KENTUCKY DERBY 139 : POST DRAW

Verrazano (More Than Ready)
(Photo : Kentucky Derby)

KENTUCKY DERBY (Grade 1)
Churchill Downs, Dirt, 2000m
4 May 2013

An oversubscribed field of 21 was yesterday drawn for Saturday’s 139th running of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, with 7-2 morning-line choice Orb (Malibu Moon) drawing post 16 and 50-1 longshot Fear The Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) the lone entrant on the also-eligible list. Unbeaten Verrazano (More Than Ready) is the 4-1 second choice on the morning line and drew post 14.

Connections of the two favorites had to sweat out the pill draw as both were left late in the process and with the unpopular inside posts remaining. Orb’s number was the 14th pulled and Verrazano pulled 16th, but both camps were visibly relieved by their post positions.

“There was a lot of anticipation, maybe more anticipation than I remember, but I’m pleased with the 16 and we’ll take it from there,” reported Shug McGaughey, who trains Grade 1 Florida Derby winner Orb. “I think from where he is, we’ll try to hold our position and maybe try to creep in a little bit around the first turn and then Joel Rosario can watch what’s going on inside of him. He can watch what Johnny Velazquez is doing on Verrazano. If Johnny thinks Orb is the horse to beat, he’s going to be watching what we’re doing too.”

A native Kentuckian, McGaughey is looking for his first Derby win with his first starter in the race since Saarland in 2002. Orb has been impressing onlookers at Churchill this week and McGaughey thinks he has earned the favourite’s role. “I heard a little rumor that linemaker Mike Battaglia was a little confused about who the favourite was,” McGaughey said. “I think it’s because the way Orb has done here that he went on and made him the favorite. As we all know, Verrazano is a very, very talented horse. We’ll see what the public does on Saturday, but I think he’ll probably still be the favourite.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher was also pleased with Verrazano’s draw. “We hadn’t gotten a spot for Verrazano and with some tough posts - the one and the two - still out there, I was concerned,” Pletcher admitted. “But then he drew the 14 and it was a sigh of relief.” Of being second choice on the morning line, Pletcher added, “Orb deserves to be the favorite. And it might even be an advantage. There’s usually more pressure on the favorite.”

Kentucky Derby 139
Draw

Draw	Horse	Sire	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	BLACK ONYX	Rock Hard Ten	Kelly Breen	Joe Bravo	50-1
2	OXBOW	Awesome Again	D Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens	30-1
3	REVOLUTIONARY	War Pass	Todd Pletcher	Calvin Borel	10-1
4	GOLDEN SOUL	Perfect Soul	Dallas Stewart	Robby Albarado	50-1
5	NORMANDY INVASION	Tapit	Chad Brown	Javier Castellano	12-1
6	MYLUTE	Midnight Lute	Thomas Amoss	Rosie Napravnik	15-1
7	GIANT FINISH	Frost Giant	Anthony Dutrow	Jose Espinoza	50-1
8	GOLDENCENTS	Into Mischief	Doug O’Neill	Kevin Krigger	5-1
9	OVERANALYZE	Dixie Union	Todd Pletcher	Rafael Bejarano	15-1
10	PALICE MALICE	Curlin	Todd Pletcher	Mike Smith	20-1
11	LINES OF BATTLE	War Front	Aidan O’Brien	Ryan Moore	30-1
12	ITSMYLUCKYDAY	Lawyer Ron	Eddie Plesa	Elvis Trujillo	15-1
13	FALLING SKY	Lion Heart	John Terranova	Luis Saez	50-1
14	VERRAZANO	More Than Ready	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	4-1
15	CHARMING KITTEN	Kitten’s Joy	Todd Pletcher	Edgar Prado	20-1
16	ORB	Malibu Moon	Claude McGaughey	Joel Rosario	7-2
17	WILL TAKE CHARGE	Unbridled’s Song	D Wayne Lukas	Jon Court	20-1
18	FRAC DADDY	Scat Daddy	Kenneth McPeek	Victor Lebron	50-1
19	JAVA’S WAR	War Pass	Kenneth McPeek	Julien Leparoux	15-1
20	VYJACK	Into Mischief	Rudy Rodriguez	Garrett Gomez	15-1
21	FEAR THE KITTEN	Kitten’s Joy	Michael Maker	Alan Garcia	50-1

Extracts from Thoroughbred Daily News

www.kentuckyderby.com

UNION RAGS SQUEEZES HOME FOR BELMONT STAKES VICTORY

Click above to watch Union Rags winning the Belmont Stakes (G1)…
(Image : Washington Post - Footage : CNBC)

BELMONT STAKES (Grade 1)
Belmont Park, Dirt, 2400m
9 June 2012

It’s been something of a tumultuous sophomore season thus far for Chadds Ford Stable’s Union Rags (USA) (Dixie Union (USA) - Tempo (USA)), but nothing about 150 seconds couldn’t undo. Given a perfect ground-saving ride by John Velazquez, the handsome bay colt needed every inch of the stretch, but fought through an opening inside pacesetting Paynter (Awesome Again) for a neck victory in yesterday’s GI Belmont Stakes.

Fourteen months after their Big Brown (Boundary) was eased in the Belmont Stakes, IEAH Stables signed the ticket on the Dixie Union (Dixieland Band) colt out of Tempo (Gone West) for $145,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale in the summer of 2010. They offered the bay at the same auction house’s Florida Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, and he attracted the eye of many a horse identifier, including his breeder, who either had seller’s remorse or just wanted a Classic-looking racehorse. Phyllis Wyeth purchased the horse who would become Union Rags on a bid of $390,000 and soon turned him over to Michael Matz, who conditioned Barbaro (Dynaformer) to a dominating victory in the 2006 GI Kentucky Derby. And her re-acquisition did little to disappoint early on.

Union Rags rallied from seventh of nine to take his five-furlong debut over the Delaware main track July 12 before decimating the field by 7 1/4 lengths in a sloppy renewal of the GII Saratoga Special Stakes at Saratoga August 15. He skipped the GI Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes in September in favor of the GI Champagne Stakes the following month. Sent off the 6-5 chalk that afternoon, Union Rags was patiently ridden and was snookered at a crucial stage for about a quarter of a mile, but streaked away when the daylight came to hand Alpha (Bernardini) a 5 1/4-length defeat. Favored to complete an undefeated campaign in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he sat a disastrous four-wide trip as Hansen (Tapit) set the pace inside. He couldn’t quite get to the pacesetter and settled for second, his Eclipse dreams dashed. He began 2012 with obviously high expectations and suggested he’d be the divisional heavy with an effortless four-length score in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes February 26. A somewhat disappointing third following a questionable ride in the GI Florida Derby March 31, Union Rags was bounced around at the start of the May 5 GI Kentucky Derby, was taken up nearing the half-mile pole and did exceeding well to finish seventh, 7 1/2 lengths behind I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley). Would there be a ‘Rags-to-Riches’ story in the Belmont?

In an effort to change their luck, connections made a switch from Julien Leparoux to John Velazquez, who won his first Belmont astride the filly Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) in 2007. Unmolested at the break this time around, Union Rags drifted back to about midfield as upstart and third wagering choice Paynter (Awesome Again) was ridden for speed by Mike Smith, already second aboard Bodemeister (Empire Maker) in the Derby and GI Preakness Stakes. Following an opening quarter mile in a fairly quick :23.72, Paynter was then allowed to cover an internal half-mile in :51 as positions remained largely unchanged with another six furlongs still ahead of them. Velazquez took a look behind him shortly thereafter and asked Union Rags to get just a touch closer to Paynter, who picked up the tempo a bit and covered the mile in 1:38.85. Atigun and Leparoux moved in unison with Union Rags, though forced overland, but loomed a serious threat four wide at the quarter pole. Paynter, looking to give Ahmed Zayat his first Classic victory after several agonizing defeats, hit the eighth pole still going well, but Smith had vacated the fence and left an inviting opening for Union Rags and Velazquez to go through, if good enough. And that Union Rags proved, as he dug in tenaciously and grabbed the long-time leader in the final 40 yards for a hard-earned success.

“We always thought this horse had Triple Crown potential,” a clearly relieved Michael Matz commented. “When we trained him, we gave him four races as a 2-year-old and gave him a rest and had a good plan. He never missed a beat. His first race couldn’t have been any easier. He had trouble in his second race and his third race. I do really think that this horse, when he has a clean trip and can show himself, is one of the best 3-year-olds in this crop. Whether he could have done something against I’ll Have Another, I don’t know, but it sure would have been fun to see.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

ANIMAL KINGDOM REWARDED FOR CLASSIC SUCCESS

Click above to watch Animal Kingdom winning the 2011 Kentucky Derby (Grade 1)
(Image : Yahoo Sports - Footage : Churchill Downs)

ECLIPSE AWARDS
16 January 2012

Never before had the top two Eclipse Award vote getters in the 3-year-old male division been so much like the proverbial apples and oranges comparison, which made voting in 2011 so unique and difficult.

That is how different the two protagonists, Animal Kingdom (USA) (by Leroidesanimaux - Dalicia, by Acatenango) and Caleb’s Posse (USA) (by Posse - Abbey’s Missy, by Slewacide), were from each other. Voters had to decide between a Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner and Preakness Stakes (G1) runner-up who didn’t race after June 11 and a one-turn specialist who was just another of the nondescript 3-year-olds on the Derby trail until he had a big breakthrough after being shortened up to one turn.

In the end the voters went classic as Animal Kingdom was honored this week with an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male. He edged Caleb’s Posse by a first-place vote tally of 114 to 111. Shackleford, the Preakness Stakes (Gr1) winner, received 12 first-place votes, followed by Ruler On Ice (5), Stay Thirsty (4), and Uncle Mo (1). There was one abstention in this category.

Owned and bred Team Valor International and trained by Graham Motion, Animal Kingdom was not even considered his owner’s main Derby hopeful in late March when he was entered in the non-graded Rushaway Stakes at Turfway, while Crimson China went in the rich Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (G3) on the same card. But when Crimson China failed to make the starting field due to lack of earnings, their roles were reversed, with Animal Kingdom having earned slightly more money.

When Animal Kingdom won the Spiral on Polytrack, he thrust himself into the Derby picture and on the first Saturday in May he defeated 18 of the best 3-year-olds in training at the time. Animal Kingdom won the classic by an impressive win by 2 3/4 lengths in his first start ever on dirt, something that had never been achieved before.

A fast-closing second in the Preakness, Animal Kingdom was sent off as the 5-2 favorite for the Belmont Stakes (G1). But a disastrous start, in which he stumbled badly, nearly falling and unseating jockey John Velazquez, cost him all chance. After making a spectacular run on the far turn, he faded to sixth in what was to be his final start of the year, due to a hind leg fracture.

Extract from Blood Horse

RULER ON ICE SKATES TO BELMONT STAKES VICTORY

Click above to watch Ruler On Ice winning the Belmont Stakes
(Image : Nasdaq - Footage : NYRA)

BELMONT STAKES
11 June 2011

The parade of upsets on a rainy New York Saturday afternoon continued when the unconsidered Ruler On Ice (Roman Ruler), forwardly placed from the start by jockey Jose Valdivia Jr., kept right on going to post a 24-1 upset in the 143rd running of the GI Belmont Stakes.

Valdivia was emotional after the race. “Turning for home, everything started going in slow motion,” he said. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought, ‘This is the true Test of the Champion.’ It’s a great feeling. I have to thank the connections, George and Lori Hall and trainer Kelly Breen. I started working this horse this winter. I told Kelly that I liked him so much, I was going to freeze my butt off to come and work him every morning. He acts like he’s something special, and I don’t think we’ve gotten to the bottom of him yet.”

“He wouldn’t grow up,” Breen explained. “We were trying to see if with time he would mature without having to put blinkers on him. We were disappointed in the Tesio because we were looking at the Preakness, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Ever since he ran at Sunland Park, he came back with low red blood count, and it showed in the stall and it showed in the feed tub. It took a little time to get back to normal.” He added, “Blinkers was part of the maturity. He didn’t mature as fast as we wanted to. He’s already a gelding, so we can’t castrate him again, so we put blinkers on. The first time out of the gate, Jose was on him. He was still goofing off and didn’t break great. Last week, he broke right and it’s like sometimes, the bulb just goes on. It was a perfect storm of things going right, and that’s how we got here.”

GI Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford (Forestry), on the muscle in the post parade, bounced out of his outside post and quickly went to the lead. Meanwhile, Animal Kingdom was caught between Monzon (Thunder Gulch) and Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno) and clipped heels, then scrambled to regain his footing as jockey John Velazquez attempted to get his left iron back. The two wound up spotting the field several lengths.

Ruler On Ice tracked Shackleford from the start as the chestnut put up splits of 0:49.08 and 1:14.51. The Preakness winner didn’t let out a notch on the sweeping second turn, however, and Ruler On Ice edged closer. Brilliant Speed loomed a serious threat entering the stretch, but appeared to hang, and Ruler On Ice forged on determinedly to secure the unlikely victory. Longshot Stay Thirsty, who was also in touch early, stayed on gamely along the fence. Shackleford ran out of gas and was tagged at the wire by Nehro (Mineshaft). “We had it the way we wanted,” acknowledged trainer Dale Romans. “He just didn’t hang on.” Jockey Jesus Castanon added, “My horse is a fighter. He tried not to let anyone pass him, but he got a little tired. He handled the off track fine, no problem .”

Animal Kingdom made an admirable outside move on the far turn, but had nothing left for the final furlong. “It looks like he was pinched by the horses on either side,” said trainer Graham Motion. “The horse almost fell down - Johnny couldn’t believe the horse stayed up. He lost his iron.” Motion added, “It’s really disappointing. It’s disappointing not to give the horse a chance to run his race. I thought down the backside we didn’t have any shot at all, and then he started to make that incredible move. But it was asking too much, late.”

BELMONT STAKES 2011
FINAL RESULT

#	Horse	Sire	Jockey	Trainer
1	RULER ON ICE	Roman Ruler	Jose Valdivia Jr	Kelly Breen
2	STAY THIRSTY	Bernardini	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
3	BRILLIANT SPEED	Dynaformer	Joel Rosario	Tom Albertrani
4	NEHRO	Mineshaft	Corey Nakatani	Steve Asmussen
5	SHACKLEFORD	Forestry	Jesus Castanon	Dale Romans
6	ANIMAL KINGDOM	Leroidesanimaux	John Velazquez	Graham Motion
7	MUCHO MACHO MAN	Macho Uno	Ramon Dominguez	Kath Ritvo
8	SANTIVA	Giant’s Causeway	Shaun Bridgmohan	Eddie Kenneally
9	MONZON	Thunder Gulch	Jose Lezcano	Ignacio Correas IV
10	MASTER OF HOUNDS	Kingmambo	Garrett Gomez	Aidan O’Brien
11	PRIME CUT	Bernstein	Edgar Prado	Neil Howard
12	ISN’T HE PERFECT	Pleasantly Perfect	Rajiv Maragh	Doodnauth Shivmangal

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

ANIMAL'S KINGDOM

Post Kentucky Derby interview with owner of Animal Kingdom, Barry Irwin of Team Valor
(Image and Footage : Thoroughbred Times)

137TH KENTUCKY DERBY

Mick Goss
Summerhill CEOThe extent of South Africa’s internationalization in racing was plain to see on Saturday in the outcome to America’s most celebrated horserace. The winner belonged to Team Valor, whose principal, Barry Irwin, is the most enthusiastic punter of the virtues of South African-breds, while Animal Kingdom’s mother came from the good German stock of Maine Chance Farm owner, Andreas Jacobs.

In several respects though, Animal Kingdom was not the horse supposed to catapult his connections into the stratospheric heights of the 137th Kentucky Derby.

If trainer Graham Motion was going to snag his first Derby triumph, many reckoned his Wood Memorial (G1) ace, Toby’s Corner, was the man for the job.

If Team Valor’s partners were going to take the garland of roses home, it wasn’t supposed to be with a grass and synthetic specialist who’d never run on dirt.

And if jockey John Velazquez was ever going to add a win in the first leg of the Triple Crown to a résumé that features practically every other major accolade in the sport, champion Uncle Mo was supposed to be the colt to do the honours.

A record crowd of 164,858 (164,848 if our party hadn’t pitched up!) at Churchill Downs witnessed history as 20-1 shot Animal Kingdom collared Shackleford in the last 100 yards, to win the “greatest two minutes in American Sports.”

The tears that rolled out from behind Summerhill client, Irwin’s trademark dark glasses, betrayed only part of the emotional journey his connections had taken in the days since we lunched with him, wife Kathleen and studmaster, Craig Bandoroff on Tuesday. The withdrawal of hot fancy, Uncle Mo on Friday had left Velazquez with his third consecutive scratching of his mount (both previous favourites, too, Quality Road and Eskendereya) in three years. Irwin’s jockey, Robby Albarado, had been injured Wednesday, and in a move likely to be recalled by horseman for as long as Lester Piggott’s elevation at the expense of Bill Williamson aboard Roberto in the English equivalent 40 years ago (1972), Velazquez got his chance. “A lot of things happen for a reason. I guess it was my turn,” reasoned the seasoned veteran.

What Animal Kingdom achieved bucked a bunch of trends that had him overlooked, even in a wide-open field. The chestnut son of turf champion Leroidesanimaux was the first since Exterminator in 1918 to win off just four career starts, the first since Needles in 1956 to succeed off a six-week layoff, and the first to take the 1 1/4 mile contest having never tested over a dirt surface.

The colorful Irwin had the last remark. “I like to try and make some history when I can,” said the one-time BloodHorse turf writer. “Today we made a lot of history.” So endeth the word.

Mick Goss - Kentucky, USA