Texas Red beaten at Santa Anita
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas
Red was beaten by Bob Baffert’s Lord Nelson in the Grade 2 San
Vicente Stakes last weekend.
Kent Desormeaux settled the son of
Afleet Alex at the rear of the six-runner field before launching his
challenge up the rail. Rafael Bejarano delivered Lord Nelson on the
outside and was briefly headed inside the final furlong before
rallying to win by a neck.
Texas Red was among
the outsiders at around 14-1 for the Kentucky Derby after the
race with Lord Nelson at 25-1. It was a ninth win in the Vicente
Stakes for Baffert but connections of the runner-up were not too
disheartened. Their colt was giving 5lbs to the winner and was racing
over an inadequate trip of seven furlongs.
When Texas Red won
the Breeders’ Cup, he was detached in the early stages before
his stamina came into play in the closing stages. Connections are
optimistic that he will improve over a longer trip in the Grade 2
Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on February 21st.
Ocean Knight leaves it late at Tampa
Bay
Ocean Knight remains a general 33-1
shot after arriving late to catch Divining Rod in the Grade 3 Sam F.
Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. There were no points on offer on
Saturday but Kiaran McLaughlin’s Curlin colt will be chasing 50
points next time in the Tampa
Bay Derby on March 7th.
The colt had to deliver his challenge
on the outside and it was a big improvement on his debut victory at
Aqueduct. Divining Rod is not nominated for the Triple Crown but
battled on bravely when challenged and should win his fair share of
races for Arnaud Delacour.
Calculator out of Triple Crown
One horse that will not be lining up in
the Triple Crown is the Peter Miller-trained Calculator. The son of
Summation won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes and was also runner-up in the
Del Mar Futurity and the FrontRunner Stakes. The grey had worked
brilliantly over five furlongs at San Luis Rey Downs on New Year’s
Eve but has been side-lined by an injury that will keep him off the
track for six months.
The Great War off to a winning start
Former Aidan O’Brien colt The Great
War started the season with an impressive victory in the 96Rock
Stakes at Turfway Park. The son of War Front stormed to a seven
and a quarter lengths victory over the six and a half furlong trip.
The Great War raced seven times in the
UK and Ireland last season before finishing a creditable fourth in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He won over five furlongs at Tipperary
and the Curragh before proving a disappointing favourite in the
Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. He won the Listed Blenheim Stakes over
six furlongs at the Curragh in September to earn a trip to Santa
Anita.
The Coolmore team decided to leave him
in the capable hands of Wesley Ward over the winter. Ward is familiar
to British racing fans for his successful raids on the two-year-old
races at Royal Ascot, including Hootenanny in the Windsor Castle
Stakes last summer. The Great War was given a tentative quote of 40-1
for the Kentucky Derby.
El Kabeir and Dortmund set to return
The Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at
Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct could provide
some early Derby clues this weekend. The Lewis sees the return of
Dortmund who is set for a re-match with Los Alamitos Futurity
runner-up Firing Line. Kentucky Jockey Club winner El Kabeir is long
odds-on favourite to continue his progress in the Withers.
The grey faces six maiden stakes
winners in the $250,000 contest at Aqueduct as he bids to follow up
his victory in the Jerome Stakes at the same track. El Kabeir goes
into the weekend at equal-first in the list of Derby contenders with
21 points alongside International Star.
Triple Crown entries
There are 429 horses entered for the
Triple Crown this year, just fifteen more than last year and the
highest since 2008. Aidan O’Brien has entered five colts led by
Racing Post Trophy runner-up Aloft. He chased home the impressive Elm
Park at Doncaster in October and is joined by Battle Of Marathon, War
Envoy, Smuggler's Cove and Royal Navy Ship.
Dermot Weld, who won the 1990 Belmont
Stakes with Go And Go, is represented by Don Camillo, Sight Hound,
Time To Inspire and Tombelaine. John Oxx has entered an unnamed
Kamarinskaya colt while Godolphin’s entries include recent
all-weather winner Tempus Temporis and Somerville Tattersall Stakes
winner Maftool.
The Triple Crown begins with the
Kentucky
Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2nd. The Preakness at Pimlico
Downs follows on May 16th with the Belmont making up the final leg on
June 6th. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in
1978.