In what is perhaps the most unorthodox decision regarding a
final Kentucky Derby prep in years, trainer Graham Motion decided to send Ring Weekend to the Calder Derby for
his final prep before the Big Dance in Kentucky in four weeks. Though Triple
Crown nominated from the start, most had not heard of or paid much attention to
the Tapit gelding until last month. Dismissed by bettors, the 14-1 long shot
made every pole a winning one as he crossed the wire in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby
3 lengths in front of the second place finisher. Because of the quick
turnaround ahead of the Florida Derby, many trainers in Motion’s position would
have opted to ship to New York, Arkansas, California, or Kentucky for a final
prep in one of the prestigious, traditional races; but instead of shipping now,
Motion decided the Calder Derby was
a good route to take despite its lack of points on the Road to the Kentucky
Derby.
Installed as the 122 lb co-high weight, Ring Weekend will
face 9 other colts and geldings. Included in the field are a couple of familiar
faces, making this spot a slightly more legitimate placing for a gelding bound
for the 2014 Kentucky Derby in his next
start. From the rail out, the field for the 2014 Calder Derby is:
Russian Humor—(Distorted
Humor—Philly’s Philly, by A.P. Indy) [Gennadi Dorochenko/Orlando Bocachica] It’s
nbo joke that I have no idea what this colt is doing in this spot. In 9 career
starts, Russian Humor has yet to break his maiden, though he came within ¾-length
of doing so in his last race. The longest he has been asked to go is 1 mile,
and in four starts at Calder, he’s posted a record of 4: 0-1-0. I see nothing
to like here.
Ring Weekend—(Tapit—Free
the Magic, by Cryptoclearance) [Graham Motion/Alan Garcia] Previously unheard
of, Ring Weekend has been steadily improving throughout his career. Though he
made his first start at the end of August, he didn’t break his maiden until
February. He then followed that up with a smart score in the Tampa Bay Derby.
He’s had just one published work since that victory, posting a 5 furlong bullet
in 1:00.47 over Calder’s main track. I didn’t like him going into his last race,
but I sure like him here.
Racetrack Romance—(Bellamy
Road—Major’s Girl, by Purge) [Gennadi Dorochenko/Oscar Delgado] Looking through
the PPs for this colt, two things stood out in a major way. First of all, in 5
career starts, Racetrack Romance has managed to find trouble in three of those
races. Secondly, he has raced exclusively on turf. Neither fact bodes well for
the colt, though the switch in surface may be just the ticket since the colt
has the breeding to well on dirt. His dam is a half to Grade 1 winner Siphonic,
and his second dam is a half to multiple graded stakes winner and grade 1
placed Dixie Dot Com, so there’s some class in the female family. Despite the
potential I see in his pedigree, I don’t like his works, and he takes a fairly
big step up in class. Pass.
Our Caravan—(Daaher—Alwaan,
by Elusive Quality) [Michael Dilger/Manoel Cruz] I didn’t like Our Caravan in
his last two, but off the step down in class, I think he stands a good shot
here. After facing the big guns in the G2 Holy Bull and the G2 Fountain of
Youth, this field should be no problem so long as this colt shows up and runs a
good race. His works at Palm Meadows haven’t been particularly fast, but then
again, most of the other contenders haven’t posted fast works either. I’m still
not sure how far he’ll want to go based off his pedigree, but that may not
matter here. Consider for exotics.
General Sham’mah—(Kodiak
Kowboy—Clamorosa, by Seattle Dancer) [Howard Love/Luca Panici] Sire Kodiak
Kowboy was a Grade 1 winning sprinter/miler, and dam Clamorosa was a stakes
winner at middle distances on turf and dirt. To date, Clamorosa’s progeny have
been sprinter/miler types. Damsire Seattle Dancer was a group 2 winner at
classic distances in Ireland, but second sire Posse was also a sprinter. I
doubt General Sham’mah will want any part of this 9 furlong distance,
especially since he hasn’t raced past 7 furlongs yet. Pass.
