Isn’t Delightful Kiss while a lovely big gray also five-year-old gelding? I don’t think we’ll see DK in the 2009 Kentucky Derby 
I haven’t seen Calvin on any mounts - as of yet - who have been earmarked to possibly start this year’s Derby. Lastyear it was Blackberry Road in Feb being aimed to the Derby with Calvin aboard.
Notonthesamepage who just won easily the ungraded Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream will go into the $250,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) on February 28.
While not a terribly significant field of runners in the ‘Bid’ Stakes the effort - taking it by over 8-lengths - is notable for the final time. He completed the six-furlong distance on a fast track in 1:08.48, just off the track record of 1:08.46 set by Tiger on February 16, 2006.
He is a homebred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and has won two of six starts and earned $109,078.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3778517]
Isn’t Delightful Kiss while a lovely big gray also five-year-old gelding? I don’t think we’ll see DK in the 2009 Kentucky Derby
I haven’t seen Calvin on any mounts - as of yet - who have been earmarked to possibly start this year’s Derby. Lastyear it was Blackberry Road in Feb being aimed to the Derby with Calvin aboard.[/QUOTE]
Opps! That is what happens on lack of sleep! You are so right! Oh well, Calvin will find something!
Notonthesamepage
[QUOTE=WhiteCamry;3779515]
I like his coloring - chestnut with three white socks, just like his grandsire’s damsire.[/QUOTE]
I suspect the odds Wynne/Encore ‘Racing & Sports Book’ for the 135th KY Derby have dropped big time since his As of the last public publishing of those odds (Dec 29, 2008) Notonthesamepage was at 175-1 while Old Fashioned is at a very stingey (and unattractive) 15-1.
A few others (12-29-08):
Indygo Mountain: 40-1
I Want Revenge: 50-1
Friesian Fire: 100-1
Square Eddie: 30-1
West Side Bernie: 75-1
One huge opportunity that came and I can guarantee has now left is Backbackbackgone who flopped in his effort in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue in October (5th place) but this past weekend trounced in the (ungraded) $75k Golden Bear Stakes at GGF. His last listed odds for the Derby: 250-1.
It is unclear if he’s now off the Derby trail as his next start is at Gulfstream Park in the (ungraded) $250k Sunshine Millions Dash at the end of January. His trainer may just be focused on making good money all year vs. just focus on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Hype, a Todd Pletcher trainee who has run only on grass, is not living up to his namesake, remains at 300-1
Saratogian 1-5-08 “Michael Veitch: Top 10 Derby 135 hopefuls as of Jan. 4”
Those not otherwise cited on other lists
5. Charitable Man
Only saw him twice, and he won both impressively.
Winner of the Belmont Futurity is by Lemon Drop Kid, a richly-bred son of Kingmambo who was a Grade I winner at ages 2, 3, and 4, a list that included the Belmont, Travers and Whitney.
10. Beethoven
Winner of the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.
The son of Hopeful Stakes winner Sky Mesa overcame a stumble on the stretch turn and prevailed in a furious three-horse fight to the wire.
Will Bob be back to the Derby with a serious runner to win it? He seems to think so.
Zayat’s big horse, Pioneerof the Nile, got a good taste of life in Bob Baffert’s barn, working five furlongs in :58 2/5 Jan. 4, the fastest of 80 works at the distance. Baffert feels strongly this is his ticket to the Derby.
That scratch last month of Indygo Mountain at the Fair Ground will be made up this Saturday (1-10) in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes although he’s reportedly not at full strength:
“The bad thing is we missed a race and a work with him,” said his trainer, Bret Calhoun, referring to the foot abscess that cost the big colt some training time. “But he’s doing real well now.”
Calhoun said Indygo Mountain won’t be 100 percent for Saturday’s race. Indygo Mountain, in other words, won’t be as good as he should be in the coming months. But that’s why he’s running, to move in that direction.
Another comment from his trainer, Bret Calhoun:
I was a little surprised when they told me we were the favorite [at 3-1]. He’s only had two starts and isn’t as seasoned as some of these. We drew the nine-post too, so we’d have to get pretty lucky on the first turn. I don’t want to have to use him hard after what we’ve been through. I wish he were a little more sound, but if this is the worst of his problems, it’s better to have them out of the way early."
