Have to start a sunny Sunday morning off with the replay of the TC Smith from Randwick yesterday…BLACK CAVIAR deserves to get worldwide treatment – 25 wins, a legend.
IT’S WAR!

(Keeneland photo)

Yep, the Kentucky Derby will be  a war and there are so many teams you can vote for! Yesterday, JAVA’S WAR won the Blue Grass as expected by some (he was just 2nd to Verrazano in the Tampa Bay Derby) and he did not even run back to his 96 Beyer from the Tampa race.
Yesterday he came from far back of a modest pace to win the Blue Grass over what was essentially a modest field, posting an 89 Beyer.
PALACE MALICE moved too son and was 2nd for Dogwood Stable. The trio of Canadian runners – Dynamic Sky, Uncaptured and Tesseron were back back in the field.
The results of Sky and Uncaptured seemingly would now end the Kentucky Derby dream for those Canadian breds and perhaps they can regroup for the Queen’s Plate.

Keeneland press notes:  Mark Casse (trainer of ninth-place finisher Dynamic Sky)

“He just kinda went around there. I’m a bit disappointed in him. We will take them (and 10th-place finisher Uncaptured) back to Toronto. They are both nominated to the Queen’s Plate (G1).”

Miguel Mena (rider of 10th-place finisher Uncaptured)

“My horse broke good. I was stalking, great position, no problems at all. The horse was traveling nice around the three-eighths pole, and then at the quarter-pole I didn’t have anything to finish with.”

Mark Casse (trainer of Uncaptured)

“I thought (Miguel) Mena rode him great and had great position. He just had nothing down the lane. I asked him about (running in) the Derby. I will talk to Mr. Oxley (owner John C. Oxley), but I can’t see him going to the Derby off that perfomance.

JAVA’S WAR’S Daddy, WAR PASS, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and was only 5 years old when he died suddenly on Christmas eve, 2010. He was standing at Lane’s End but also going to Australia.

JAVA’S WAR’S mum, JAVA (GB) was bought for #350,000 in foal to War Oass in 2009 at Keeneland November. The previous year she was a $675,000 RNA.
She has produced winners Coffee Bar and Coffee Break.

Java foaled a NOT BOURBON filly in France on March 16 and has arrived at Dary Dan recently to be bred to Jersey Town.

Over in Arkansas OVERANALYZE, who owns that huge 99 Bery from the Remsen Stakes last year in New York, bounced back from a drab 2013 debut to win the Arkansas Derby with a strong late rally.
He posted an 89 Beyer. He is by Dixie Union.
His dam is by Unaccounted For and she has also produced Grade 1 winner Meadow Breeze.

 

KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD

1.     Orb     150     Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps)     Shug McGaughey III     $840,000
2.     Verrazano     150     Let’s Go Stable (Kevin Scatuorchio & Bryan Sullivan),
Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith
Todd Pletcher     $810,000
3.     Goldencents     129     W.C. Racing (Josh Kaplan & Glenn Sorgenstein), Dave Kenney & RAP Racing (Rick Pitino)     Doug O’Neill     $1,208,000
4.     Java’s War     122     Charles Fipke     Ken McPeek     $651,772
5.     Overanalyze     110     Repole Stable (Mike Repole)     Todd Pletcher     $908,381
6.     Revolutionary     110     WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt)     Todd Pletcher     $720,000
7.     Lines of Battle     100     Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith     Aidan O’Brien     $1,261,089
8.     Vyjack     70     Pick Six Racing (David Wilkenfeld)     Rudy Rodriguez     $505,000
9.     Will Take Charge     60     Willis D. Horton     D. Wayne Lukas     $512,971
10.     Itsmyluckyday     50     Trilogy Stable (Marion Montanari & David Melin) & Laurie Plesa     Eddie Plesa Jr.     $593,600
11.     Govenor Charlie     50     Mike Pegram     Bob Baffert     $400,000
12.     Black Onyx+     50     Sterling Racing (Sam Herzberg)     Kelly Breen     $317,130
13.     Palace Malice     50     Dogwood Stable, Inc. (W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell)     Todd Pletcher     $200,000
14.     Normandy Invasion     44     Fox Hill Farms Inc. (Rick Porter)     Chad Brown     $258,000
15.     Frac Daddy     44     Magic City Thoroughbred Partners (Carter Stewart)     Ken McPeek     $240,596
16.     Mylute     42     GoldMark Farm, LLC (T. Paul Bulmahn) & Whisper Hill Farm (Amanda Pope)     Tom Amoss     $363,365
17.     Oxbow     36     Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley)     D. Wayne Lukas     $346,000
18.     Uncaptured     30     John C. Oxley     Mark Casse     $396,341
19.     Super Ninety Nine     30     Tanma Corporation (Susan Chu)     Bob Baffert     $308,000
20.     Falling Sky     30     Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello & Joseph Bulger     John Terranova II     $207,500
21.     Merit Man     20     Bruce Chandler, Robert H. McKee & James Glavin     Bob Hess Jr.     $357,500
22.     Den’s Legacy     20     Westrock Stables LLC (Scott & Joe Ford)     Bob Baffert     $329,000
23.     Charming Kitten     20     Ken & Sarah Ramsey     Todd Pletcher     $206,000
24.     Departing     20     Claiborne Farm (Seth Hancock) & Adele B. Dilschneider     Al Stall Jr.     $130,000
25.     West Hills Giant     20     Long Island Racing Stables, Sunrise Stables, Bentivegna     John Terranova II     $90,666

 

 

 

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH! John Menary and Gail Cox’s SOMETHING EXTRA was 2nd in the Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland yesterday. The 5yo was favoured but charged a wee bit too late. The Canadian-based gelding is one of the country’s top sprinters.

Keeneland photo

 

 

TOP O THE MOUNTAIN!

PYRITE MOUNTAIN, making his second start of 2013, ran well to be 2nd in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland yesterday,putting the colt right on the list of Queen’s Plate contenders. The son of Silent Name (Jpn), trained by Mark Frostad for the Awesome Again Racing Syndicate, rallied to be 2nd beaten 2 lengths to a Todd Pletcher trainee, Red Rifle. The time was 1:44.50.
His Beyer Figure was 77.

 

MOVES LIKE JAGGER M

All was not lost for the Casse barn yesterday as the Canadian bred 3yo JAGGER M won his maiden in a 6 furlong sprint under Miguel Mena.
The Harlan’s Holiday – Nithi, Wolf Power colt was bred by the Everatt family in St. Thomas Ontario and he is owned by Gabe Grossberg.  The colt was making his 4th career start. He was a $90,000 RNA at Keeneland September 2 years ago.
Jagger M’s Beyer was 76.

 

ICE TRAINING..FIFTY PROOF THROUGH THE ICICLES

We know Jeff Bowen (Skippy) as assistant trainer to Ian Black and a personable member of the Woodbine backstretch. Now, while we are sure he is actually doing his duties as assistant trainer most mornings, he does have time for another passion – photography.

Bowen is up for a Sovereign Award on Friday for a photo that appeared on Thoroughblog and here is another one he took the other day of champion FIFTY PROOF:

 

 

 

WILD HORSE BLOWS RACE TWICE, still almost wins!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbH3N5VJzBE&feature=player_embedded