The Nashville Derby – Grade III
1 5/16 Mile Turf Stake Purse $2,500.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

A tiny bit of rain fell and made the official going good and suddenly this race that looked dominated by Fractious and Mb Stables was wide open. The winner took his third win from three goes on an off track whilst our favorite was zero from two before this race, no more excuses needed than that really.
This is how they finished for this huge purse:

1st Fanatical Empire Smokey Stover Bejarano R

I touched on it in the preview for this race and it certainly became a huge factor here as his previous run over a marathon trip saw him behind two of the best older horses in the game right now in running a huge fourth in the United Nations. Roll on five weeks and here he is against his own age group on an off track which he loves and again over a marathon trip, I guess we all should have seen this coming. Taken back into mid pack from his sticky draw, he improved readily and had plenty to spare in winning by a length, never really pushed by the veteran jockey R Bejarano who would have loved this HRP return to the big time.
The big question will be whether he can do it on a dry track, but I think the trip was the biggest factor here and he will relish the trip in the BC Turf. If it comes up wet in November, then we could see this three-year-old push his winnings into overdrive and maybe even if it stays dry, he only has a length of improvement to beat last year’s BC champion.

2nd Diamond Haggis Fractious Graham J

Beaten by this horse in both the American Turf and the Transylvania it was obvious that he too liked an off track and let’s remember at HRP the slightest drip of rain denotes an off track in their code, so he was clearly going to be suited by the conditions. To be fair to him he took the National Museum of Racing over a mile last time in a pre 1.33 time carrying 122 Lbs. so he is a long way from a slouch on a dry track too and this was another huge effort from this under rated horse. He ran much closer to the pace than the winner and couldn’t find a finish to hold that one inside the final furlong but if he wants to avoid Fanatical Empire in November then the BC Mile could be a great choice.

3rd Red Bull D J C Racing Stables Rodriguez A R

So a wet track horse can run in the dry, but a dry track horse cannot run in the wet at HRP and whilst this one was a winner on an off track I think his great finish to be third as the rank outsider had as much to do with the fast pace set up by instructions that go a bit haywire when the rain comes. I was so pleased for his owner who deserved a good run as he is always willing to have a go and that’s what he did here as this one ran in his first ever turf race and managed a decent return on his investment.

4th Test The Waters Mb Stables Buick W T

Though he had run well on off tracks he was also two lengths behind the runner up in the National Museum Of Racing so whilst I am sure the trainer would have wanted better than fourth, he did hold his form pretty well. It was an off track in the Preakness when he made nearly all the running and got pipped by his brilliant stable mate but with Rearranger in this race he was taken back further than I have ever seen him, and he just didn’t find much when trying to come from behind. It is easy to say fourth wasn’t great, but this was a huge race, and he has now run second in three grade ones and fourth in the biggest three old year turf race of the year, so it is hard to knock his form and his results.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES