Consider Feb. 3rd 'Showcase Day' at GP

[The Indomitable DrugS]

There have been four Kentucky Derby winners this decade who have won thier final prep leading into the Derby. They being Barbaro (Florida Derby) Smarty Jones (Arkansas Derby) War Emblem (Illinois Derby) and Fusaichi Pegasus (Wood Memorial)

On Feb 3rd at Gulfstream Park, the eventual winners of those four major Derby preps mentioned above all ran in one-turn races. Future Wood Memorial winner Nobiz Like Shobiz beat future Florida Derby winner Scat Daddy in the Holy Bull Stakes. Future Illinois Derby winner Cowtown Cat was a well beaten 3rd in the Swale Stakes. And future Arkansas Derby winner Curlin made his career debut with a 12 3/4 length win in a MSW race.

The feature race that day, the Donn Handicap, was won by Horse of the Year Invasor.

It's pretty uncommon to see four different winners of major Derby prep races. as well as the defending Horse of the Year, all race on the same day at the same track.

Here's a look at the raw final time speed figures earned by these horses on that day.

Invasor (118)
Curlin (112)
Nobiz Like Showbiz (108)
Scat Daddy (103)
Cowtown Cat (96)

Also running that day was Sam P. (88 raw figure) he finished a well beaten 4th to Nobiz Like Shobiz in the Holy Bull...and returned to run a fairly competitive 2nd to Great Hunter and a 3rd in the Santa Anita Derby in his next two starts.

While it's true Curlin's win came against much lesser horses than everyone else faced---with exception to a horse like Discreet Cat--it is tremendously rare to see a maiden do something like that.

Curlin was as green as grass in that maiden win, and incase anyone doesn't remember, that debut came for trainer Helen Pitts. So, it's not like he's some chemically enhanced Asmussen move-up, that might possibly implode any second.

Just thought I'd point this out---as, if anything else, it's interesting.