For all of your horse wagering needs, be sure to visit allhorseracing.com!
Editor’s Note: Anthony Stabile will be offering winning selections on the Kentucky Derby with analysis, plus inside tips for the entire Triple Crown.
Part I - Part II - Part III
Over the past dozen years or so, one of the more popular trends when it comes to the Kentucky Derby is for a trainer to have more than one runner in the race. While there were a few before him, Hall of Famer Wayne Lukas was the one who really got this ball rolling back in the late 80’s and it’s been going ever since. One of Lukas’ pupils, Todd Pletcher, is one of five trainers this year that will run more than one horse in Derby 134. They are Monba and Cowboy Cal, the one-two finishers in the G1 Blue Grass run over the Polytrack surface at Keeneland.
Earlier this year, Monba was arguably one of the earliest “wiseguy” horses to ever grace the Triple Crown trail. After breaking his maiden at Keeneland and winning an entry level allowance contest at Churchill in his first two starts, Monba closed well when finishing fourth in the G1 CashCall Futurity in his final start as a two-year-old.
Pletcher gave him two months before sending him back to the wars in the G2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in late February. Sent off as the tepid 7-2 favorite, Monba lost all chance when he was shut off going into the first turn and returned with several cuts and scrapes that kept him out of action until the Blue Grass.
After sitting just off the early pace set by Cowboy Cal, Monba attacked his stablemate in mid-stretch and wore him down in the final yards to win by a neck. Since his victory, Monba has continued to train at Keeneland, posting a five furlong drill in company in 1:00 2/5 on 4/27. Ramon Dominguez will ride Monba for the first time in the Derby.
Along the same lines of his stablemate, Cowboy Cal has done his best running on a surface other than dirt. In his case, it’s been the grass. A stakes winner twice over on the weeds, Cowboy Cal finished second in a minor grass stake at Gulfstream before Pletcher decided to try his hand in the Blue Grass.
Save the fact that he didn’t win, Cowboy Cal couldn’t have raced better than he did in the Blue Grass. The only problem is turf horses tend to like synthetic surfaces and his lone dirt start, his debut in a sprint at Saratoga, was dismal. By the precocious Giant’s Causeway and out of a Seeking the Gold mare, he’s certainly bred to like the dirt and go the Derby distance. Regular rider John Velazquez has the call.
Like Pletcher, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be seeking his first Derby win when he sends out the pair of Court Vision and Z Humor on Saturday.
Seemingly the better of the two, Court Vision has already won a stakes race at Churchill, winning the G3 Iroquois before taking the G2 Remsen at Aqueduct to cap off a juvenile season that saw him win three of four starts.
In his seasonal sophomore debut, Court Vision trailed for the most part in the Fountain of Youth before finishing up nicely to be a non-threatening third. Last out in the G1 Wood Memorial, Court Vision was once again much further back than usual but made up ground yet again in the stretch to miss by 1 ¾ lengths. Jockey Garrett Gomez, who’ll be back aboard in the Derby, said that Court Vision was never in the bridle and seemed to be slipping and sliding over a drying out, speed biased surface at Aqueduct.
Since returning to Churchill to prepare for this, Mott added a pair of blinkers and Court Vision has responded well to the equipment change as evident by a bullet half-mile move in :46 1/5 on 4/17 followed by a solid five eighths drill in 1:00 4/5 on 4/27. His running style and his pedigree (his dam is a half sister to both Summer Squall and A.P. Indy) makes you think he should relish the 1 ¼ miles of the Derby and he appears poised to run a big one this Saturday
Stablemate Z Humor hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Court Vision but has on occasion showed signs that he belongs with these. A gritty dead heat victory in the $1 million G3 Delta Jackpot garnered him more than enough earnings to lock-up a berth in the Derby and Mott may have taken advantage of that fact when you look back at his races this year.
In his first start of 2008, Z Humor was sent off as the 6-5 favorite in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs. After getting worked up in the paddock and post parade, Z Humor made the lead briefly at the top of the stretch before tiring to fifth. Just eight days later, Mott wheeled him back in the Fountain of Youth where he finished and even fourth.
In his final prep, the G3 Illinois Derby, Z Humor again raced evenly and finished third. The question is has Mott taken his time with him to get him ready for the Derby or is he just a one paced runner that’s a cut below the rest? Like Court Vision, he’s trained well since shipping into Kentucky and is bred to handle the distance being by Distorted Humor, who sired 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide, and out of an A.P. Indy mare. An earner of over $620K, Z Humor has run at seven different tracks in his eight race career and will have Rene Douglas in the saddle.
Another of the nation’s top conditioners who’ll be looking to break his Derby maiden is Steve Asmussen. Last year, Curlin finished third in the Derby in just his fourth career start for Asmussen before going on to win the Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic on his way to Horse of the Year honors. This year, Asmussen will run Pyro and Z Fortune.
Pyro is a great example of how the Sport of Kings is a “what have you done for me lately?” game. A month ago, the debate as to who would go off the Derby favorite was no worse than a coin-flip between Pyro and Big Brown but that was before the Blue Grass.
