GIANT’S Causeway, sire of multiple Grade 1 winners on turf and dirt, died in 2018 leaving only three colts registered from his last crop and amazingly, a year after his paternal grandson Medina Spirit (Protonico) finished first past the post the Run for the Roses, he has a another leading contender from that final crop.
Classic Causeway went to the lead in the Grade 2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and was never threatened at Tampa Bay Downs.
He tops the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard after earning 50 qualifying points with his victory, his total of 66, moves him past Epicenter with 64.
The chesnut colt, out of a mare by Thunder Gulch, who also won the Kentucky Derby, is trained by Brian Lynch and is a homebred owned by Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper.
Taking command after a quick break under Irad Ortiz Jr., Classic Causeway always looked like a winner in the mile-and-half-a-furlong contest, hitting the wire two and a half lengths in front of a pace-chasing Grantham with Shipsational by a neck back in third in a time of 1m 44.90secs, following comfortable fractions of 23.67secs, 48.17ses and 1:13.18secs.
He did drift wide off the final bend but it was a repeat of his Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes win where he took charge on his way to an over three-length victory.
Street Sense is the only horse to win both the Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby, in 2007.
“Getting close to the wire, he was looking around a little bit, but I felt I had a lot more horse,” said Ortiz. “He’s acting like he can carry his speed more. These last couple of races he’s been acting after the wire like he still has more left.”
Second- and third-place finishing trainers were also happy with the performances. Shipsational now has a total of 14 points, while Grantham has 21.
The disappointment was the unbeaten graded winner Major General, the 4/1 second favourite who ran last of 10 in his first start at three. He stumbled at the start and came under early pressure.
The Florida Oaks on the same card was won by the French-bred filly Dolce Zel, a daughter of Group 1 Prix Jean Prat winner Zelzal, trained by Chad Brown.
Oaklawn
At Oaklawn Park, the Breeders’ Cup Filly sprint winner Ce Ce picked up her first win of the year with a three-quarter-length win in the mile-and-half-a-furlong Grade 2 Azeri Stakes. It was a high-class renewal with the multiple Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil a length back in third behind second Pauline’s Pearl.
The 2021 Eclipse Award-winning six-year-old Elusive Quality mare is likely to seek a repeat in the upcoming late April $1 million Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap which she won in 2020, edging Ollie’s Candy by a head.
The win was the ninth in 18 starts for Ce Ce, with career earnings over the $2 million mark.
Lukas filly
takes on males
D WAYNE Lukas’ filly Secret Oath, an impressive winner against her own division in her last two Grade 3 races, is likely to take on the boys next time in the April 2nd Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
Lukas’ other top three-year-old, Grade 2 Rebel Stakes runner-up Ethereal Road, will go to Lexington on April 9th for the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
WITH the sale of Arlington Park racecourse last year it was thought that it’s feature races would not be run this year, but Churchill Downs announced this week that the Arlington Million, Beverly D, Secretariat Stakes will all be run at Churchill on August 13th.
The Million and the Beverly D will however be over a shorter distance of a mile and one furlong due to the smaller turf track at Churchill Downs.