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Harlan's Holiday Cruises In Blue Grass; Derby Favortism Looms
April 15, 2002
By John Asher
Kentucky Derby Headlines:
MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- The last Ohio-bred
Thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby was Wintergreen in 1909, but
Saturday's victory by Harlan's Holiday in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
(Grade I) at Keeneland provided strong evidence that the Buckeye State
may be ready to add its long-awaited second name to the roster of
3-year-olds that have won the famed "Run for the Roses."
Starlight Stable's Florida Derby (GI) winner scored an emphatic
4 1/2-length victory over longtime rival Booklet and the late-running
Ocean Sound in the 78th running of the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass. The time
under jockey Edgar Prado was a modest 1:51.51, but trainer Ken McPeek
indicated that the son of Harlan has not yet been asked for his best.
"I haven't put the screws to him yet," McPeek said. "I haven't
really, really tightened him up."
"I wouldn't trade him for any other horse so far," said Prado.
"He's a very easy horse to ride."
Harlan's Holiday improved his career record to 6-4-0 in 10
starts with earnings of $1,466,564.
After beating Harlan's Holiday in their first two meetings,
Booklet dropped his second consecutive decision to that rival. Trainer
John Ward, Jr., who won last year's Kentucky Derby with Monarchos, said
he and owner John C. Oxley will take some time before deciding whether
Booklet will make the trip to Louisville.
"The thing that would make us run in the Kentucky Derby is the
attrition over the next couple of weeks," Ward said. "It looks like we
have the second-best horse right now."
Straight Gin, Bob's Image and Azillion (Ire) completed the order of
finish before a crowd of 28,270 -- the fifth largest in Keeneland
history.
Bob's Image injured his left front suspensory tendon in the
Toyota Blue Grass finish, according to Dr. Alan Ruggles, the on-call
veterinarian for the American Association of Equine Practitioners'
(AAEP).
If a longtime Arkansas resident can represent the state of New
York in the U.S. Senate, it figures that a New York-bred horse is
eligible to carry the flag for Arkansas in the Kentucky Derby.
James Cassels and Bob Zollars' Private Emblem earned a bid to
become the first New York-bred winner of America's greatest race when he
scored an authoritative 4 1/2-length victory in Saturday's Arkansas
Derby (GII) before a season-high crowd of 52,122 at Oaklawn Park.
Donnie Meche guided the Steve Asmussen-trained son of Our Emblem from
just off the pace for his third win in as many starts in 2002.
"I sat on him as long as I could and heard horses coming up on
me on the outside just about the quarter pole," said Meche. "I smooched
to him and when he responded, I didn't think anybody would get by me.
If they would, they would really have to be running."
Wild Horses was second and there was a dead-heat for third
between the Asmussen-trained Windward Passage and Bay Monster. Private
Emblem covered the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50.20 on "fast" track. His
career record stands at 4-2-1 in seven starts with earnings of $459,300.
The victory by Private Emblem gave the colt's supporters in Pool
3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager reason to smile. Private Emblem was
easily the longest shot in Pool 3 and victory by the colt on Kentucky
Derby Day would reward his supporters with a winning payout of $465.20
for a $2 wager.
EAST (New York, Maryland) -- The 78th running of the Wood Memorial (GI)
at Aqueduct turned out to be a testament to inexperience as Gary West's
Buddha led a parade of lightly raced horses across the finish line.
The gray son of Unbridled's Song made a successful stakes debut
under jockey Pat Day as he held off favored Medaglia d'Oro after a
stretch-long drive to win by a head. Sunday Break was a half-length
farther back in third and Saarland was fourth. Buddha covered the 1
1/8-miles in 1:48.61 on a "fast" track.
"This horse really ran big," said Day. "The other horse was
alongside him the whole way and when the other horse came back on him at
the end, my horse wasn't giving up anything. It was a super effort."
Buddha scored his third consecutive victory in just his fourth
career start for trainer H. James Bond. Medaglia d'Oro, the San Felipe
(GII) winner ridden by 55-year-old all-time win leader Laffit Pincay,
Jr., was also running for just the fourth time and saw his record dip to
2-2-0. Sunday Break, a relative veteran competing in his sixth race, saw
his career record drop to 3-1-2.
The top four finishers in the Wood appear bound for the Kentucky
Derby. Bond, who has never saddled a horse for the Kentucky Derby, is
looking forward to the experience if Buddha comes out of the race well.
"I would love to run a horse in that race, believe me," said
Bond. "You go to cocktail parties and meet people who know nothing
about racing and they will ask me, 'Did you ever win the Kentucky
Derby?' I would answer, 'No, I never ever ran in it' - and five minutes
later, I'm standing by myself. But I have to make sure this horse is
doing okay. This was a tough race; don't make any mistake about that."
An Aqueduct crowd of 20,103 watched the Wood, a race that has
produced the last two winners of the Kentucky Derby. Fusaichi Pegasus
swept both races in 2000 and Monarchos won the Kentucky Derby last year
after finishing second in the Wood to Congaree.
California invader Roman Dancer rallied in the stretch under
jockey Kent Desormeaux to score a 1 3/4-length victory in the seven
furlong Bay Shore on the Wood Memorial undercard at Aqueduct. Warners
was second and Monthir third.
WEST (California) -- It took Ed McGrath's Tracemark 11 races to find his
way to the winner's circle, but his second career victory -- a gritty
win in the California Derby at Bay Meadows -- may have earned the colt a
trip to the Kentucky Derby.
Tracemark, a son of Conquistador Cielo trained by Craig Dollase,
rallied under Jason Lumpkins to nip Cappuchino by a neck in the 1
1/8-mile race. Captain Squire was third. The winning time of 1:47.93 was
the fastest of Saturday's four Kentucky Derby prep races run at the nine
furlong distance.
"I'd love to go to the Kentucky Derby, but we'll have to talk it
over with Craig and see," said McGrath. "You want to have a legitimate
shot to finish 1-2-3 when you go into a race and there are other races
for a lot of money, too."
If Tracemark does travel to Churchill Downs, the Derby could
turn into a family weekend. McGrath's son, Mark, is the lead singer of
the rock band Sugar Ray, which is booked for a Derby Eve concert in
Louisville.
"This is really my son's horse, too," McGrath told the
Sacramento Bee. "We've been trying to figure out how to all get
together back in Kentucky. Maybe this is it. The horse can get a
backstage pass."
Kentucky Oaks Update -- Godolphin's Imperial Gesture, the runner-up to
stablemate Tempera in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at
Belmont Park, turned the tables on her stablemate in Saturday's UAE Oaks
at Dubai's Nad al Sheba Racecourse in a race that should earn both
fillies a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Oaks (GI) on May 3
at Churchill Downs.
Frankie Dettori was in the irons as Imperial Gesture romped to a
front-running 3 3/4-length victory over Tempera, who was ridden by
U.S.-based jockey David Flores. Imperial Gesture was timed in 1:49.61
for 1 1/8 miles, which is also the Kentucky Oaks distance.
Michael Tabor's Bella Bellucci, third in the BC Juvenile
Fillies, romped to a seven-length win in Sunday's Comely (GIII) at
Aqueduct. The Neil Drysdale-trainee covered the mile in 1:35.50 under
Gary Stevens.
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