Everyone with a good horse sets their eyes to the Kentucky Derby. It’s an event unlike any other, and everyone wants to be a part of it. Now that all of the good two year olds of 2017 have turned three, things are going to start getting more serious as connections attempt to turn Derby dreams into reality. Here are some important updates on the current Kentucky Derby trail.
Naturally, there are going to be setbacks in any sport. And two very promising Derby hopefuls have experienced some pitfalls in their pursuit of the elusive Kentucky Derby points. Those horses are Greyvitos and Bolt d’Oro.
Greyvitos, photo credit to Robin Buchanan
Greyvitos looked like a force to be reckoned with when he thundered down the stretch at Remington Park to claim victory in the Springboard Mile. The steadfast son of Malibu Moon overcame a difficult outside post to not only win with ease and authority, but to win in stakes- record time. His mighty score in the Springboard Mile proved that his previous triumph, a win in the Bob Hope Stakes in which he sprung a 19-1 upset, was no fluke. This horse was the real deal, and a real threat to his competitors on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Not only is Greyvitos immensely talented, but he also carries with him a story of hope. Greyvitos was a horse that once resided at San Luis Rey Downs, a training facility that became engulfed in the devastating flames of the Lilac Fire back in December. He was one of the lucky ones who got away before real damage hit. Many people hoped that his feel-good story would go all the way to the first Saturday in May, but now that dream is in question. Bone chips were found in his knee and were recently removed. The surgery was a success, and luckily the chips were very minor. However, this setback obviously puts training on hold. The situation is less than ideal, but it certainly isn’t the end. The ultimate goal is still making it to the Kentucky Derby. No one wants to take a step back when training for such an illustrious event, but if all continues to go well, the young colt just might make it in time. He will have to earn a lot more points and won’t be able to afford anymore setbacks after this, but the young colt has overcome obstacles before, so maybe he can do it again.
The next colt who has suffered a setback is the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, Bolt d’Oro. High hopes have surrounded this colt for a long time. He was undefeated in his first three starts before running a game third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The spirited bay colt was slated to make his first start of the year in the San Vicente Stakes in February, but an injury has put any serious training on hold. It was discovered that Bolt d’Oro was suffering from a pulled muscle, according to horseracingnation.com. While it is still quite possible that he will be fit enough to pursue more of the important Derby points before it’s too late, this is a setback that no one wants to deal with.
Bolt d'Oro galloping before the Breeders' Cup, photo by Eric Kalet
The first Kentucky Derby prep race of the year was supposed to be the Jerome Stakes, but frigid winter weather caused a delay. The race is now scheduled to be run on January 13th and the promising Firenze Fire is expected to compete.
Firenze Fire is a horse that has shown talent from the start. He broke his maiden on his first try and then dove right into stakes company, scoring in the Sanford Stakes. That effort was followed by a fourth place finish in the Hopeful Stakes, but the stouthearted youngster rebounded confidently to win the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. It was off to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after that, where he did no better than seventh. However, Firenze Fire did have a fever prior to the Breeders’ Cup, and while it was gone by the day of the race, it is possible that he still wasn’t feeling his best. If that’s the case, Firenze Fire has a chance to come back in a big way.
With the Jerome Stakes rescheduled, the first Kentucky Derby prep race of the year will now be the Sham Stakes on January 6th. One of the headliners for the race is the Bob Baffert trainee, McKinzie. A lot of hype surrounded the bay son of Street Sense when he broke his maiden at first asking, so the colt stepped it up in his next start by entering the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity. McKinzie is listed as the winner, but he did not finish in front.
It was a controversial finish in the Los Alamitos Futurity. Solomini, Instilled Regard, and McKinzie had an all-out war between them all the way down the stretch. It was going to be a desperately close finish, but as the wire drew near, Solomini dug in and found an extra gear. He pulled ahead in time to win, but shortly after the gallop out, the inquiry sign flashed.
