The BEL Derby Invitational – Grade I
1 1/4 Mile Inner Turf Stake Purse $1,000.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

1st Dead Madness John Henry Maldonado E

Well, I said that this horse was on a watch list after his easy win in the Tale Of The Cat last time, and with some scorching works, he must now head to the BC Turf as one of the favourites. We can only assume he hated the wet track when easily beaten in the American Turf, and whilst the rest of his form was average at best, his works and that last start win was crying out to be noticed.
Bred by Mb Stables and sold for just $10.000 pre race, he was bought by John Henry after a maiden win for $40.000, and that is now proving a very good investment. There were plenty of hard luck stories in the race, so I am sure the form will flip flop around as usual in the coming months, but for now, this one is the top turfer of his generation.

2nd Arkenstone Mb Stables Contreras L

Ran another solid race in defeat and has now proven he can run on any going, a real consistent sort who will always be a contender in these sorts of races.

3rd Wired Up Rampage Stable Rosario J

Flew late for third, and considering this was only his sixth start and only 3 months since his maiden win, I think we can safely assume Rampage has a good un here.

4th General Ferro Mb Stables Velazquez J R

Used the wide gate to take the lead at a strong pace. We can only assume that Mb Stables sent this one as a pace maker for his stable companions. The fact that the stalker managed to win suggests the pace wasn’t suicidal, which meant that he could keep on for fourth in a nice effort. This on pace sort may be a turf mile contender in the making.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES