Have to start a sunny Sunday morning off with the replay of the TC Smith from Randwick yesterday…BLACK CAVIAR deserves to get worldwide treatment – 25 wins, a legend.
IT’S WAR!
(Keeneland photo)
Yep, the Kentucky Derby will be a war and there are so many teams you can vote for! Yesterday, JAVA’S WAR won the Blue Grass as expected by some (he was just 2nd to Verrazano in the Tampa Bay Derby) and he did not even run back to his 96 Beyer from the Tampa race.
Yesterday he came from far back of a modest pace to win the Blue Grass over what was essentially a modest field, posting an 89 Beyer.
PALACE MALICE moved too son and was 2nd for Dogwood Stable. The trio of Canadian runners – Dynamic Sky, Uncaptured and Tesseron were back back in the field.
The results of Sky and Uncaptured seemingly would now end the Kentucky Derby dream for those Canadian breds and perhaps they can regroup for the Queen’s Plate.
Keeneland press notes: Mark Casse (trainer of ninth-place finisher Dynamic Sky)
“He just kinda went around there. I’m a bit disappointed in him. We will take them (and 10th-place finisher Uncaptured) back to Toronto. They are both nominated to the Queen’s Plate (G1).”
Miguel Mena (rider of 10th-place finisher Uncaptured)
“My horse broke good. I was stalking, great position, no problems at all. The horse was traveling nice around the three-eighths pole, and then at the quarter-pole I didn’t have anything to finish with.”
Mark Casse (trainer of Uncaptured)
“I thought (Miguel) Mena rode him great and had great position. He just had nothing down the lane. I asked him about (running in) the Derby. I will talk to Mr. Oxley (owner John C. Oxley), but I can’t see him going to the Derby off that perfomance.
JAVA’S WAR’S Daddy, WAR PASS, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and was only 5 years old when he died suddenly on Christmas eve, 2010. He was standing at Lane’s End but also going to Australia.
JAVA’S WAR’S mum, JAVA (GB) was bought for #350,000 in foal to War Oass in 2009 at Keeneland November. The previous year she was a $675,000 RNA.
She has produced winners Coffee Bar and Coffee Break.
Java foaled a NOT BOURBON filly in France on March 16 and has arrived at Dary Dan recently to be bred to Jersey Town.
Over in Arkansas OVERANALYZE, who owns that huge 99 Bery from the Remsen Stakes last year in New York, bounced back from a drab 2013 debut to win the Arkansas Derby with a strong late rally.
He posted an 89 Beyer. He is by Dixie Union.
His dam is by Unaccounted For and she has also produced Grade 1 winner Meadow Breeze.
KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
1. Orb 150 Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps) Shug McGaughey III $840,000
2. Verrazano 150 Let’s Go Stable (Kevin Scatuorchio & Bryan Sullivan),
Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith
Todd Pletcher $810,000
3. Goldencents 129 W.C. Racing (Josh Kaplan & Glenn Sorgenstein), Dave Kenney & RAP Racing (Rick Pitino) Doug O’Neill $1,208,000
4. Java’s War 122 Charles Fipke Ken McPeek $651,772
5. Overanalyze 110 Repole Stable (Mike Repole) Todd Pletcher $908,381
6. Revolutionary 110 WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt) Todd Pletcher $720,000
7. Lines of Battle 100 Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O’Brien $1,261,089
8. Vyjack 70 Pick Six Racing (David Wilkenfeld) Rudy Rodriguez $505,000
9. Will Take Charge 60 Willis D. Horton D. Wayne Lukas $512,971
10. Itsmyluckyday 50 Trilogy Stable (Marion Montanari & David Melin) & Laurie Plesa Eddie Plesa Jr. $593,600
11. Govenor Charlie 50 Mike Pegram Bob Baffert $400,000
12. Black Onyx+ 50 Sterling Racing (Sam Herzberg) Kelly Breen $317,130
13. Palace Malice 50 Dogwood Stable, Inc. (W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell) Todd Pletcher $200,000
14. Normandy Invasion 44 Fox Hill Farms Inc. (Rick Porter) Chad Brown $258,000
15. Frac Daddy 44 Magic City Thoroughbred Partners (Carter Stewart) Ken McPeek $240,596
16. Mylute 42 GoldMark Farm, LLC (T. Paul Bulmahn) & Whisper Hill Farm (Amanda Pope) Tom Amoss $363,365
17. Oxbow 36 Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) D. Wayne Lukas $346,000
18. Uncaptured 30 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $396,341
19. Super Ninety Nine 30 Tanma Corporation (Susan Chu) Bob Baffert $308,000
20. Falling Sky 30 Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello & Joseph Bulger John Terranova II $207,500
21. Merit Man 20 Bruce Chandler, Robert H. McKee & James Glavin Bob Hess Jr. $357,500
22. Den’s Legacy 20 Westrock Stables LLC (Scott & Joe Ford) Bob Baffert $329,000
23. Charming Kitten 20 Ken & Sarah Ramsey Todd Pletcher $206,000
24. Departing 20 Claiborne Farm (Seth Hancock) & Adele B. Dilschneider Al Stall Jr. $130,000
25. West Hills Giant 20 Long Island Racing Stables, Sunrise Stables, Bentivegna John Terranova II $90,666
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH! John Menary and Gail Cox’s SOMETHING EXTRA was 2nd in the Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland yesterday. The 5yo was favoured but charged a wee bit too late. The Canadian-based gelding is one of the country’s top sprinters.
Keeneland photo
TOP O THE MOUNTAIN!
PYRITE MOUNTAIN, making his second start of 2013, ran well to be 2nd in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland yesterday,putting the colt right on the list of Queen’s Plate contenders. The son of Silent Name (Jpn), trained by Mark Frostad for the Awesome Again Racing Syndicate, rallied to be 2nd beaten 2 lengths to a Todd Pletcher trainee, Red Rifle. The time was 1:44.50.
His Beyer Figure was 77.
MOVES LIKE JAGGER M
All was not lost for the Casse barn yesterday as the Canadian bred 3yo JAGGER M won his maiden in a 6 furlong sprint under Miguel Mena.
The Harlan’s Holiday – Nithi, Wolf Power colt was bred by the Everatt family in St. Thomas Ontario and he is owned by Gabe Grossberg. The colt was making his 4th career start. He was a $90,000 RNA at Keeneland September 2 years ago.
Jagger M’s Beyer was 76.
ICE TRAINING..FIFTY PROOF THROUGH THE ICICLES
We know Jeff Bowen (Skippy) as assistant trainer to Ian Black and a personable member of the Woodbine backstretch. Now, while we are sure he is actually doing his duties as assistant trainer most mornings, he does have time for another passion – photography.
Bowen is up for a Sovereign Award on Friday for a photo that appeared on Thoroughblog and here is another one he took the other day of champion FIFTY PROOF:
WILD HORSE BLOWS RACE TWICE, still almost wins!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbH3N5VJzBE&feature=player_embedded