Derby Lock On The Line in Florida

Who will be the one that gets that magic key that earns that automatic opening to the 2010 Bluegrass Derby? Will it be an established star already clearly on the Derby Trail, such as FLAME OF APOLLO? Could it be a speedy, talented newcomer such as undefeated but untested PRIMETIME SHINE? A sprinter making an experimental try at 2 turns, such as GIVE EM THE HYSIGN? Maybe even a strong turf runner making a dirt debut, such as THAT LONESOME SONG?

We won’t know the answer to this burning question until the “Official” sign flashes after the million-dollar Florida Derby, to be held as the 14^th race at Florida this Saturday. From the paragraph above, it’s obvious that there are many angles and stories to consider. Let’s have a look at this excellent field:

1. THAT LONESOME SONG      13/1      S Popo      (9%)

Here’s the “turf-to-dirt-angle guy” of the field. Ably trained by aa, this son of Dynaformer is the only offspring thus far for Song Of The South, a turf-running E-class mare from the Desperado stable group. It’s safe to say he won’t be the mare’s last. He garnered a win, a second, and a third in three graded turf races last year before taking a short breather in preparation for an Equinics turf race. Unfortunately, he fared rather poorly in that race, so aa decided to try the dirt and see if he could lock up a spot in the Derby today. Intriguing entry, to be sure… Obviously, it’s hard to figure what this fine colt will do on the new surface, but there is plenty of dirt success in his pedigree.

2. CLOUSEAU      17/1      S Audilo      (7%)

The future was looking very bright for this flagdown trainee after his graded-stakes debut last October. He’d closed very rapidly to be third, and it looked like much more success would soon follow for this son of Curlin. Didn’t go that way; two graded-stakes bombs and a second vs. lesser competition in a small stakes. He’ll need to improve quite a bit today to make any sort of impression on the Derby trail.

3. STARS OF BUDA      14/1      R Maire      (11%)

This Fusaichi Pegasus colt unleashed a wicked stretch run in the Scam Stakes last time out, beating a talented field that included last week’s G2 Felipe Alou Stakes hero Dancer’s Secret, hitting that coveted 3-figure speed level in the process. Three starts ago, this joanneb trainee just missed to Dehere Peas Bad, who would be runnerup last week in the Alou. In between, however, he failed as a heavy favorite in a minimum-field small stakes race. Which “Buda” will show up Saturday? The good Buda is a serious contender; the bad one, not so much.

4. BEGONE OASIS      10/1      D Ferguson      (9 %)

This prufrock trainee remains eligible for NW2L races, but his performances in stakes races have been good enough to keep up the level of hope needed to inspire a trainer to keep taking swings at the bigtime. The son of Oasis Dream gets the services of a journeyman rider who has been white-hot lately.

5. FRENCH CAFE      14/1      W Case      (6%)

A trip to Dubai last time out ended badly for this murray1 trainee, but hopes remain high for a return to previous form for this son of Street Boss. Should W Case, an solid rider who has been a little cold this year, find this colt’s best, he’ll be dangerous.

6. WICK      17/1      T Barnett      (11%)

Here is another who is looking to regain top form after a couple of recent failures. The son of Street Sense beat some promising ones in the G3 Buckeye Juvenile last fall for the amsterdam barn, but has fallen far short in his graded tries since then. Was that one big run a fluke, or can he get back to form?

6. GIVE EM THE HYSIGN      6/1      (9%)

Co-favorite comes in off two impressive sprint wins, and takes another try at 2-turning for the tearsrock barn. The low odds in this high-quality field are a bit surprising considering he appeared to flatten out in the drive of both his 2-turners, but those were solid fields in those races. Of course, so is today’s…

8. CITIZEN CAT      19/1      N Torres      (14%)

This son of lightly-used California sire Surf Cat improved greatly against a better-than-average small-stakes field in his last effort, and a little bit more could get this one to pull the surprise today. The selurnivek trainee has the services of a hot jock aboard, also. If that last run is for real, this guy has a chance.

9. BILL THE BUTCHER      9/1      V Gardner      (23%)

Talented son of Rock Hard Ten has been in-the-money in all of his dirt starts for buffy9. He pulled off a huge win in a slightly longer Equinics race last out, and is as consistent as they come. Draws the services of the leading rider, too. Very dangerous.

10. RELAX STORM      7/1      W Baumann      (5%)

This is another from a relative obscure sire, Relaxed Gesture. Trained by graywolf19, this guy has been banging heads with very tough company practically throughout a busy racing career. He has been quite competitive in most of those starts, though he’s only managed to win one of his nine graded-stakes efforts. This colt should be able to get in the thick of things again today, but will need some improvement to earn a major chunk of the big money.

10. BIOCHEMISTRY      6/1      J Grubb      (18%)

This colt is about as difficult to deal with as the math subject in his name. He dropped too far back in his last, a mile Equinics race, but the extra distance today will help should he get shuffled back again today. Trainer dundey5 thinks his son of Brahms should be better-composed in the Florida Derby.

12. FLAME OF APOLLO      7/1      L Buchta      (21%)

The Movieland Futurity champ came up a little flat in his last, the longer Equinics race. Possibly the nearly 2-month break before that last race took him off his game a bit. The millionaire scratch-bred son of Kingmambo, trained by super8, should be very tough if he bounces back to his best form.

13. PEJORATIVE      14/1      V Roberts      (0%)

This filly by Johar is in a tough spot here, and the winless-in-2010 rider doesn’t exactly raise confidence, even though he is trying for his 100^th career win. Trained by tedstables, she’ll need to run her best race ever to make a dent here.

14. WOETTE’S POTT      8/1      A Darling      (16%)

The only runner here to have more than one 3-figure speed rating, this katinka-trained son of Dehere is as consistent as they come, finishing no worse than 2^nd in his 2-turn efforts thus far in his career. A poor effort would be a big surprise today, and he should welcome the extra furlong with open… Hooves?

Put-up-or-shut-up time…

12 – FLAME OF APOLLO

14 – WOETTE’S POTT

9 –   BILL THE BUTCHER

Good luck at the races!