Sent off as the even money chalk Pyro didn’t run a step, finishing next to last. Asmussen was quick to blame the Polytrack which Pyro was running on for the first time, going as far as to say that Pyro will not compete in the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anta because it’ll be run over a synthetic surface.
Prior to the Blue Grass debacle, Pyro was nothing short of sensational in his two starts at the Fair Grounds. A breathtaking last to first, going away win in the G3 Risen Star in his seasonal debut was followed up by a solid victory in the G2 Louisiana Derby. Last year, Pyro won just one of four but had the misfortune of running into eventual Two Year Old champion War Pass in his three other starts, finishing third in a Saratoga allowance contest before a pair of place finishes in both the G1 Champagne and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, all under regular rider Shaun Bridgmohan.
As is the case every year, the rumor mill is churning once again in Louisville and this time Pyro is the fodder. There’s talk that he’s nowhere near 100% and that Asmussen purposely worked him in the fog a couple of weeks back so no one would see him go. On 4/28, Pyro worked four furlongs in :49 4/5.
Asmussen’s other runner, Z Fortune has had a bit of a roller coaster journey to this years’ Derby. After winning the G3 Lecomte at the Fair Grounds, Z Fortune was second to Pyro in the Risen Star before inexplicably finishing off the board as the 3/5 favorite in the G2 Rebel at Oaklawn.
Last out, Z Fortune ran arguably the race of his life when finishing second in the G2 Arkansas Derby from the eleven hole. The only horse to make up any ground in the race, Z Fortune overcame a meet-long speed bias to miss by ¾ of a length. On 4/28, Z Fortune went a leisurely half mile in :51 at Churchill. Robby Albarado will ride.
Two guys that have already won the roses, Barclay Tagg and two time winner Nick Zito, will each be represented by a pair of runners in this years’ renewal. Tagg, the trainer of Funny Cide will have Tale of Ekati and Big Truck while Zito, who won the 1991 edition with Strike the Gold before taking the 1994 installment with Go for Gin, will run Cool Coal Man and Anak Nakal. Let’s start with Tagg’s duo.
While he didn’t run Tale of Ekati in January as he did with Funny Cide, Tagg used the other two preps he used with the “gutsy gelding” to get Tale of Ekati here – the Louisiana Derby and the Wood Memorial. In his first start of the year, Tale of Ekati broke poorly in the La. Derby and was never a factor, racing towards the back of the pack through most of the race before sneakily making up a few lengths late after being given a track-wide tour by Edgar Prado to finish sixth, beaten just 6 ½ lengths.
In his most recent start, Tale of Ekati sat off the fast early fractions set by War Pass in the Wood Memorial and finally wore his rival down in deep stretch to win by a ½ length in a very slow time. It’s the time that has many feeling that the Wood Memorial was a weak prep this season and that a horse like Tale of Ekati is just too slow. In his defense, the track was drying out after two days of rain and I feel the final time was greatly affected.
He’s been training well in Kentucky, working twice at Keeneland before shipping over to Churchill and working an easy half mile in :49 2/5 on 4/29. Eibar Coa will be reunited with this colt on Saturday. Coa was aboard when this colt broke his maiden and won the G2 Futurity at Belmont last season.
With Coa aboard his stablemate, Big Truck will get the services of Javier Castellano on Saturday as he looks to rebound from a dreadful next to last place finish in the Blue Grass. Like others, it appears he didn’t care for the Polytrack and put in a pair of solid efforts at Tampa Bay prior to the Blue Grass.
In his second start of the year, Big Truck raced wide most of the way when finishing a fast closing second in the Sam F. Davis before turning out a similar effort to win the G3 Tampa Bay Derby a month later. While his running style suggests he’ll like the distance, his sire was primarily a sprinter though he’s out of a Go for Gin mare. He seemed to like the Churchill surface, working a sharp five panels in :59 2/5 on 4/28.
As far as Zito’s pair goes, it would seem that Cool Coal Man was another Polytrack victim last out when he beat just three horses in the Blue Grass. Including an allowance win last year over the course, he’s four for five around two turns on dirt with his lone blemish coming in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill last year which was won by stablemate Anak Nakal.
Earlier this season, Cool Coal Man won an allowance contest at Gulfstream before capitalizing on a perfect trip to win the Fountain of Youth. On 4/24, Cool Coal Man worked in company, going a half mile in :47 2/5. Rafael Bejarano will ride.
Anak Nakal has had arguably the worst trek to this years’ Run for the Roses. An eighth place finish in the Fountain of Youth was followed up by another awful performance in the Rebel, where he was rumored to have bled. Equipped with blinkers for the first time in the Wood Memorial last out, Anak Nakal came from far back to finish fifth, beaten less than four lengths in his best start of the year to date. He showed his affinity for the course by working a solid half mile in :46 2/5 on 4/25 and will have the services of Julien Leparoux in the Derby.
