THEY say journalism is dead, who believes what is reported these days. But Journalism may well be the headline come Saturday, May 3rd.
Fair to say there were two very impressive colts making a name for themselves in last weekend’s Kentucky Derby trials.
Both making their three-year-old debuts, the Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism came with a fine run in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita
And at Gulfstream Park. Godolphin’s Sovereignty also surged late to capture the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes from the Todd Pletcher-trained River Thames.
Trained by Bill Mott, Sovereignty had only one win in a Churchill Downs Grade 3, but the son of Into Mischief was recommended as a Derby bet by our American correspondent Sean Clancy in his review of the year last December.
Both colts are likely to step up to their Grade 1 trials next time in the Santa Anita Derby and Florida Derby.
Sovereignty was last on the backstretch, but moved into third while leaving the turn. River Thames took the lead turning for home before having no answer to the winner’s impressive late run.
“It was a great run, he had a great trip. He’s got some acceleration,” trainer Bill Mott said.
“We didn’t really know if he’d have enough ground to actually catch the horses on the lead with his running style, especially with the way the track seems to play for speed at Gulfstream. We were really just looking for a good run,” Godolphin USA’s director of bloodstock Michael Banahan said on Blood-Horse the next day.
“It (the Florida Derby) will probably suit him a little bit better with the configuration of the track for the longer distance race, as well,” Banahan added.
Sovereignty has 60 qualifying points, joint second on the board for the Kentucky Derby with his neck decision over previously undefeated River Thames. A home-bred out of the Bernardini mare Crowned, he looks to have most of the Derby requirements.
Todd Pletcher was also pleased with River Thames, the son of Maclean’s Music caught late, with some questioning his stamina. Pletcher said: “The only thing is we felt like late in the race, he kind of lost focus a little bit. He pricked his ears. But he ran a really good race.”
San Felipe
Journalism’s west coast win was in similar fashion, overhauling the Bob Baffert-trained favourite Barnes as the Curlin colt came from off the pace under Umberto Rispoli and won going away by a length and three-quarters.
Barnes looked to have the race won off the bend as Journalism was under a drive in third once straightened up.
Journalism had previously won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity and now has 47.5 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, which should be enough to get him into this year’s Run for the Roses.
Santa Anita Handicap (Grade 1)
THE highlight on the Santa Anita card was the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and Todd Pletcher’s Locked, shrugged off his wide margin defeat by White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup to whizz by Express Train in the straight and cruised away to win by eight and a half lengths with Hit Show a laboured third, over two further lengths back.
The addition of blinkers was credited with this impressive return.
“Johnny Velazquez rode him in an allowance race at Aqueduct that set him up before the Cigar. Every time, even though he was winning those races, Johnny was like, ‘You’ve got to put blinkers on him.’ So credit to Johnny for pushing us to do so,” Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, was quoted by Blood-Horse.
McCarthy four-timer
It was a day to remember for Michael McCarthy. He won four races on an 11-race card, including the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile with Formidable Man and the Grade 2s, the San Felipe Stakes with Journalism and the mile Buena Vista Stakes with War Front mare Liguria.
McCarthy’s great day was highlighted in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile with Formidable Man.
Formidable Man, aided by a top ride from Umberto Rispoli, came up the rail to win by a half-length and earn his second Grade 1 win. In November, the four-year-old colt by City Of Light had won the Hollywood Derby.
“It was a memorable day. I’m just very pleased for my guys at the barn. It takes a lot to have a day like yesterday. It was a real team effort,” McCarthy said.
Mindframe returns
It was a card full of graded action at Gulfstream and the Grade 2 Gulfstream Mile saw a winning return to action for the high-class Mike Repole-owned colt Mindframe, twice Grade 1 placed last season in just four runs before injury sidelined the son of Constitution.
At odds of 1/9, the colt raced in third and made his move before the bend to lead and kept on for a length and a quarter success.
The Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes over 11 furlongs on the turf went to the outsider in Capture The Flag, a five-year-old son of Quality Road trained by Todd Pletcher for the group of Joseph Allen LLC, Magnier/Tabor/Smith/Westerberg Limited and Jonathan Poulin.
South African Group 1 winner Beach Bomb gained her first US success in making all in the 11-furlong Grade 3 The Very One Stakes, The Drakenstein Stud-bred daughter of Lancaster Bomber is now in the Graham Motion barn.
Gulfstream’s card also brought a first graded success for the Irish-bred mare Special Wan, who had been group-placed here for Pat Foley before joining Team Valor and Brendan Walsh’s American barn. The daughter of Belardo took the mile Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes by la ength and a quarter under Luis Saez.
Aqueduct
The Grade 3 Gotham Stakes over a mile saw Frosted’s son Flood Zone, in his first race since being purchased privately, land in the winner’s circle at 17/1 odds and earned a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
In the Wathnan Racing colours, Flood Zone, vied for the early lead with favourite Sand Devil and outsider Normandy Coast before it became a two-horse race between the unbeaten Sand Devil and Flood Zone.
Flood Zone drew clear approaching the furlong and then pulled away for a three and a quarter-length victory to give Brad Cox and jockey Reylu Gutierrez a Derby possible.