ROUNDUP: DERBY FAVORITE EMERGES IN KY.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer After victories by a dominant Harlan's Holiday in the Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. and a battling Buddha in the Wood Memorial on Saturday - the last full afternoon of Triple Crown prep races - the 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. picture finally has come into focus. It looks like a race with a clear favorite in Harlan's Holiday but no potential superhorse. It looks like a race without a clear second choice, meaning that price bettors will be tantalized by a tote board tote board n. A large, usually electrically operated board that displays changing numerical information, such as betting payoffs or voting results. full of double-digit odds. And it looks like a race in which the most accomplished contenders might stagger to the finish of the 1 1/4 miles, opening the door for a confirmed stretch-runner to spring a dramatic surprise. OK, so maybe the picture is still a little fuzzy Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 science fiction novel by H. Beam Piper. It is generally seen as a work of juvenile fiction. It was nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel. . The big development Saturday was the 4 1/2-length victory by Harlan's Holiday and jockey Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967 in Lima, Peru) is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Now a resident of Hollywood, Florida in 2004 Prado became the 19th jockey in thoroughbred racing history to win 5,000 races. over Booklet and Jorge Chavez in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Harlan's Holiday came into the stretch side by side with his rival and pulled away. Ocean Sound and Eddie Delahoussaye Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21 1951) was an American thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his career in 1968 and in ten short years became the top American jockey with 384 wins. finished quickly to just miss second. The disappointment was last-place Azillion and Corey Nakatani ''' Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. As of 2006, Nakatani has won more than 3000 races including the Kentucky Oaks twice, the Canadian International Stakes, the Dubai Golden . ``I wouldn't trade him for any other horse,'' Prado said of Harlan's Holiday, an Ohio-bred trained in Kentucky by Ken McPeek. ``He's proved that he can run against these horses (top 3-year-olds).'' Harlan's Holiday joined respectable company by winning the Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on the Saturday closest to the end of March or the first of April. and the Blue Grass. The other eight horses to win both races are Ridan (1962), Northern Dancer (1964), Forward Pass (1968), Judger (1974), Honest Pleasure (1976), Alydar (1978), Spectacular Bid (1979) and Holy Bull (1994). All except Northern Dancer went into the Kentucky Derby as the favorite. Northern Dancer, Forward Pass and Spectacular Bid won the Derby. Honest Pleasure and Alydar finished second. Although Harlan's Holiday ($3.40) appeared to burst away from Booklet in the stretch, it might be that Booklet was caving in after prompting the pace set by long-shot Bob's Image. The 1 1/8-mile race was run in 1:51.51 and the final eighth of a mile took 13.55 seconds, similar to the slow final furlong in the April 6 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. that fueled doubts about winner Came Home's stamina. The final eighth of the Blue Grass usually is run in less than 13 seconds. Booklet defeated Harlan's Holiday in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth stakes The Fountain of Youth Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park at the beginning of March each year. A Grade II event open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt, it offers a purse of $350,000. at Gulfstream Park near Miami during the winter. They have finished the other way around in the Florida Derby and Blue Grass. ``The extra 16th (of a mile) has made the difference between Harlan's Holiday and Booklet,'' said McPeek, who hopes the son of Harlan and grandson of 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed will continue to improve at 1 1/4 miles. The trainers of Booklet and Ocean Sound indicated they would speak with the horses' owners before deciding whether to go on to the May 4 Kentucky Derby. ``Harlan's Holiday is an extremely solid horse on an upward curve. It looks like we have the second-best horse right now,'' said John Ward, trainer of Booklet and 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. In the $750,000 Wood Memorial, run at New York's Aqueduct racetrack earlier Saturday, Buddha and jockey Pat Day held tough on the inside of Medaglia d'Oro and Laffit Pincay to win by a head as Sunday Break and Gary Stevens took a perfect trip to a close third. Saarland and Blue Burner were fourth and fifth in the eight-horse race as English import Laissezaller broke down and didn't finish. Like the Blue Grass, the Wood produced a slower-than-normal stretch run, Jim Bond-trained Buddha ($8.20) and Bobby Frankel-trained Medaglia d'Oro coming home in 13.42 seconds to a 1:48.61 finish after going side by side through a comfortable early pace. Buddha, a son of 1996 Kentucky Derby favorite Unbridled's Song, was running in only his fourth race and his first stakes after blasting allowance-level opponents at Gulfstream with Prado riding. The trainers of Medaglia d'Oro, Sunday Break and Saarland said they plan to go to the Derby. ``I'm not worried,'' Frankel said. ``Next race.'' In Saturday's third Derby steppingstone step·ping·stone n. 1. A stone that provides a place to step, as in crossing a stream. 2. An advantageous position for advancement toward a goal. , the $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, Private Emblem and Donnie Meche pulled away by 4 1/2 lengths over Wild Horses and Rene Douglas, who dropped his whip with one quarter-mile to go. At Golden Gate Fields Golden Gate Fields is a horse racing track straddling both Albany, California and Berkeley, California along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay adjacent to the in Albany, Tracemark and Jason Lumpkins edged favored Cappuchino and Russell Baze in the $150,000 California Derby. The race isn't expected to produce a Kentucky Derby runner. At Santa Anita, Victor Espinoza rode four winners on a day when upsets produced a pick-six carryover of more than $182,000 for today's pick-six. |
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