Kentucky Derby 134 Update: April 4

TOP STORIES:

- War Pass Seeks Redemption in Wood Memorial
- Colonel John, El Gato Malo Meet Again in Santa Anita Derby
- Undefeated Denis of Cork Faces Six in Illinois Derby

EAST/NINE CHALLENGE WAR PASS IN WOOD MEMORIAL – Robert LaPenta’s champion War Pass, whose cloak of invincibly was tarnished in a last-place finish in the March 15 Tampa Bay Derby (Grade III), will get a shot at redemption Saturday when he faces nine rivals in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct.

Conditioned by two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito, War Pass won his first five career starts and was champion two-year-old of 2007 with a perfect campaign that was capped off by a victory in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI). After opening 2008 with a victory in a mile allowance test at Gulfstream Park, War Pass was beaten 23 ¼ lengths as the 1-20 favorite in the Tampa Bay Derby.

War Pass will break from post position five under regular rider Cornelio Velasquez in the mile and one-eighth race on the main track at Aqueduct.

Of his nine rivals, seven are Triple Crown nominees of which three are graded stakes winners.

IEAH Stables and WinStar Farm’s Court Vision opened 2008 with a third-place finish in the Fountain of Youth (GII) on Feb. 24 after closing 2007 with victories in the Remsen (GII) at Aqueduct and the Iroquois (GIII) at Churchill Downs.

Charles Fipke’s Tale of Ekati won the Futurity (GII) at Belmont and Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Anak Nakal took the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (GII) at Churchill Downs.

The field for the Wood Memorial, from the rail out, is as follows: Stonerside Stable’s Texas Wildcatter, Peachtree Stable’s Spurrier, Court Vision, Flying Zee Stable’s First Commandment, War Pass, Puglisi Stables’ Roman Emperor, Albert Fried Jr.’s Giant Moon, Tale of Ekati, IEAH Stables and WinStar Farm’s Inner Light, and Anak Nakal.

First Commandment and Inner Light are not Triple Crown nominees.

J BE K CUTS BACK IN BAY SHORE – Zayat Stables’ J Be K, who pressed the pace in the mile and a sixteenth Louisiana Derby (GII) in his most recent start, will face seven rivals Saturday in the $150,000 Bay Shore (GIII) at Aqueduct.

The seven-furlong test drew three other Triple Crown nominees besides J Be K, who won his first two career starts before fading to eighth in the Louisiana Derby.

Topping the other Triple Crown nominees are Germania Farms’ Gattopardo, winner of the Miracle Wood at Laurel in his most recent start, Edgewood Farm’s Make the Point, and Alan Cook’s Jockey Ridge.

WEST/SHAM STANDOUTS RENEW RIVALRY IN SANTA ANITA DERBY – WinStar Farm’s Colonel John and West Point Thoroughbreds’ El Gato Malo, the 1-2 finishers in the March 1 Sham Stakes (GIII) at a mile and one-eighth, will face nine other rivals Saturday in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) at nine furlongs.

Making his 2008 debut, Colonel John dealt El Gato Malo his first defeat in four starts by posting a half-length victory in the Sham. Trained by Eoin Harty, Colonel John had won the Real Quiet Stakes last fall at Hollywood Park and closed out the year by running second in the CashCall Futurity (GI).

El Gato Malo had won his first three starts by a combined 16 lengths for trainer Craig Dollase.

Corey Nakatani will ride Colonel John and break from post position five, while David Flores has the call on El Gato Malo and will exit post position eight.

The field for the Santa Anita Derby, from the rail out, is as follows: Harlequin Ranches, David Bienstock, Richard Duggan and Charles Winner’s Yankee Bravo, Southern Equine Stable’s Signature Move, Amerman Racing’s Coast Guard, Jeff Harmon and Tim Kasparoff’s Bob Black Jack, Colonel John, Glencrest Farm, Dapple Stable and Sassafras Racing I’s On the Virg, Mike Connors, Jim Hawkins and Kevin and Terry Jacobsen’s Shore Do, El Gato Malo, B.J. Wright’s Polonius, Bongo Racing Stable’s Meetingwithdestiny and Charlotte Wrather’s Rosso Corsa.

All but Shore Do are Triple Crown nominees.

The race lost one of its likely favorites when George Schwary’s Georgie Boy suffered a pulled back muscle Monday and was declared out of the race and off the Kentucky Derby trail by trainer Kathy Walsh.

Georgie Boy had won the San Vicente (GII) and San Felipe (GII) in his two 2008 starts.

MIDWEST/DENIS OF CORK GOES FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT IN ILLINOIS DERBY – Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr.’s Denis of Cork will attempt to run his undefeated streak to four on Saturday when he faces six rivals in the $500,000 Illinois Derby (GII) at Hawthorne Race Course.

Trained by David Carroll, Denis of Cork opened his career on closing day of Churchill Downs’ Fall Meet on Nov. 24 with a stylish victory at seven furlongs. The son of Harlan’s Holiday opened 2008 with an allowance score in the mud at Fair Grounds on Jan. 19 in his two-turn debut and followed that up with a victory in the one-mile Southwest Stakes (GIII) at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 18.

Among Denis of Cork’s rivals are Dogwood Stable’s Atoned, second in the Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) in his most recent start, Zayat Stables’ Z Humor, fourth in the Fountain of Youth (GII) in his most recent start, and M375 Thoroughbreds and Suarez Racing’s Golden Spikes, who was fifth in the Fountain of Youth.

The field for the Illinois Derby, from the rail out, is as follows: Louis Roussel and Ronald Lamarque’s Recapturetheglory, Sharon Morgan’s Instill, Z Humor, Atoned, Denis of Cork, Golden Spikes and Roulette Racing’s Real Appeal. All are Triple Crown nominees.

FOUR TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES IN TRANSYLVANIA AT KEENELAND – Godolphin Racing’s Barrier Reef, winner of the Whirlaway over the inner track at Aqueduct on Feb. 2, was scheduled to make his turf debut Friday afternoon in the $150,000 Central Bank Transylvania Stakes (GIII) at Keeneland.

Other Triple Crown nominees in the field of nine were Monticule, LLC’s Prussian, winner of the Summer Stakes (GIII) in September at Woodbine, Uptown Racing’s Boss Lafitte and Zayat Stables’ Riley Tucker.

KODIAK KOWBOY FACES SEVEN IN LAFAYETTE – Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm’s Kodiak Kowboy, third to champion War Pass in the 2007 Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Monmouth Park, heads a field of eight for the $100,000-added Lafayette Stakes at 7 furlongs on the Polytrack at Keeneland.

Winner of the Bashford Manor (GIII) at Churchill Downs last summer, Kodiak Kowboy made his 2008 debut at Oaklawn Park with a six-length allowance score at six furlongs.

Also in the field that includes six Triple Crown nominees is Zayat Stables’ Eaton’s Gift. Trained by Dale Romans, Eaton’s Gift enters the Lafayette off a victory in the 6 ½-furlong Swale Stakes (GII) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 2.

The other Triple Crown nominees in the Lafayette are W.S. Farish’s Bonanza, Paul Giacopelli’s Cape of Storms, Vision Racing’s Keep Laughing and Lansdon Robbins III’s Ling Ling Qi.