A big day of racing here in California is highlighted by The California Derby. This is a Derby Lock Prep so the winner is automatically set for a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Every trainer wants to have a derby horse, we all strive every year to have one of twenty in the gate. This is possibly the last chance for that dream to become a reality. A full field of 14 has been assembled here for a chance at greatness and most importantly stakes points. Let’s meet the field:<\/p>\n
PP#1 CODE OF THE STREET (10\/1)
(Fusaichi Pegasus x Storm Cat) \u2013 Best speed figure: 97<\/p>\n
One of two in here from the Lenny empire, Code of The Street will try to break the $100k mark with a victory in the race. He started his career in October of last year with a win going seven furlongs. Since stretching out to two turns his speed figures have dramatically improved from the 80’s to the 90’s. Trainer lenny8 tried him against graded stakes company in his last where he failed as the favourite, finishing in behind some of the others in this field. The talent is there and will need to run just as good as he did two starts back when putting up a 97 vs. listed stakes company. His running style fits and I do feel he is sitting on a big effort.<\/p>\n
PP#2 GREEDY HACK (14\/1) (Filly)
(Giant’s Causeway (IRE) x Mr. Prospector) \u2013 Best speed figure: 93<\/p>\n
Trainer mrhaack will be looking to raise the Venezuelan flag with a win here with Greedy. A lightly raced daughter of Giant’s Causeway (IRE) that may have a future as a two surface specialist, is one to watch for the future. Her two starts this year have been at a mile and an eighth or over after racing strictly in sprints as a two year old so the distance won’t cause a problem. Her speed figures have improved in every start and look to move up here as well. The best option for her in here is to drop back and make one big run (like she usually does!), that should suit her in this race that has some front end zip. I would have liked to see a start vs. Graded stakes company in her resume, but with a limited time frame it can be understood. It’s all about getting \u201cGreedy\u201d come derby time. Her best should come later this year. Maybe she is Oaks bound instead?<\/p>\n
PP#3 DEPLETED MINE (12\/1)
(Mineshaft x Encosta De Lago (AUS)) \u2013 Best speed figure: 96<\/p>\n
It has been a slow lesson in learning for trainer megablaze2 and this son of Mineshaft. Depleted started his career on the lawn in April of last year getting an early start, winning first out with a very good 77 speed figure. After a couple of tries again on the lawn megablaze2 decided to switch things up and try the dirt and was pleasantly surprised. Depleted ran a very nice fourth and was given a bit of a rest after that effort with eyes on bigger prizes in the future. He has continued to impress in all of his three starts this year, winning and allowance before running a very good race last out in the G2 Moises Alou. He should appreciate the step up in distance here and should improve again off of his last effort. Look for him late down the lane. Will be a great price at 12\/1.<\/p>\n
PP#4 SHOOT THE BARREL (10\/1)
(Stormy Atlantic x Rahy) \u2013 Best speed figure: 98<\/p>\n
When breeding \u201cShoot\u201d breeder\/trainer lwslo must have been crossing his fingers and really hoping for the best. A G rated mare who only had one win from 30 career starts, lwslo saw the pedigree and though enough to give it a shot. It has certainly been a worthwhile gamble! Shoot has been nothing but excellent since stepping on to the track. Another who broke their maiden on the lawn but was sent to the dirt right away in his next start. He has done well on the dirt and has given his trainer some derby fever after scoring in his last two stakes with speed figures in the high 90’s. I do have some concerns about the distance here as I feel it may be a little on the long side for him. He is going to have some company on the front end with him and it will be his toughest race yet. May be a better shot for the 2000 Guineas.<\/p>\n
PP#5 HEARTFIRE (7\/1)
(Indian Charlie x Seeking the Gold) \u2013 Best speed figure: 103<\/p>\n
