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5.5.2001
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Photo By: Jeremy Lyverse
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Hall of fame jockey Jerry Bailey (above) will ride Select Stable's Repent for the first time in the Louisiana Derby (GII), which will be contested at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, La. on March 10. Bailey is also the regular rider of Siphonic, one of the leading West Coast-based contenders for the 128th-running of the Kentucky Derby (GI). |
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Repent 1-2 Morning Line Chalk In Louisiana Derby
By John Asher
Kentucky Derby Headlines:
- Repent, Bailey Make Louisiana Derby Bid
- Baffert sends "Dan" To El Camino Real
- O'Brien: Johannesburg moving forward
MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- Select Stable's
Repent will look to solidify his status as one of the handful of the
strongest contenders for Kentucky Derby 128 when he runs in Sunday's
$500,000 Louisiana Derby (GII) at New Orleans Fair Grounds.
Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jerry Bailey is set to
replace Kentucky circuit veteran Tony D'Amico, who was sacked by trainer
Ken McPeek following Repent's impressive win in the Risen Star (GIII) at
the Fair Grounds in his 2002 debut. Bailey got acquainted with the son
of Louis Quatorze in a workout last week at Florida's Gulfstream Park
and his new ride is a heavy 1-2 morning line favorite in the field of
eight horses in the 1 1/16-mile race.
Repent's rivals on Sunday include the 2-3-4 finishers in the
Risen Star: Bob's Image, Easyfromthegitgo, and French Assault. Others
include Publication, Charioteer, It'sallinthechase, and White Flame.
Publication may be the Louisiana Derby wild card. The Terry
Knight-trained son of Petionville traveled from Northern California for
what will be his first race since a fifth-place finish to Siphonic in
the Hollywood Futurity (GI) on Dec. 15. Publication's best efforts last
year included a victory in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (GII) at
Arlington Park and a late-running fourth-place finish to Johannesburg in
the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Belmont Park. He finished just two
lengths behind runner-up Repent in the latter.
WEST (California) -- Unless another 3-year-old in the barn of Bob
Baffert blossoms in the next month or so, Mike Pegram's
Danthebluegrassman is the two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer's lone
hope for a return trip to the famed "Run for the Roses" on May 4.
Whether the Golden Gate Derby (GIII) winner is a serious Kentucky Derby
contender may be determined Saturday when Baffert's colt returns to
Northern California's Golden Gate Fields to face 10 rivals in the 21st
running of the El Camino Real Derby (GIII).
The son of Pioneering had been pointed toward the San Felipe
(GII) at Santa Anita, but Baffert called an audible earlier this week
and shipped Danthebluegrassman north for the 1 1/16-mile race.
"He likes it up there," Baffert said.
Danthebluegrassman won the Jan. 12 Golden Gate Derby by a nose
-- but that victory looked much better a few weeks later. The
runner-up, Cappuchino, returned to score a sharp win in the Golden State
Mile and third-place finisher U S S Tinosa returned to win the Sham at
Santa Anita.
David Flores will ride Baffert's colt in the El Camino Real
Derby.
Cappuchino is back for another shot at Danthebluegrassman and is
one of a trio of El Camino Real Derby contenders trained by Northern
California training king Jerry Hollendorfer. He will be joined in the
starting gate by stablemates Yougottawanna, who upset Officer in last
year's California Cup Juvenile, and Lawn Mower, a recent allowance
winner on the grass at Golden Gate Fields.
Cappuchino will be ridden by Northern California riding king
Russell Baze.
Another possible contender is Captain Squire, the winner of the
Turf Paradise Derby in his most recent outing. He has won 3-of-4 career
races.
A knee problem has knocked Pelirrojo off the Kentucky Derby and
Visa Triple Crown trail. Trainer John Sadler said the fifth-place
finisher in Santa Anita's San Rafael (GII) would be getting some rest
after coming out of that race with some heat in his right knee. "X rays
are okay," said Sadler, "but he'll probably go to the ranch for two or
three months."
EAST (New York, Maryland) -- Michael Tabor added another talented young
horse to his powerhouse stable of Kentucky Derby contenders this week
with the purchase of the unbeaten Smooth Jazz, winner of the Best Turn
Stakes last month at Aqueduct.
The Storm Boot colt, who had been trained by Tony Dutrow, was
transferred to the care of trainer Todd Pletcher, who could run Smooth
Jazz in the seven furlong Swale (GIII) on the Florida Derby undercard
next weekend at Gulfstream Park.
Tabor, who won the 1995 Kentucky Derby with Thunder Gulch, owns
or co-owns reigning juvenile champion Johannesburg, Florida Derby
contender Nokoma, and Gotham (GIII) contender Mayakovsky.
SOUTHEAST (Florida) -- Add the name of Puck to the list of possible
contenders in next week's Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park. His
owners, a group called Classic Contenders, paid $3,000 this week to make
the colt eligible on the final day of regular nominations for the $1
million race.
The gray son of Mr. Greeley is coming off a dead-heat for second
behind Florida Derby contender Nokoma in a recent Gulfstream Park
allowance race. He had earlier scored his first career victory in a
seven-length romp in a maiden race at the Florida Derby distance of 1
1/8-miles.
"We realize that this is somewhat of an ambitious step," White
said. "We thought he ran a super race last time and, based on that
effort against some of the prime Florida Derby candidates, we decided to
go ahead and nominate him."
Meanwhile, two other possible contenders have dropped out of the
Florida Derby picture. Trainer Graham Motion decided to pass on the race
with Grey Beard when he came out of a workout with some soreness in his
right front leg.
Trainer John Hennig took Political Attack out of the Florida
Derby in favor of what figures to be an easier spot. Hennig said the
colt owned by former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones will run in the Tampa
Bay Derby (GIII) the following day.
Johannesburg Update -- While Irish-based Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI)
winner Johannesburg trains far out of the gaze of the American racing
media, Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form caught up with trainer Aidan
O'Brien and got an update on his training. Privman's piece is published
in Saturday's DRF editions.
O'Brien told Privman that the unbeaten son of Hennessy has begun
his serious training for a possible Kentucky Derby bid and that a run in
the seven-furlong Gladness Stakes (Gr. III) on turf at The Curragh could be his
first race of the year. He said the colt's training had been hampered by
wet weather.
"The next couple of weeks are kind of vital," said O'Brien.
The trainer's energies are focused this week on Britain's famed
Cheltenham Festival, where O'Brien is aiming his jump star Istabraq
toward a record fourth victory in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle.
Kentucky Oaks Update -- The rivalry between You and Habibti enters a new
round Saturday in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (GI). You defeated
Habibti in the Las Virgenes (GI), which avenged a loss to that rival in
the Hollywood Starlet (GI) in December. You is the even-money favorite
for trainer Bobby Frankel and will be ridden by Jerry Bailey...Select
Stable's Take Charge Lady, a dominating winner for trainer Ken McPeek in
the Silverbulletday (GIII), has returned to the Fair Grounds and will be
an odds-on favorite in Saturday's Fair Grounds Oaks (GII)...Sarah Jade
is favored in Saturday's Honeybee Stakes at 1 1/16-miles at Oaklawn
Park.
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