$100,000 Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes (at 1-mi distance)
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
The Lecomte is considered a prep race for the Risen Star Stakes on February 7 and the Louisiana Derby on March 14.
Larry Jones may ship Old Fashioned from Louisiana to Oaklawn for the $250,000 Southwest Stakes (Grade 3) Feb 16th as his first start in 2009. However if It Happened Again or Friesan Fire flops in their next effort then he’ll stay at the Fair Grounds for the $200,000 Risen Star Stakes (Grade 3). Old Fashioned worked out Wednesday (Jan 7) at 5:30 am:
But Old Fashioned is a horse worth getting up for, and it was but moments after the start of training that Larry Jones gave his 3-year-old Kentucky Derby hopeful Old Fashioned his first work of 2008, a half-mile breeze that was timed in 48.20 seconds.
“He just stretched his legs,” Jones said during Wednesday’s track renovation break. “He went really nice.”
At the break, Jones didn’t even know how fast Old Fashioned had worked. A fast time was nothing close to the point of this exercise, yet Old Fashioned’s was the second-fastest of 27 half-miles on Wednesday.
(Hopefully we’ll see Old Fashioned working with [b]Proud Spell/b who has officially returned to racing. The gal was not adapting to life away from the racetrack. So she’s at Fair Grounds too and will aim for the April 4 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn as her first start.)
Just to revisit why Old Fashioned should get folks excited: the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes Nov 29, 2008 video
My sentimental longshot is running Sat at SA, Turk in a MSW.
Also can’t remember if it was this board or another that someone was high on Imperial Council, but he has had 2 or 3 consecutive works including a 1/2 today.
Jennie Rees at the Courier-Journal (KY) cites a possible Tomcito (remember him?) part deux for 2009: WinStar farm owned, Todd Pletcher trained, and Peru-imported runner Al Khali. I still don’t know what ever became of Tomcito after the TC chase.
As for Al Khali up next is a race at Gulfstream:
Look for him next month at Gulfstream, where he’s eligible for a first-level allowance race because new Gulfstream racing secretary Doug Bredar adds a money-won condition along with the basic “non-winners of a race other than” qualification. Al Khali has earned only $10,520 in his three starts.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3787920]
Larry Jones may ship Old Fashioned from Louisiana to Oaklawn for the $250,000 Southwest Stakes (Grade 3) Feb 16th as his first start in 2009. However if It Happened Again or Friesan Fire flops in their next effort then he’ll stay at the Fair Grounds for the $200,000 Risen Star Stakes (Grade 3).[/QUOTE]
Forget about Friesan Fire flopping - he looked damn solid in capturing the Grade 3 $100k Lecomte Stakes. Yet another sweet victory for Larry Jones as his trainee (and owned by wife Cindy) Just Jenda (f) won the $75k Tiffany Lass Stakes in the race prior 
[Note like Old Fashioned, Friesan is owned (in conjunction with Vinery Stables) Fox Hill Farm … just as Hard Spun was and Eight Belles was …]
Indygo Mountain, as warned by his connections as not being 100%, flopped with him sitting at the rear and only making of half-hearted attempt to move up in the field. He finished well of the boards.
Ken McPeek seems loaded for bear as he won ALL THREE of the 3yo nw1x allowances at Gulfstream this week!!
Free Country and Danger To Society split divisions on Thursday and today Theregoesjojo beat the highly regarded Quality Road in the 10th. Of the three, I tend to favor Danger To Society most. He looked very good. He’s by Harlan’s Holiday out of a mare named Elrose who is a sister to Silver Charm.
A fascinating ‘List of 100’ possibles for the Kentucky Derby: Gary West (Ft Worth Star-Telegram) 1-10-09 “Potential Triple Crown noisemakers”
Listed at #30: Friesan Fire, before his victory Saturday in the G3 Lecomte Stakes
Interesting entry listed outside of the top 50: (@ #73): Majormotionpicture
Listed at #89: Nicanor, 0-0-0-0, $0, Dynaformer, Michael Matz, Barbaro’s brother is preparing for a Florida debut.
Majormotionpicture just crossed my radar today too. Where can I learn more?
Ok, I was impressed by Friesan Fire’s effort in the G3 Lecomte Stakes but Don Agriss of The Sports Network says he’s making making FF his Derby pick 
True that it was a good victory - just his 2nd in 5 starts - and the wins in 2009 are more important then anything in late summer of 2008. However I’d be a bit more cautious. From owner Cindy Jones.
“When we watched the replay we realized that he absolutely dragged Gabe (jockey Saez) to the lead,” noted Jones’ wife Cindy.
A few next starts for the those ‘on the road’ to Louisville:
Friesan Fire: Risen Star S. (G3) - 1 1/16 miles - Feb 7
Old Fashioned: Southwest Stakes (G3) - 1 mile - Feb 16
Pioneerof the Nile: Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) - 1 1/16 miles - Feb 7
Chocolate Candy: ungraded California Derby - 1 1/16 miles - Jan 17
Haynesfield: ungraded Whirlaway Stakes - 1 1/16 miles - Feb. 7
Majormotionpicture & Square Eddie: (likely) San Rafael Stakes (G3) - 1 mile - Jan 17
Believe in Hope: San Vicente Stakes (G2) - seven furlongs - Feb. 16
Off the Derby Trail: Point Encounter (trained by Carla Gaines) who earned a 94 Beyer Speed Fig in his Dec 26th maiden effort. Gary West in his top 100 prospects (see the link in the prior posting) pegged Point Encounter at a lofty #4!
Point Encounter is owned and bred by the Kentucky West Racing stable of Patrick O’Keefe, and was listed as 15-1 co-favorite in the Wynn future book Derby odds in Las Vegas.
Gaines said Point Encounter suffered a soft tissue injury and that “it could take a while” for him to return. Gaines declined to be specific regarding the exact nature of the injury, and did not say if the colt hurt himself in the race or while training.
Majormotionpicture & Square Eddie: (likely) San Rafael Stakes (G3) - 1 mile - Jan 17
Hey I was going to SA Friday for the dollar hot dogs and beer. Looks as if I may be heading there Saturday too!
The BloodHorse is just now embarking on the Road to the Derby
Haskin 1/14/09 “Ky. Derby Trail: Let the Lists Begin”
An interesting bit as Steve won’t release a top 10 until Feb …
One horse I can all but guarantee will be in the top 5 on the official Derby Dozen is LeComte runner-up Patena.
Perhaps more interesting is that he offers up a ‘top 10’ of horses who have not yet won a stakes race … (abridged)
1—Imperial Council
2—Checklist
3—Shafted
4 / 5 / 6 – Haskin “can’t separate” McPeek’s trio of Danger to Society, Free Country, and Theregoesjojo just yet.
7—Professor Z
8—Majormotionpicture: This highly touted son of Action This Day had been working well for his 3-year-old debut, but hasn’t worked in 11 days and hasn’t run since breaking his maiden in August. So, we’ll have to watch him closely. He needs to start stepping up. Fantastic pedigree on both sides.
9—Well Positioned
10—Brother Keith
Slackers.
:winkgrin:
I don’t see majormotionpicture as an entry in Saturday’s San Rafael Stakes, but I see the Pamplemousse (I think that means grapefruit?) and Square Eddie are in , as well as Brother Keith with Gomez on board.
Just as an aside, why would Baffert race, and Gomez choose to ride, a 5 year old gelding that hasn’t raced in two years? Friday, race 7, “St. Paul”
[QUOTE=justalittlex;3805032]
I don’t see majormotionpicture as an entry in Saturday’s San Rafael Stakes, but I see the Pamplemousse (I think that means grapefruit?) and Square Eddie are in , as well as Brother Keith with Gomez on board.[/QUOTE]
Majormotionpicture was cited as possible but per yesterday’s DRF:
Majormotionpicture, the winner of a maiden race at Del Mar in August, will not start, trainer Mike Machowsky said. “He’s gotten a little jarred up behind,” he said.
Another raced cited last month for ‘Major’ was the $70,000 San Pedro Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 19 however I don’t see how he’d be any more ready for that.
I should ask a friend if ‘Pamplemousse’ is named for the San Diego grill of the same name If so then I’d have an in or sorts.
Square Eddie certainly has an interesting passport: Canadian born, raced in England twice (Kempton & Salisbury), then Keeneland, and the Breeders’ Cup!
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