NOTIONAL SHOWS TRIPLE CROWN PROMISE.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Staff Writer ARCADIA -- Doug O'Neill has three reasons to feel even better about his Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. chances than he did a year ago, when he trained 2-year-old champion Stevie Wonderboy Stevie Wonderboy (foaled 2003 in Kentucky) is a retired Thoroughbred race horse. Competing in 2005, his performances that year, capped off by a win in the fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, earned him the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Male Horse. . Notional, with a convincing if not particularly swift victory under jockey Corey Nakatani in Saturday's San Rafael Stakes The San Rafael Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race is a Grade II event with a purse of $150,000 and is open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. at Santa Anita, just joined Great Hunter and Liquidity in O'Neill's Triple Crown dreams. ``I think we feel a lot more confident than a year ago,'' O'Neill. ``We have three good prospects.'' O'Neill said he'd rate Notional, a four-length winner of the $150,000 San Rafael in a bounce-back effort, slightly ahead of Great Hunter, the Breeders' Futurity winner at Keeneland in October, and Liquidity, a photo-finish second to local division leader Stormello in the Hollywood Futurity in December. And the trainer best known for Lava Man is free to compare his 3-year-old trio like that without offending any owner because they're all owned by one man, CashCall lending firm founder J. Paul Reddam John Paul Reddam B.A. M.A. Ph.D. (born July 28, 1955 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a former professor of philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles and a businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner. Known by his middle name, J. . ``Right now, I guess he (Notional) is the leader of the pack,'' O'Neill said. ``He's like a cat, he's so agile and light on his feet. But Great Hunter is a GradeI winner. And Liquidity has the best body of the three of them.'' At San Rafael last year, Stevie Wonderboy ran second in his season debut to eventual Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. winner Brother Derek. Stevie Wonderboy was hurt soon after and has yet to race again. All the more reason for O'Neill to be glad he has a deep bench for '07. Now, O'Neill has the welcome headache that comes with trying to keep his horses from colliding, which might involve shipping one or two out of state for steppingstones to the May 5 Kentucky Derby. Presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. at least one will stay on the Santa Anita path, which features the Feb. 3 Sham, March 3 Robert B. Lewis Robert B. "Bob" Lewis (May 12, 1924 - February 17, 2006) was an American businessman who owned a number of champion Thoroughbred racehorses during the 1990's and 2000's. Life and career Bob Lewis was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Glendale, California. (formerly the Santa Catalina), March 17 San Felipe and April 7 Santa Anita Derby. In the San Rafael, the first two-turn event of the local 3-year-old calendar, Notional ($3.40) covered a mile in a slower-than-usual 1:36.48. But the California-bred by In Excess out of Truly Blessed did it easily, rallying from third and leaving pacesetter Tenfold, Grapelli and Silent Soul to decide a close fight for second in that order. heymodesti(AT_SIGN)aol.com (818) 713-3616 |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion