TACITUS charges to to top of Derby Points List
Vekoma, Roadster win in NY and CA
Tacitus – 97 Beyer Speed Figure
Roadster – 97
Vekopma = 94
A week ago, JUDDMONTE FARMS and trainer BILL MOTT watched their impressive 3-year-old HIDDEN SCROLL fizzle in the Florida Derby but the famous colours of the Aga Khan were in the winner’s circle Apr. 6 after the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
The grey homebred TACITUS, by the amazing Tapit and from the Grade 1 winning mare Close Hatches, jumped to the top of the Derby points list with his gritty win in the nine-furlong Wood under jockey Jose Ortiz. It was the fourth career race for the colt and third straight win having won the Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 and his maiden on Nov. 10.
It was not a smooth trip for Tacitus (or others) soon after the start as Joevia came out and interfered with horses, causing so many to check, veer out and change paths.
Tacitus did manage to get a beautiful spot into the backstretch, however, stalking the wild pace battle up front.
VEKOMA’S Blue Grass win was solid. This is another very lightly raced colt, a Candy Ride (Arg) fellow from a Grade 1 winning sprint mare Mona de Momma (and from close family of sprinter Mr Greeley). This fellow, trained by George Weaver for Randy Hill and Gatsas Stable, had the inside speed bias of the Keeneland surface to work in his favour and he has a very wide galloping stride but he won by more than 3 lengths.
An amazing race was run by WIN WIN WIN (Hat Trick-Jpn) for Live Oak Plantation and that colt is an intriguing Derby contender.
And the Bob Baffert barn at Santa Anita sent out the 1-2 finishers in the Santa Anita Derby as up and comer ROADSTER, a light-framed grey colt by Quality Road from the stakes wining mare Ghost Dancing by Silver Ghost.
Roadster wore down Game Winner, last year’s champion 2-year-old in America in a mild upset. The winner was a $525,000 yearling purchase and his half brother Ascend won the 10 furlong, Grade 1 Manhattan on the grass a few years ago. Speedway Stable owns Roadster.
Replays, Derby points below. More news and updates in Monday’s THOROUGHBLOG and eNews.
On the points list, Canadian-owned ABETTERTWISTAFATE is now going to have to race again and hope for points if he is to get into the Derby. Peter Redekop’s son of Scat Daddy may go into the Arkansas Derby next weekend.
MASTER FENCER would be the first Japanese-bred horse to race in the Kentucky Derby should he make it to the gate in 4 weeks.
And Japanese bred MASTER FENCER (19 points) is reportedly coming to the Derby after a 4th place finish in that country’s Derby prep stakes race last weekend.
Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Tacitus 150 Juddmonte Farms Inc. (Prince Khalid Abdullah) Bill Mott $610,000
2. Vekoma 110 R. A. Hill Stable & Gatsas Stables George Weaver $747,600
3. Plus Que Parfait 104 Imperial Racing LLC (Michael Foley) Brendan Walsh $1,540,400
4. Roadster 100 Speedway Stable LLC (Peter Fluor & K.C. Weiner) Bob Baffert $636,000
5. By My Standards 100 Allied Racing Stable LLC (Chester Thomas) Bret Calhoun $600,000
6. Maximum Security 100 Gary L. & Mary E. West Jason Servis $582,800
7. Game Winner 85 Gary L. & Mary E. West Bob Baffert $1,810,000
8. Code of Honor 74 William S. Farish Shug McGaughey III $432,070
9. Haikal 70 Shadwell Stable (Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum) Kiaran McLaughlin $322,500
10. War of Will 60 Gary Barber Mark Casse $450,840
11. Long Range Toddy 53.5 Willis Horton Racing LLC Steve Asmussen $830,000
12. Tax 52 R. A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch & Corms Racing Stable Danny Gargan $307,500
13. Cutting Humor 50 Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf) Todd Pletcher $462,467
14. Win Win Win 50 Live Oak Plantation (Charlotte C. Weber) Mike Trombetta $316,000
15. Gray Magician 41 Wachtel Stable (Adam Wachtel), Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (Aron Wellman) & Gary Barber Peter Miller $526,000
16. Spinoff 40 Wertheimer et Frere (Alain & Gerard Wertheimer) Todd Pletcher $224,000
17. Bodexpress 40 Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbred & GDS Racing Stable Gustavo Delgado $188,000
18. Signalman 38 Tommie M. Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bernsen, Jim Chambers, & Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) Kenny McPeek $496,840
19. Omaha Beach 37.5 Fox Hill Farm (Rick Porter) Richard Mandella $450,000
20. Master Fencer (JPN) Japan RTKD Katsumi & Yasuyo Yoshizawa Koichi Tsunoda $234,392
Note: One spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate is an invitation to the European Road to the Kentucky Derby point leaders. The invitation order of preference will be final after the April 11 Cardinal Condition Stakes at Chelmsford City.
21. Bourbon War 31 Bourbon Lane Stable (Jamie Hill) & Lake Star Stable Mark Hennig $137,200
22. Somelikeithotbrown 30 Skychai Racing LLC (Jim Shircliff & Harvey Diamond) & Sand Dollar Stable LLC (David Koenig et al) Mike Maker $371,665
23. Instagrand 30 OXO Equine LLC (Larry Best) Jerry Hollendorfer $276,000
24. Anothertwistafate 30 Peter Redekop B. C. Ltd. Blaine Wright $228,960
25. Country House 30 Mrs. J.V. Shields, E.J.M. McFadden Jr. & LNJ Foxwoods (Larry,
Nanci & Jaime Roth) Bill Mott $120,000
26. Sueno 28 Silverton Hill LLC (Bonnie & Tommy Hamilton) Keith Desormeaux $265,000
27. Improbable 25 WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt), China Horse Club International
Ltd. (Ah Khing Teo) & Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf et al) Bob Baffert $389,520
