Derby News

(March 16, 2006) - One of the more highly regarded 3-year-olds is taking one of the least conventional paths to Louisville and the Kentucky Derby, as WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat will lead a field of nine postward in Saturday's grade III Tampa Bay Derby. The likely favorite in the mile and a sixteenth event--now in its 26th renewal, Bluegrass Cat has already won the local prep for the event and is looking to win his fifth race in a row.

Todd Pletcher, last year's Eclipse Award-winning trainer and currently the leader at Gulfstream Park, had plenty of options with his son of Storm Cat but appeared to like the option of back-to-back mile and a sixteenth preps...an option not available in South Florida, where Pletcher is currently based. The trainer will have his hands full on Saturday, as another of his sophomores, Keyed Entry, will be running in the Gotham Stakes in New York. Pletcher's main rider, John Velazquez, has ridden both Bluegrass Cat and Keyed Entry but opted to stick with Bluegrass Cat, with whom Velazquez is undefeated.

A homebred for WinStar Farm, Bluegrass Cat, a Kentucky-bred, worked five furlongs at Palm Beach Downs in a handy 1:01 2/5, according to clockers, and as his trainer told Daily Racing Form, is: "right on where we want him to be...he's dead on to run well."

Bluegrass Cat, an earner of over a quarter of a million dollars, captured three straight races last year, including the grade III Nashua and grade II Remsen in New York. he started this year off with a victory in the Sam F. Davis in February and would be undefeated were it not for a troubled trip in his debut at Churchill Downs last June, where he ended up eighth. Now four for five lifetime, Bluegrass Cat starts in post two with Velazquez.

Just to the favorite's inside, El Lobo makes his stakes debut for Kathleen O'Connell. The son of El Corredor is undefeated in two prior starts--both at Tampa Bay Downs--including a mile and a sixteenth allowance in February. The only other locally-based competitor is Winnies Tigger Too, winner of a two-turn allowance on the grass in late February.

Among the shippers, two-time Kentucky Derby winning Nick Zito brings in an entry for Robert LaPenta. Little Cliff, who starts in post five with Jeremy Rose, finished fourth in the Sam Davis and is winless in two starts this year. The son of Gulch captured back to back races in Kentucky last fall to wrap up the year. In post eight, Ice N Lemon, owned in part by breeder Lucky Shamrock, makes his stakes debut for Zito. The son of Acceptable was a $60,000 weanling purchase who has, so far, captured one of five starts. Cornelio Velasquez will be aboard Ice N Lemon for only the second time; Velasquez rode the colt to victory when he broke his maiden at Calder going one mile last December.

The remaining invaders all ship in from South Florida and include Storm Treasure, who makes his second start of the year for Steve Asmussen, the Tommy Albertrani-trained Deputy Glitters, runner-up in the Sam Davis behind Bluegrass Cat, recent maiden winner Irish Majesty for Dale Romans and Ken and Sarah Ramsey, and starting on the outside, Rich Meadow Farm's Reaffirmed, winner of the Continental Mile at Monmouth Park last summer for Joe Orseno.

The field for the $240,000, Gr. III Tampa Bay Derby, in post position order and with riders: El Lobo, D.Centeno; Bluegrass Cat, J.Velazquez; Storm Treasure, Mike Smith; Winnies Tiger Too, Joe Rocco; Little Cliff, J. Rose; Deputy Glitters, J.Lezcano; Irish Majesty, Javier Castellano; Ice N Lemon, C.Velasquez; and Reaffirmed, Rob Landry.

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