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Make your list with Check It Twice

posted by Justin Dew on February 01, 2008 Tags: ,

Considering there are about 18 gazillion people who enter the Road To The Roses contest every year, I always try to sprinkle a few relatively unknown Derby hopefuls into my stable to give myself an edge on the competition should one of them win a big race or two. Unfortunately, most of my sneaky choices either get hurt or never amount to much on the track. But that’s no reason to get boring all of a sudden and go with the same horses that 12 gazillion other people are going to use, is it?

Ok, maybe it is. So this year, I am allowing myself no more than two “slightly-under-the-radar” selections when I submit my stable for Road To The Roses. I am tired of getting zero points from 25% of my team. Enough is enough.

So who are the leading candidates to be my 2008 sneaky selections? I can tell you that one of them is Check It Twice, winner of the What A Pleasure at Calder back in December. He only appears on one of the four Derby Top 20 lists here at KentuckyDerby.com, and now that he is trained by Todd Pletcher, he has to be taken seriously. The word on the street is that he will appear next in either the Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs or the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream.

Three wins, a second and a third in five starts, this son of Repent was transferred to Pletcher after the What A Pleasure win. He’s been working steadily since early January, and a strong effort next out will move him up on many a list.

You can also get him at 75-1 in Vegas. Juicy!

As for the other nine horses that will be tabbed for mediocrity by becoming part of my stable, your guess is as good as mine. This whole synthetic surface thing has me all kinds of confused. And unless I want to end up with six horses in the same race, I really need to figure out where everyone is pointing. Having zero horses in the Santa Anita Derby and five in the Wood Memorial is no way to beat Dan Shapiro, which is really my only goal this year.

Little help?

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mike barker

02/01/2008 11:15 pm

My bomb play is Saratoga Russell i like him alot except hes out of Trippi, his last race was awesome but he hast been 2 turns yet..Let me know what you think. Oh and by the way member last year the horse u liked Ketchikan who got hurt, well i put $100 on a horse named Ceasers March today at fairgrounds who was running 2nd start back since June who ran with old Ketchikan last year...He won for fun!

justindew

02/02/2008 12:56 am

What ever happened to Ketchikan?

Maybe your bomb will like two turns. Trippi won at 1 1/8 miles I think. Or am I thinking of a different Dogwood/Pletcher horse?

blythte

02/03/2008 11:34 am

I think you might be thinking of Limehouse, I don't think Trippi ever stretched out and won. What did happen to Ketchikan? It is amazing how many horses get pointed to the Kentucky Derby and then are never heard from again afterwards.

justindew

02/03/2008 11:41 am

Didn't Trippi win a race called the Flamingo or something at 1 1/8 miles right before the KY Derby? I am 90% certain of this.

justindew

02/03/2008 11:29 am

I decided to stop being lazy and I looked it up.

Yes, Trippi won the 1 1/8 mile Flamingo at Gulfstream-at-Hialeah in his final Derby prep, and he went into the Derby undefeated.

dan

02/03/2008 3:46 pm

Talking smack already?

justindew

02/03/2008 11:41 pm

Yeah, but I give myself about a 2% chance of beating you.

battfist

02/04/2008 12:30 am

I'll throw out two bombs...

TIZBIG- H.A. Jerkens trained... ran a decent second on the 24th of Jan. coming from the 1 post. Might improve next race...

SIGNATURE MOVE - Guilot trained... won two in row on the synthetic surface...

And my dog Astro...that is in 10 yard sprint!

sripa1212

02/07/2008 11:50 pm

Jutin -...a big under the radar horse...Tomcito...just to keep an eye out..i got his film from South america...multiple grade I winner...now at palm meadows..

mike barker

02/14/2008 9:28 am

Saratoga Russel won by 11 lengths i wish they would stretch him out!!

mike barker

02/14/2008 1:35 pm

Ketchikan launching a comeback
By MARCUS HERSH
NEW ORLEANS - Ketchikan, one of the more exciting 3-year-old prospects at this time last year, has returned to trainer Al Stall's Fair Grounds barn following a long layoff, and is training toward his first start since the Louisiana Derby on March 10 last year.

Ketchikan won a maiden race a year ago January, impressively captured a two-turn entry-level allowance race here, and then was a fine second behind Circular Quay and in front of Zanjero in the Louisiana Derby. But while training toward a final Kentucky Derby prep, Ketchikan came up with a problem in his leg - some sort of bone bruising - and went on a long, long holiday.

"He's big and starting to look athletic," Stall said. "All that time off, Mother Nature took care of whatever was bothering him."

Stall said that Ketchikan came into his Fair Grounds barn on Dec. 26, and that the colt is galloping 1 1/2 miles every day. If he continues moving forward in his training, Ketchikan could have his first breeze sometime around March 1, Stall said.