SUN Derby – Grade III [KYD]
1 1/8 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $800.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

1st Beach Dandy Joshua Stables Castellano J J

With just five lengths between second and last this race looked like every other Derby prep apart from one horse. It is rare to see a horse so dominant at HRP but that is the only way to describe this facile win as the champion two year old strolled home by four lengths. Now unbeaten in his last six he has developed into the star of HRP and is already comfortably past the 2K in winnings mark as he marches towards the KYD sure to start the favorite.
For the average trainer this horse gives us all hope, a $17.000 buy from the auction he is by a $1.000 sire who has yet to produce anything close to a stakes winner apart from this one. Both his dam and sire were sold for $1 and the mare has since been shot. His first public work as a juvenile saw him 1367th in the DMR trials with a sluggish 1.02 and when he was bought at auction he had just worked a 1.14H in May of last year.
What does that all tell us? well it gives everyone hope that money isnt everything at HRP and if you toss the coin just sometimes it turns up winning the lottery.

2nd False Command Fractious Colon L H

Came from behind for a good second but never got a sniff of the winner. This was a great effort by a horse that hadnt looked much of a Derby prospect before the race but with the rest of the runners in a bit of a heap it is hard to really gauge where he sits in the three year old ranks.

3rd Shake It Up And Go John Henry Velazquez J R

Spent a lot of energy from his wide gate getting into a position and that told later on as he could not quicken with the winner. A good effort from another ad draw.

4th Long Time Ago Mb Stables Bejarano R

Stalked the lead but just whacked away for fourth as all the other runners finished in a bit of a heap behind the easy winner.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES