Kentucky Derby 134 Update: March 3rd

Colonel John opened his 2008 campaign in grand style Saturday by holding off the previously undefeated El Gato Malo by a half-length in the $200,000 Sham Stakes (Grade III) over the Cushion Track surface at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Garrett Gomez and trained by Eoin Harty, Colonel John stalked a slow pace (:24.97, :50.04, 1:14.35) set by Victory Pete until taking over at the head of the lane. El Gato Malo, under David Flores, swung three wide entering the lane and had dead aim on Colonel John but ran out of ground as Colonel John stopped the clock in 1:50.15 for the mile and an eighth over the synthetic surface. The final eighth of a mile was run in :11.88.

Victory Pete held on for third, a length ahead of Reflect Times in the field of five.

A homebred son of Tiznow out of the Turkoman mare Sweet Damsel, Colonel John raised his record to 5-3-2-0 for earnings of $375,300. The Sham was his first start since finishing second in the CashCall Futurity on Dec. 22 at Hollywood Park.

Colonel John closed at 19-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager that closed Feb. 10. El Gato Malo, who had won his first three starts, closed at 16-1.

The Santa Anita Derby (GI) on April 5 looms on the horizon for the top two finishers.

“We’ll stay here,” Harty said. “As long as the track’s good, I’m staying here.”

Craig Dollase was also looking ahead for El Gato Malo, who is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds.

“It was a good run,” Dollase said. “He had the inside post and the pace was slow, but he came out and made his run, and they had first jump on us, but I think it was a good prep for him. … As long as he comes out (of the race) healthy, we’re on to the next dance, the Santa Anita Derby.”

El Camino Real Derby Draws 25 Nominees – Two recent Triple Crown nominated stakes winners, Gayego and Nikki’sgoldensteed, are among 25 nominees for Saturday’s $150,000 El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at a mile and a sixteenth at Bay Meadows.

Owned by Cubanacan Stables, Gayego won the 6 ½-furlong San Pedro Stakes by 2 ¾ lengths in his most recent start on Jan. 20 at Santa Anita. The son of Gilded Time is trained by Paulo Lobo and has earnings of $83,420 with a career record of 2-1-0 in three career starts.

Matthew Lomas and Gary Spencer’s Nikki’sgoldensteed was a 5 ¾-length winner of the Turf Paradise Derby on Feb. 9 at a mile and a sixteenth. The son of Formal Gold is trained by Bob Hess and has earnings of $106,036 with a career record of 2-1-1 in six starts.

Amerman Racing Stables’ Coast Guard, runner-up in the Feb. 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (GII) at Santa Anita, is expected to head north from his Southern California base for the race after trainer David Hofmans scratched the son of Stormy Atlantic from the Sham because of a minor ankle injury.

Ten Meropa Takes U.S. Debut In Baldwin – A & R Stables and Class Racing Stables’ Ten Meropa made his United States debut a winning one Sunday when he rallied from last to defeat seven rivals in the $110,050 Baldwin Stakes (GIII) at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Tyler Baze for trainer Ral Ayers, Ten Meropa improved his record to 6-2-0-2 with earnings of $77,230. A son of Johannesburg out of the Danehill mare Tenderly, Ten Meropa had not run since Sept. 8 in England, where he made his first five starts.

Ten Meropa, who is not nominated to the Triple Crown, covered the 6 ½ furlongs on a firm turf course in 1:13.09 in defeating favored Sky Cape by 1 ¼ lengths. Sky Cape fared best of the four Triple Crown nominees in the Baldwin as Nevada Worrier finished fourth, Returning fifth and Sea of Pleasure seventh.

Ayers said no future plans have been outlined for Ten Meropa.

SOUTH /PYRO FAVORED IN LOUISIANA DERBY – Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Pyro, a dazzling winner in last month’s Risen Star Stakes (GIII), heads a field of nine 3-year-olds entered on Monday for Saturday’s 95^th running of the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (GII) at Fair Grounds.

The Louisiana Derby is the ninth race on a 12-race card at the New Orleans track that will be the richest day of racing in Louisiana history, with stakes purses totaling $2.3 million. Post time for the Derby is 4:48 p.m. CST.

Regular jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will be in the irons aboard the Steve Asmussen-trained Pyro, who snapped a three-race losing streak with a breathtaking last-to-first rally in the Risen Star. He lost to unbeaten 2-year-old champion War Pass in all three races, which included runner-up finishes in the $2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Monmouth Park and the Champagne (GI) at Belmont Park.

Pyro’s competition in the Louisiana Derby will include Tale of Ekati and Majestic Warrior, a pair of colts that stamped themselves as future stars with wins in major New York stakes races for 2-year-olds. The Barclay Tagg-t rained Tale of Ekati captured the Grade II Futurity at Belmont Park before finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Majestic Warrior, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won the Grade I Hopeful last summer at Saratoga, but has not started since finishing sixth in Belmont’s Grade I Champagne.

Other contenders in the Louisiana Derby include California Derby winner Yankee Bravo, Lecomte (GIII) runner-up Blackberry Road, and Zayat Stables LLC’s J Be K.

The latter was a front-running five-length winner in an allowance race at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 15. The Silver Deputy colt, formerly trained by three-time Kentucky Derby-winner Bob Baffert, made his debut for the Asmussen barn in that victory.

The field for the Louisiana Derby will be completed by Unbridled Vicar, My Pal Charlie and Stevil.

SOUTHEAST/HEY BYRN ROLLS AGAIN, RUNS INTO FLORIDA DERBY PICTURE – A field of six highly regarded, but lightly tested, Kentucky Derby hopefuls gathered in the starting gate on Sunday for a mile and an eighth allowance race at Gulfstream Park, but in the end the talk was all about Bea Oxenberg’s Hey Byrn.

The 3-year-old son of Put It Back rallied from just off a slow pace and pulled away for an easy six-length victory under jockey Edgar Prado. It was the second consecutive romp for Hey Byrn, who has rolled to a 14 ½-length victory in a one-mile allowance race on Feb. 10. ZWP Stable’s 23-1 longshot Wonder Mon edged early pacesetter Sleuse for second. Zayat Stable’s previously unbeaten Alaazo, the race favorite, made a mild rally on the far turn, but faded to finish last in the field of six.

Florida-based trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said the streaking Hey Byrn had earned a start 9in the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on March 29. Plesa’s colt is not yet nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown, but Plesa is expected to the $6,000 fee require to make the colt a late nominee to the three-race series.

“I’m really pleased with the way this horse has come around this year,” Plesa said. “We had to stop on him last year because of a little blood infection.”

Hey Byrn, who is named for Oxenberg’s late husband Bernie, covered the distance over a “fast” track in 1:52.78.

MIDWEST/FILLY ABSOLUTELY CINDY HUMBLES BOYS IN BATTAGLIA – Keith Kinmon’s Absolutely Cindy showed her heels to 10 males, including four Triple Crown nominees, in winning Saturday’s $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial by 1 ¾ lengths over Katierich Stable’s Your Round at Turfway Park.

Ridden by Orlando Mojica, Absolutely Cindy rallied from dead last and blew past Your Round in the final 100 yards to complete the mile and a sixteenth over the Polytrack surface in 1:44.69.

Ridden by Victor Lebron, Your Round, a Triple Crown nominee, had overtaken the pacesetting Mr. Harry on the far turn and appeared to be home free until Absolutely Cindy blew by. Your Round finished 6 ½ lengths clear of Dixie Decision with WEBN Stakes winner Big Glen another length back in fourth.

Triple Crown nominees Mr. Harry, Beneficiary and Briarwood Circle checked in sixth, seventh and 11^th respectively. Briarwood Circle went off as the race favorite.

The Battaglia served as Turfway Park’s final major prep for the Lane’s End (GII) to be run March 22. Kinmon indicated that Absolutely Cindy would start next in the April 5 Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland.

EAST/GATTOPARDO OVERPOWERS MIRACLE WOOD FOES – Germania Farms’ homebred Gattopardo made his stakes debut a successful one Saturday by cruising to a 2 ¾-length victory over Apple Special in the $55,200 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park.

Trained by Tim Tullock and ridden by Julien Pimentel, Gattopardo rated just off the pace of Cave’s Valley before drawing on even terms on the final turn. Gattopardo took over at midstretch and easily held off Apple Special, owned by Morgan Wayson Jr. as Cave Valley, owned by Harry and Tom Meyerhoff, faded to third, another 1 ¾ lengths back. Gattopardo completed the seven furlongs over a track rated as “fast” in 1:24.16.

The top three finishers are Triple Crown nominees.

A son of Johannesburg out of the Fly Till Dawn mare Senza Paura, Gattopardo increased to his record to 3-3-0 in six races with earnings of $84,540.

According to Tullock, the Bay Shore (GIII) at Aqueduct on April 5 at seven furlongs may be next for Gattopardo with that as a springboard toward the Preakness (GI) on May 17.

“He is a wonderful horse but needs more time,” Tullock said. “He has not won the route of ground yet. He has run well but all three of his wins are sprinting. I am hopeful he runs well in the Bay Shore and after one more start look at the Preakness.”