The road to the 2017 Kentucky Derby begins this week and with the start of my 19th year of the "At the Post" column here in the Recorder. The biggest news early on the prep race trail is that the top two leading contenders for the First Saturday in May have physical issues that have prevented them from their next scheduled race. Two year old champion; Classic Empire was unusually dull in three year old debut at Gulfstream Park in the recently run, Holy Bull Stakes. It was determined after that race, he had a foot abscess which has cause him to miss today's Fountain of Youth Stakes. His trainer; Mark Casse now is pointing him to the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8th. Meanwhile, McCracken who won his seasonal debut in Sam Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay, wrenched his ankle after a workout this week and will miss his next start in the Tampa Bay Derby. He too will contest the Blue Grass Stakes in his next start.
With both of the leading contenders for this year's derby missing their next start, for the first time in recent years the Kentucky Derby is looking for leader for favoritism. We've had four straight favorites win the Run for the Roses in Orb, California Chrome, American Pharoah and Nyquist. Two of the four have become legendary horses after thier derby victory. With the current top two runners having question marks at this current time, someone has to step up quickly. We may get that from the two runners right behind Classic Empire and McCracken in my pecking order.
Irish War Cry (trained by Graham Motion) led the Holy Bull field wire to wire, first time going two turns at 4-1. Undefeated in all three of his career starts, this son of Curlin faces ten others including nine new faces in today's Fountain of Youth Stakes (GP 13th). Another effort like his last and he moves solidly to the top of my three year old rankings. Meanwhile in New York, This year's version of Smarty Jones goes for his third straight three year old stake victory this winter. El Areeb (trained by Maryland based, Cathal Lynch) has won two- two turn contests the grade III Withers and Jerome Stakes. This son of Exchange Rate has won four straight and faces nine runners, including six new opponents. A victory here and in the Wood Memorial may propel him as one of the betting choices in ten weeks.
We've said a little about the two favorites in both of today's three year old preps, now I'll add a few other runners to use with them when wagering today. The Gotham Stakes (8th ~ 4:50) at Aqueduct is a mile and a sixteenth on their inner-track. So Conflated (#8) looks interesting shipping in from winning the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in his last start. That was on polytrack and he was scratched from last weekend's Risen Star Stakes at the Fairgrounds after drawing the far outside post. Action Everyday (#10) ships up from Tampa Bay for Todd Pletcher. He's two for two, but has to overcome the far outside post first time in a stake. The play for the Gotham is : 4 with 8/10 with 8/10 with 3/6/9. The Fountain of Youth (13th~6:05) at Gulfstream is a mile and a sixteenth also. Here I'm going to try and beat Irish War Cry with Practical Joke (#6) coming a third place finish in last Fall's Breeder's Cup Juvenile. With the 6 & 8 in the first two positions, I'll use underneath those two; Gunnevera (#2) who has only one bad effort since winning the Saratoga Special last summer, Talk Logistics (#4) longshot closer to use in exotics and Made You Look (#9) a Todd Pletcher turf stakes winner trying dirt for the first time in his career. The play for the Fountain of Youth is : 6/8 with 6/8 with 2/4/9.
No comments:
Post a Comment