, carry a lot of weight and could be critical for the future of our industry.” Hancock’s age is a critical part of his story. There may be no other person with such influence in the industry that associates with people 30 and under, particularly younger people that are not part of the sport or what The Stronach Group’s Tim Ritvo has come to call “the bubble.” “With my friends who are not involved in racing or weren’t born into it, it is a challenge,” Hancock said. “They don’t understand things. They have a perception that horses are whipped and they use medication to help them run. It is not a healthy mind set for people to have on our sport. The perception is not favorable with the general public. For us to grow and sustain our industry, we need to listen to the general public. Right now, we are at a critical time, where they could turn their backs to us. It’s important that we are more open than maybe we once were or are.” Hancock said he received both favorable and unfavorable comments from people after he posted his tweet. He would like people to know that he was not coming out in support of PETA and, like most people in horse racing, is no fan of that particular animal rights group. “After my post, people thought I was taking the side of PETA,” he said. “I didn’t intend to at all. I don’t like PETA. But I know they can be a dangerous organization. It’s almost like they have mob power, whether that’s fair or not. I also understand that they can very easily get a campaign together and if they really wanted to, I feel they have enough power to eliminate horse racing. I wanted to bring people’s attention to the real possibility there is of them mounting a campaign to ban racing. Like it or not, you have to take them seriously. “This is certainly an emotional time for me. I’m fourth generation here and I want my children to have the opportunity to keep this going. I think it is very important that we take the steps to make sure this industry is around in the future.” And there you have it, a voice of reason. What Will Belinda Stronach Do Next? Belinda Stronach sure proved to be a worthy adversary for those who opposed her series of reforms. She also should have put an end to what has been rumored within the industry, that she wants to sell Santa Anita to property developers. With what she had to go through over the last month or so, the easiest way out would have been to say, “I don’t need this,” and put for-sale signs outside the track. The property is obviously worth a fortune, much more as housing or a shopping center than as a racetrack. She proved throughout this fight that she, like her father, Frank, is committed to the sport. We know how determined she is to correct what she sees as wrongs within racing and she knows that most of the same rules she fought to end in California remain at The Stronach Group’s (TSG) racetracks in Maryland, Florida and Oregon. She has also said those states are her next targets. Not that what she accomplished in California was easy, but it will likely be even harder in Florida and Maryland. The advantage TSG had in California is that racing there is on an island and horsemen have virtually no other options when it comes to places to race. The trainers have homes there, their kids may go to schools in local communities, they have established their reputations on the Southern California circuit and have local owners who employ them. They’re not going to pick up and move to Turf Paradise. The exact opposite is true in Maryland. If Laurel and Pimlico were to phase out Lasix and enact all the other restrictions on medications that were put in at Santa Anita and Golden Gate, the horsemen there would have a lot more leverage. They can just move down the road to Parx or Delaware or Monmouth without a huge disruption of their lives. If they were to try to go it alone in the Mid-Atlantic region without Lasix, it’s hard to imagine how they could fills cards at Laurel and Pimlico. Gulfstream wouldn’t be easy, either. The regulars who stay year-round may not go anywhere, but what about the big stables that come south for the championship meet? They, too, have choices. Aside from their grass horses, they could stay in New York for the winter. The Fair Grounds and Oaklawn are other options. Some might even chose Tampa Bay Downs. If the Stronach reforms are going to spread beyond California, it probably won’t happen unless at least one other major racing state or organization joins their cause. Keep an eye on NYRA. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is not a big fan of the sport and he was very involved when there was a rash of breakdowns years ago at Aqueduct. You can bet he’s been watching what has been happening in California and it wouldn’t be a shock if he were to ignite efforts for the same reforms in New York. The UAE Derby is a Dud Again Enough already. Churchill Downs has to downgrade the G2 UAE Derby’s status as a 100-point race. Everyone in U.S. racing wants to expand beyond our borders as the sport becomes more global. They key is that, involving other countries gives you the opportunity to get their bettors to bet on your races. Japan is the holy grail. If horses were coming out of the UAE Derby with regularity and performing well in the GI Kentucky Derby then the 100-point status would at least make some sense. But the horses that have come have performed dismally in the Derby. This year, the results left no doubt that this was far from a quality field, probably not even equal to a Grade III prep in the U.S. The winner was the American-based Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry). When last seen he was 13th, beaten 20 lengths in the GII Risen Star S. Before that, he was fifth in the GIII Lecomte. Those efforts didn’t even begin to merit a spot in the Kentucky Derby, but now he is in. In fact, he is No. 1 on the points leaders list for the race. While Plus Que Parfait probably isn’t the next Justify (Scat Daddy), his trainer, Brendan Walsh, deserves some kind of award. He knew to go nowhere near the GI Florida Derby or the GII Louisiana Derby, races where he would have had no chance. So he shipped Plus Que Parfait halfway across the world and stole the winner’s share of a $2.5-million purse. That’s a great training job. View the full article