Papa Clem did not do enough in his two morning works since arriving in Louisville, so Gary Stute sent him out for a swift three furlong blowout (:34.47). He really needed that stiff move, but I still do not fancy the son of Smart Strike. I thought the Arkansas Derby was weak, and he seems a cut below the best.
Last minute entrant Nowhere To Hide, trained by former Derby winning trainer Nick Zito, had a two furlong move in :25.40. He has finished 4th in all three graded route tries and is overmatched on …read more

Tampa Bay Derby winner Musket Man takes on ten rivals in Saturday’s Illinois Derby (G2) at Hawthorne Race Course. Eibar Coa hops aboard the versatile 7-2 morning line fav. He has won 3 of 4 and figures right there if able to handle a surface other than Tampa.
Giant Oak (9-2) is late running trouble-prone sort, and he is due for clear sailing and racing luck. The Chris Block runner needs pace help, and the speedy Perfect Song (6-1) figures to ensure honest splits.

Nowhere To Hide (5-1) will start from the rail for Nick Zito, and he was …read more

Saturday’s $300k Tampa Bay Derby has drawn an interesting field of 11, and note that there have only been two wire jobs in 61 races conducted at 8.5f. Stalk and pounce types perform best, and I will look for value contenders with the right running style.
Musket Man won his 1st three sprint starts and was hardly disgraced in Sam Davis show finish (post 9) at this distance here last time. He projects a ground saving stalking trip at playable odds. He sports a pair of local bullets for this, and note that he defeated Sam Davis winner General Quarters …read more

There are no less than four Saturday Derby preps on tap, and each day this week I will preview one, starting with the Louisiana Derby.

I liked Patena in the Lecomte, and he ran on nicely to land the place in his initial try over conventional dirt. My Derby future (pool 1) play was subsequently purchased by IEAH and is now trained by Rick Dutrow, the same connections that brought us Big Brown last year. Well bred $250k Keeneland sales grad drilled a bullet at the Gulf on March 9th and figures to fire a big shot off the layoff under …read more

I Want Revenge uncorked a 113 BSF en route to a romping Gotham Stakes (G3) tally (replay below) while trying conventional dirt for the first time. He showed quality on synthetic, and his connections (Mullins/Talamo) were spot-on in saying he would move up on dirt. He will ship back to his Hollywood Park base before returning to the Big A for the Wood Memorial on April 4th.
Imperial Council ran a quality race to grab the place in his first start around two turns. If you like Shug’s well bred colt, don’t give up on him because the …read more

Friday (2-6-09) Fair Grounds recap
Main track favored speed as the day wore on. Both turf sprints were nabbed by early/pressing types, and the flat mile turf feature was nabbed by a longshot stalker.
James Graham, Miguel Mena and Jamie Theriot each booted home a pair. Bret Calhoun and Eric Guillot both saddled two winners on the day.

Saturday (2-7-09) Fair Grounds recap
Both surfaces seemed to play fair.
Hat trick for Gabriel Saez included a pair of stakes wins for Larry Jones. John Jacinto booted home a pair, and Briggy/Asmussen teamed up two wins on the day.
Pan Zareta …read more

A field of 13 is set to tackle Saturday’s Grade 3 Risen Star at Fair Grounds, the final local prep for the Louisiana Derby (G2).

Indygo Mountain (A. P. Indy) rates a shot to rebound at a price. Bret Calhoun trainee was sensational in his Nov. ‘08 Churchill maiden breaker, then the wheels fell off the cart. Foot issues caused him to be scratched at the gate before a local allowance race in December, and he experienced a troubled beginning when resurfacing in the Lecomte. $600k Keeneland sales grad shows a strong 5f work for this and can right the …read more

Saturday’s nine furlong Holy Bull (G3) is the longest Kentucky Derby prep so far, and eleven sophomores have signed up for the challenge.
Danger To Society (Harlan’s Holiday) is 2-2 for Robby Albarado/Ken McPeek, and he exits a smart course/distance tally off a layoff. He owns fine positional speed and lands an advantageous inner post.

Idol Maker (Empire Maker) has been on my radar screen since his upset flat mile debut win at Belmont. He hooked the fleet Old Fashioned in the Remsen (G2) 2nd time out, and he probably needed his local allowance prep for this. Todd Pletcher’s $310k …read more