Zito "Dialed In" - Derby Top 21 for January 31st

In what has so far been the best performance of the new year, DIALED IN came storming down the stretch from off the pace, to win the Holy Bull Stakes yesterday by a widening 1 & 1/2 lengths. With only a Maiden win on his resume, the Mineshaft colt impressively dispatched the field of accomplished 3 year olds, including Gourmet Dinner, Sweet Ducky, and favored Mucho Macho Man.

Dialed In (Mineshaft) wins the Holy Bull. (Photo: Joe Ganley/EquiSport Photos)

Trainer Nick Zito had originally entered Dialed In in an Allowance two weeks earlier, but scratched due to sloppy conditions. The jump straight into Stakes company is unusual for a Maiden winner.
 “He’s very special," Zito said. "I’ve never had a horse do this, go from a maiden special race to jump up and win a race like the Holy Bull.

Ridden patiently by Julien Leparoux, Dialed In spotted the field 10 lengths down the backside before angling in at the far turn. He made his move coming out wide in the turn, collecting rivals in his wake. "Nick told me just to leave him alone and drop to the rail and that’s what I did" Leparoux recounted. "He said just to be patient. When I asked him, he really ran on well. This is obviously a very nice horse.”

The long time partnership between Owner Robert LaPenta and Nick Zito has produced serious Derby contenders in the past, including last year's Ice Box, and War Pass before that. “There’s a long way to go, but this certainly puts him on the Trail," said LaPenta. "Nick did an incredible job training this horse up to this race, getting him ready and not rushing him. This had to be one of Nick’s best training jobs.”

Others making the Top 20 this week:

Veteran trainer Neil Howard has a couple of up and coming colts getting noticed in New Orleans.

MACHEN (Distorted Humor) improved to 2-for 2 with an impressive Allowance win at Fairgrounds January 30th. The 3-year-old now has sights set on the Derby Trail with a possible next start in the Risen Star Febraury 19th. "It was only his second start and, it's funny, he's got a great demeanor, but these three-year-olds, they're still kind of young and they're looking around," Howard said. "They're not completely smooth yet. I think all of that will subside away."

Howard's deep stable also includes WILKINSON (Lemon Drop Kid). Garrett Gomez rode the colt to a rail skimming victory in the Lecomte Stakes at Fairgrounds January 22. “He’s still learning how to run but he pays attention,” said Gomez. “Neil just told me to have confidence in this horse so I did.”

The "WORD". Top 20 (or so) Kentucky Derby Trail

Rank Horse (Sire)
1 UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie)
2 TO HONOR AND SERVE (Bernardini)
3 DIALED IN (Mineshaft)
4 BOYS AT TOSCANOVA (Officer)
5 TAPIZAR (Tapit)
6 COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie)
7 SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway)
8 STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini)
9 JAYCITO (Victory Gallop)
10 WILKINSON (Lemon Drop Kid)
11 JP'S GUSTO (Successful Appeal)
12 ROGUE ROMANCE (Smarty Jones)
13 GOURMET DINNER (Trippi)
14 ASTROLOGY (AP Indy)
15 SWEET DUCKY (Pulpit)
16 MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno)
17 BRETHREN (Distorted Humor)
18 SOLDAT (War Front)
19 THE FACTOR (War Front)
20 MACHEN Distorted (Humor)
21 ELITE ALEX (Afleet Alex)
22 CASPER'S TOUCH (Touch Gold)

That's it for now.. mw

Asmussen's Road to Derby Leads Through California

STEVE ASMUSSEN likes the dirt.
Prompted by the switch back to a conventional dirt racing surface, Asmussen brought a string of promising youngsters to train for the winter at Santa Anita Park for the first time.

Tapazar, Garrett Gomez up, wins the Sham Stakes 1.15.2011 (Photo: 1/1000th @ iso 200, f/4, 300mm. Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos)

 TAPIZAR (Tapit), lived up to his billing for Asmussen as a Derby contender, by dusting the field in the Sham Stakes (G3), January 15th at Santa Anita. The colt set blazing fractions, in his gate to wire romp, :22 3/5, :45 1/5 and 1:08 4/5 for the first 6 furlongs. He drew away from the field in the stretch to win by 4 lengths, posting a 1:40 1/5 for the mile and sixteenth.

Tapazar, Garrett Gomez up, wins the Sham Stakes 1.15.2011 (Photo: 1/2000th @ iso 640, f/7.1, 40mm. Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos)

 Asmussen confessed afterwards, "I was very concerned when they put up the (fractional) times, but honestly, if I wouldn't have looked up at the board, I wouldn't have been. I thought he was away from the gate very kindly. I watched the break; he broke on his feet but he wasn't being extremely aggressive."

Steve Asmussen is enjoying success at Santa Anita. (Photo: 1/640th @ iso 320, f/7.1, 200mm, Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

 "I think the race track's just yielding extremely fast times", the trainer went on to say. "His work the other morning indicated how sharp he was right now, that :47 and change (:47 1/5 for a half-mile on Thursday). We want him to be handy, and I think now, keeping him healthy, if he can go far enough, and keep improving with the distances, are the questions we have."
"The horse gives us a lot of confidence in that he can do more. He's talented, but there's a lot of kid to him, a lot of playfulness in him", Asmussen concluded. 

ASTROLOGY, the promising AP Indy colt, is another Asmussen charge who has been training well at Santa Anita. After an impressive win in the Iroquois, he finished a game second to Santiva in the Kentucky Jockey Club S.

Astrology, Garrett Gomez up, wins the Iroquois Stakes 10.31.2010. (Photo: 1/1600th @ iso 640, f/8, 200mm, Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

“(Astrology) is a beautiful horse; tons of pedigree," Asmussen said after the Iroquois. "This is a very important 2-year-old win. He just needs to get to the next step. This will help, he’s got a ton of ability. He is very impressive to train, he’s got a beautiful big stride, but I think he can do better.”

The new dirt seems to be good so far for Steve Asmussen, he and assistant Scott Blasi have a string of 30 at Santa Anita. My guess is that the road to Louisville winds through the hills of Southern California for this stable.

Here's the rest of "The Derby Word" for January 16th, 2011.

Rank Horse (Sire)
1 UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie)
2 TO HONOR AND SERVE (Bernardini)
3 BOYS AT TOSCANOVA (Officer)
4 TAPIZAR (Tapit)
5 COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie)
6 SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway)
7 ROGUE ROMANCE (Smarty Jones)
8 BRETHREN (Distorted Humor)
9 GOURMET DINNER (Trippi)
10 JP'S GUSTO (Successful Appeal)
11 STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini)
12 ASTROLOGY (AP Indy)
13 MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno)
14 MOUNTAIN TOWN (Cape Town)
15 THE FACTOR (War Front)

More later.. mw.

Two Top Oaks Fillies

Jubilation. From Julien Leparoux. Wow!
The usually reserved jockey flashed a celebratory fist pump while coasting to an easy win in the Grade 2 Golden Rod aboard KATHMANBLU at Churchill Downs November 27th. One could not help but think that the filly had just stamped her ticket for the 2011 Oaks. And Julien knew it.

Kathmanblu (Bluegrass Cat) Julien Leparoux up, wins The Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs 11.27.2010. Owner Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables, Trainer Kenny McPeek (1/2000 @ f/3.2, iso 1000, 300mm. Photo: Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

  Said Leparoux after the race, "She broke good; she was very relaxed laying third. And when I asked her she finished very good." The daughter of Bluegrass Cat opened up a slight lead coming out of the turn after stalking the leaders down the back stretch, and cruised home by 8 lengths. Leparoux went on to say "I don’t know how good she can be. I think she is a very good filly on the turf. And she proved today she can run on the dirt, too. We’ve got options.”

Trainer Ken McPeek got in on the excitement about Kathmanblu as well, “She is now a big time Oaks prospect. She’s not a big filly; she is a little compact filly, and as the months go on she has gotten better and better. I’ll think she will keep going as a 3-year-old."
As for the filly's future, "We will probably put her on the shelf for a while" McPeek said. "At this point, we will take her to Gulfstream for the winter and take it one day at a time. She probably won’t run until late February or early March. I like to have two races in them before the Oaks.”

AWESOME FEATHER should be on everyone's list of top Oaks prospects after a nice win the the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies November 5th at Churchill Downs. The likely Eclipse Award winning daughter of Awesome of Course improved her record to 6 for 6.

Awesome Feather (Awesome of Course), Jeffrey Sanchez up, wins the Juvenile Fillies for Stanley Gold and owner Jacks or Better Farm at Churchill Downs 11.05.2010 (1/1000 @ f/4, iso 1000, 200mm. Photo: Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

 Sold at Auction a few days after the Breeder's Cup for $2.7m, look for Awesome Feather to race in 2011 under the colors of Adena Springs. “I just hope she carries on,” said new owner Frank Stronach, who described Awesome Feather’s 2 1/4-length Breeders’ Cup victory as “pretty impressive.”

Originally campaigned by the breeder, Fred Brei, of Jacks Or Better Farm in Florida, Awesome Feather's selling price "was enough to make me smile. It wasn’t much over the reserve," Brei said. Explaining his reason to go ahead with the planned sale of the filly, Brei said, “We don’t race much out of Florida. And when it comes to going up North, where certainly she belongs in the grade Is that will be coming up when she’s a 3-year-old, it’s just best for the filly and best for us that she’s in somebody else’s hands."

Look for Awesome Feather to show up in late February at Gulfstream Park in the early Oaks preps.

More later.. mw.

"Up & Comers" on the Derby Trail

Happy Birthday to all of the Derby contenders! Everybody turned 3 on New Year's Day!
Okay, for that matter, all thoroughbreds had a birthday on January 1st.

The Kentucky Derby is still 4 months away, and now it's time to separate the pretenders from the contenders. Already, a few runners are assured a spot in the starting gate for this May's "Run For The Roses" based on current earnings, but a few are just now making their presence known.
One promising now 3 year old, in particular, is certain to be a factor.

The Factor, Rafael Bejarano up, breaks his maiden at Santa Anita Park 12.26.2010. Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos

 A Bob Baffert trainee, "The Factor", may have made the biggest slash coming into the New Year. Running under the colors of part owner George Bolton, The Factor broke maiden at Santa Anita the day after Christmas in track record setting fashion. The son of War Front posted an eye popping 102 Beyer figure. Baffert said of the colt after the race, "He didn't even take a deep breath". 
Baffert admitted the colt's name was inspired by Bill O'Reilly's Fox News program.
Look for The Factor to move right into Stakes company to get started on the Derby Trail.

Another Up & Comer, To Honor and Serve, proved much the best in winning the Remson Stakes, November 27 at Aqueduct.

To Honor and Serve, John Velazquez up, wins the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct 11/27/10Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos

Trained by Bill Mott for Live Oak Plantation, the Bernardini colt came into this race off of a 4 length win in the Grade 2 Nashua Stakes November 6th. Said Mott after the Remson, "I thought in the Nashua it looked like he won a little easier, but this was another eighth of a mile. Being in a two-turn race might have been slightly confusing to him. As with any horse like him, we’ll nominate him for everything in case there’s a hiccup anywhere.”

One more 3 year old to make note of is Brethren. A half brother to last year's Derby winner Super Saver,  the colt won an Allowance at Churchill in convincing fashion November 27th.

Brethren, Garrett Gomez up, wins an allowance at Churchill Downs 11.27.2010 Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos.

A son of Distorted Humor, and owned by Winstar Farm, Brethren coasted to an easy win under Garrett Gomez for trainer Todd Pletcher. “He came out of (the race) in excellent shape. I thought that was a big effort from him from an outside post,” Pletcher said. “He veered out a little bit at the start but was able to put himself in a good position and kicked on turning for home. All in all, I though it was a pretty impressive race.”

Here is the rest of the "Derby Word" for the New Year. A lot will shuffle between now and the first Saturday in May as the Real Contenders make themselves known.

Rank Horse (Sire)
1 UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie)
2 COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie)
3 TO HONOR AND SERVE (Bernardini)
4 BOYS AT TOSCANOVA (Officer)
5 SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway)
6 JB'S THUNDER (Thunder Gulch)
7 THE FACTOR (War Front)
8 ROGUE ROMANCE (Smarty Jones)
9 BRETHREN (Distorted Humor)
10 JP'S GUSTO (Successful Appeal)

And on the Distaff side, a look at the Oaks Fillies that have shown promise.