Charlie the Boss—(Street
Boss—Starboard Tack, by Seattle Slew) [Daniel Pita/Gabriel Saez] Another turf
runner, Charlie the Boss ships in from neighboring Gulfstream Park. In 5 career
starts, the colt has two wins, both at a mile on the lawn. He takes a step up
in class and switches surfaces, something that bothers me as much with him as
it does with Racetrack Romance. Half-brother Patience Game competed in the last
two legs of the 1999 Triple Crown, but the mile distance of the his G3 Derby
Trial win was his limit. Half sister Star Queen was a stakes winner at 9
furlongs on the turf, but sire Street Boss was a Grade 1 winning sprinter on
the dirt. “Charlie” has speed and likes to run on the lead, so I can see him
doing one of two things. He can either A) go straight to the front and go as
fast as he can for as long as he can or B) get out on the lead and try to walk
the dog as the lone speed in the race. With only Ring Weekend likely to
challenge for the lead, I think option B will be the best bet. Charlie may be
the boss in my house, but I’m not sure that will be the case here, so I’ll pass.
Copa Del Rey—(With
Distinction—Madama Butterfly, by Grand Slam) [Sal Santoro/Alex Gonzalez] With a
whopping 14 starts under his belt, Copa Del Rey is the most experienced in the
field. But for all that race day experience, the gelded son of With Distinction
has just one win, a 2 ¾ length score going 8.5 furlongs. He has not had a
published work since February 22, but he most recently finished 3rd
in a 7 furlong event on March 21. Pass.
Cleburne—(Dixie
Union—Joyful, by Distorted Humor) [Dale Romans/Abdiel Jaen] Grade 3 Iroquois
winner Cleburne drops into this spot off a nearly 7 month layoff. His work
pattern has been consistent, and I really liked the bullet 6 furlong work he
had on March 22. What I don’t like is that he is being asked to go 9 furlongs
for the first time off that extended layoff. Fitness may be an issue, but
Romans wins at a 13% clip with horses coming in off a 180+ day layoff. Another
strike against him is the co-high weight of 122 lbs., spotting the rest of the
field, except Ring Weekend, 7 lbs. As for this race...Class may prevail, and I do see him
as a contender.
Tapicero—(Tapit—Love
U Fran, by Phone Trick) [Mario Morales/Diego Gomez] If the name Tapicero sounds
familiar, it’s because he exits the same December Gulfstream maiden race as Harpoon.
It would take him another 3 tries after that to break his maiden, but Tapicero
finally got the job done last out, running off to a 7 ½ length victory going a
mile over this same track. He gets just a 15 day turnaround off his last race,
and this will be his third race in less than 4 weeks. That sounds like a bit
much to ask, but the quick turnarounds appear to be working. One to consider.
Gaining Ground—(Saint
Anddan—Fair Lee Quiet, by Real Quiet) [Michael Wilson/Antioco Murgia] Going in
the race immediately prior to the maiden race Tapicero won on March 21, Gaining
Ground enters this spot off the same quick turnaround. He also exited the same
December Gulfstream maiden as Tapicero and Harpoon, so he’s in familiar
company. He enters the Calder Derby on a 2 race win streak, breaking his maiden
two back in February and winning a NW1X last month. Training at Payson Park, Gaining
Ground has put in a series of bullet works to accompany his recent race day
success. Content to sit off the pace, this colt will be “gaining ground” late
and is one to consider.
Graded stakes winners Ring Weekend and Cleburne
really stick out here class wise. Our Caravan looks good off the drop in class,
and local runner Tapicero and Donald Ogden-owned Gaining Ground look like they
could get a piece of the action. Charlie the Boss will be the likely pace
setter with Ring Weekend right up there with him. Gaining Ground will sit just
off the pace with Tapicero and Cleburne further back. Our Caravan gets blinkers
for the first time, and trainer Dilger has an 80% success rate with first time
blinkers. If the move is to get Our Caravan involved earlier, then he’ll be up
on the front end with Charlie the Boss and Ring Weekend. I like the Tampa Bay
Derby winner best of all, with Cleburne, Our Caravan, and Gaining Ground
filling out the exotics.
