This biweekly column by Mike Curry of America’s Grand Prix provides an overview of three horses warming up on the Triple Crown trail.
first. Tapit Trice
Regular readers of this blog know that I rarely award third place to a daughter or grant winner, but I made an exception this week thanks to an eight-part walkthrough. superiority of this promising son. faucet in a one-mile allowance option race on February 4 at Gulfstream Park.
In fact, his landslide win over coach Todd Pletcher in the Hall of Fame combined with some unimpressive Kentucky Derby (G1) prep races helped Tapit Trice take the top spot. . In his previous race, Tapit Trice passed slide Mahoney neck in the first special weight class race in December 2022 on the muddy track at aqueduct. That victory was celebrated when Slip Mahoney returned to win his 3-year-old debut in January. Tapit Trice was the second betting pick of his February 4 allowance win but he made it look easy with the last 1/4 mile being: 24.53 and last 1/8 mile. The same strong is: 12.30. He equaled the top 96 Base Speed Number in his career for the win but his Beyer Speed Number (92) was even more eye-catching and ranked in the top 10 at distance one miles or more for a 3-year-old by 2023.
Pletcher used the Gulfstream subsidy to succeed in the Kentucky Derby with Always dreaming in 2017, and Tapit Trice has a very strong 1 1/4 mile pedigree. Led by Tapit, Tapit Trice is produced by Dunkirk mare dazatrice , who three times won the bet in races longer than a mile. He looks like a very good Derby prospect in the Triple Crown season that very few 3-year-olds really shine.
2. Missiles can
When I covered high school sports many years ago, an athletic director who used the phrase “six in one, half a dozen in that” frequently became a popular topic in the sports department. sports, but it seems to fit in quite well with the recent split. bet on Rocket Can and Hit Show winners for number two here. It’s really all about preference but I gave Rocket Can a slight nod based on a key factor I consider important when evaluating Derby contenders: how they finished the race. Rocket Can finished significantly better at winning the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in 3/4 of the time on February 4 than Hit Show did in his stake win. that. Holy Bull’s win time of 1:44.97 for a rather slow 1/16 mile but that was largely due to the slow pace and Rocket Can finished quickly with a final 1/16 mile in 6.43 seconds and the last year -sixteenth in just over 31 seconds.
Although Holy Bull’s speed numbers come back pretty light (89 Equibase Speed Numbers, 82 Beyer Speed Numbers), I think he can improve for a good win beautiful in the first bet for Hall of Fame coach Bill Mott. Plus, he has a great pedigree to excel as the races last longer. He belongs to the leader into naughty out of the mare Tapit Stress and his grandma is the 1st grade multiple winner Tiz is tough by two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow .
3. impressions
It looks like Hit Show’s 5 1/2 long Withers Stakes (G2) win on February 11 at the Aqueduct was appreciated by the speed number makers as he clinched a good 93 Base Speed Number career top and career top 91 Beyer speed numbers. The candy ride colt improved his Equibase and Beyer metrics after every start in his four-race career for 2020 and 2021 Eclipse Award-winning coach Brad Cox. Like Tapit Trice and Rocket Can, Hit Show seems to have been bred to thrive when races last longer on the Derby track—he overtakes Candy Ride, record-setter at 1 1/4 mile, among Black winners. -Eyed Susan Stakes in 2017 Actress by Tapit.
With three wins in four starts and a clear (bad start) reason for his lone defeat, the Hit Show has a lot of potential for owner breeders Gary and Mary West. However, my only weakness with his Withers win is not insignificant as he really didn’t finish well in the 1/8 mile race. He completed his last three-eighths of a mile in approximately: 41.08, according to the Equibase chart, with a final distance of: 14.06. That’s to watch out for in his final prep for the Kentucky Derby, which will most likely be $750,000, Level 2 Wood Memorial Stock on April 8 at the Aqueduct.