A good amount of bumping occurred between the tenacious trio when they battled down the stretch, with Solomini initiating it. The stewards decided that Solomini cost Instilled Regard his placing and as a result was disqualified. McKinzie, who had finished second, was now declared the victor and Solomini was placed third.
I personally believe that Solomini was the best horse in the race that day. He pulled away to a clear lead and obviously had more left in the tank compared to the other two. As much as I would like to see a rematch between Solomini and McKinzie, it isn’t going to happen in the Sham Stakes. Solomini is sitting this one out, so it looks like things will be easier for McKinzie this time around.
Another Kentucky Derby prep coming up on January 13th is the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. This race has a lot of interesting horses pointing toward it such as the gutsy Instilled Regard, the promising Principe Guilherme, the regally bred Believe in Royalty, and the filly, Wonder Gadot.
As mentioned above, Instilled Regard put on an impressive display of grit and determination in the Los Alamitos Futurity in which a disqualification bumped him up to second. He only has one maiden win to his name, but has never finished off the board in his other races, so it will be interesting to see what he does moving forward.
Principe Guilherme is a fascinating colt for the LeComte. He is undefeated, but has never been in a stakes race yet. This bay son of champion sire, Tapit, scored in his debut before going on to win again. But it wasn’t just winning two races in a row that inspired those around him. It was the way in which he did it. The talented colt wired the field in his second start, confidently cruising down the track and daring anyone to keep up. When he turned into the stretch, it became clear that no one could keep up and Principe Guilherme put on an absolute show. He abandoned his competition, sprinting away to victory by nearly twelve smashing lengths. The ease in which he dominated his challengers was almost chilling, so it’s only fitting that this spunky youngster takes on tougher competition moving forward.
Another horse that I like in this spot is Believe in Royalty. I have been a fan of this handsome gray from the very start. His name is very fitting, considering that he descends from royal bloodlines. He is by the great Tapit and out of the mare, Believe You Can, who won the Kentucky Oaks back in 2012.
Believe in Royalty was off to a good start in his career as a racehorse. He ran a solid third in his debut before scoring back to back wins at Laurel Park. Both of his wins came in style and his connections were ready to run him with the big boys. Believe in Royalty made his stakes debut in the Springboard Mile but finished a lackluster sixth. Despite his poor effort, I am not ready to give up on this colt yet. He drew a bad outside post that day and it may have contributed to his unenthusiastic run. Not to mention, this is a young horse that still has a lot to learn. I am confident that his trainer, Larry Jones, will be able to get through to him and that this horse will improve with age and time.
Wonder Gadot, photo by Eric Kalet
Last we have the filly, Wonder Gadot. The intrepid daughter of Medaglia d’Oro started off her career as a turf horse. She won her debut on the grass in Canada and then ran third in the Natalma Stakes. The filly then moved to a synthetic surface where she scored in the Mazarine Stakes. It was then off to Del Mar where this versatile youngster would try her luck on the dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Wonder Gadot finished off the board for the first time that day, crossing the wire in sixth place.
Wonder Gadot’s connections didn’t let her defeat in the Breeders’ Cup get to them. They picked themselves back up and went right back to a stakes race. This time they entered her in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct. Wonder Gadot did not disappoint and romped over the wire by nearly four lengths. As hard as her rivals tried, none of them could run with her at the end. Her win that day was so convincing that her connections are seriously considering taking on the boys in the LeComte Stakes for her next start. Who knows? If all goes well for the filly, we may just find her in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, come May.
A lot will happen between now and May. There will be more setbacks, upsets, and victories. The ultimate goal for any talented horse is to run for the roses, and it will be exciting to follow these three year olds on their journey to the Twin Spires.
Thank you to Robin Buchanan for the picture of Greyvitos and thank you to Eric Kalet for providing the images of Bolt d'Oro and Wonder Gadot!
You can find more of Eric's pictures here http://erickalet.zenfolio.com/)
Make sure to follow me on Twitter for more stories and updates! https://twitter.com/Down2TheWire_