Rank Horse (Sire)
1 KATHMANBLU (Bluegrass Cat)
2 AWESOME FEATHER (Awesome of Course)
3 R HEAT LIGHTNING (Trippi)
4 MORE THAN REAL (More Than Ready)
5 TURBULENT DESCENT (Congrats)
6 WICKEDLY PERFECT (Congrats)
7 DELIGHTFUL MARY (Limehouse)
8 WINTER MEMORIES (El Prado)
9 A Z WARRIOR (Bernardini)
10 FASTATION (Valid Expectations)

More later... mw

Ending on a High Note

Here we go, third time’s a charm, hopefully the computer wont crash this time… California has produced some interesting 2 year old, soon to be 3 year old horse in that past weeks. Turbulent Descent (Congrats) stamped herself as an interesting prospect moving forward. She is the first horse to win the Moccasin Stakes(7f), and the Hollywood Starlet(8.5F). She managed to win under hand urging, and now her next test will be to try the dirt at Santa Anita. Look for her to be a leading contender in the spring Three Year Old Fillies division. Jockey David Flores is certainly high on this filly, ” I wasn’t going to take any chances and I would have hit her, but it was not needed. I just hand rode her all the way out. I just showed her the whip. It was a little more like a test today, but she won just the same. I am a little excited and a little relieved. I’m excited because I can tell what kind of horse she is. The relief is she handled the two turns well. She was relaxed and just great.”

This past weekend Comma to the Top (Bawana Charlie) made his backers and the rest of the field wait an additional 40 minutes, before capturing the Hollywood Futurity. After throwing a shoe, two blacksmiths later, the horses were finally allowed to come onto a rain drenched track. Trainer Peter Miller describes the scene, “I ran to the paddock judge and said ‘we’re missing a shoe’.” The first blacksmith came over and it was obvious he couldn’t shoe the horse. He just couldn’t do it. The other blacksmith that’s at the receiving barn checking the feet, had already left. (Trainer) Neil Drysdale then calls me and said ‘what’s going on, do you need a shoer?’ I said, ‘Yeah and he said Wes Champagne’s here. I said ‘Send him.’ So Wes Champagne came over, and the horse is so mad at this point. He was so frustrated and mad that I didn’t think he’d run. He didn’t want to be shod at that point and normally he’s the most docile, calm horse in the world. I would have shod him if I had to. Seriously, when I thought they were going to scratch him, I grabbed a shoe and started to shoe him. And then I realized, I’m not a shoer. Luckily I called Neil back and he told me Wes was on the way, and Wes came and saved the day. We would have run with one shoe, or pulled the other one off if we had to. This horse is really good.”

Being by Bawana Charlie I don’t know how far he will go, but this gelding certainly capped off a nice meeting winning 3 stakes races. The Futurity was the first win for jockey Corey Nakatani who compared Comma to the Top to other nice horses he has rode in the past, “it seems like he’s a young Lava Man. To me, he acts like it. He kicks away when you need him to and he’s a typical high cruising speed horse. That move on the turn felt great. It feels like you’re on a Ferrari. All this adversity is a plus, because he handled it like it was just another day. Right now, I’d say he’s one of the best 2-year-olds I’ve ridden.”

We’ll look for more to come from both these exciting horses.

-Evers

The "Derby Trail"? Really?... um, it's snowing out!

Well what else are you going to do when it's 20 degrees and snowing. It's a great time to update the Derby and Oaks list! And keep the woodstove burning!
The 2 year-olds will soon be 3 year-olds, and a few have already stamped themselves as legitimate horses. It's WAY too early for preditions, but this is a good "Watch List".

Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), John Velazquez up, wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) for trainer Todd Pletcher, and owner Repole Stables, at Churchill Downs 11.06.2010

Uncle Mo definitely stamped himself as one to watch in winning the Breeder's Cup Classic. We could only ask that his owner act as classy. One almost felt embarrassed for the normally stoic Todd Pletcher after the race as Mike Repole planted a handful of wet ones on Todd's cheek. Repole did rebound nicely by donating $30K to Thoroughbred Retirement organizations. If nothing else, the Vitamin Water gazillionaire is entertaining. Maybe Pletcher can at least temper Repole. Can you imagine if the New Yorker had hooked up with Rick Dutrow? Wow...me either!
Look for Uncle Mo to run back in The Tampa Bay Derby, on March 12, or less likely, the Gotham on March 5 at Aqueduct.

On the distaff side, I was most impressed with the way Kathmanblu dispatched the field in The Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs November 27th.

Kathmanblu (Bluegrass Cat) Julien Leparoux up, wins The Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs 11.27.2010

A Kenny McPeek trainee, Kathmanblu was never threatened, coasting across the line for an easy 8 1/2 length win. In a rare show of jubilation, Julien Leparoux knew he was Ky. Oaks bound with this talented filly. Look for her at Gulfstream in late February or early March.

Okay, those are my 2 favs to watch at this point.
In addition, I liked how "To Honor and Serve" won the Remson, and I like "Santiva", winner of the Ky. Jockey Club.
Of the other talented fillies, "Awesome Feather" beat a class field in the Breeder's Cup and the undefeated "Turbulent Descent" looked great yesterday in the Hollywood Starlet.

COLTS:
1 UNCLE MO
2 TO HONOR AND SERVE
3 BOYS AT TOSCANOVA
4 SANTIVA
5 ROGUE ROMANCE
6 BRETHREN
7 JB'S THUNDER
8 STAY THIRSTY
9 COMMA TO THE TOP
10 GOURMET DINNER
11 JP'S GUSTO

FILLIES:
1 KATHMANBLU
2 AWESOME FEATHER
3 R HEAT LIGHTNING
4 MORE THAN REAL
5 TURBULENT DESCENT
6 WICKEDLY PERFECT
7 DELIGHTFUL MARY
8 WINTER MEMORIES
9 A Z WARRIOR

More later.. mw

Noble's Promise takes Leap on Trail

Photo: Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos


The Derby is not won in March, but the preps this month do help weed out the pretenders from the contenders.
NOBLE'S PROMISE added his name as a live horse with an impressive 2nd against winning Super Horse, LOOKIN' AT LUCKY, in the REBEL. The eventual winner overcame a near collision on the back-stretch, showed a lot of determination down the lane, and prevailed. Those two will doubtless meet again. DUBLIN held on for 3rd, to add to his dubious record of non-wins.
For you non-believers in ODYSSEUS, the TAMPA BAY DERBY was very enlightening. Even discounted by the track announcer ("Odysseus will have to wait for another day"), the winner regrouped more than once to beat SCHOOLYARD DREAMS by a head-bob. SUPER SAVER, who just needed to race, was a game 3rd. Less than a length separated the top 3.
INTERACTIF, finished 2nd in the SAN FELIPE, but showed more to me than the winner, looking like he wants more. SIDNEY'S CANDY, the wire to wire winner, remains something of a question mark for the Classic distance. 3rd place finisher CARACORTADO kept the Cinderella story alive, barely, for trainer Michael Machowsky.
ESKENDEREYA, who has had the most impressive showing of the year, in the Fountain of Youth, is back Saturday in the FLORIDA DERBY. Look for him to solidify his credentials.