The second being sent out by Lenny is one that has some big shoes to fill. Out of the multiple G1 winning he-mare The Kid Stu, Heartfire can only hope to accomplish what his dad(mom) did. He went three for four in his two year old campaign and gave some hints of his ability at the end of last year, including a 95 speed figure win. He is win less this year but is G1 placed when finishing second in the G1 Garden State Mile. That was a prime effort for him and he appeared to bounce off of that big 103 figure when finishing 4th last out. His last two efforts have been in the slop and I’m really not sure that the goo is his best footing. Today will be the acid test for the son of Indian Charlie, but do feel he is up to the challenge.<\/p>\n
PP#6 UNBRIDLED MILL (8\/1)
(Unbridled’s Song x Danzig) \u2013 Best speed figure: 100<\/p>\n
Unbridled Mill has done little wrong since setting foot on the racetrack. He has only one blemish on his career when finishing second in his second career start. Sprinting has primarily been his game but again you can’t blame trainer ebracing2 for getting a bit of derby fever this time of year, when he has a good one on his hands. Mill tried a route of ground for the first time last out in a listed stakes, he showed that he could certainly handle two turns and won the race with style. It was his best effort yet breaking the triple digit speed figure mark for the first time. He doesn’t appear to be a need the lead type of horse and could easily see him sitting in behind the speed here, then exploding in the stretch. He could regress off of his effort last out but I really don’t see it.<\/p>\n
PP#7 MAYFAIR MARAUDER (12\/1)
(Mr. Greeley x Wild Again) \u2013 Best speed figure: 96<\/p>\n
After failing to break his maiden in his career debut \u201cMayfair\u201d put together a good two year old campaign that was highlighted by a win in the G3 The Cornstalk. After a bit of a layoff trainer kevoman started Mayfair on the road to the roses. The road here so far has had it’s share of rather large potholes! After a nice easy allowance win first start back, he raced over a sloppy surface in New Jersey that he never seemed to get over. Kevoman regrouped his charge for his next start, sending him north of the border for a run in a listed stakes over a mile. He ran well that day when finishing third but I am sure that he may have wanted more out of the race. The positive of his last was that he ran his career best mark of 96 but he was fading at the end. He needs to find his 2yo form quick.<\/p>\n
PP#8 METALLIC MONK (AUS) (9\/1)
(Hussonet x Icecapade) \u2013 Best speed figure: 99<\/p>\n
Trainer plano will never be one to be told he never takes a chance with his horses. Metallic had just broken his maiden in June of last year and was put into the deep end in his next start, told to sink or swim. Well he swam very well that day in August finishing a close third in a G2 sprint. His two year old campaign followed similar efforts and was highlighted by a listed stakes score. This year he has done nothing wrong, knocking off three straight wins including a victory in the G2 Swale. His last effort was his first route try and he showed his ability there too, winning by two lengths. I do have some questions though on his class at this distance. There is no questioning his talent but really feel that he is a fantastic sprinter and has big things ahead in that category.<\/p>\n
PP#9 ISKANDER (9\/1)
(Tiznow x Afleet Alex) \u2013 Best speed figure: 96<\/p>\n
Multiple restricted stakes winner Iskander comes to us from the super1 stable. So far in his career he has been fairly consistent and has shown some hints of his hidden ability. His biggest wins so far have come in Delpenn residency stakes but don’t count him out based on just that. This year super1 has been trying to get him stakes points by running him in derby prep races. He has yet to win in 2011 but has been close in his two efforts. His speed figures have been improving with each start, in his last race at this distance only lost by a length and a quarter after his jock moved too soon. With a timely ride and another step up in speed figure he could be heard from. He appears to be a grinder type so he will need to stay closer to the pace today.<\/p>\n
PP#10 MALIBU BRAT (11\/1)
(Malibu Moon x Storm Cat) \u2013 Best speed figure: 96<\/p>\n
