ELP Derby ($275.000 Purse)
ELP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Dirt
August 11, 2024

This Sunday at ELP, we will have the sixth running of the ELP Derby, an ungraded stake for three-year-olds that has seen its purse gradually increase over the years after debuting initially at $75.000. The current amount of $275.000 is a high for the race, and it has attracted seven horses, and for most of them a win here would be their biggest such victory in their careers. That’s true pretty much for anyone not saddled by Fractious. Last year, Neon Town got the win for Pan Farms, but he was unable to follow up on it into anything bigger. This year’s winner will hope to do better, and let’s meet the seven who look to be that winner now:

1- More Booster Please (John Henry, ridden by A Cedillo)- Makes his debut with John Henry after being purchased in private sales for $40.770 six weeks ago. He’s made five starts, three of them on a sloppy track but he did win two of them. There are no weather concerns here for Sunday and More Booster Please will be looking to show he can live up to his PRX work on July 11.

2- Yours Sincerely (Asgar, ridden by P Lopez)- Broke his maiden last month, in his ninth start, and will now be making a pretty big jump. He’s consistently been able to hit the board over his career, and the trainer never did drop him down in class. We’ve seen horses before take a little while to get that first win, but once they get it, they go on a streak. Perhaps he can be the next example of that.

3- Red Bull (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Two starts ago, Red Bull got his wings in the stretch and won the $100.000 King Corrie at WO. He followed that up pretty well, too, by running third in the Grade 3 Dwyer. He did not really get close to the winner there, but no one did. Typically, he can be expected to be near the back for the first half of the race, at least, before making his move.

4- Last Round (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- Based on past accomplishments, each of the two horses by Fractious have to be very appealing. Last Round is a graded winner, doing so in the Grade 3 Lang Stakes in May. But his best races have been when he has run in sprints, and his longer races have not followed suit. Of course, all of his attempts at going at least a mile have been against strong rivals, including two grade 1’s.

5- Crumbler (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by G Corrales)- Four of the seven horses in this field have one big thing in common: they were all bred by Team 7 Illusions. Crumbler, like Last Round, is by I Want More, but for now that is where the comparisons end. Crumbler is not nearly as experienced, having made just four starts but two of them are wins. Last time out, he won an allowance at CD right after he had struggled in the Grade 3 Winn. Maybe that was too much too soon, for him, and things can be a lot different now.

6- Van Go Go (Fractious, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Like this stablemate, Van Go Go, who’s also bred by Team 7 Illusions, is a graded winner. The gelding got his graded victory at two, when he took home the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club. A great win, but he would soon become very ineffective in the preps for the KYD and was dropped down into an optional claimer in May. He won that, and after being within a length in the Grade 3 Marine, perhaps he is going to get hot again.

7- Party For You (Mb Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- Early in his career, Party For You did run in a few ungraded races, but recently he has been seen only in optional claimers. Of those five races, he won twice and hit the board in four of them while never having a bad race. Therefore, perhaps the time is now for him to be reintroduced into a stake. Traditionally, he likes to be out on the lead early and it would surprise me to see that changed here.

Prediction: 3-4-6-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded