Off to the Races with Nick Costa
Drosselmeyer
Bent Attorney 27May10 Hi everyone, well two Triple Crown races, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes are in the books and there is just one more to go. The final leg, the Belmont Stakes is up next and it will be held Saturday, June 5th. Be sure to vist my blog page: www.triplecrownchase.blogspot.com to read my comments, analysis and selections. Although the Belmont marks the end of the American Triple Crown series, the Canadian Triple Crown will begin shortly. It kicks off at Woodbine with the Queen's Plate, held July 4th. The series then shifts to Fort Erie for the Prince Of Wales Stakes on July 25th, before heading back to Woodbine for the Breeders Stakes August 15th.
On the local racing scene at Fort Erie, jockey Krista Carignan leads the riding colony with 16 wins after just eleven live race days. She has a seven win cushion over her nearest rival, Anthony Stephen, while last years leading rider Rui Pimental is third in the standings with 8 wins. The trainers race is much tighter with last years leading conditioner Nick Gonzalez on top with 7 scores, followed closely by John Simms and Lyle Morden with 6 apiece.
Here are my personal track bias observations for Fort Erie through the first 11 days of racing:
May 1st----INSIDE VERY FAVORABLE.
May 2nd---INSIDE PATHS PREFERRED/SPEED & STALKERS FARED BEST.
May 9th----NO BIAS.
May 10th---NO BIAS
May 11th---NO BIAS
May 16th---SPEED/STALKERS RULED THE DAY
May 17th---NO BIAS
May 18th---NO BIAS
May 23rd---NO BIAS
May 24th---NO BIAS
May 25th---NO BIAS
One final note: On the foreign racing circuit, superb miler GOLDIKOVA, winner of the last two Grade 1 Breeders Cup Mile events, kicked off her 2010 campaign at Longchamp Race Course in France with a track record victory in the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan. The 5 year old filly sat off the pace in 3rd throughout the race before being asked about 400 meters out by jockey Olivier Peslier to unleash her devastating turn of foot, which enabled her to win by a narrow margin. GOLDIKOVA was the Eclipse award champion turf female in North America and was named Europe's champion older horse with the Cartier Award. She will make her next start in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes June 15th at Royal Ascot. Her main target once again is the Breeders Cup Mile held later this year at Churchill Downs, where she will try for a threepeat.
I've included the link to the Prix d'Ispahan race video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQVlD8UkRK4 The call is in French, so if you understand it, that's great, if not, just watch the beauty of the race and enjoy the background scenery.
Last Saturday was a day filled with sunshine and nice temperatures at both Keeneland and Oaklawn. and in each respective tracks Derby prep, it was a day filled with longshot winners. With a near record crowd on hand at Keeneland, 40-1 longshot Stately Victor under jockey Alan Garcia, rallied past leader Paddy O'Prado in the last furlong to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes by more than 4 lengths. The winners share of $450,000 assures Stately Victor a place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. At Oaklawn, California invader Line Of David, sent off at 17-1 with Jon Court aboard, went straight to the front and led all the way around the track, holding off two late challengers to win the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. The win now puts the horse squarely into the Derby party with stablemate Sidney's Candy. Both are trained by John Sadler. Before we get to the recaps, here is a look at the latest graded earnings list as of April 11th, 2010.
Graded Earnings Chart (courtesy of Daily Racing Form)
# Horse Trainer Earnings
1 Lookin At Lucky Bob Baffert $1,480,000
2 Noble's Promise Kenneth McPeek $738,000
3 Rule Todd Pletcher $645,000
4 Sidney's Candy John Sadler $630,000
5 Eskendereya Todd Pletcher $600,000
6 Line of David John Sadler $600,000
7 Mission Impazible Todd Pletcher $485,934
8 Ice Box Nicholas Zito $457,500
9 Stately Victor Michael Maker $451,112
10 Endorsement Shannon Ritter $400,000
11 Conveyance Bob Baffert $386,000
12 American Lion Eoin Harty $378,000
13 Dublin D. Lukas $373,208
14 Super Saver Todd Pletcher $363,832
15 Discreetly Mine Todd Pletcher $340,000
16 Dean's Kitten Michael Maker $326,475
17 Interactif Todd Pletcher $307,950
18 Awesome Act Jeremy Noseda $285,000
19 Paddy O'Prado Dale Romans $250,950
20 Homeboykris Richard Dutrow, Jr. $250,500
21 Uh Oh Bango R. Owens $237,952
22 Jackson Bend Nicholas Zito $230,000
23 Backtalk Thomas Amoss $225,916
24 Aikenite Todd Pletcher $221,750
25 Make Music for Me Alexis Barba $218,750
26 Odysseus Thomas Albertrani $183,750
27 Setsuko Richard Mandella $180,000
28 A Little Warm Anthony Dutrow $180,000
29 Pleasant Prince Wesley Ward $166,250
30 Caracortado Michael Machowsky $153,000
31 Yawanna Twist Richard Dutrow, Jr. $147,000
32 Connemara Todd Pletcher $138,500
33 Schoolyard Dreams Derek Ryan $137,500
34 Northern Giant D. Lukas $132,000
35 First Dude Dale Romans $97,500
36 Alphie's Bet Alexis Barba $90,000
37 Drosselmeyer William Mott $87,000
38 Pulsion Patrick Biancone $85,000
39 Ron the Greek Thomas Amoss $70,500
40 Nacho Friend Kelly Breen $64,500
41 Who's Up Michael Puhich $60,000
42 Codoy Mark Hubley $47,500
43 Classical Slew Doug O'Neill $45,000
44 Dave in Dixie John Sadler $44,550
45 Peppi Knows Timothy Kreiser $41,000
BLUE GRASS STAKES: A TIMELY STATEMENT
Stately Victor raced near the pack of the field during the early portion of the race. He began to move up heading into the far turn along the inside but his position was still unchanged, he continued to save ground until the middle of that turn, vacated his inside position while in between rivals, swung out to the 5 path entering the stretch and closed fast to win going away in 1:48 3/5. Paddy O'Prado broke sharply from post seven and angled over to get good positon while briefly leading going into the first turn. Conceded the lead to Odysseus out of the turn then pressed that one down the backside before commencing a move mid point on the far turn. Paddy O'Prado opened up a 2 length lead heading into the lane, continued to draw away but could not hold off the late rush of the winner. First Dude was bumped at the start and then seemed to get squeezed in a bit tight in the opening yards but managed to settle nicely along the rail. Was in an excellent spot stalking the top two into the far turn, moved out between horses, then appeared as though he was about to drop back, but found a bit more late and finished up for third. Race favorite Interactif was well placed throughout and had every chance, but offered to rally and finished fourth. Tampa Bay Derby winner Odysseus set the pace on the inside for 6 furlongs while being pressed the whole time and gave way. He finished last and failed to pick up additional graded earnings. He currently sits in 28th on the earnings list and therefore will not head be heading to the Kentucky Derby
ARKANSAS DERBY: LINE IN THE SAND
Another exciting weekend of Derby prep action is in the books and after everything cleared we had some new passengers thrust themselves onto the already crowded Derby horse train bound for Louisville. Good performances over Saturday/Sunday by horses looking to get into the starting gate May 1st, gave their connections the ticket they had been hoping for. MISSION IMPAZIBLE--DEAN'S KITTEN--ENDORSEMENT all have enough graded earnings now and are looking good for a trip to the Derby. We also saw a couple of horses, CONNEMARA & DROSSELMEYER, have a bit of race trouble that may have cost them better placings and therefore extra graded money. As of now, those two are on the outside looking in. Their situations don't look promising because they are so far down the list. There will be many changes in the final weeks, depending on the outcome of the future preps. Stay tuned. You can view the latest graded earnings chart at the bottom of the column. Coming up this weekend: The Grade 3 Illinois Derby as well as a pair of top notch Grade 1 races: The Santa Anita Derby and The Wood Memorial. The aforementioned races will assist in geting rid of the pretenders and hanger-ons. Now let's review this past weekend.
LOUISIANA DERBY: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED 
Trainer Todd Pletcher added another Kentucky Derby contender to his already stocked arsenal on Saturday when his 3 yr old colt Mission Impazible, under jockey
Rajiv Maragh made their mission of getting to Louisville possible with a game rally through the length of the long Fairgrounds stretch to win the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby by 3/4 of length in 1:50 1/5. A total of one full length separated the first four finishers. Mission Impazible broke alertly and settled on the rail early into the first turn, was eased back slightly down the backside, but was always in good position. Maragh continued to keep the colt along the rail before bringing him out 3 wide coming out of the far turn, and then under left handed urging, the horse proceeded to run down the two leaders, A Little Warm and Discreetly Mine who ran 1-2throughout much of the race. A Little Warm had to work a bit to outrun Mission Impazible and Discreetly Mine after the start, but was in front going into the first turn. Was under constant pressure from Discreetly Mine down the backstretch and all the way into deep stretch, continued to dig in and just failed to last. Discreetly Mine broke alerly, was outrun for the lead and went 3 wide into the first turn. He moved up quickly to challenge and sat off the flank of A Little Warm from early on the backside until deep stretch battling with that one, then could give no more.
Drosselmeyer broke from the furthest outside post and was able to secure good position heading into the first turn. Was running in mid-pack down the backstretch, and as the field headed into the far turn, he was put along the rail and commenced his move three furlongs out. Stayed inside through the stretch for his rally, seemed to get bottled up behind horses deep in the lane, got clear again and continued on but ran out of ground.
LANE'S END: HERE KITTY KITTY 
The first time Dean's Kitten raced on polytrack, it was his initial lifetime start back in April of '09, a race in which he finished third. Out of the following nine starts, eight were on turf. The lone exception was a dirt start at Belmont Park only because the race was taken off the turf. This past Saturday it was back to polytrack, only the result was much more successful. After the start from post eight, he was hustled up and found a nice spot a couple lengths off the lead while a bit wide going into the first turn. He tracked the pace while wide throughout down the backside, then began to move closer going into the second turn. He took over the front while very wide out of the turn and in the process forced out Northern Giant who had moved up to challenge for the lead. Dean's Kitten continued to increase his lead down the stretch, opening up to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:50 2/5. Northern Giant avoided a skirmish to his left after the gates opened and moved up nicely while just off the inside approaching the first turn. He was content to track the pace while four wide down the backstretch. He gradually moved closer and commenced his move mid-way around the far turn. Went up to challenge five wide for the lead while being forced out slightly coming out of the turn. Continued going after the leader through the stretch but was unable to keep up, finishing second well clear of the third place finisher. Connemara returned to the track where he broke his maiden last fall. Once again starting gate issues plagued this horse. After hopping at the start, he took up his customary position at the rear of the field. Moved up just a bit going down the backstretch, but was still toward the rear of the pack after the 3/4 marker. At that point he launched his rally, but had no option but to go seven wide around the field on the far turn, he continued to grind it out through the lane and was able to get up for the show spot.
SUNLAND DERBY: A RINGING ENDORSEMENT 
Prior to the race, all eyes were on the big star and betting favorite Conveyance, who was unbeaten after four starts. As the race unfolded it looked as though the Bob Baffert trained colt who shipped in from his home base of California was going to remain without a blemish on his record. However, in horse racing, things don't always go as planned, even when your expected to win. As a result, it was another shipper who earned the accolades, as well as a trip to the Derby. Conveyance got off to a great start and went right to the lead. He led the field while moving very easily and without any pressure all the way to the mid point on the far turn when he was then engaged by Endorsement and was urged to keep up with that one. He gave a brief battle to his challenger up to the eighth pole, but could not find any more and finished second, well clear of the next horse. Endorsement was always well placed tracking the front runner. Moved up a tad closer going into the far turn and went right after the leader. Had a brief battle with Conveyance, but soon left that one behind and widened his lead to the wire winning by three lengths in 1:48 4/5 under the handling of jockey Robbie Albarado. Tempted To Tapit broke outwardly after the start, but soon was straightened away to be forwardly placed prompting the pace from the outside. Moved up closer approaching the end of the backstretch, continued three wide through the turn while being put to a drive, but could only maintain his 3rd place position to the finish
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DERBY: GODOLPHIN BLUES 
This race is not an North American prep race, but, it is officially listed as a Kentucky Derby prep. We have seen horses in the past use this race to get ready for a venture to Louisville, but those horses have been exclusively Godolphin owned horses. Prior to this year this affair was run on the "dirt" surface of the old Nad-Al Sheba racetrack. This years running was held on the new Tapeta synthetic surface at the brand new Meydan Race track. The blue racing colors of Godolphin Stable headed up by Shiekh Mohammed may not be on display at this years Derby. Last week their Vale Of York, the Breeders Cup Juvenile winner, was sidelined with a bout of colic. His status for a return is on hold. The stable's attempt at returning to Kentucky was then pinned on Mendip. The colt had just defeated Vale Of York earlier in the month and was an unbeaten 3 for 3 going into this race. He got off a little slow but was able to settle in mid-pack, but in the far turn Mendip had to swerve around a horse who suddenly began to retreat. He moved to the front coming into the straightaway, but Musir who was already into his rally, came from last to first to win it, going by stablemate Raihanafilly) who had overtaken Mendip late for the lead in the stretch. The winner and second place finishers in this race are conditioned by excellent trainer Mike DeKok. Mendip may still make the Kentucky Derby as he received $200,000 for his third place finish. That puts him currently at 17th on the graded earnings list. However, many horses behind him still have one more chance to earn graded money and overtake him. We will see how things shake out over the next few weeks before all the major preps are completed. If he is bumped out, or if Shiekh Mo decides not to send the horse across the Atlantic, then big blue will have to wait until another year.
Another exciting weekend of prep races are in the books and we are getting closer to the Derby, but even this late in the prep season, new shooters rise up with solid performances and find a spot on the Derby train. Like ICE BOX the previous week. This past weekends winners all gave good accounts of themselves stamping their ticket to Louisville, but only one was able to crack the list. Lets start off with the two that DID not. MISSION IMPAZIBLE, the winner of the Louisiane Derby, looked to me as though he took advantage of an inside trip sitting in just behind the early pace, then overtaking the two battling leaders who had fought to deep stretch and tired late. Plus, the speed figure of 94 for that race is slow. Dean's Kitten won the Lane's End, but that was on polytrack. He is an unknown commodity on a conventional dirt surface. Won't be able to get a dirt prep to confirm his latest effort. That leaves us with ENDORSEMENT who makes the list. His performance in track record time was a WOW-ER. He knocked off a previously unbeaten horse(CONVEYANCE) in the Sunland Derby with a strong move on the far turn and looked good as he continued to widen at the end. His speed figure came back a strong 101, which is the second highest among the 3 yr old preps. Eskendereya owns the highest at 106. Let me add that ENDORSEMENT went from being a maiden winner to a graded stakes star. A major change on my list is the defection of CONVEYANCE. After controlling the pace and having the race all to himself with no pressure whatsoever, he had no response when challenged by ENDORSEMENT. If CONVEYANCE could not hold a comfortable easy lead with no pressure being applied to him, then he will he be unable to stand the pressure of possibly 4 or 5 other early speed horses in a grueling Kentucky Derby race where the early pace will be strongly contested. In other news, Godolphin Racing Stable had their Breeder's Cup Juvenile winner Vale Of York get sidelined with a bout of colic. His return is on hold and therefore he won't be competing in the Kentucky Derby. Now, onto the Top Ten.
1-ESKENDEREYA/Todd Pletcher--Visually impressive winning the Fountain Of Youth. Was flattered when the 4th and 5th place finishers from that affair came back to run 1-2 in the Florida Derby. Serious 5 furlong work in 1:00 2/5 getting ready for this weekends Wood Memorial where he will be given a firm test.
2-LOOKIN AT LUCKY/Bob Baffert--Proved he could handle the dirt just fine with a tough grind it out win in the Rebel. Now he will stay home on the synthetic stuff for this weekends Santa Anita Derby. Worked 6 furlongs in 1:12 on March 28th.
3-NOBLE'S PROMISE/Ken McPeek--Outstanding performance in a losing effort against Lucky in the Rebel. This one also showed dirt footing isn't an issue. Never out of the money in seven lifetime starts, including 4 wins. Had a 5 furlong move in 1:02 4/5 March 26th as he gets set for next weekends Arkansas Derby.
4-AWESOME ACT/Jeremy Noseda--Finally got back to the workout scene March 25th over the Belmont Park training track going 6 furlongs in 1:14. From a visual standpoint, he looked real good winning the Gotham. Now if he moves forward in the Wood, he will be a major player on Derby day.
new5-ENDORSEMENT/Shannon Ritter-- Newest member of the Top Ten. His winning performance in track record time in the Sunland Derby made me say WOW!! He went by Conveyance who offered little resistance. Is coming to hand at just the right time.
6-DUBLIN/Wayne Lukas--Needs a better ride than the one he received in the Rebel. If he gets it, then he should be able to bounce back with a better effort. Has been training very sharply. Drilled 6 furlongs in 1:11 3/5 on March 27th. Waiting on the Arkansas Derby next weekend.
7-INTERACTIF/Todd Pletcher--Ran a good close up second in the San Felipe. Has run well on turf and synthetics, but, truthfully, the only surface that matters will be the conventional dirt surface at Churchill Downs. The Blue Grass Stakes is up next.
