CENTRAL /UNBEATEN HARLINGTON TRIES STAKES COMPANY IN RISEN STAR - Recent Kentucky Derby (GI) winners have possessed pedigrees that, at least at first glance, failed to make the majority of Derby fans think that those horses were destined for the Derby's roses. But when a pedigree like the one carried by unbeaten Harlington comes along, the first very first thought is a date at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Melnyk Racing Stable's son of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled out of the brilliant race mare Serena's Song, who finished 13th against males in the 1986 Derby, makes his debut in stakes company in Saturday's $150,000-added Risen Star (GIII) at the Fair Grounds.

That pedigree was enough to bring a winning bid of $2.8 million when the colt passed through the auction ring and is now two-for-two in his young career for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Harlington has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite to make a successful debut in stakes company as he faces 10 rivals in the 1 1/16-mile Risen Star, the main attraction on a schedule of four major stakes races on Louisiana Derby Preview Day at the New Orleans track. John Velazquez will be in the saddle as Harlington faces a group of local stars that includes Overbrook Farm's Storm Surge, winner of the Lecomte (GIII), and the Phoebe Ann Mueller Trust's Rush Bay, the runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs in his most recent start.

Another high priced contender in the Risen Star is Virginia Kraft Payson's Scipion, a $1.9 million yearling purchase and a three-quarter brother to Vindication, who retired unbeaten after a 2-year-old campaign that earned him an Eclipse Award as juvenile champion in 2002.

Harlington (post 10) and Rush Bay (11) have drawn challenging post positions in the field of 11. From the rail out, the field for the Risen Star (with jockeys) includes: Smooth Bid (Brian Hernandez, Jr.); Electric Light (Larry Melancon); Storm Surge (Robby Albarado); Bold Lion (Jesse Campbell); Iced Out (Tyler Baze); Silent Bid (Mike Smith); Buzzards Bay (Mark Guidry); Scipion (Gary Stevens); Real Dandy (Donnie Meche); Harlington (Velazquez); and Rush Bay (Eusebio Razo, Jr.).

ROCKPORT HARBOR TO REBEL - Fox Hill Farm's unbeaten Rockport Harbor, winner of the Remsen (GII), will make his 2005 debut in Oaklawn Park's Rebel Stakes on March 19.

Trainer John Servis, who saddled Smarty Jones to win last year's Kentucky Derby, said this week that the son of Unbridled's Song would skip next week's Southwest Stakes at the Arkansas track and make the Rebel his only prep for his major pre-Kentucky Derby objective, the $1 million Arkansas Derby (GII) on April 16.

"I would have had to rush Rockport Harbor to make the Southwest, and there really is no reason to do that," said Servis. "Now that Rocky is passing the Southwest, it doesn't really pay to rush him."

Rockport Harbor was given some time off over the winter to recover from a cut on his right hind ankle suffered in his Remsen win. Smarty Jones and Servis swept the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby last year before his victory in the Kentucky Derby.

EAST/GALLOPING GROCER MAKES DEBUT IN AQUEDUCT'S WHIRLAWAY - The main hope to join 2003 winner Funny Cide as the only New York-bred horses to win the Kentucky Derby makes his 2005 debut on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Robert Rosenthal and Bernice Waldbaum's Galloping Grocer heads a field of 10 horses in the $75,000 Whirlaway at Aqueduct. The gelded son of A.P. Jet will run for the first time since he suffered a narrow loss to Rockport Harbor in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen over the same track. He had previously won three races that were restricted to New York-breds by a combined margin of 31 ¾-lengths. His effort in the Remsen validated Galloping Grocer's credentials and trainer Dominic Schettino is anxious to get him started on his 3-year-old campaign.

"He's as good as we can have him," said Schettino. "If he runs back to the type of race he had in the Remsen, I don't think this caliber of horse can beat him Saturday. There aren't any Rockport Harbors in there."

Galloping Grocer will have a new jockey for the mile and a sixteenth Whirlaway in Aaron Gryder. Regular rider John Velazquez will be at the Fair Grounds to ride Harlington for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Risen Star. Schettino would not commit to riding Gryder beyond Saturday's race.

Despite Galloping Grocer's impressive race record, his presence did not scare the opposition away from the Whirlaway. He will face nine rivals that include Count Fleet Stakes winner Scrappy T, Daddy Joe and Naughty New Yorker.

Galloping Grocer will break from post 6 in the 10-horse field.

CALIFORNIA/SAN VICENTE DRAWS ROMAN RULER, CONSOLIDATOR - Three-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert may find out Sunday if he has a legitimate contender for the 2005 "Run for the Roses" as Fog City Stable's Roman Ruler makes his 2005 debut in the 64th running of the $150,000 San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita.

The son of Fusaichi Pegasus was a sensation early in his 2-year-old season as he scored dominating wins in his first two starts, which included a romp in the Best Pal (GII) at Del Mar.

He then suffered a narrow loss to eventual juvenile champion Declan's Moon in the Del Mar Futurity (GI) and won the Norfolk (GII) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita before he concluded his 2004 campaign with a dull fifth-place finish to Wilko in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Lone Star Park.

The San Vicente will be the first race for Roman Ruler since he underwent surgery over the winter to remove an undescended testicle that may have been bothering him late in the year. Roman Ruler's final prep for the San Vicente came in a sharp workout from the gate last Sunday at Santa Anita and Baffert liked what he saw.

""He looked like the Roman Ruler of old," he said. "In his last few races, he hadn't been breaking all that well, but today he broke like a shot."

Jerry Bailey will ride Roman Ruler in what is expected to be a small field for the San Vicente.

An accomplished rival will be Overbrook Farm's Consolidator, winner of the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (GI) at Keeneland last fall before he finished his campaign with a third-place run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner. The colt will attempt to give Lukas his second consecutive win in a stakes race for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita after the Lukas-trained Going Wild won last week's Sham.

B. Wayne Hughes' Don't Get Mad, a well-named son of Stephen Got Even, is expected to make his West Coast debut in the San Vicente. The stretch-running colt scored a pair of sharp wins at Churchill Downs last fall for trainer Paul J. McGee before he was transferred to the California barn of Ron Ellis, McGee's brother-in-law and the trainer of juvenile champion Declan's Moon. Kirkendahl and Pavo are also expected to run.

Texcess Favored In San Mateo Mile - Paul Aguire and Omar Aldabbagh's Texcess, winner of the $1 million Delta Jackpot at Louisiana's Delta Downs and third to Spanish Chestnut in the San Rafael (GII) at Santa Anita in his 2005 debut, seeks his first win as a 3-year-old as he travels north from his Southern California base to face six rivals in the San Mateo Mile at Bay Meadows.

The California-bred son of In Excess is expected to be the favorite in the prep for the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby (GIII) on March 12. Texcess has a record of 3-1-1 in five races and has earned $743,427. Northern California riding king Russell Baze will ride Texcess for the first time.

Other contenders in the San Mateo Mile include Sharp Writer, a narrow loser to Buzzards Bay in the Golden Gate Derby at Golden Gate Fields for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and the Bob Baffert-trained Chips Are Down.

Lead for Speed Heads Turf Paradise Derby - Phoenix-based auto dealer Hal Earnhardt will be looking to win the major Kentucky prep at Arizona's Turf Paradise when Lead for Speed carries his stable colors against seven rivals in Saturday's $100,000 Turf Paradise Derby. His four wins for trainer Dan McFarlane include the Rattlesnake Stakes at Turf Paradise.

His rivals include General John B, a supplemental nominee who was shipped from Southern California for trainer Roger Stein for the 1 1/16-mile race.

DUBAI/STAGELIGHT WINS 2000 GUINEAS - Stagelight grabbed the lead with two furlongs remaining and drew away to score a comfortable victory in the UAE 2000 Guineas on Thursday evening at Nad al Sheba. The Jeremy Noseda-trained son of Montjeu has now won three of four starts and was ridden by Eddie Ahern. Gypsy Johnny was second in the field of 16.

DERBY FUTURE WAGER ATTRACTS BIG BET ON OPENING DAY - It's not clear whether it was the work of the bettor who has come to be known by many racing fans as the "Derby Future Plunger," but another large bet highlighted Thursday's opening session of betting on Pool 1 of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW").

An unidentified bettor placed a bet of $25,000 on the mutuel field through a wagering hub in Maine. The bet was placed on the mutuel field, the wagering interest that includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in Pool 1, and drove the odds on that interest down to 2-5. The field ended the day as the 3-5 betting favorite in Pool 1and had attracted betting of $28,944. Total betting on Pool 1 during the opening day session was $59,238.

The unidentified plunger created a buzz in first-ever KDFW pool in 1999 when he plunked a bet of $50,000 on the mutuel field - a wager that worked out handsomely as field member Charismatic won the Derby and the winning payout was $10.20 for each $2 bet. The same bettor, who spoke to some members of the media but was not identified, returned the following year and wagered his winnings from the '99 bet - a total of $51,000 - on the mutuel field in the opening day of the 2000 Derby Future bet.

An interesting footnote on the big opening day bet: total Derby Future Wagering through the Maine Hub for the day was $25,002. The $2 bettor could not be identified either.

Betting on Pool 1 of the 2005 Kentucky Derby Future wager continues through Sun., Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. Real-time odds and other information is available on the official Kentucky Derby Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com.

« Back To Derby Updates