Racetrack Lenny

March Madness Begins

On the 4th of March, there were 4 major stake races all across the country.

At Gulfstream Park, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth was run at 1-1/8th miles. A field of 10 contested the event run over a fast track. First Samurai under Edgar Prado was sent off as the prohibitive 3/5 favorite. There was much hype before the race about First Samurai never having gone 2 turns in a race and how would he handle it. Well, he handled it pretty well; but, the race was not without controversy and a DQ that worked to place First Samurai in first place. What happened?

First Samurai was winging on the front end setting fractions of 23.86; 48:30; 1:12.36 before 7-1 Corinthian (Javier Castellano) took a slim lead. Corinthian then proceeded to lug in putting a resurging First Samurai in tight quarters forcing Prado to steady First Samurai and swing to the outside for clear running room. But, Corinthian was now bearing out forcing First Samurai to go wide. Corinthian crossed the finish line first by a length and the Inquiry sign went right up. Prado also claimed foul. Result: Corinthian was taken down and placed 3rd moving up First Samurai and Flashy Bull (10-1, Rafael Bejarano) moved to 2nd. The stewards call was the right one.

The good news is that First Samurai showed he could handle 2 turns and, he showed some true grit by coming on again at the end. However, it looks like First Samurai needs the lead and is tough to rate. Let's see how he does in upcoming races.

Of the other Derby hopefuls in this race, Itsallaboutthechase (21-1, Mark Guidry) should be cured of Derby fever. He finished a well beaten 9th and never threatened. Great Point (4-1, Jeremy Rose) was a huge disappointment never lifting a hoof and finishing dead last. Not a good sign. Local horse Rehoboth was in over his head in terms of class, was sent off at 66-1 but did not do that badly. He was mid-pack and raced evenly; putting in a mild rally at the end to get 5th.

Gulfstream also had the Grade 2 Swale Stakes at 7 furlongs. One Derby hopeful, Catcominatcha broke down and was vanned off. I don't know the outcome but I hope the horse was not put down. Sharp Humor, Mark Guidry up, won by a hard fought neck at 13-1. The favorite, Noonmark, was closing down the lane but ran out of track and just missed. I don't think any Derby hopefuls will be coming out of this sprint.

Out West, Santa Anita held the Grade 2 Santa Catalina Stakes run at 1-1/16th miles. Brother Derek (1-2, Alex Solis) prompted the pace from 3rd and gradually moved up to win by 1-3/4 lenghts under steady hand-urging. Looks like his last race was for real. The lone closer in the field, Sacred Light (19-1, Aaron Gryder) swung to the outside and put in a strong close to clearly get 2nd. Pace setter Latent Heat went off 3-1 under Patrick Valenzuela and had to settle for a tiring 3rd. Quick fractions of 23.27; 46.31; 1:10.31 did this Derby hopeful in. Compared to the Fountain of Youth, I would argue Brother Derek's win was more impressive. Brother Derek will be one of the favorites the 1st Saturday in May.

Kentucky's Turfway Park held the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at 1-1/16th miles. 6-1 Laity under Corey Lanerie had the early lead, relinquished it after the opening quarter mile in 23.75 and then commenced a rally up the rail to get up by a half length. Longshot Pair of Kings (33-1, Richard Bracho) closed from dead last to get 2nd and was coming like gangbusters on the outside. Keep in mind that Turfway's surface is the new polytrack that uses a rubberized product making it easy on the horses feet and making it a bit deeper than the traditional dirt surface.

A good weekend of racing. Next weekend, the California Derby will be run at Golden Gate Fields. Followed by 4 more stakes on March 18th.

Racetrack Lenny

racetrack lenny went to the post at @ 6:59 PM