Quite often in important races with a full field of runners, many times the "best horse" doesn't win. This can be said with many editions of the Kentucky Derby, after all we have a whole lot of young thoroughbreds grouped together and attempting something none have ever done before; going a classic distance of ground. It's takes a special horse and last Saturday evening we saw one.
California Chrome became the fifth favorite since 2000 to win the Run for the Roses. As the 5-2 favorite (lowest since Big Brown in 2008) he went into the race as the best horse and came out of it with the same credentials. The California bred son of Lucky Pulpit sat the perfect trip the entire 10 furlongs of the race and stamped himself as the best three year old colt of 2014 so far. His connections had a story book tale with a likeable crew of owners who reminded me of the Funny Cide group from 2003 and a trainer who once before was at the Derby scene, only it was nearly 60 years ago.
Art Sherman, long time west coast trainer was on the Kentucky Derby trail a very long time ago with the legendary horse; Swaps in 1955. Then, he was the exercise rider for that horse who won the Derby and put California bred runners on the map. Now, this trainer came full circle with his own horse and the storybook tale continues to Baltimore in a week as he attempts victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. He was the real deal and best favorite to win this race since Fusiachi Pegasus in 2000.
Six years ago, a runner named; Big Brown won the Derby at nearly the same odds and from post 20. That group he faced that year wasn't that good in hind sight and he would go on the win the second leg of the Triple Crown. But we all know how he broke hearts in the Belmont Stakes and never was much of a runner after that race. I know I'm biased against Big Brown for my own reasons and believe that in the long haul, California Chrome will be a bigger thoroughbred than Big Brown.
While the focus on this year's Kentucky Derby was one of a possible speed collapse for the closers, the time did come up on the slow side with the lowest Beyer speed figure (97) since the inception of these figures. On paper, he was a deserving favorite and with so many of the highly rated two year olds of last year not making the race last week, he had the perfect spot to become the "best horse" to win. Few from the Derby are willingly to follow him in the Preakness and the "new shooters aren't in the same caliber as him. Past history is on his side also, when a dominate Kentucky Derby winner returns in two weeks, he wins. So, I won't be trying to beat him next week. The focus will be on another victory for him and once again the "chance" of seeing history on June 7th at Belmont Park. We have a superstar in the making, with the right connections and horsepower to become a household name.
Today, we have a prep race for the Belmont Stakes in four weeks. The mile and an eighth; Peter Pan Stakes will be contested on the huge Belmont Park oval with seven runners entered. The morning line favorite at 2-1 is Tonalist (#4) trained by Christophe Clement. This lightly raced son of Tapit makes his fourth career start after a runner-up 2nd place finish behind Constitution in a optional claimer at Gulfstream Park on February 22nd. He has had a few minor setbacks since then and has been pointed for this race. He'll be my top selection off his bullet workout in return. For 2nd, I'm going with the much improved Our Caravan (#6) who was big in winning on April 5th in the Calder Derby going a mile in a eighth. It was a huge reversal in form from his two pervious stakes starts at Gulfstream Park. I'll round out my selections with Commissioner (#3) trained by Todd Pletcher. He has been no factor in his last three stake starts and gets one last chance today and may improve over Big Sandy with it's wide sweeping turns.
No comments:
Post a Comment