CV was small when I saw him last year at AQU. It doesn’t look like he got very big, which isn’t shocking. he’s a nice looking colt though.
This Friday eveing (Dec 5th) could easily be the ticket for one horse to secure a starting gate at the Kentucky Debry with graded earnings. With over $400k going to the winner that is almost a certainty to land in the top 10 of starters.
Postpositions, weight assignments, etc
Delta Downs Racetrack (LA) Boyd Gaming’s Delta Jackpot Stakes - Grade 3 - $750,000 purse
Race 8 Time 9:17 p.m.
Post Horse Weight Jockey
- Kick On 119 Ken Tohill [ML odds 12-1]
2) Terrain 122 Jamie Theriot [ML favorite at 5/2] - Trinity Magic 119 Calvin Borel
- Three Part Harmony 117 Robby Albarado
- Retap 117 Shaun Bridgmohan
- West Side Bernie 122 Elvis Trujillo [ML 3-1]
- Big Drama 119 Eibar Coa
- Skipadate 117 Gerard Melancon
- Stimulus Plan 117 Kent Desormeaux
- Valid Message 119 Curt Bourque
The wagering favorite Terrain in the Delta Downs Jackpot was involved in a suicide pace up front and simply was burned out before they hit the stretch. Rate? What is what? 
His odds as of 12-2-08 (see below) were at 60/1 to win the KY Derby but I suspect it will float up higher.
Conversly the winner the $750k Jackpot Derby (G3) Big Drama was still being listed at 150/1 as was West Side Bernie, who finished 2nd. Both are good values at those still high odds!
Wynn-Encore Vegas Odds as of 12-2-08 which is the most current published odds list but is a bit dated:
The first odds value is when Wynn started taking the future wager on the horse to win the Kentucky Derby in 2009
#7324 Hello Broadway: from 125/1 to 40/1 now
#7534 Indygo Mountain: from 1501/1 to 25/1 now
#7334 Midshipman: from 75/1 to 20/1 now
#7335 Munnings: from 150/1 to 100/1 now
#7424 Nicanor: from 150/1 to 100/1
#7483 Old Fashioned: from 150/1 to 15/1 now
Additional press on Old Fashioned Delaware News Journal 12-6-08 “Derby dreams return for Porter”
Old Fashioned will be based at the Fair Grounds this winter along with Jones’ other promising 2-yr old - Friesan Fire who may next race January 10:
Friesan Fire, who has been training steadily over the Fair Grounds track. He last worked on Nov. 29, going five furlongs over a sloppy track in 1:01.20. In his last two starts, Friesan Fire has finished fourth in the Grade 3 Nashua at Aqueduct and third in the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont.
Though his works appear to have him ready for a race, Jones hasn’t chosen a prep for Freisan Fire’s goal, the Grade 3 Lecomte on Jan. 10, and may choose not to race him until that race.
“Right now his main objective is the Lecomte,” said Jones. “We wouldn’t hesitate to train him right up to that race.”
With two rising stars in his barn, Jones is in a similar position to last season when he had both Proud Spell and Eight Belles. Jones worked to find races for each, and kept them from competing against each other.
This race tomorrow clearly negates the prior posting with Larry Jones uncertain if Fresian Fire will have a prep before the Graded Lecomte Stakes in Jan 
Tomorrow (Thu 12-11-08) will be an interesting 1-mile sprint at the Fair Grounds: just an allowance race for a relatively small purse it includes 3 names already in this thread as “ones to watch” for the First Saturday in May: Indygo Mountain, Friesan Fire, and Escalon. The latter:
[Escalon] is trained by Doug O’Neill, who finished third in the Cal Cup Juvenile and was beaten less than five lengths in both the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) and Real Quiet Stakes.
Race 6 @ 2:54 pm local 2 Year Olds Allowance, Purse $44,000
Patrick Valenzuela will be riding Escalon.
The quip my horse owner and MLB manager Joe Torre regarding the sale price of Vineyard Haven to Godolphin if correct is just insane: $12M. At the time this remark was made by part owner Bobby Frankel (who along with Torre and Louis Lazzinnaro)
“I had an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Frankel said. “That’s why I sold.”
Indeed.