8-ICE BOX/Nick Zito-- Rallied from last place to win the Florida Derby on a day when the track was favorable to the speed horses. Will go to Louisville off a six week layoff, but his trainer will have him ready to fire. Come from behind style will be perfectly suited in this years speed field Derby.
9-CARACORTADO/Mike Machowsky--Suffered first career loss in San Felipe. Was totally hampered by soft pace that day. Gets another chance and it sure will be a tough one in this weekends Santa Anita Derby.
tie10-ODYSSEUS/Tom Albetrani--Connections reconsidered training him up to the Derby and will now give him one more needed prep. Good call indeed. Worked an easy 5 furlongs in 1:03 March 25th.
tie10-SIDNEY'S CANDY/John Sadler--Has won his last two races in wire to wire fashion. Won't get that opportunity in this years Kentucky Derby, so it's imperative that he show some ratabilty in this weekends Santa Anita Derby. Readied himself March 28th with a 7 furlong work in 1:26 1/5.
TEN OTHER NOTABLE NAMES(Alphabetically):
A LITTLE WARM: Stretched out indeed and almost won Louisiana Derby.
AIKENITE: 3rd in Fountain Of Youth. Goes next in Blue Grass
ALPHIE'S BEST: Sham winner. Will be in action this weekend in Santa Anita Derby.
BACKTALK: Good return race at Delta. Illinois Derby this weekend.
DEAN'S KITTEN: Gets credit for a Grade 2 win even though it was on poly.
JACKSON BEND: Will battle numbers 1 & 4 from top ten in Wood this weekend.
MISSION IMPAZIBLE: Louisiana Derby winner gives Pletcher another soldier.
RULE: One tough horse. Florida Derby finish tons better than it appeared.
SCHOOLYARD DREAMS: Lost photo in Tampa Bay. Late note, will race in Wood Memorial on Saturday.
SUPER SAVER: Much needed return race in Tampa. Either Wood or Arkansas is next.
....trackman....
First and foremost, there is some bad news to report. BUDDY'S SAINT is OFF the Derby trail. Following a workout on March 14th at Gulfstream Park, it was discovered that the 3 yr old colt suffered a chip in his right front ankle.
After last weekends exciting action, there was re-arrangement of the list, with horses moving up, horses moving down, while others were dropped and newcomers were added. Here is my newly revised edition.
1-ESKENDEREYA/Todd Pletcher--His number one ranking was not threatened by any of the three prep winners last weekend in my opinion. His win in the Fountain Of Youth on February 20th is still the most impressive showing on the Derby trail this year. This weekends Florida Derby looms next.
2-LOOKIN AT LUCKY/Bob Baffert--Wasn't lucky at all in the Rebel, he was determined. All questions about the layoff, blinkers, synthetic form, handling dirt, were all answered. Could have called it quits on the backstretch when steadied sharply, but instead he showed why he was the 2 yr old champ with a furious and game rally.
Wood Memorial or Arkansas Derby next.
3-NOBLE'S PROMISE/ Ken McPeek--He's BACK. Had this horse slotted on earlier lists but kept dropping him down, and then eventually off due to inactivity. Ran big in his first try this year. In deep stretch it looked as though the third time was going to be the charm against LUCKY. However, it was not to be as he succumbed late. In his three meetings with that rival, he has been beaten by a 1/2 length, 3/4 of a length and a head. Wood Memorial or Arkansas Derby is next.
4-CONVEYANCE/Bob Baffert--Colt is undefeated and a multiple graded stakes winner. Has won on synthetics and dirt. He is one of several speed laden contenders this year, but, if he can somehow learn to ration that speed, he will be a force come Derby day. Sunland Park Derby will be his next start.
5-AWESOME ACT/Jeremy Noseda--Wasn't used hard to win the Gotham Stakes, but then again he didn't need to be against that field. Don't underestimate the victory, it was visually impressive and very professional looking. You could tell the jockey made sure there was alot left in the tank for the next round. Will prep again in the Wood Memorial.
6-INTERACTIF/Todd Pletcher-- Doesn't matter what surface is underneath his hooves. Dirt-Synthetics-Grass, he can and has run well on all of them. He came with a hell of a strong closing run through the stretch of the San Felipe. Given the slow pace scenario of that race, he impressively was the only horse to make up any ground on the leader. Santa Anita Derby up next.
7-ODYSSEUS/ Tom Albertrani--Still can't believe the photo finish picture, but, it showed he was the winner. Tampa Bay victory proved his HUGE allowance win was not a one race fluke. Looked like all was lost for this horse on the far turn. Found a way to re-rally, displaying an enormous amount of heart and guts in the stretch while weaving through traffic to get his nose on the line in time. That's what makes his win all the more impressive. Looks like the Wood Memorial will be his final prep start.
8-RULE/Todd Pletcher--Has tons of talent. Will put his unbeaten streak on the line in his next start. Trainer indicated that it will be Grade 1 race. Which one? Probably will be the Wood Memorial instead of the Florida Derby. Pletcher doesn't want to race his horses against each other until there are no options left. Right now he still has an option.
9-SUPER SAVER/Todd Pletcher--Nice effort in his comeback race. Looked comfortable while on the lead. After being overtaken, he continued to fight it out giving a strong effort in a long hard fought stretch run. Received the much needed conditioning from the race. Pletcher indicated the Arkansas Derby will be next.
10-SIDNEY'S CANDY/John Sadler--Gets to the front very quickly and dares his opponents to catch him. Has put together two consecutive winning preps. Both of those scores were the result of not getting pressured, which allowed him to control the pace to his liking. Definately won't get that easy of a setup in the Derby. Still has to be respected.
Other notable names:
(Alphabetically)
CARACORTADO--CONNEMARA--DISCREETLY MINE--DROSSELMEYER--DUBLIN--JACKSON BEND--RADIOHEAD--RON THE GREEK--STAY PUT--TEMPTED TO TAPIT.
Let's review this past weekends Derby preps.
TAMPA BAY DERBY:
With a quarter mile left to run, Tampa Bay track announcer Richard Grunder said "ODYSSEUS will have to wait for another day". Rightfully stated, because at that point the colt started to shorten stride and began to drop back. However, ODYSSEUS had more left, and under jockey Rajiv Maragh they decided this was their day and were not waiting for another time. They began to re-rally through the stretch, slipped through an opening between SCHOOLYARD DREAMS and SUPER SAVER nearing the finish, and in the final stride got up in time to win by a scant nose. SCHOOLYARD DREAMS stalked the pace, made a lightning fast move to seize command from SUPER SAVER after 6 furlongs, maintained a narrow advantage over that rival, appeared to have the race won but was nailed in the final stride losing by the narrowest of margins. SUPER SAVER went right to the front with relative ease, moved along comfortably setting a solid pace, was displaced on the lead into the stretch, but continued on well in a long drive finishing 3rd.
REBEL STAKES:
LOOKIN AT LUCKY and NOBLE'S PROMISE were both last seen in action back in December where they finished one-two in the Grade 1 Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park, with LUCKY getting the best of his opponent. Saturday in the Rebel, both horses were making their initial 3 yr old starts and staged a dramatic stretch run with NOBLE'S PROMISE on the rail giving everything he had under Robbie Albarado and LOOKIN AT LUCKY driving down the middle of the Oaklawn track responding to the commands of jockey Garrett Gomez. At the finish line Lucky prevailed by a head. Down the backside, NOBLE'S PROMISE shifted out at the half-mile pole, causing LUCKY to steady sharply to avoid clipping heels, but continued his challenge after that incident, shaking clear with a quarter mile left, but LUCKY showed why he was the 2 yr old champ, recovering and finishing with a furious and game rally. In this seven horse field, DUBLIN for some strange reason was put five wide into the first turn by jockey Corey Nakatani, continued his wide run down the backside, moved four wide on the far turn, drew even with NOBLE'S PROMISE turning for home, but tired from his wide journey and finished 3rd, three lengths behind the top two.
SAN FELIPE STAKES:
The main goal of the San Felipe was catching SIDNEY'S CANDY. No horse was successful in accomplishing that goal. Trying two turns for the first time, SIDNEY'S CANDY got a perfect trip under jockey Joe Talamo. The pair broke quickly on top, didn't receive an ounce of pressure from any rivals and therefore were allowed to set a very easy pace through a half mile in 48.2 and 6 furlongs in 1:13.2. Rounding the far turn SIDNEY'S CANDY proceeded to put away AMERICAN LION who had been tracking in second, while CARACORTADO revved up for his move with INTERACTIF waiting along the rail before commencing his run. When the field turned into the stretch to head for home, SIDNEY'S CANDY opened up by 2 1/2 lengths, then held off the late charge of INTERACTIF who came running late cutting into the margin but fell a 1/2 length short. CARACORTADO could not make up any ground and ended up third.
