Hot Rod Charlie Speeds Into Kentucky Derby Picture

In a battle with Lecomte (G3) winner Midnight Bourbon from the word go, Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and Will Strauss’ Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow – Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie) put that stubborn rival away in the deep stretch to post a 2-length win in the 108th running of the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. He earned 100 qualifying points for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) in the process.

Hot Rod Charlie is trained by Doug O’Neill but as he is serving a 10-day suspension for a Lidocaine positive, he was saddled by assistant Leandro Mora. Rulings for trainers are listed at www.thoroughbredrulings.com.

The 3-year-old colt, a $17,000 yearling purchase as a short yearling at the Fasig Tipton Winter Mixed Sale 2019 and a $110,000 Fasig Tipton October yearling purchase, is a half brother to 2019 Eclipse Award winning sprinter Mitole.

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The Louisiana Derby went off not long after it was reported by the Paulick Report that undefeated LIFE IS GOOD (Into Mischief) came out of a 1:11 2/5 workout at Santa Anita “a little off behind”. The Bob Baffert trainee was then taken off the Derby trail.

Hot Rod Charlie was sent off as the 2.90-1 second choice under jockey Joel Rosario and broke alertly but in slightly at the start and flashed good speed into the first turn with Midnight Bourbon right at his neck, carving out fractions of 23.10, 47.04 and 1:11.25. Asked to go on the far turn, he continued his battle with Midnight Bourbon into deep stretch before hitting the wire on top in a track record time of 1:55.06 for the seldom used 1 3/16th mile distance for trainer of record Leandro Mora. It was a half-length back to O Besos, who closed from last in the field-of-8 to be third. Local Risen Star (G2) winner Mandaloun finished a disappointing sixth as the 1.30-1 favorite.

“I wanted to get a little position,” Rosario said of Hot Rod Charlie. “It didn’t look like there was much speed in the race. He broke well and in the first turn I found myself on the lead. Working with him in the morning. He relaxes and you don’t have to get him in the race. It worked out really well. He handled the distance very well. Very impressive. With the horse coming on his outside (Midnight Bourbon) he really fought back. He doesn’t have to be on the lead. He can do anything. He can be a little bit off the pace and will run the same way.”

Prior to Saturday, Hot Rod Charlie’s claim to fame was a runner-up performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland at 94-1. He was third, beaten a neck, in the January 30 Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita in what was his 3-year-old debut. With the win, Hot Rod Charlie is now the overall leading in the Kentucky Derby points standings with 110.

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Owner Bill Strauss is living out his Kentucky Derby dreams following HOT ROD CHARLIE'S victory in the Louisiana Derby! He expresses his excitement with @ScottTVG @Fairgroundsnola. #RoadtotheDerby @SpendthriftFarm @dougoneill1 pic.twitter.com/dyfioKdpum

— FanDuel Racing (Formerly TVG) (@FanDuel_Racing) March 20, 2021

“We are so extremely blessed,” said Patrick O’Neill, the nephew of two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Doug O’Neill, on behalf of Boat Racing. “I just missed a phone call from Doug and Dennis (O’Neill) my uncles. It’s a family affair, but we added friends and we couldn’t be more fortunate. What an amazing horse. An amazing sport. We’re going to the Kentucky Derby, hopefully, ya know.”

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Midnight Bourbon, who earned 40 points on Saturday for trainer Steve Asmussen, is now second in the Kentucky Derby points standings with 66. First in the Lecomte earlier in the Fair Grounds meet, the son of Tiznow would return to finish a game third in the Risen Star.

“We got a perfect trip and turning for home I had a lot of horse and I thought we had it,” Midnight Bourbon’s jockey Joe Talamo said. “We just got outfinished. Hats off to the winner, he ran huge and fought back on me. I think this distance suits this horse and I think he will be fine (going forward).”

Off a pair of sharp sprint wins earlier in the meet, Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds’ O Besos finished a non-threatening fourth in what was his two-turn debut in the Risen Star. On Saturday he closed from last under Marcelino Pedroza to be third in for trainer Greg Foley at 28.80-1. In earning 20 points, he increased his Kentucky Derby total to 25.

“He answered that distance question today,” Foley said. “He galloped out in front. It would have been nice to finish second. We sure have to think about it (the Kentucky Derby). The biggest thing was would he go that far, and I think he answered the ground question as good or better than any of them in there.”

A game second in the Lecomte, Godolphin’s Proxy was a spotty runner-up in the Risen Star as well. With the hope of increasing the son of Tapit’s level of focus, trainer Mike Stidham added blinkers for the Louisiana Derby, but following a somewhat compromised start, he finished a non-threatening fourth under John Velazquez.

“He kind of ran the same race (as the Risen Star),” Velazquez said. “I thought he would be more aggressive but by the time I got to the backstretch I had to ride him again. He took me to the first turn like he was going to go really good and we got to the backstretch, he got off the bridle. You have to ride him. He came to the quarter-pole and then kind of flattened down the lane.”

Proxy earned 10 Kentucky Derby points on Saturday, and his total now stands at 34.

