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Derby Entrants
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Trainer |
Jockey |
Owner |
Breeder |
Trombetta, 39, is a native of Baltimore and has been training horses for more than half his life, based for most of that time in Maryland and Virginia. Other than Sweetnorthernsaint, his best horse to date has been Bop, a turf sprint specialist who set track records at Colonial Downs and Penn National Racecourse. In 2005, Trombetta was named Maryland Trainer of the Year by the MTHA. He currently has about 30 horses in his care. Sweetnorthernsaint would be his first Derby starter. |
: Derby History
Desormeaux, a native of Maurice, La., began riding in 1986 at Evangeline Downs; a year later he moved from Louisiana to Maryland. There, he led the nation's apprentices in victories in 1987, but his 450 wins led all jockeys. In 1989, Desormeaux blitzed the record for victories in a year by riding to the winner's circle 598 times, breaking Chris McCarron's 1974 mark of 546. He shifted his tack to Southern California in 1990 and has won Eclipse Awards in 1987, 1989 and 1992 in addition to the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1993. He has won riding titles at all of the southern California tracks as well as Laurel, Pimlico, and in Tokyo, Japan. The close of 2004 saw Desormeaux ranked 15th nationally in purses won, earning over $8.7 million, with some of his top horses being Musical Chimes, Ticker Tape, Island Fashion, and Domestic Dispute. He teamed up with Drysdale to win the 2000 Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus; also won the 1998 Derby aboard Real Quiet. He is still looking for his first Kentucky Oaks win. He and his wife, Sonia, have two sons, Joshua and Jacob. |
Owners Ted Theos of Kingsville, Md., and Joseph Balsamo of Baltimore had Sweetnorthernsaint for his first start with Leo Azpurua Sr., a trainer who handled their stable for 13 years. Theos, 58, retired early after making money with a string of franchise restaurants. |
Eduardo Azpurua Sr. owns and operated Shangri-La Farm and is also in the real estate business. Along with his brothers Manuel and Leo, the trio emigrated to America from Venezuela some 40 years ago. Eduardo's sons Eduardo Jr. and Manuel own and operate the Azpurua Brothers training center in Ocala, Florida. Eduardo Sr. trained multiple graded stakes winner Mi Selecto, whom he purchased for $40,000 as a yearling. Shangri-La Farm has about 100 mares, nearly all of them for outside clients. |
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:: 04.27.06 - Sweetnorthernsaint Bathes After First CD Gallop - Video Update 
04.08.06 - Sweetnorthernsaint Runs Away In Illinois Derby
04.04.06 - Brother Derek, Barbaro Head Final 2006 Derby Futures Pool
03.19.06 - Gotham Runners Looking Towards Rematch In Wood Memorial
03.18.06 - Like Now The Gotham Upsetter; Achilles of Troy Vanned Off
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DRF Past Performances
Next Race: 05.06 Kentucky Derby (GI)
Future Wager Odds
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Pool # |
Date |
Horse # |
Final Odds |
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3 |
04.06-09 |
22 |
10-1 |
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2 |
03.02-05 |
22 |
30-1 |
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1 |
01.26-29 |
24* |
3-1 |
* = Part of the mutuel field
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Race History :: Graded Earnings: $320,000 (as of 04.08.06) - Race Record: 6-3-0-1
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Date |
Race |
Finish |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Comments |
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04.08.06 |
Illinois Derby (GII) |
1st |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
Drew off to win going away |
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03.18.06 |
Gotham (GIII) |
3rd |
Chart |
Recap |
Video |
3-wide entire trip |
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02.04.06 |
Miracle Wood |
1st |
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Video |
Took off in the stretch to win by 10 |
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01.07.06 |
Maiden allowance @ Aqueduct |
1st |
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Video |
Drew off for another easy win |
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12.21.05 |
Maiden claiming $40K @ Laurel |
1st |
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Video |
Disqualified after 16-length win |
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08.01.05 |
Maiden allowance @ Colonial |
12th |
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Forgettable turf debut |
Recent Workouts
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Date |
Track |
Distance |
Time |
Rank |
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04.29 |
Churchill Downs |
6 furlongs (fast) |
1:11.60 B |
1/8 |
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04.21 |
Laurel |
5 furlongs (fast) |
1:00.00 B |
1/25 |
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04.01 |
Laurel |
4 furlongs (fast) |
47.00 H |
1/30 |
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Sweetnorthernsaint takes his name from his sire Sweetsouthernsaint, who had an abbreviated six race career and was undefeated in three starts at two. His lone stakes win came in the 1 1/16 mile What a Pleasure (GIII) at age two. He was also third in the Holy Bull (GIII) the following year. Besides the subject horse, he has sired four other stakes winners, including General John B, who was second in the 2005 Santa Anita Derby (GI). Sweetnorthernsaint is a son of top-class sire Saint Ballado, whos offspring include Horse of the Year Saint Liam, champion Ashado and Grade One winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Captain Bodgit.
Ice Beauty, the dam of Sweetnorthernsaint, has produced four foals, all winners. In addition to Sweetnorthernsaint, she's produced another listed stakes winner in the filly Maria's Image. Ice Beauty is a half-sister to Fighting Fantasy, a grade three stakes winner who has the distinction of finishing last in the Kentucky Derby, to Unbridled, in 1990. Ice Beauty is also related to the Grade One winning filly sprinter Snow Ridge as well as Eye of the Tiger, who was fifth in the 2003 Derby.
Sweetnorthernsaint is inbred 4x5 to noted stamina influence Herbager, who was champion 3-year-old in France and was among the top 10 U.S. sires on five occasions. His female side also boasts the presence of In Reality, who was worse than second only four times in 27 lifetime starts and won multiple Derbies during his 3-year-old campaign.
Dosage Index: 1.33 |
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SWEETNORTHERNSAINT ran an incredible race winning the Illinois Derby and even though he didn't beat much the speed figure gurus gave him one of the highest ratings in the field. Speedy sort probably can't lay worse than third or fourth early but that may be just enough to keep him out of trouble and close enough to the garden trip to save some run for down the lane. Rider Kent Desormeaux has enjoyed success in this race in the past and has really become a big race rider in the past few years traveling the world for choice mounts. Knows the horse well from two pairings and he should know just how much he can rate after taking him a bit too far back in the Gotham when neither of the front runners came back to him. Tons to like here and he's probably no lower than fourth choice in the betting by the time they pop the gate. Can't blame anyone who bets him straight and would advise players to seriously consider him for all exotics. Live contender at a solid price here. |
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Derby Info
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