Klaravich Stables’ Risk Taking earned a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure for his triumphant stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Trained by Chad Brown, the son of Medaglia d’Oro broke well from post 5 and settled in sixth in between horses before inching his way closer to the front under little asking from Eric Cancel. Nearing the sixteenth pole, Risk Taking confronted and overtook pacesetter Capo Kane en route to a 3 ¾-length win as the post-time favorite. He earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Chad Brown has never won the Kentucky Derby.
“He came out of the race good. He doesn’t look too tired so I’m very happy with how he came out of the race,” said Dan Stupp, Brown’s Belmont Park-based assistant.
Risk Taking arrived at the Withers off a third-out nine-furlong maiden special weight score where he sported blinkers for the first time to defeat next-out winners The Reds and Unbridled Honor, both of whom also broke their maidens at two turns.
Stupp said blinkers and added distance have benefitted Risk Taking.
“He’s always been a forward training horse in the morning, but the blinkers and the added distance were beneficial,” Stupp said. “The blinkers helped him focus a bit more. It really brought out what we saw in the morning. That combination has certainly worked well for him.”
Following the Withers, Brown said Risk Taking would likely target the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3 at the Big A. The nine-furlong Wood Memorial is the final local prep for the Grade 1, Kentucky Derby and awards the top-four finishers qualifying points according to a 100-40-20-10 scale.
Bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey, Jr., Risk Taking was purchased for $240,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the Distorted Humor mare Run a Risk, who was twice stakes-placed on grass. He comes from the same extended family as Grade 1-winner and champion producing sire Seeking the Gold.
Runner-up Overtook Handles Two Turns
The Todd Pletcher-trained Overtook rallied from last-of-9 to finish second in Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers, earning a career-best 83 Beyer.
“He came out of the race in good shape and ate up last night. His energy level looks good walking around, so I was happy with his effort,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes.
Owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, Overtook showed a strong closing kick under Manny Franco in the stretch run in pursuit of the victorious Risk Taking.
“That seems to be how he wants to run,” Hughes said. “Manny did a good job of getting him to settle down the backside and got a good run at him. He seems to be steadily improving and getting sharper. That was a big jump up from his maiden win. I don’t know what the next step is but two turns looks like what he wants to do.”
Bred in Kentucky by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm and Phillip J. Steinberg, Overtook is by dual Horse of the Year and champion producing sire Curlin and out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Got Lucky, making him a direct descendant of La Troienne. He was purchased for $1 million from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The nominations for the AMERICAN TRIPLE CROWN were released last week and there are a few Canadian breds on the list:
DANISH EKATI – Tale of Ekati – Danish Wildcat by Danehill – Charles Fipke homebred Roger Attfield
EPIC RUN Nyquist – Banga Ridge by Snow Ridge Reveron racing, bred by Christine Hayden Trainer Agustin Bezara
GRETZKY THE GREAT Nyquist – Pearl Turn by Bernardini Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Gary barber Bred by Andersfon Farms Ontario Trainer Mark Casse
HOUDINI’S AWESOME Tale of Ekati – Awesome Houdini by Awesome Again Charles Fipke homebred Todd Pletcher
PATRON D’ORO Street Boss – Bezzera by Medaglia D’Oro Jay Em Ess Stable Bred by Anderson Farms OPntario, Trainer Brian Korimer
SMILEY SOBOTKA Brody’s Cause – Dance Thewayyouare by Mineshaft Albaugh Family Stable Bred by Track West Racing Inc. Trainer Dale Romans
TRAVELLER Tourist – Purely Hot by Pure Prize CHC Inc and WinStar Farm Bred by WinStar Farm Trained by Todd Pletcher
~ with files from NYRA press office
KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS
Rank Horse Pts Trainer Stakes earnings*
1 Essential Quality 30 Brad Cox $1,280,000
2 Keepmeinmind 18 Robertino Diodoro $379,040 (50% share recently purchased by Spendthrift Farm)
3 Midnight Bourbon 16 Steve Asmussen $190,000 (competes Saturday in the Risen Star Stakes)
4 Medina Spirit 14 Bob Baffert $80,000
5 Spielberg 13 Bob Baffert $212,000
6 Jackie’s Warrior 12 Steve Asmussen $457,500
7 Capo Kane 12 Harold Wyner $112,500
8 Hot Rod Charlie 10 Doug O’Neill $352,000
9 Get Her Number 10 Peter Miller $186,000
10 Sittin On Go 10 Dale Romans $141,800
11 Risk Taking 10 Chad Brown $137,500
12 Candy Man Rocket 10 Bill Mott $120,000
13 Greatest Honour 10 Shug McGaughey III $119,040
14 Caddo River 10 Brad Cox $90,000
15 Brooklyn Strong 10 Daniel Velazquez $82,500
16 Life Is Good 10 Bob Baffert $60,000
17 Cowan 8 Steve Asmussen $320,477
18 Rombauer 4 Michael McCarthy $120,500
— +Reinvestment Risk 4 Chad Brown $120,000 (not TC nom.)
19 Nova Rags 4 Bill Mott $76,000
20 Super Stock 4 Steve Asmussen $59,000
21 Tarantino 4 Rodolphe Brisset $58,400
22 Overtook 4 Todd Pletcher $50,000
— +Ten for Ten 4 Shug McGaughey III $50,000 (not TC nom.)
23 The Great One 4 Doug O’Neill $40,500
— +Eagle Orb 4 Rudy Rodriguez $40,000 (not TC nom)
24 Proxy 4 Mike Stidham $40,000
25 Smiley Sobotka 4 Dale Romans $38,400 (Canadian-bred)
26 Roman Centurian 4 Simon Callaghan $20,000
27 Arabian Prince 2 Dallas Stewart $28,063
28 Petruchio 2 Richard Mandella $24,000
29 Known Agenda 2 Todd Pletcher $24,000
30 Waspirant 2 John Shirreffs $24,000
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