Derby Preps: The Gotham and The Louisiana Derby

Well, it sure was an interesting day at Aqueduct yesterday for the running of the Grade III Gotham Stakes. The track was a sloppy mess after two days of rain.  If it wasn’t raining, there was fog.  Now as miserable as it is to shoot in the rain, it is positively frustrating to shoot in the fog, because no matter what you do with your camera, the picture is going to look … foggy.  This is what I had to send out …

Visionaire runs down Texas Wildcatter

To use a cliché, the fog was soupy nightmare, not only for us crazy photographers, but for announcer John Imbriale, who declared “The three-year olds have disappeared … as they move up the backstretch … in the fog … ”  We knew they were still running because they were tripping the electronic timers as they passed.  

Then suddenly out of the fog appeared Texas Wildcatter, 4 ½ lengths in front, with a 16th of a mile to run.  But closing with each desperate stride was Team Valor’s Visionaire, who won the Gotham by half a head.  It was a gutsy win over a horrendous track.  We’ll probably see The top two again in the April 5th Wood Memorial.

Some who were expected to do something, but did squat, were Giant Moon, Roman Emperor, and the favorite, Saratoga Russell, who never ran past 6 furlongs and finished 8th.  Why he was the favorite is beyond me - didn’t even peak my interest looking at his past performance.  The bettors got it wrong on this one, and his connections plane to keep him short. I expected Roman Emperor to do something in the slop, considering his talented daddy won the Belmont Stakes on this kind of track.  I guess the apple fell real far from the tree in this one.  New York -bred Giant Moon had a hissy fit over the surface, couldn’t handle it at all.

At least the Kentucky Derby hopefuls and wanna-be’s are starting to get sorted out.

Declaring My Derby Horse ...

That said, I am officially declaring my Kentucky Derby horse. Right here, right now.

Pyro 

Pyro takes the Louisiana Derby   copyright 2008  EquiSport Photos 

Down at the Fair Grounds racetrack in Louisiana, Pyro again shows why he is a top Derby contender.  After showing an explosive turn of foot in last month’s Risen Star stakes, the Derby hopeful overcame traffic trouble to again assert his dominance, and his explosiveness against wanna-be’s in the Louisiana Derby, coming home 3 lengths ahead of 60-1 pacesetter My Pal Charlie.  There were some in the press box who thought part of Pyro’s traffic problems were a direct cause of Shaun Bridgmohan’s ride.  These nameless few thought this was the second bad ride in row.  I think Shaun was waiting for a hole to open up so he could move his horse off the rail.  Luckily that whole opened up, but waiting for a hole to appear can be disastrous when you are in a race with 19 other horses, as he will be in the Derby.

Pyro is now 3 for 6, his 3 losses coming to War Pass, the 2007 Juvenile Champion.  These two won’t face each other until the Derby, and so far War Pass has just won an allowance race at Gulfstream this year.  Granted, he blew the field out, which is what he was supposed to do, but I always have suspicions regarding front runners winning a 1 ¼ mile. Granted, recently War Emblem has done in 2002, and Winning Colors has done it.  But they had things exactly their, able to control the pace without being pressed.  Which is why I believe a horse like Pyro will get to turn the tables on Was Pass in the Derby.

Let’s not forget the ladies …

Right before the boys went at it, it was the fillies in the Fair Ground Oaks.  The top two fillies in the country were running, 2007 juvenile filly champ Indian Blessing and Proud Spell.  I have been following Proud Spell since she started her career.  She is 4 for 6 in her young career, her only 2 losses were to Indian Blessing. 

Proud Spell finally turns the tables   copyright 2008  EquiSport Photos

Trained by Larry Jones (Hard Spun) and ridden by Gabriel Saez, Proud Spell turned the tables on her rival by pulling away in the stretch to win by 2 ½ lengths, finishing almost ½ a second faster than Pyro in the following race.  Indian Blessing to her usual position on the lead, with Proud Spell stalking her.  At the top of the stretch, Saez sent her and she overtook a tiring Indian Blessing.

She should be making a stop at Keeneland before going to the Kentucky Oaks the first Friday in May.