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Booklet, Harlan's Holiday Square Off For Round Three In Florida Derby
By John Asher
Kentucky Derby Headlines:
SOUTHEAST (Florida) -- John Oxley's Booklet has a resume that would be
strong enough to make him the Kentucky Derby (GI) favorite in most
years, but in the muddled Derby 128 picture he is not even the morning
line favorite for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream
Park.
Starlight Stable's Harlan's Holiday, a horse that lost his last
two races to his more accomplished rival, is the 5-2 morning line
choice to turn the tables on Booklet in the 1 1/8-mile race that is
traditionally one of the most important Kentucky Derby prep races.
The front-running Booklet defeated Harlan's Holiday in the Holy
Bull (GIII) and Fountain of Youth (GI). He will attempt to give trainer
John Ward, Jr. his second consecutive win victory in the Florida Derby,
following last year's win by Oxley's Monarchos, and will try to stretch
his early speed over 1 1/8-miles for the first time.
"Distance doesn't bother me because when you watch this horse
train in the morning, this horse is just about like a marathon runner
would be, a human athlete," Ward told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
"He can get comfortable during a race. He doesn't really have to be on
the front end. But it's going to take a pretty speedy horse to get by
him to do it."
Booklet will be ridden by Jorge Chavez, the jockey who guided
Monarchos to last year's sweep of the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.
Booklet has a 6-0-1 record in seven races and has earned $519,700.
Harlan's Holiday will enlist a new rider in hopes of turning the
tables on his rival. Trainer Ken McPeek has replaced Kentucky veteran
Tony D'Amico with Edgar Prado, who will ride the Ohio-bred for the first
time. The son of Harlan is a stablemate of the McPeek-trained Louisiana
Derby (GII) winner Repent and brings a record of 4-4-0 in eight races
and earnings of $401,456 into the Florida Derby.
Several Florida Derby entrants are looking to step into the
spotlight as major Kentucky Derby contenders. Among that group are
Nokoma, a son of Pulpit trained by Todd Pletcher; High Star, trained by
two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito; Blue Burner, third in
the Fountain of Youth for trainer Bill Mott; and D'Coach, who invades
from New York for trainer Shug McGaughey.
Completing the field of 11 horses for the Florida Derby are
Monthir, Peekskill, Smooth Jazz, Puck, and Personal Reward.
The speedy Ethan Man tops a field of five in the $100,000 Swale
(GIII) on the Florida Derby undercard. The Patrick Byrne-trained son of
Glitterman is coming off an impressive allowance victory at Gulfstream
and will be ridden by Pat Day. His four rivals include Governor Hickel,
Listen Here, Axis and Vinemaster.
Three-year-olds are featured in pair of allowance races on the
Gulfstream card. Monarchoftheglen heads a 1 1/16-mile contest while a
seven furlong race has attracted Warners and Occidental Tourist.
Unbeaten Bunk N Ted will attempt to extend his winning streak to
four in Sunday's $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) at Tampa Bay Downs. The
son of Belong To Me won the Sam F. Davis over the same track in his most
recent race for owners Danny Hutt and Brook Smith and trainer Kenneth
Wirth.
His major opposition may come from Showmeitall, who scored an
upset win in the Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream Park for Florida-based
trainer Manny Tortora; Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) winner Political Attack;
and the Graham Motion-trained Equality, a 16 1/2-length winner in a
Gulfstream Park.WEST (California) -- Amerman Racing's Siphonic, the winner of the
Hollywood Futurity (GI), makes his anticipated return to competition
against six rivals in Sunday's San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita.
It will be the first outing for the David Hofmans-trained son of
Siphon since a troubled runner-up finish in the Santa Catalina (GII) on
Jan. 19. He stumbled badly at the start that day and finished 5
1/2-lengths behind the victorious Labamta Babe in that 1 1/16-mile
contest. The San Felipe will be Siphonic's final prep for the Santa
Anita Derby (GI), which will be run on April 6.
Other San Felipe contenders include Sham winner U S S Tinosa,
Puerto Banus, and Shah Jehan.
EAST (New York, Maryland) -- Two colts who have spent considerable time
out of the racing spotlight -- Remsen (GII) winner Saarland and Hopeful
(GI) runner-up Mayakovsky -- head a field of seven entered in Sunday's
$200,000 Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct.
Saarland has not raced since his Remsen win in late November,
although trainer Shug McGaughey tried in vain to find a race for the
colt in Florida before he shipped North for the Remsen. An injury has
kept Mayakovsky on the sidelines following an explosive start to his
career last summer. He broke a 55-year-old track record in winning his 5
1/2-furlong debut at Saratoga and followed that with his runner-up
finish in the Hopeful, in which he was beaten by Kentucky Derby
contender Came Home.
Edgar Prado will ride Mayakovsky and John Velazquez has the
mount on Saarland.
MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- Alvin Akman's
unbeaten Whirlaway winner Saratoga Blues will skip the Gotham to run in
next week's $500,000 Lane's End Spiral (GII) at Turfway Park -- but
trainer Tony Dutrow is no longer pointing the colt to Kentucky Derby
128.
Dutrow said Saratoga Blues, who is perfect in three races,
would be pointed to the Preakness.
"All of us are in this game for a bit of a dream, but, come on,
you have to be realistic," Dutrow told the Daily Racing Form. "I really
feel we're playing catchup trying to get to the Derby."
Two Kentucky-based jockeys have ended up on the unhappy end of
rider changes for major contenders in the Lane's End Spiral and both are
being replaced by members of racing's Hall of Fame.
Pat Day will replace Brian Peck on John Battaglia Memorial
winner Request For Parole in the Spiral and Eddie Delahoussaye will
supplant Tony D'Amico aboard Perfect Drift, the runner-up in the
Battaglia. D'Amico had earlier been replaced as the regular rider on
Derby contenders Repent and Harlan's Holiday.
Kentucky Oaks 128 Update -- Godolphin's Tempera, the winner of the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) and America's champion 2-year-old
filly of 2001, encountered a surprising setback in her first stop on the
road to the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (GI) on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
The A.P. Indy filly was soundly beaten by stablemate Infinite
Spirit in the $250,000 UAE One Thousand Guineas on Thursday at Nad Al
Sheba racecourse. Infinite Spirit, a daughter of Maria's Mon, won by
five lengths as she scored her second win in as many starts in 2002.
Saeed bin Suroor trains both fillies.
Unbeaten Belterra, the winner of the Golden Rod (GII) at
Churchill Downs, is scheduled to make the first start of her 3-year-old
campaign Friday afternoon in the $250,000 Bonnie Miss (GII) at
Gulfstream Park.
The Carl Nafzger-trained daughter of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner
Unbridled will be racing for the first time since her 4 1/2-length win
over Take Charge Lady on Nov. 24. The latter is unbeaten in two starts
since, including a victory last week in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII).
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