Texasace06 bred a horse with a very good pedigree but am sure had some issues with the win less mare he was using. Brat certainly upped his mom when he broke his maiden in his first start, putting to rest all worries of a well bred dud. He was very consistent as a two year old winning or placing in his first four starts. Ace wanted to test Brat at the end of the year and it must have been a bit of a let down as he finished a well beaten 8th in the G3 Bluegrass Cup. The turn of the calendar did some good for both trainer and horse. He won for fun in his first start this year and has developed into a very nice three year old. His speed figures are improving with each start but I do have some concerns. I’m not sure he will be at his best at this distance as it may be a little long. With a little change in riding style he has a chance in here.<\/p>\n
PP#11 DESPACITO (IRE) (18\/1)
(Invincible Spirit (IRE) x Fusaichi Pegasus) \u2013 Best speed figure: 94<\/p>\n
Some horses just need a little time to get going in the right direction. That has certainly been the case for the aptly named Despactio (Slowly). He finally broke his maiden three starts back and has been undefeated since. He turned up his heels in his first stakes try last out and seems to be improving with each start and distance. This seems a bit odd as his dam has produced nothing but sprinters in her career and he himself is by Invincible Spirit (IRE). Ah, the wonders of the sim! He does his best running when close to the pace and will certainly need to improve yet again off of his last start. He might still be a better sprinter in the future but there is no harm in going for a dream right?<\/p>\n
PP#12 DYNA DONT YOU BLOW (9\/1)
(Dynaformer x Unbridled’s Song) \u2013 Best speed figure: 101<\/p>\n
Breaking from post twelve today is one of the current derby favourites. Dyna has done little wrong in his career so far, going from strength to strength. In a bit of a possible omen here, Dyna broke his maiden on this weekend last year. Since then he has scored wins in multiple races including a year end score in the G2 Ransom stakes at this distance. While some three year olds don’t develop to three, Dyna has shown that his two year old year was only the beginning. Trainer panthers3 must be pretty content in the way his charge has shown up in each start this year, including a big win in G1 company last out. This horse will love this distance and will be even stronger at a mile and a quarter. He may bounce off of his last effort but I am sure it is all set up perfectly so that he isn’t at his best here but on the first Saturday in May. The one to beat.<\/p>\n
PP#13 FOREVER CHANGED (10\/1)
(Flower Alley x Singspiel (IRE)) \u2013 Best speed figure: 100<\/p>\n
Forever Changed’s dam is one reason we might ask Mike to start including mare offspring grades. Silently Going (dam of Forever Changed) is a G rank mare but has produced for the most part nothing but winners. Forever Changed is of course another feather in the cap of his dam’s legacy. Starting as soon as the two year old racing bell went last year, Forever has continued to show development from start to start. It didn’t appear that trainer brookline had derby aspirations with this one till a second place finish in the G2 Eruption handicap. Put away on the shelf after that start, we didn’t see him back till early March. He finished a tiring fifth in that event but certainly needed the race. A tough call in here as I do think the class is there but he seems to be a need the lead type. He has stamina on his dam side so a top three finish is not out of the question.<\/p>\n
PP#14 ELITE STATUS (9\/1)
(Malibu Moon x Storm Cat) \u2013 Best speed figure: 102<\/p>\n
Elite Status is certainly a quickly improving horse. With only five starts under his belt you would expect some stumbling here or there as he is learning the game but the exact opposite has happened. He has taken on every challenge and risen to the occasion. He has been going strong since breaking his maiden at the start of the year. After a win vs. allowance company he was raced against graded stakes company for the first time and handled himself very well. A speed figure jump from a 90 to 102 gave trainer lasthope some hope that his horse was the real deal. He comes from a stellar bloodline as his mom won a G1 and his half brother is already a graded stakes winner. I would not hold his last race against him as he finished a respectable fourth and should only improve. I’m sure he will ascend to Elite Status very soon.<\/p>\n
Picks 12 – 1 – 5 – 6
Longshot: 3<\/p>\n
Good luck to all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Heartfire looks to burn competition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}