FL Derby (Grade 1)- $1,000.000 Purse
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
April 1, 2017
Last year, the FL Derby was arguably the most competitive and thrilling out of any of the prep races for the KYD. It was won by Compress, and several others in the field were billed as top contenders. There was another in that field that day, Admirals Aces, who burst onto the scene and used the FL Derby to catapult his career, which would ultimately go to the grass and see him win the BC Turf. That was last year, and this year, right now we can clearly bill this race as the showdown between Profound Connection and Made To Sin. These are great horses, and one can hope that we have a season with these two building a great rivalry here that we probably haven’t seen since Five Fives and Mrs Bombastic. They headline this field so much, that it could be easy to forget that there are ten horses in this field, and that’s why I threw Admirals Aces name out there. Little was known about him, but he would become a BC champion. Some of the other ten have great credentials themselves and are very capable of stepping up and winning this race, but there are a few in here where the trainer is taking a shot. This is time to do it! Sit back, and enjoy this great race!
#1- Mr C (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by L Saez) (14 KYD Points, 22nd overall)-
Two years ago, the trainer enjoyed a victory in this race thanks to Unsuited. This year, he brings a strong contender to the starting gate with Mr C. This gelding has consistently been able to get a check for his trainer in these prep races, though a few times those checks were of the fourth place variety. His last race was his best to date, where he was third and got his picture taken with the winner in the Grade 2 Risen Star. He’ll need to get points in this race, and after you look at the obvious top two, it seems possible for him. Third place points would be enough.
#2- Profound Connection (Mb Stables, ridden by R J Albarado) (74 KYD Points, 2nd Overall)-
I have thought, and expressed in here, for awhile now that I feel Profound Connection is the horse to beat for the KYD, and nothing has happened to change my mind. Not only is he consistently elite races, the margins of victory have been impressive. Everything about him screams superstar, with a great conformation, the pedigree, and the results on the track. It’s going to be exciting to watch him and Made To Sin go at it here, and in a perfect world, we’d have a fascinating stretch battle for them with the rest of the field fighting for the third place points a length or two back. The real showdown will be in a month between these two, but enjoy the preview of it right here.
#3- Tumultous (Red Square Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez) (14 KYD Points, 21st Overall)-
The lightly raced colt has been very impressive since returning from a layoff in December of last year. All he wanted to do, it seemed, was to start racing longer, and would run second in Grade 1 LA Futurity after the seven month rest. Red Square remained patient, and found the best spot for him last month, in the El Camino at GG, and he would score the victory. The accolades aren’t there for him when you put his resume up against Profound Connection or Made To Sin, but he has plenty of potential and the best is yet to come.
#4- Shootfromthehip (Nakamura Stables, ridden by K J Desormeaux) (12 KYD Points, 23rd Overall)-
Here’s another that is just outside the top 20 and needing to pick something up here in order to make the KYD. If he gets in, Shootfromthehip’s consistent nature could make him a spoiler in that race, and of course that holds true here as well. He’s won half of his eight career races, with the most recent one being a win in the Southwest at OP. He should like added a bit of distance, and he showed a ton of speed in a mid-February work.
#5- Throwing Hands (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco) (0 KYD Points)-
The second of three from Mb Stables in this field is completely untested at this level. He broke his maiden in his last start, at TAM, and off of that, he is in the FL Derby. He dominated that race, winning it by six, and if you believe that he is capable of running in the KYD, then the time is now to take a shot. I’m sure some out there think his presence here is to help out Profound Connection somehow, but I do not think it is. Profound Connection does not need help.
#6- They All Laughed (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr) (21 KYD Points, 13th Overall)-
The colt by Stars Collide has won two out of seven, but always seems to be competitive. As a two year old, he had a pair of runner up performances in the fall, one in the Grade 3 Iroquois and the other in the Futurity at BEL. Later on, he would run in the DED Jackpot and come on strong down the stretch, having the ultimate winning trainer there be very concerned about him late. They All Laughed has continued his progress from there, with a win in the Smarty Jones, and then a good run in the Risen Star. He is fourth on the Mb Stables leaderboard for the derby.
#7- Made To Sin (John Henry, R Bejarano) (70 KYD Points, 3rd Overall)-
The other part of our exciting showdown here at GP, there is no denying that Made To Sin is full of talent. I had the pleasure of covering his last race while closely watching the one prior to that, and what impresses me the most about Made To Sin is his powerful stretch drive. He finds away to get it done, and made coming from behind in the Fountain Of Youth right here on this race track look very easy. That win led to a lot of debate as to who is better between him and Profound Connection, and there are no wrong answers at the moment. I cannot wait to watch these two go at it.
#8- On The Up And Up (Night Rider Stables, ridden by R Maragh)-
Having sold this horse to Night Rider Stables, I am happy to see him in this race, and I am supportive of the decision to run him in a prep. I had hopes for him as well but the sting of a negative run as is what happened in the Notebook can affect a smaller budget player a little more. There is plenty of talent with this one. His name is perfect, because that is where his career has been heading. As I sit back and watch the showdown between the top two names, I’ll be enjoying the run of On The Up And Up. If he wins, Night Rider, don’t forget where you got him from!
#9- La Lune Rain (Blushing Meadows, ridden by M E Smith) (0 KYD Points)-
It will be just the fourth start of the career for this colt that was once sold in private sales for $175.000 unraced. Blushing Meadows put a lot of confidence in him early, and has brought him along in his usual patient manner. At the beginning of the March, he appeared in a graded stake for the first time, and ran a competitive fifth in the Grade 3 Gotham. In that race, he earned a 98 SRF. This will be a tougher assignment, but the talent is there, and if you are looking for a spoiler in the field to the big names, this may be your horse.
#10- Weakleft (Fractious, ridden by J J Castellano) (0 KYD Points)-
As much as Blushing Meadows believed in La Lune Rain, his feelings were the opposite with Weakleft when he put him in a $16.000 claimer. In that race, where he was third, he was picked up by Fractious who makes a very ambitious placing by putting him in this race. I’m gathering that the new trainer feels the last race is a throw out. If it was, then, perhaps, he’s not as much of a longshot as he seems to be.
#11- American Phuegoah (The A Stable, ridden by J J Hernandez) (0 KYD Points)-
Broke his maiden in his last start, the third of his career, at SUN last month. More then likely it’s not the race performances that led to him coming here, it was pretty impressive work at PRX a week ago that led to The A Stable taking this chance. It’s a time that puts him right there with anyone else in this field, and the trainer further hopes that gelding him the day after the work can lead to success. We’ve seen it play out favorably before.
#12- Warrior Chant (Sccj Stables, ridden by J Alvarado) (54 Points, 7th Overall)-
On the far outside, we come to Warrior Chant, who is one that we will be seeing in the KYD next month at CD if the trainer wants him there. He was able to punch his ticket last month when he went down to FG and won the Grade 2 Risen Star. Prior to that, he was second in the Lecomte (Grade 3). He is a very consistent racehorse, having hit the board in everything other then his debut race. How will he fare against Profound Connection and Made To Sin? It will be exciting, but I wish he didn’t have to come from this post in order to do so.
Prediction: 2-7-12-4
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
