Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes
 

NO. Draw FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER RTF% JOCKEY OR TS RPR
1 14 47- Agente Parmigiano 180 3 9-3 G A Butler 0 Shane Kelly 85 72 90
ch c Captain Rio — Kama´s Wheel (Magic Ring (IRE))

2 11 4-1 Akhenaten 13 3 9-3 M R Channon 68 Tony Culhane 94 68 104
b c High Chaparral (IRE) — Lady Adnil (IRE) (Stravinsky (USA))

3 5 1- Close Alliance 160 3 9-3 J H M Gosden 0 Jimmy Fortune 90 90 96
b c Gone West (USA) — Shoogle (USA) (A.P. Indy (USA))

4 3 47- Deposer 153 3 9-3 J R Best 0 Steve Drowne 101 95 109
b c Kheleyf (USA) — Bezant (IRE) (Zamindar (USA))

5 12 1- Haashed 114 3 9-3 M Johnston 76 Jamie Spencer 88 101 100
ch c Mr Greeley (USA) — Guerre Et Paix (USA) (Soviet Star (USA))

6 1 -07 Keeptheboatafloat 13 b 3 9-3 K R Burke 0 Darren Williams 92 90 101
b g Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) — The Perfect Life (IRE) (Try My Best (USA))

7 7 15- Mafaaz 165 b 1 3 9-3 J H M Gosden 0 R Hills 99 69 97
ch c Medicean — Complimentary Pass (Danehill (USA))

8 2 1-1 Markyg 21 3 9-3 K R Burke 0 Fergus Sweeney 92 70 105
b/br c Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) — Spring Pitch (USA) (Storm Cat (USA))

9 13 13- Mastery 152 3 9-3 M Johnston 76 Joe Fanning 97 100 109
b c Sulamani (IRE) — Moyesii (USA) (Diesis)

10 6 17- Shampagne 144 3 9-3 P F I Cole 0 Martin Dwyer 103 110 111
b c Orpen (USA) — Arndilly (Robellino (USA))

11 10 49- Sohcahtoa 165 3 9-3 R Hannon 55 Ryan Moore 97 105 107
b c Val Royal (FR) — Stroke Of Six (IRE) (Woodborough (USA))

12 8 1-1 Spring Of Fame 13 3 9-3 M A Magnusson 100 Chris Catlin 89 90 100
b c Grand Slam (USA) — Bloomy (USA) (Polish Numbers (USA))

13 9 36- Talking Hands 158 3 9-3 S Kirk 50 George Baker 97 94 101
b g Mujahid (USA) — With Distinction (Zafonic (USA))


This, I have to say is a terrible field - just one group placing between the lot of them. Only 2 of them rated over 100. Unless one of them has developed an engine over the winter, they wont be troubling the judge in Louisville. Im disappointed O'Brien or Bolger didnt send anything over.

If you were to fancy anything, Close Alliance and Mafaaz would be the two for me!

I like Haashed and Mastery.

Don't know how either will do here but...

Can't wait for Dunkirk to get 2nd in the Florida Derby and be shut out of the Derby field for one of these cows.

I hope Agente Parmigiano wins and runs, just because of his name.

at a glance, Close Alliance has a pedigree that wouldn't be horrible for 9 or 10 on the dirt =
b c Gone West (USA) — Shoogle (USA) (A.P. Indy (USA))

good footnotes too for a win in his only race = "Pushed along briefly early, in touch, headway 2f out, soon every chance, led entering final furlong, ran on well, in command near finish"

EDIT - he actually looked good on video too. http://www.attheraces.com/search.asp...lliance&type=H

Is this race open to American shippers?

Dream Empress?

Well said. It's nauseating that one of those pigs might keep out a deserving horse. I mean, if Dunkirk loses the Fla Derby by a whisker he won't belong in the Derby over the winner of a meaningless Polytrack race on a Wednesday.

NT

Thoro-Graph offering up the sheets on the Kempton horses as part of their introduction of UK figs...

http://www.thorograph.com/ROTW/20090...45.kempton.pdf

Based on the speed nums, there's actually a couple in this bizarre thing that look like they could be OK horses. 10 of the 14 are making their first start of the year in this... :zz:

No sympathy whatsoever. No, I'm not looking forward to one of these getting to the gate in the Derby, but if Dunkirk doesn't make it on earnings, it's not these guy's fault. If Dunkirk's connections want to qualify, either win the Florida Derby, or run him back in the five weeks between it and the Ky Derby. Simple as that.

Even more nauseating is that the winner of this race gets $100,000 for just running in the Kentucky Derby. So they could throw the horse with his leg falling off into the starting gate and have him run 10 feet before pulling up and they'll collect $100,000 just for showing up.

I think that money helps with the entry fees for the race, etc...

OK, so $50K to enter but still gives you $50K minus travel expenses to throw a gimp horse in the starting gate.

Wow, so much love on this thread! :D

To be fair though the flat season is basically March to November.

edit - Hey Brock, wheres Hanagan? Thought he'd have the Spring of Fame mount.

:D

Redding Colliery ran a couple of OK tries in Dubai and Close Alliance did look good late that day.
Because there is an actual "flat season" in Europe, the trainers know how to leg them up off of works. Look at the G1 guineas on our Derby day. Many of them are making their first or second start of the year in that very important G1.
The Poly racing is generally far below the turf racing in Britain. I might look to see if any improved from turf to Poly and figure that they might move up more on dirt, if they are dirt bred horses.

As for one of these keeping someone out, so be it. Every US based trainer knew that there might be only 19 berths in the Derby this year. If they couldn't get to the graded earnings threshhold, it is their own fault. They chose an allowance instead of the FOY (or other stake) for Dunkirk and put all his graded stakes "eggs" into one basket. It's the risk you take.

As for some owner sending some busted up nag to the Derby, I doubt it would happen. For one thing, as big as the Derby is to us, to the Brits, it's a nice little jaunt, fun to be part of, but not the be-all and end-all of the racing world. If the winner isn't ready to run his best race in KY, they would probably just skip it. (If I owned the winner and he came up bad after the race, I'd just ask Churchill if maybe I could make the trip, sans horse.) After all, our "Derby day" is their Guineas Day and that's a pretty big event there.

I do wonder if it's permitted to ship a US based horse there for this as a sure way to lock in a Derby spot. If so, THEN I do think you'd see a nag getting in.

Have to say, the more I've thought about this zany concept, the more I like it.

Zany is right, but I kinda agree. It's getting US players to watch a European race and maybe learn a bit more about how they race and train. It gets Euros interested in one of our biggest races. I was surprised that O'Brien and Bolger and Weld are not in it. I won't be surprised if the show up next year.

Ah, maybe I was a little early in my condemnation of the field - there are a few maiden winners that could go only to better things, im just disappointed that there isnt really any proven group performers chancing their luck or indeed any Irish entrants. We'll know much more tomorrow, but if this years winner is as good as last year's (Campanologist), that would be grand!

Early betting on Betfair is favouring Mafaaz over Haashed.

May I be so bold as to ask why?

May I do the same?