Rank Horse Sire Trainer Jockey Owner
1 ESKENDEREYA Giant's Causeway Todd Pletcher John Velazquez Zayat
2/20 GP 1st in Fountain of Youth (G2), 10/4 BP 1st in Pilgrim S.
2 LOOKIN' AT LUCKY Smart Strike Bob Baffert Garrett Gomez Pegram, Watson, Weitman
3/13 OP 1st in the Rebel (G2), 12/19 HW 1st in Cash Call Futurity (G1), 11/7 SA 2nd in BC Juvenile (G1), 9/6 DM 1st in Del Mar Futurity (G1)
3 NOBLE'S PROMISE Cuvee Ken McPeek Robby Albarado Chasing Dreams Racing
3/13 OP 2nd in the Rebel (G2), 12/19 HW 2nd in Cash Call Futurity (G1), 10/10 KEE 1st in Breeder's Futurity (G1)
4 ODYSSEUS Malibu Moon Tom Albertrani Rajiv Maragh Padua Stables
3/13 TB 1st in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), TB 2/17 1st in Allowance by 15 lengths
5 SUPER SAVER Maria's Mon Todd Pletcher Calvin Borel Winstar
3/13 TB 3rd in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), 11/28 CD 1st in Ky. Jockey Club (G2).
6 INTERACTIF Broken Vow Todd Pletcher Kent Desormeaux Wertheimer & Frere
3/13 SA 2nd in the San Felipe (G2), 2/7 GP 2nd in Hallendale Beach, 11/7 SA 2nd in BC Juvenile Turf (G1)
7 AWESOME ACT Awesome Again Jeremy Noseda Julien Leparoux Susan Roy and Vinery Stables
3/6 AQ 1st in Gotham (G3)
8 RULE Roman Ruler Todd Pletcher John Velazquez Winstar
2/13 TB 1st in Sam F Davis (G3), 12/4 FG 1st in Delta Jackpot (G3)
9 DISCREETLY MINE Mineshaft Todd Pletcher Javier Castellano Paul Robsham Stables
2/20 FG 1st in Risen Star (G2)
10 DUBLIN Afleet Alex D. Wayne Lukas Cory Nakatani Robert Baker, William Mack
3/13 OP 3rd in the Rebel (G2), 2/20 OP 2nd in Southwest S. (G3), 11/1 CD 7th in Iroquois (G3), 10/1 BP 5th in Champaigne (G1), 9/1 SAR 1st in Hopeful (G1)
11 CONVEYANCE Indian Charlie Bob Baffert Martin Garcia Rashid bin Mohammed al Maktoum (Zabeel Racing)
2/20 OP 1st in Southwest S. (G3), 1/16 SA 1st in San Rafael (G3), 1/25 HW 1st in Allow.
12 SIDNEY'S CANDY Candy Ride John Sadler Joe Talamo Jenny Craig
3/13 SA 1st in the San Felipe (G2)
Rank Horse Sire Trainer Jockey Owner
13 DROSSELMEYER Distorted Humor Bill Mott Kent Desormeaux Winstar
2/20 FG 4th in Risen Star (G2), 1/31 GP 1st in Allowance
14 SCHOOLYARD DREAMS Stephen Got Even Derek Ryan Jeremy Rose Eric Fein and Anthony Mitola
3/13 TB 2nd in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), 2/13 TB 2nd in Sam F Davis (G3),
15 CARACORTADO Cat Dreams Michael Machowsky Paul Atkinson Blahut & Lo Hi Racing
3/13 SA 3rd in the San Felipe (G2), 2/13 SA 1st in Robert Lewis (G3)
16 MENDIP Harlan's Holiday Saeed Bin Suroor Frankie Dettori Godolphin
3/6 MD 1st in Al Bastikiya
17 JACKSON BEND Hear No Evil Nick Zito Jeremy Rose Jacks or Better, Robert LaPenta
2/20 GP 2nd in Fountain of Youth (G2), 1/23 GP 2nd in Holy Bull (G3)
18 ALPHIE'S BET Tribal Rule Alexis Barba Alex Solis Terese McWilliams, Peter Johnson
3/6 SA 1st in the Sham S. (G3)
19 AMERICAN LION Tiznow Eoin Harty Julien Leparoux Winstar
3/13 SA 4th in the San Felipe (G2), 2/13 SA 3rd in Robert Lewis (G3), 11/21 HW 1st in Hollywood Prevue (G3)
20 CONNEMARA Giant's Causeway Todd Pletcher Russell Baze Tabor, Magnier, Smith
2/20 SA 1st in El Camino Real (G3), 1/16 GG 2nd in Cal Derby
21 D'FUNNYBONE D'Wildcat Rick Dutrow Edgar Prado Paul Pompa
2/20 GP 1st in Hutcheson (G2)
22 DAVE IN DIXIE Dixie Union John Sadler Joel Rosario Ike & Dawn Thrash
3/13 SA 6th in the San Felipe (G2), 2/13 SA 2nd in Robert Lewis (G3)
23 AIKENITE Yes It's True Todd Pletcher Alan Garcia Dogwood Stables
2/20 GP 3rd in Fountain of Youth (G2),
24 MAXIMUS RULER Roman Ruler Clark Hanna James Graham D. Benge, C. Hanna, M. Bell
1/23 FG 2nd in Lecomte (G3), CD Allow winner
25 RADIOHEAD Johannesburg Rick Dutrow Edgar Prado IEAH & Pegasus, Burrell & Harvey
2/27 GP 1st in Allow.