By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman
Originally, the three Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers were scheduled to take place this Saturday. But the delay of the Aqueduct’s $250,000 Withers S. (G3) due to cold weather makes the Holy Bull S. (G3) $250,000 at Gulfstream Park and Robert B. Lewis S. (G3) worth $250,000 at Gulfstream Park. $200,000 at Santa Anita became the highlight of the action weekend.
Take a look at both races:
Saint Bull S. (G3)
The 1 1/16 mile Holy Bull made a bit of an appearance this year; There is not a single winner stake in this area. But that means a competitive race is brewing.
Out of the eight participants, my favorite is #4 Naughty Tornado (2-1). The son of four-time male lead Into Mischief crossed the first 1 1/16 mile special weight class at Keeneland last fall and followed up with the in-game attempt at the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) ) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Racing 1 1/16 mile at Churchill Downs, Cyclone Mischief sped up and took the lead in the middle of the race before waning to finish in seventh, only beaten 2 3/4 distance by the next winner. according to Lecomte S. (G3) Instant Coffee.
Cyclone Mischief made a nice recovery in a $75,000 option claimant grant at Gulfstream Park last month, using pace-tracking tactics to beat its rivals by 5 3/4 way. long. This Saturday, I envision Cyclone Mischief on a perfect stalking trip #6 Heritage Island before taking command to secure his first bet win.
Speaking of Legacy Isle, he’s a decent pick for second place. He crossed the rope first in the mile-long Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream last month, only to be relegated to second place for obstructing the runner-up. Legacy Isle survived at breakneck speed in Mucho Macho Man and was able to exit with an easier lead in Holy Bull, opening the door for another stellar performance.
We can’t miss #8 Missiles can (7-2) or. Intern Bill Mott struggled on his first two sprints, but thrived running more than 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs, winning the special junior weights and about runner-up in a $100,000 option grant. The winner of the second race, the Confidence Game, finished third in Lecomte.
Select
Part 1: Naughty Tornado
Monday: Heritage Island
Tuesday: Rocket Can
Robert B. Lewis S. (G3)
They say nothing is certain in horse racing, but we can say with 100% certainty that coach Bob Baffert will beat Robert B. Lewis for the fifth year in a row. The Hall of Fame Air Conditioner trains all four participants for the 1/16-mile award.
At first glance, it’s tempting to take sides #2 New Gate, who has performed quite well in a steady stream of highly classified holdings. Del Mar’s first winner finished fourth in Del Mar Futurity (G1) after multiple Cave Rock 1st Place winners, fifth in Breeders’ Futurity (G1) behind two-year-old men’s champion Forte, second in Bob’s Hope S. (G3) is behind Havnameltdown, a three-times classified bet winner, and is second by a neck in Sham S. (G3) ahead of stable friend Reincarnation.
But Newgate hasn’t visited the winner’s circle in a while and he hasn’t been able to run down Recorn even after getting a favorable pace setup in Sham. Since Newgate has shown a tendency to settle for small prizes, I will attack him with #1 Arabian Lion.
The Arabian Lion made his extended six-stroke sprint debut at Santa Anita and then ran a brave run with a $100,000 grant to optional claimants in the extended seven-stroke sprint at Keeneland. Despite racing wider than ground rescue winner Giant Mischief (later runner-up in Remington Springboard Mile S.), the Arabian Lions fought hard to finish second with 3/4 of the distance. The final time passed quickly and the Arabian Lion was far ahead of the finisher in third place by 17 1/2 distances.
There was little concern that the Arabian Lion had misfired his bets and route debut, finishing last of five at the 1 1/16-mile Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). But that effort marked such a dramatic setback from the Arabian Lion’s previous form that I wanted to draw a line for the effort and assume something went wrong. The Arabian Lion has trained intensely since then (most recently fired a five-shot on: 58 4/5 at Santa Anita) and holds the service of rider John Velazquez in the Hall of Fame, so I’m optimistic that the Arabian Lions will bounce back with a big run on Saturday.
#3 Worcester. Yes, he’s a teenager, but Worcester has faced a number of capable opponents, including his ranked stable of friends Hejazi and Faustin. As the son of Empire Maker, Worcester has a pedigree that shines when it comes to two turns.
Select
First: Arabian Lion
Monday: New Gate
Tuesday: Worcester
Now it’s your turn! Who’s your favorite in this week’s Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, disabled athlete, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers Zenyatta his all-time favorite.
