I COMPLETELY agree. “They” are kind of making themselves look like asses here.
Has Court Vision run this year? What’s his schedule?
I kind of like him based on last year.
Hey new to this forum…
My derby pic in 2008 is Anak Nakal.
He’s by victory gallop (who we all know had stamina) and runs like he has plenty of stamina. I think as he matures before the derby he will become FASTER so that his turn of foot will be better and he’ll pass horses more quickly then he has in his last couple of races. Plus, he’s not a plodder like blackberry road who just runs well every time but doesn’t win. He actually IS winning.
DRF 1-19-08 “War Pass bounces back from touch of colic”
War Pass will be just fine, but there are others entering the picture, maybe, for the KY Derby
Tagg finds two more nice prospects
Trainer Barclay Tagg has Tale of Ekati cranking up for his 3-year-old debut, but the winner of the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont Park isn’t the only Kentucky Derby prospect in the barn.
Tagg unleashed two other promising 3-year-olds on Friday and Saturday when he sent out Jockey Ridge and Elysium Fields to impressive maiden wins, both with jockey Eibar Coa aboard.
Jockey Ridge set a face pace, then drew off to an impressive 4 3/4-length victory going 6 1/2 furlongs while making his second career start on Friday. A son of Broken Vow, Jockey Ridge earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
“I’d like to stretch him out and will probably look for an allowance race of some kind for him next,” said Tagg."
Tagg put blinkers on Elysium Fields for the first time and was rewarded with a similarly easy maiden special weight triumph in a 1 1/8-mile race Saturday.
[QUOTE=Lori T;2942740]
Calvin Borel was just here for Christmas and spoke very highly of “Dennis O’Quirk” (or was it O’Quark?). He really likes this horse.[/QUOTE]
It is ‘Denis of Cork’.
I didn’t see the race, but he won yesterday at the Fair Grounds.
[QUOTE=miss_critic;2949861]
It is ‘Denis of Cork’.
I didn’t see the race, but he won yesterday at the Fair Grounds.[/QUOTE]
Democrat-Gazette 1-20-08 “Jockey Borel travels, wins”
Borel, an Oaklawn regular who won the Kentucky Derby aboard Street Sense last May, was not in Hot Springs on Saturday, opting for a trip to Fair Grounds to ride one horse — Denis of Cork — in entry-level allowance race for 3-year-olds.
[QUOTE=miss_critic;2949861]
It is ‘Denis of Cork’.
I didn’t see the race, but he won yesterday at the Fair Grounds.[/QUOTE]
Ah, I knew I didn’t have it quite right! Glad he won, his mom-in-law, my rescue partner, went to watch so I have been horse sitting for her. Calvin really likes this horse!
Regarding Calvin and maybe who he’ll ride in the Derby …
Ark. Democrat-Gazette 1-21-08 “With rosy disposition, Borel has decisions to make”
The job now for Borel and his longtime agent, Jerry Hissam of Hot Springs, is to find another one.
And this time, there will be decisions.
Borel, 41, was the only rider of Street Sense, but the jockey is juggling three live prospects in late January — unbeaten Denis of Cork, Turf War and Blackberry Road.
“We’re just trying to keep them separated right now,” Borel said.
But for how long ?
Hissam said the first major decision could come this week since Denis of Cork and Turf War are candidates for the $ 250, 000 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 18 at Oaklawn.
Borel has ridden Turf War just once, but that resulted in a deadheat victory with Z Humor in the $ 1 million Grade III Delta Jackpot Stakes on Dec. 7 at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.
… article continues …
Unlike last year, precious few Derby lists are being generated with any regularity yet
Jill Byrne - a TVG analyst and their expect with the Kentucky tracks
List as of Jan 20, 2008
- Pyro
- Into Mischief
- Cowboy Cal
- War Pass
- Court Vision
- Tale Of Ekati
- Majestic Warrior
- Monba <-- a name not cited before; Pletcher trained
- Anak Nakal
- Colonel John
From the DRF - ‘Denis of Cork may head to Oaklawn’ it looks like Calvin will have solid mounts in two big Oaklawn prep races:
Oaklawn on Feb. 9 has the Risen Star Stakes and pointed to it will be Blackberry Road. (Also pointed to this race is Steve Asmussen trained Z Fortune)
As cited before, Denis of Cork will likely forward into his stakes debut Feb. 18 at Oaklawn Park in the Southwest Stakes.
Regarding Denis’ last victory which was nothing like his impressive maiden:
Denis of Cork overcame obstacles to win at all. First, trainer David Carroll had let Denis of Cork come around at his own pace following his debut, and Denis of Cork was making his first start in two months while racing for the first time around two turns. Moreover, Denis of Cork was wide the entire trip, and rallied from behind a ridiculously slow early pace, nearly 50 seconds for the opening half-mile, and did so on a wet track he disliked, according to jockey Calvin Borel.
“Calvin said he was really struggling with the track,” Carroll said.
;)Hey there! Monba’s on my list as well.
Check it out here!
http://www.capitalotb.com/CapitalOTB/Files/PDF/aeb9b1dd-fee3-4369-9ab7-799c0b7113b3.pdf
Court Vision just had his first work of the season. Mott is trying to plan a course that keeps his contenders apart. He must feel like Pletcher right now. 
Linny - an interesting top 10!
[QUOTE=Linny;2957986]
Hey there! Monba’s on my list as well.
Linny’s Top 10[/QUOTE]
Sunday’s Louisville Courier-Journal had several Derby articles worth taking a peek at:
1-27-08 “Top contenders to watch on the march to the Derby”
The above is list of about 100 horses
1-27-08 “In the Kentucky Derby, can anyone pass War Pass?”
Flipping the BCJ Jinx upsidedown - here is an interesting breakdown of Triple Crown winners and how they fared in the BC Juvenile race (omitted are those TC races won by non-JV runners):
1-27-08 “How Triple Crown race winners fared in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile”
Also another Top 10 list to date: 1-28-08 “The Courier-Journal’s Kentucky Derby panel rates this year’s prospects”
Consensus ranking
(as per an average of C-J picks + DRF, Equibase, Ft.W Star-Telegram, ChurchillDowns)
- War Pass
- Pyro
- Court Vision
- Colonel John
- Into Mischief
T6. Monba
T6. El Gato Malo - Anak Nakal
T9. Tale of Ekati
T9. Z Fortune
One bad bit of news: D. Wayne Lukas trained, Marylou Whitney owned Legacy Thief - DRF 1-26-08
Legacy Thief finished third, but was vanned off after the race.
Track veterinarian Dr. Mary Scollay said Legacy Thief was lame in his left front leg after finishing and was vanned off to avoid possible further injury.
That same 1 1/8 mi allowance race resulted in Cool Coal Man taking the win and Golden Spikes the place; Legacy Thief took show.
Maryland-based Cave’s Valley will return this Saturday to avenge his wretched last outing in the $1M Delta Jackpot!
Cave’s Valley will seek to rebound from his first career defeat, suffered last month, and hopefully put himself on the Triple Crown trail when he runs in Saturday’s $75,000 Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct.
Michael Trombetta, the trainer of Cave’s Valley, said jockey Ramon Dominguez told him the horse didn’t seem to handle the Delta Downs surface.
“He could tell right away he was struggling,” Trombetta said Monday by phone from Maryland. “It’s a heavier surface and they treat it completely different. They work real hard to pack it and roll it, and it’s different than what we’re used to.”
Trombetta said Cave’s Valley shipped back to Maryland and got back on the work tab on Jan. 5. He has worked three times at Laurel, and on Monday Cave’s Valley traveled by van to Aqueduct where he was to work a half-mile over the inner track on Tuesday.
Getting the ride (as Ramon will be in FL) will be Mario Pino best known in the triple crown prelude races aboard Hard Spun last year. The race is ungraded so it doesn’t as per say advance Cave’s Valley closer to the Derby starting gate.
You won’t see Giant Moon this weekend in the $100k Whirlaway at Aqueduct. Rather his connections have said he’s going straight to the Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes on March 8.
Giant Moon extended his winning streak to four with a neck victory over Spanky Fischbein in the Count Fleet Stakes on Jan. 5.
IEAH Stable has announced that they have puchased an interest in Remsen winner Court Vision. He is a full brother to the stallion Kipling who is the sire of IEAH’s BC Mile winner Kip Deville. Court Vision is pointing for the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream on Feb 24th.
I apologize for not doing the research myself, but my guess is somebody will know this off hand-Zito has never won the KD, has he?
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;2968525]
One bad bit of news: D. Wayne Lukas trained, Marylou Whitney owned Legacy Thief [/QUOTE]
To follow up :
Lukas also said that his other top 3-year-old prospect, Legacy Thief, is “walking sound” after having been vanned off the track following his third-place finish under Rene Douglas in a second-level allowance race Saturday.
“Even though he appears to be okay, we’ll go over him top to bottom to confirm it,” Lukas said. “He was just dead tired at the end of that race and stumbled a couple of times, and I think that’s why Rene jumped off him past the wire.”
[QUOTE=miss_critic;2971886]
I apologize for not doing the research myself, but my guess is somebody will know this off hand-Zito has never won the KD, has he?[/QUOTE]
Twice: 1991 - Strike The Gold and 1994 -Go For Gin
He’s been loaded for bear before (e.g., for the 2005 Kentucky Derby he saddled a record five starters for five different owners) but just hasn’t had another winner.
Slew’s Tiznow is out:
Slew’s Tiznow recovering from colic surgery, Thoroughbred Times 1/30/08
Slew’s Tiznow, the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) runner-up last fall, will not be a candidate for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) after undergoing colic surgery in mid-January…