Added: the 1-mile showdown expected at the Fair Grounds today with the three would-be Derby starters has been nixed: a rare New Orleans snowstorm has forced the track to cancell all live racing 12-11-08
I’m sure the folks at Finger Lakes and Hawthorne are laughing about that one. Yesterday there was 20-degree temps - pre windchill - and a light snowfall in Chicago and yet racing continued at Hawthorne.
These fillies are running in the Hollywood Starlet on Saturday. Have any of them been mentioned as Derby potential?
Toro Bonito Flores D R
Laragh Prado E S
Alpha Kitten Smith M E 120
Wynning Ride Talamo J 120
Dave’s Revenge Desormeaux K J 120
Pamona Ball Bejarano R 120
Black Magic Mama with Corey Nakatani, back in the saddle again!
[QUOTE=justalittlex;3719969]
These fillies are running in the Hollywood Starlet on Saturday. Have any of them been mentioned as Derby potential?[/QUOTE]
No but only in so far as they aren’t listed in the Las Vegas Derby futures. At this time last year a couple of fillies were listed with the boys. I only see listed IEAH-acquired Stardom Bound (f), who is listed as 60/1 was the BC JV fillies winner as a futures wagering contender for the KY Derby.
However her connections are pointing long term to the Mar 9 Grade 1, $300k Santa Anita Oaks - not the Santa Anita Derby - which is logically a prelude to the Kentucky Oaks.
Frankly what is underappreciated by many is just how unique Eight Belles was in terms of her domination against her own sex let alone taking on the boys. Her physical size was imposing and I don’t see any fillies of that build - mixed with talent - in the pool this year.
Thanks glimmerglass. Zenyatta’s a big girl too. I was debating going for that race but we’ve got rain coming Saturday which makes it all less fun.
Some other names as cited by Michael Veitch in the Saratogian (12-13-08) to watch
excerpt list - see article for details
Quality Road
Toulouse Lautrec
Into My Soul
Haynesfield
Well Positioned
Masala
Atomic Rail
Maybe they were still raking in that July 11 all time peak in oil?
I’m definitely in VH’s camp. He’s got a great sire who won 2.7M the good old fashioned way: by running and winning a lot of races. Also the group at Lambholm is a top notch group of managers, from yearling to broodmare to stallion handlers. Add to that, they have preserved the beautiful Ocala landmark, Hobeau Farms, which is truly a part of Florida racing history (Elmer Heubeck was Carl Rose’s trainer/manager - Rose’s “Rosemere” was the farm that started it all, and after Rose died, Elmer set up his own shop at Hobeau - as far as I know, Kerry Heubeck is still involved in FL racing).
Oh yeah, and they keep their old barren broodmares. In short, they appear to be a class act.
So it’s kind of nice to see them do well with Lido Palace’s 2nd racing crop, especially since I have a 3rd crop baby (but he’s headed for an entirely different career!), but mostly because nice guys should finish ahead.
Indygo Mountain scratched from the rescheduled allowance race at the Fair Grounds held Dec 18th. Per the BloodHorse 12-19-08:
"We’ll keep our eye on [Indygo] for a couple of days, and if he seems okay we’ll put the shoes back on and see how he’s doing,” the trainer added. “In a best case scenario, he’ll only miss a few days of training. These kinds of things happen, but unfortunately they always seem to happen to the good ones.”
Scharbauer, whose family won the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Alysheba, spent $600,000 to acquire Indygo Mountain at the 2007 Keeneland September sale. The colt broke his maiden in his most recent start at Churchill with an impressive 6 1/4-length tally Nov. 19.
The race did go on with the results as:
1 - Uno Mas
2 - Friesan Fire
3 - Escalon (with P Val up)
n that much-anticipated first-level allowance race in which Indygo Mountain was scratched, Mark Wagner’s Uno Mas overtook the highly-touted Friesan Fire to win by more than two lengths. The son of Macho Uno had broken his maiden at Fair Grounds on opening weekend.
Asmussen said he will point Uno Mas, one of 93 early-bird nominations for the Louisiana Derby (gr. I) released this week, toward the $100,000 Lecomte Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 10. Early-bird nominees are automatically nominated to both the Lecomte and Risen Star Stakes (gr. III) on Feb. 7.
