Although today is a Tuesday, and major stakes aren't
usually scheduled for Tuesdays, the afternoon card at Gulfstream offers a
wonderful assortment of racing action, including the $100,000 Gulfstream Park
Derby for three-year-olds. We'll take a look at that race and others in a
moment, but first, I'd like to voice a few thoughts on a colt named Mentor
Cane.
Trained by John Shirreffs and owned by Jerry and Ann
Moss, Mentor Cane has run twice so far, finishing second to the well-regarded
Flashback sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs and third to Appealing Tale in a one-mile
main-track event on December 29th.
But there is more to Mentor Cane's most recent effort
than meets the eye. Before the start of the race, Mentor Cane was rather antsy,
refusing to enter the starting gate. He relented to enter his stall after the
front doors were opened up, but -- apparently thinking himself quite clever --
he didn't stop when he was supposed to, instead waltzing right through to the
front side of the gate. He was then guided back behind the gate for a second
attempt at loading, and fortunately, he went right in.
However, Mentor Cane's antics weren't quite over yet.
When the starting gate opened, he simply rocketed out of the gate, perhaps a
half-length faster than anyone else. This must be seen to be believed.
Unfortunately, Mentor Cane seemed to grab the bit and take off, ignoring jockey
Mike Smith's attempts to slow him down. As a result, Mentor Cane ran the
opening quarter mile in :22.22 seconds and the half-mile in :45.22, virtually eliminating
any chance he had. As a result, he tired badly in the homestretch, finishing 12
3/4 lengths behind Appealing Tale and the late-running Coastal Breeze.
With time, Mentor Cane should calm down a bit and become
easier to handle both prior to and during his races. Once he reaches this
point, I think he has the talent to become a pretty good horse -- but maybe not
on dirt. From a pedigree perspective, Mentor Cane is bred for the turf. His sire
is Mizzen Mast, whose progeny have generally excelled on turf and synthetic
tracks. His leading runners include Mast Track, winner of the
2008 Hollywood Gold Cup; Mizdirection, winner of the 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf
Sprint; Flotilla, winner of the 2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf;
Midships, winner of the 2009 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap; and
Ultimate Eagle, winner of the 2011 Hollywood Derby.
Taking this into
consideration, I suspect that Mentor Cane will show a great deal of improvement
if switched to turf. In fact, I believe that he could become a solid graded
stakes winner on that surface -- assuming he does calm down a bit!
****
Having expounded on
Mentor Cane long enough, allow us now to turn our focus toward the Gulfstream
Park Derby. You may view the entries and post positions here.
Two of the entrants
-- Purple Egg (4-1 shot) and Uptown Anthem (15-1) -- have been
scratched by their trainers, leaving a field of six to contest the one-turn
mile race.
The morning line
favorite is Sr. Quisqueyano, who compiled an admirable record of three
wins and three seconds from six starts as a two-year-old. His most recent
effort was rather interesting. Sent off as the second-choice behind Brave Dave
in the seven-furlong Jack Price Juvenile Stakes at Calder, he tracked the
favorite through quick fractions of :21.97 and :44.67, seemed to crack from the
pressure and fell several lengths behind Brave Dave, and then re-rallied in
final furlong to lose by just a length. This effort suggests two things: 1; Sr.
Quisqueyano should be on or near the lead this afternoon, and 2; he should be
able to handle the one-mile distance of this race just fine. Remember, Calder
is a very deep and tiring racetrack, quite unlike Gulfstream Park.
One longer-priced
colt that fascinates me is Undrafted, 6-1 on the morning line. The
Wesley Ward-trainee began his career in April at Keeneland, where he broke his
maiden impressively going 4-1/2 furlongs on the Polytrack. He then shipped to
Hollywood Park and ran third in the Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes over the
Cushion Track. A substantial break of several months followed before Undrafted
resurfaced in a one-mile turf allowance race at Gulfstream, where he tracked
the pace for about five furlongs before taking over and winning by a commanding
two lengths.
There's no denying
that he has talent, and he's proven himself at this distance, but how will he
handle the transition to dirt? His sire is Purim, who was good on dirt, but
much better on turf. His dam is French Jeannette, who was an allowance-caliber
sprinter on the dirt. Her sire, in turn, is French Deputy, winner of the 1995
Jerome Handicap (gr. II) on dirt.
Personally, I think
that the dam side of Undrafted's pedigree is strong enough to suggest that he
will handle dirt just fine. If that is the case, I think that he could be an
intriguing win contender in this wide-open race.
Let us now quickly
touch on some of the remaining entrants. Itsmyluckyday beat Sr.
Quisqueyano decisively in the Foolish Pleasure Stakes three starts back, but
has only managed to finish sixth in the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (gr. III)
and fourth in the Dania Beach Stakes since then. But don't let this bad form
fool you -- he actually ran rather well in the Dania Beach -- which was on
turf, don't forget -- and plenty of good horses have succumbed to the unusual
six-furlong configuration of Delta Downs. At 4-1 on the morning line,
Itsmyluckyday can definitely out-run his odds.
Star Contender has
spent his career racing on the Polytrack at Woodbine, where he has compiled a
2-1-1 record from four starts against very good company. His victory in the Cup
and Saucer Stakes two starts back was exceptional, and a repeat of that will
make him dangerous here. Being a son of Henny Hughes out of a Unbridled's Song
mare, he should handle the switch to dirt just fine. Also, he will be wearing
blinkers for the first time today in an effort to keep him better focused.
Almost English, a
Nick Zito-trained son of Tapit that was most recently third in a November
allowance race, and Joshua's Comprise, who ran fourteen times as a
juvenile while compiling a record of 1-3-3, complete the lineup. On the
surface, the latter doesn't look competitive, but it's worth noting that he ran
third to Itsmyluckyday and Sr. Quisqueyano in the Foolish Pleasure Stakes,
suggesting that he can be competitive with this group. Almost English, too,
appears to be in a bit deep on the surface, but should be able to work out a
good trip from gate six and has been training rather well.
Making a selection is
difficult, as one can honestly make a case for every entrant, but I'll side
with Itsmyluckyday for the win, with a great deal of respect toward Undrafted
and Sr. Quisqueyano.
****
There are a number
other good stakes races on the Gulfstream Park Derby undercard, the most
prominent being the $100,000 Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) for three-year-old
fillies sprinting six furlongs. The 3-5 morning line favorite is Todd
Pletcher's Kauai Katie, a two-time graded stakes winner that is unbeaten
around one turn. It is very difficult to envision her losing this race.
The only filly I can
picture giving Kauai Katie a challenge is Cor Cor, winner of the
Sandpiper Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. She possesses spectacular early speed, and
-- having drawn outside of Kauai Katie -- will likely get a dream trip either
tracking the favorite or winging it out on the front end by herself, whichever
makes the most sense.
The other major
stakes on the card is the $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes, a six-furlong event
for three-year-old colts. Six have been entered, but only three are considered
to have a shot at top prize -- Merit Man, Brave Dave, and Little
Distorted.
The first-mentioned
colt won his first two starts in sharp fashion before losing the Breeders' Cup
Juvenile Sprint by a nose in a very game performance. Six furlongs seems just
about perfect for him, and he will have the top-notch rider Joel Rosario aboard
today. One concern is that Merit Man has drawn the rail, meaning that in order
to assume his customary position on the lead, he'll have to break very sharply
and sprint hard early.
Brave Dave has more
experience than Merit Man, and has drawn gate four -- an excellent position
that will enable him to either go to the lead if the pace is slow or settle
back in second or third if the pace is quick. He's got the best record of any
horse in the race, with a grade III and two other listed stakes wins on his
resume, and coming off of good run over the deep Tampa main track, he should be
fit and ready to roll.
As for Little
Distorted, he's stepping way up in class today off of an excellent debut
victory in October at Belmont, for which he earned a Beyer speed figure of 101.
The runner-up that day, Revolutionary, returned to break his maiden a few days
ago at Aqueduct by over eight lengths while earning a Beyer of 102, further
establishing Little Distorted as a colt of very high quality. The only concern
is that his lack of experience will come into play against such proven colts as
Merit Man and Brave Dave, but the talent is there, and a good effort could
launch him on his way toward Louisville.
-Keelerman
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