“Very confusing,” Stidham added. “We’ll go back to the barn and take a look at him. The blinkers did not improve him. You could see Johnny getting after him at the half-mile pole, the same as last time (in the Risen Star), when he had to remind him ‘let’s go.’ This time, he made a little bit of run but seemed to flatten out the last part of it.”

Risen Star winner Mandaloun failed to pose a serious threat in the Louisiana Derby, finishing a dull sixth following a wide trip. He failed to earn a Kentucky Derby point, but is still in good shape to make the race with 52. 2020 Eclipse Award winning trainer Brad Cox, who also has the undefeated Essential Quality in his barn, has yet to start a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

“He was flat and we’re disappointed,” Cox admitted. “There’s no other way to say it. I don’t know. Obviously, this is a nice horse that won the race and he backed up Essential Quality’s form pretty good. I was happy with the trip. He was 3-wide and stalking the winner but at the half-mile pole it looked like we were in trouble. I have no excuse right now, we’ll just have to see. It’s frustrating but it’s part of it. I can’t ask him to train any better and I don’t think I would have done anything different. We’ll just regroup.”

KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS

Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Hot Rod Charlie 110 Roadrunner Racing (Greg Helm), Boat Racing LLC (Eric Armagost, Dan Giovaccini, Reiley Higgins, Patrick O’Neill &
Alex Quoyeser) & Strauss Bros Racing (Bill Strauss) Doug O’Neill $962,000
2. Midnight Bourbon 66 Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Ron Winchell) Steve Asmussen $430,000
3. Greatest Honour 60 Courtlandt Farms (Donald & Donna Adam) Shug McGaughey III $295,740
— ~~Life Is Good 60 CHC INC (Ah Khing Teo) & WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny~~ ~~Troutt)~~ ~~Bob Baffert $240,000~~
4. Mandaloun 52 Juddmonte Farms Inc. (Garret O’Rourke, Administrator) Brad Cox $270,000
5. Concert Tour 50 Gary & Mary West Bob Baffert $720,000

6. $-Helium 50 D J Stable LLC (Leonard Green) Mark Casse $255,492
7. $-Weyburn 50 Chiefswood Stables Limited (Robert & Mark Krembil) Jimmy Jerkens $165,000
8. Essential Quality 40 Godolphin LLC (Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum) Brad Cox $1,730,000
9. Proxy 34 Godolphin LLC (Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum) Mike Stidham $160,000
10. Medina Spirit 34 Zedan Racing Stables Inc. (Amr F. Zedan) Bob Baffert $140,000

11. O Besos 25 L. Barrett Bernard, Tagg Team Racing & West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley et al) Greg Foley $116,000
12. Hidden Stash 22 BBN Racing LLC (Ann Braxton Lynch) Vicki Oliver $90,000
13. Hozier 20 SF Racing LLC (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf et al), Madaket Stables LLC (Jason Monteleone & Sol Kumin),
Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke), Golconda Stables (Ben Goldberg & Elliot Friman), Siena Farm LLC (Anthony Manganaro,
Ignacio Patino & David Pope) & Robert E. Masterson Bob Baffert $200,000
~~— +Drain the Clock 20 Slam Dunk Racing (Nick Cosato), Madaket Stables LLC (Jason~~ ~~Monteleone & Sol Kumin), Wonder Stables (Marc Lore) & Michael~~ ~~Nentwig~~ ~~Saffie Joseph Jr. $163,950~~
14. Crowded Trade 20 Klaravich Stables Inc. (Seth Klarman) Chad Brown $60,000
15. Keepmeinmind 18 Spendthrift Farm (B. Wayne Hughes), Cypress Creek LLC (Kevin Moody) & Arnold Bennewith Robertino Diodoro $385,707
16. Spielberg 17 SF Racing LLC (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf et al), Madaket Stables LLC (Jason Monteleone & Sol Kumin), Golconda Stables (Ben Goldberg & Elliot Friman), Siena Farm LLC (Anthony Manganaro, Ignacio Patino & David Pope) & Robert E. Masterson
Bob Baffert $362,000
— J~~ackie’s Warrior 14 J. Kirk & Judy Robison Steve Asmussen $532,500~~
17. Rombauer 14 John & Diane Fradkin Michael McCarthy $180,500
18. Capo Kane 12 Bing Cherry Racing Inc. (Tony Como) & Leonard Liberto Harold Wyner $115,500
19. Papetu 11 Magic Stables LLC (Antonio Sano) Antonio Sano $68,425
20. Moonlite Strike 11 Sonata Stable (Marc Tacher) Saffie Joseph Jr. $42,500
21. Get Her Number 10 Gary Barber Peter Miller $192,667
22. Sittin On Go 10 Albaugh Family Stables LLC (Dennis Albaugh & Jason Loustch) Dale Romans $141,800
23. Risk Taking 10 Klaravich Stables Inc. (Seth Klarman) Chad Brown $137,500
24. Caddo River 10 Shortleaf Stable Inc. (John Ed Anthony) Brad Cox $120,000 Career: $196,092
25. Candy Man Rocket 10 Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc. (Frank Fletcher) Bill Mott $120,000 Career: $144,824