Quite the impressive race from Old Fashioned!!! It sure would be nice to see Larry Jones win the Derby… He seems like a real down-to-earth guy.
Just getting caught up with racing news … watching the replay of the $750,000 CashCall Futurity from Hollywood Park (Dec 20) was damn impressive with Bob Baffert trained Pioneer of the Nile in a stretch run duel with I Want Revenge! Already rumoured to be one exceptionally nice runner ‘Nile’ looks like a gutsy player on the way to the Derby.
Jenny Craig’s Chocolate Candy also in the race with some hype never materialized finishing a very distant 3rd.
I assume with Baffert training the Zayat horse that they’ve since settled their differences.
The abriged ‘Top 10’ possible Kentucky Derby runners by Bill Finley Dec 26, 2008 - including a filly …
- Old Fashioned
- Square Eddie
- Haynesfield
- Vineyard Haven
- Big Drama
- Midshipman
- Stardom Bound (f)
- Pioneerof the Nile
- Cribnote
- Silver City
My favs so far:
Pioneer of the Nile – great race in CashCall Futurity!
Old Fashioned – see above post
Two more Top 10 lists for the 2009 Derby:
Jon White/XpressBet/HRTV Jan 1, 2009
(abridged)
- HAYNESFIELD.
- HELLO BROADWAY.
- WELL POSITIONED.
- SQUARE EDDIE.
- INDYGO MOUNTAIN.
- STARDOM BOUND (f).
- CHOCOLATE CANDY.
- I WANT REVENGE.
- OLD FASHIONED.
- PIONEEROF THE NILE
Gary West Star-Telegram (TX) 12-30-08 ‘Point Encounter joins the club’
(abridged)
- Old Fashioned
- Break Water Edison
- Hello Broadway
- Quality Road
- Point Encounter
- Giant Oak
- Well Positioned
- Pioneerof The Nile
- Imperial Council
- Indygo Mountain
Uncited, yet, is another explosive runner: Mr. Fantasy, who won his maiden Sun Dec 28th at Aqueduct. He won the six-furlong maiden race by 10 1/2 lengths. “After dueling with another rival through fractions of 21.77 seconds and 45.19, Mr. Fantasy drew off to a dominant score while simply under a hand ride from Alan Garcia.”
For that Mr. Fantasty’s effort was pegged with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, which is the among the highest of any 2-yr old in 2008. Mr. Fantasy was purchased for $230,000 by a partnership led by West Point Thoroughbreds at the Fasig-Tipton Timonium sale in May.
Of interesting connections: Mr. Fantasy is a half-brother to the graded-stakes-winning NY statebred (and very well liked on these boards!) Tin Cup Chalice
Interesting - and I just don’t get it myself - but these two Eclipse voters have both put Old Fashioned as their 3rd pick for 2-yr old Colt/Gelding:
- Midshipman. 2. Vineyard Haven. 3. Old Fashioned.
Jennie Rees (Courier-Journal KY)
1, Midshipman, 2. Vineyard Haven, 3., Old Fashioned
Does anyone think at the end of 2008 either Midshipman or Vineyard Haven were the top 2-yr old males of the year? If so why aren’t either cited in the Top 10 lists? Sure I can see where they did have good races to merit the Dubai folks snatching them up but if I could have one of those three in my stable going into 2009 it would be Old Fashioned.
Prediction: I doubt we’ll hear nearly as much about the two others in the victory circle in 2009 as OF.
Both Midshipman and Vineyard Haven have two GIs, and Midshipman also placed in a GI. Old Fashioned has one GII. Also, most would agree that the fields Midshipmand and Vineyard Haven defeated were more accomplished than the fields Old Fashioned defeated.
Since Eclipse Awards are for a body of work over 2008 (and not as a predictor of 2009’s performances), it makes sense to me that Midshipman and Vineyard Haven would be voted over Old Fashioned for 2008 Eclipse Awards.
Delightful Kiss under Calvin Borel ran an incredible last to first place this past weekend in the Hal’s Hope Handicap at Gulfstream. They will be back the 24th for a million dollar race. Calvin was beaming all day long yesterday, he really likes this horse!
