'17 CROWN TRAIL THREAD: Always Dreaming; Cloud Computing; Tapwrit

[Rudeboyelvis]

Tapwrit confirmed for the Blue Grass

Epicharis bypassing KY Derby, pointing to Preakness / Belmont

[tjfla]

Fast and Accurate IN

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...t-and-accurate

Gotta love Ken Ramsey- I mean Kendall Hansen(Another Idiot). Costs 200K to run 18th

[knickslions2]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

Tapwrit confirmed for the Blue Grass

Epicharis bypassing KY Derby, pointing to Preakness / Belmont

Blue Grass looking like a nice race!!

[Kasept]

Classic Empire to AR Derby..

Classic Empire headed to Oaklawn Park for Arkansas Derby April 15, per Casse
Dave Grening

Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male Classic Empire will make his next start, and final prep for the May 6 in the Kentucky Derby, in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 15, trainer Mark Casse said Tuesday, shortly after Classic Empire turned in his second work in a week at the Winding Oaks training facility in Ocala, Fla.

Casse also had been considering the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8. He said the "biggest reason" for the Arkansas Derby "is it gives us an extra week."

"Right now the toughest horse out there is McCraken," Casse said of the unbeaten colt who is headed to the Blue Grass. "We'll wait and meet McCraken at the Derby."

Classic Empire won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile but has raced just once since, in the Holy Bull nearly two months ago. He came out of that race with a foot abscess, then twice in recent weeks refused to work at the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida.

[Kasept]

Practical Joke to run in Blue Grass
David Grening

Practical Joke will skip Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby and instead run in the Grade 2, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8, trainer Chad Brown said.

"The horse will benefit from an extra week," Brown said. Joel Rosario will ride Practical Joke in the Blue Grass.

[Kasept]

Battalion Runner re-routed; Wood and Ark Derby now in play
Dave Grening

Battalion Runner will not compete in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, and his options now include the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct the same day, and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn on April 15, trainer Todd Pletcher said on Tuesday.

Battalion Runner will be entered on Wednesday in the Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, but he is not an intended runner. Pletcher will run Always Dreaming, whose ownership overlaps with Battalion Runner. The only way Battalion Runner would run would be if something unforseen happened to Always Dreaming between now and Saturday.

Pletcher is based at Palm Beach Downs in south Florida for the winter. He said the decision to bypass the Santa Anita Derby came because of an expected large field, plus a cross-country ship.

Pletcher also has One Liner under consideration for both the Wood Memorial and Arkansas Derby. Malagacy is definitely going to the Arkansas Derby, he said.

Both Battalion Runner and One Liner are scheduled to work this weekend, after which final decisions on their next starts will be made.

[Rudeboyelvis]

El Areeb injured, off the Derby trail
Dave Grening

Multiple graded stakes winner El Areeb came out of a workout Wednesday at Laurel Park with an injury to his right knee and is off the Kentucky Derby trail, per trainer Cal Lynch.

The horse will undergo surgery on Monday at New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania.

“It’s the right knee, there’s a chip and maybe a slab [fracture],” Lynch said Thursday.

El Areeb won the Jerome and Withers – both Grade 3 races at Aqueduct – and finished third in the Gotham. He was being pointed to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 8.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

El Areeb injured, off the Derby trail
Dave Grening

Multiple graded stakes winner El Areeb came out of a workout Wednesday at Laurel Park with an injury to his right knee and is off the Kentucky Derby trail, per trainer Cal Lynch.

The horse will undergo surgery on Monday at New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania.

“It’s the right knee, there’s a chip and maybe a slab [fracture],” Lynch said Thursday.

El Areeb won the Jerome and Withers – both Grade 3 races at Aqueduct – and finished third in the Gotham. He was being pointed to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 8.

Bummer. Had a large futures bet on him and felt good about it.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by knickslions2

Blue Grass looking like a nice race!!

McCraken will need to finish at least 3rd to be sure of having enough points to make the starting gate at CD. A fourth place finish would give him a total of 30 pts, which might be enough. But there are already 15 potential starters with that many points. And lots of horses in the 10-30 point range still have another prep to run.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

McCraken will need to finish at least 3rd to be sure of having enough points to make the starting gate at CD. A fourth place finish would give him a total of 30 pts, which might be enough. But there are already 15 potential starters with that many points. And lots of horses in the 10-30 point range still have another prep to run.

I wonder if anyone from the Blue Grass will bail and go for the easy 10 in the Lexington.

[RHT2004]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I wonder if anyone from the Blue Grass will bail and go for the easy 10 in the Lexington.

Who do you like in the Santa Anita Derby?

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by RHT2004

Who do you like in the Santa Anita Derby?

I'm drawing a line through the Gotham and giving So Conflated another chance.

Battle of Midway and Reach the World are good horses but both are rush jobs that will likely be ruined if they press forward.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I wonder if anyone from the Blue Grass will bail and go for the easy 10 in the Lexington.

That's an interesting option. The 10 might be enough for Wild Shot who has 17 so far. The other horses (besides McCraken) already have enough points or have too few for 10 to likely help.