—Mar 31— Little known trainer, Jonathan Thomas, who two years ago saddled just 18 starters, took on the “big boys” in the training game and emerged victorious when his charge, Catholic Boy, drew off to an easy two-and-a-quarter length win in the 67th running of the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Entering the race after two so-so races at Tampa Bay Downs, Catholic Boy was forwardly placed from the outset. Challenged early by the 3/5 race favorite, Audible, then later by the late-running Hofburg, Catholic Boy dug in gamely, out-finishing both.

Hofburg entered the race after two desultory efforts in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes and the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and a fourth place finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa. Sent to post at 9/1 odds, he was nonetheless the third choice in the race. Assuming he draws in, trainer Bill Mott indicated that Hofburg’s next start will be in the Kentucky Derby.

Despite losing by just a head for second, the biggest disappointment in the race was Todd Pletcher’s talented colt, Audible, whose lack of a closing kick raises some concerns. Audible was simply devastating in his prep for the race in the Holy Bull. He won that race by four-and-a-half lengths and looked to many like the Kentucky Derby favorite. No stranger to the Derby trail, Pletcher will no doubt attempt to get his horse back on track, though he is unlikely to race again before the Derby.

Promises Fulfilled finished fourth, two-and-a-half lengths behind Audible. Mississippi and Strike Power were fifth and last, respectively.

Catholic Boy, the 3/2 second choice, paid $5.10 to win.

 

 

 

—Mar 31— Todd Pletcher’s talented colt, Audible— a runaway winner in the Grade II Holy Bull Stakes here in February— headlines a field of six set to compete in the $1,000,000 Xpressbet Florida Derby on Saturday. Audible was simply untouchable in the Holy Bull, drawing clear of Free Drop Billy enroute to a 4½ length win, and is expected to be the short-priced favorite. Curiously, Pletcher has chosen to replace jockey, Javier Castellano, with John Velazquez for the race. Both Pletcher and Velazquez have four Florida Derby wins.

Dale Romans’ Promises Fulfilled, who won the Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier this month, is the likely second favorite in the race. Prior to winning the Fountain of Youth, Promises Fulfilled finished second in the Swale. The chestnut colt enters the race having earned more than $285K in purse money this year, nearly 10 times his $37,000 purchase price. Robby Albarado, a finalist of this year’s Hall of Fame, inherits the mount from Irad Ortiz, who will be aboard Catholic Boy in the Florida Derby.

Speaking of Catholic Boy, he rates a strong contender here. Second in his first start in the Pasco Stakes at 7 furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs, Catholic Boy was a disappointing fifth behind the undefeated Quip in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes (also at Tampa). He’s been ridden by Manny Franco, an accomplished rider on the New York circuit, in his last two races, but will be ridden by the suddenly hot Irad Ortiz on Saturday. Ortiz trails only his brother with 10 wins from 45 mounts (22%).

Hofburg has raced in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes and Holy Bull at Gulfsream and the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs, but finished off-the-board in each start, making him something of a surprise entrant here. The son of the leading sire Tapit has just $29,145 in earnings. His trainer, Bill Mott, is in the Hall of Fame for a reason, so look for Hofburg to give a good account of himself here. 

Strike Power won the Swale Stakes at odds of 14/1, but failed to menace in either the Fountain of Youth or Hutcheson Stakes subsequently. Not without talent, he seems more suited to sprint races than the 9 furlong distance of the Florida Derby.

Mississippi seems to be going in the wrong direction.

—Mar 24— Cicero Farms’ Marley’s Freedom, last seen winning the Captiva Stakes and Gulfstream Park, and Medallion Racing’s Selcourt, winner of the Grade III Las Cienegas Stakes in January and third in the Grade III Las Flores Stakes in February, highlight a field of six runners in the Grade II Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita Park on March 24.

Marley’s Freedom spent the winter competing on the turf, racing three times at five furlongs. The four-year-old Bob Baffert trainee will be switching to the dirt and asked to run an additional two furlongs in the Santa Monica, but is expected to go to post as a slight favorite.

Selcourt seems better suited to the task. The John Sadler trainee won the Las Cienegas Stakes at six-and-a-half furlongs on the grass at Santa Anita, then followed that effort with a third place effort in the Las Flores on the dirt at six furlongs.

The Santa Monica Stakes promises to be a competitive affair. Skye Diamonds beat Selcourt in the Las Flores and figures to be the third choice. Miss Sunset, who easily won a $100,000 stakes race at six furlongs by almost four lengths in her last start, will retain the services of Mike Smith, who’s six wins (24%) place him sixth in the national rider standings.

Perhaps the most intriguing entrant is Brad Cox’s six-year-old mare, Shenandoah Queen, who enters the race after finishing sixth in the Grade II La Canada Stakes and second in the Grade II Santa Maria Stakes over a route of ground.

Paradise Woods has been competitive in three starts at Santa Anita.

 

—Mar 24— Conrad Farms Shamrock Rose, last seen annexing the Busher Stakes at a mile here on March second, is expected to be favored in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes at six furlongs on Sunday. Prior to winning the Busher, Shamrock Rose finished second to My Miss Lilly in the Busanda Stakes at nine furlongs.

My Miss Lilly is expected to be her chief competition. A daughter of Tapit and Wicked Deed (a Harlan’s Holiday mare), My Miss Lilly put in a surprisingly dull effort in the Busher Stakes, finishing last, 5¼ lengths behind Shamrock Rose. Prior to that effort, though, she’s hit the board in three straight stakes, highlighted by her 2½ length win in the Busanda. She has earned $110,500 in four starts.

Split Time, by Take Charge Indy, is expected to be the third choice. She will be making her second start of the year in the Cicada after a fourth place finish in the Busher Stakes.

—Mar 24— Trainer Brad Cox’s five-year-old son of Candy Ride, Leofric, who has claimed back-to-back wins in the Razorback and Essex Handicaps at Oaklawn Park, is expected to be favored in the $376,000 New Orleans Handicap at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. Since beginning the year with an off-the-board finish in an $80,000 allowance race, Leofric has dominated the older horse division at Oaklawn. According to his trainer, he won’t be easy to beat on Satuday. Accoring to Cox, Leorific is “as tough a horse as I’ve ever been around. If you pointed him to a brick wall and asked him to run through it, he’d knock it down.”

Cox’s assessment won’t prevent others from trying. The horse with the best shot is probably William Mott’s lightly-raced, Good Samaritan, who enters the race after a second place finish to Altissimo in the Grade III Mineshaft Handicap here on February 17. Joel Rosario, who’s suffering through a dreadful season that has seen him win just once in 27 mounts (3.7%), will again have the mound on the Kentucky-bred son of Harlan’s Holiday.

Untrapped, who beat Leofric in his debut and has since lost to that rival in both the Razorback and Essex, could also be a factor.

—Apr 22— Blue Heaven Farm’s Virginia Key, last seen out finishing Split Time by a nose to finish second in the Grade 2 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct, is expected to rule the slight favorite in the Memories Of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct on Sunday.

The Todd Pletcher trainee in one of only two horses in the race with experience running on the grass, having won a neck decision in a $60,000 allowance race at Gulfstream earlier this year.

Competitionofideas, trained by Chad Brown, finished fifth in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream in January, also on the turf against a solid field.

Split Time is another horse who bears watching. Trained by Linda Rice, Split Time has faced some of the best three-year-old fillies in the division, and has generally been well-regarded.

First-time starters Significant Form, ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. (58-13-13-12, 22%) and Capla Temptress, with Javier Castellano (57-8-14-15, 14%), also figure to be factors in the race.

Goodbye Brockley was last at 13/1 in the Cicada Stakes in March and figures to be a longshot here, too.

—Mar 10— Bob Baffert’s precocious sophomore start, McKinizie, followed his easy win in the Sham Stakes in January with an equally impressive win in the San Felipe Stakes on Saturday.

Sent to post at 3/5, Hall of Fame rider, Mike Smith, rushed McKinzie from that gate and was never seriously challenged, winning by two-and-a-half lengths, the same as his victory in the Sham.

Bolt d’Oro, an easy winner of the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in January, made a mild run at the winner down the stretch, but the race was never in doubt.

After Bolt d’Oro, the order of finish was Kanthaka (the San Vicente winner), Peace (fifth in the Robert B. Lewis and fourth in the Mine That Bird Derby), Lombo (last in the Sham and fourth in the Robert B. Lewis) and Axelrod (second in the Robert B. Lewis).

—Mar 10— Next Shares followed his decisive 2018 debut victory in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes with another easy win, chasing down World Approval at the halfway mark and drawing out to win the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

The place and show horses both shipped from Florida.

World Approval, who finished second, entered the race after finishing third in the Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 10.

Meanwhile, Bill Mott’s Channel Maker was coming off a third place finish in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes. He was previously second in the W. L. McKnight Handicap in his debut. Both of those efforts were at longer distances.

—Mar 10— City of Light was in top form in his debut on Saturday. Rushed from the gate by jockey Drayden Van Dyke, City of Light never trailed and was only briefly challenged by Roy H before reaching the stretch. He drew away to a three-and-a-half length win.

“My horse was a bit keener the first three-sixteenths of a mile than I expected,” said trainer, Michael McCarthy. “Drayden dropped his hands coming to the half-mile pole, the horse seemed to settle for him and he picked him up coming to the lane.”

Van Dyke, who earned his fifth win of the year with the victory, was grateful for the mount. “He’s just a neat horse and he’s so kind. I’m very thankful to be on him,” he said.

Roy H, who’d won the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes in early February as the 1/5 favorite, was forwardly placed in the Triple Bend and had no excuses.

Bobby Abu Dhabi, with Victor Espinoza up, was third, a neck in front of Catalina Cruiser.

“Big performance for him today and I am just happy with the way he ran. Hopefully he’ll come back and win,” Espinoza said.

Edwards Going Left finished fifth after briefly showing speed.

Captain Scott, who entered the race after finishing fourth in an allowance race at 9 furlongs, was last, beaten fourteen-and-a-quarter lengths.

—Mar 10— Kiaran McLaughlin’s Avery Island, who’d disappointed in both the Jerome and Withers Stakes as the odds-on favorite, made up for those performances with a dominant win in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes. The even odds favorite, Avery Island drew away from Vino Rosso down the stretch to win by three-and-a-half lengths.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Vino Rosso, third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in his debut, finished second, two-and-a-half lengths clear of Enticed, who was a neck in front of King Zachary in fouth.

Free Drop Billy, a distant second to Audible in the Holy Bull Stakes in his debut, wound up fifth.

Firenze Fire, who had placed in both the Jerome and Withers Stakes threw in a clunker, finishing last, fourteen lengths behind the winner.