There was only one graded stakes race for three-year-olds run last weekend, that being the $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita. A field of seven went to post, but in the end, one horse stood out above all, and as a result of his exceptional performance -- well, suffice to say, he has earned the Performance of the Week!
Performance of the Week: Candy Boy
As soon as Candy Boy crossed the finish line in the Robert B. Lewis, there was no doubt in my mind that he had not only turned in the best performance of the week, but quite possibly the best performance of the entire Derby trail thus far. Just look at the fractions of the race, and you'll see what I mean. The opening quarter was run in a solid :23.33 seconds, with Candy Boy racing two lengths back, which means his personal opening quarter was timed in about :23.73. The second quarter went in :23.47, and since Candy Boy remained two lengths behind throughout that fraction, his personal quarter was identical. The third quarter was timed in :24.04, during which Candy Boy made up a half-length, meaning that his own third quarter was run in :23.94 seconds. Then came a final five-sixteenths in :30.99, during which Candy Boy closed 1 1/2 lengths for a personal final fraction of :30.69 seconds. In terms of fractional times, this was by far the most impressive performance I have seen by a three-year-old thus far this year, and from a visual perspective, it must be ranked second only to Cairo Prince's effort in the Holy Bull -- and there's very little separating them! But the most exciting part is that Candy Boy doesn't appear anywhere near his prime yet, and he should only get stronger with more distance. I ranked him sixth in this week's Kentucky Derby Top Ten, but I'm starting to think that may have been too low.
Outside of the Robert B. Lewis, there weren't a ton of top-notch three-year-old races to be found over the weekend. The best was probably a six-furlong maiden special weight at Santa Anita, in which Bob Baffert's Pimpernel won by nearly three lengths in the time of 1:08.69. But as I mentioned in my most recent Kentucky Derby Top Ten, he's not really bred to handle a mile and a quarter, so we'll have to wait and see if he can stretch out around two turns before thinking of him as a truly serious Derby contender.Performance of the Week: Candy Boy
As soon as Candy Boy crossed the finish line in the Robert B. Lewis, there was no doubt in my mind that he had not only turned in the best performance of the week, but quite possibly the best performance of the entire Derby trail thus far. Just look at the fractions of the race, and you'll see what I mean. The opening quarter was run in a solid :23.33 seconds, with Candy Boy racing two lengths back, which means his personal opening quarter was timed in about :23.73. The second quarter went in :23.47, and since Candy Boy remained two lengths behind throughout that fraction, his personal quarter was identical. The third quarter was timed in :24.04, during which Candy Boy made up a half-length, meaning that his own third quarter was run in :23.94 seconds. Then came a final five-sixteenths in :30.99, during which Candy Boy closed 1 1/2 lengths for a personal final fraction of :30.69 seconds. In terms of fractional times, this was by far the most impressive performance I have seen by a three-year-old thus far this year, and from a visual perspective, it must be ranked second only to Cairo Prince's effort in the Holy Bull -- and there's very little separating them! But the most exciting part is that Candy Boy doesn't appear anywhere near his prime yet, and he should only get stronger with more distance. I ranked him sixth in this week's Kentucky Derby Top Ten, but I'm starting to think that may have been too low.
Another weekend maiden race I'd like to mention was a 1 1/16th miles affair at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, which featured a very large field of thirteen. Darley's Bay of Plenty was favored for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, but was forced to endure a very poor trip -- breaking slowly from post position two, working his way to the outside on the first turn, and remaining very wide throughout to finish fourth, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths. In the meantime, 9-1 Ring Weekend stole the race for trainer Graham Motion, overcoming a journey as equally ground-losing as Bay of Plenty's to take a decent lead in the homestretch and just hang on for a half-length victory in the time of 1:43.46. Finishing second was Legend, who worked out a very clever trip in between horses for jockey Luis Saez and closed 1 1/2 lengths in the final furlong to fall just short. Legend had previously finished fourth to Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) winner Vinceremos in a January 4th maiden race at Gulfstream, so I doubt Legend will be a maiden much longer. Lynx surely caught some eyes in finishing third at odds of 50-1 for trainer Roger Attfield, closing strongly in the final furlong to be beaten just 1 1/4 lengths. Like Legend, he should be capable of breaking his maiden in the very near future.
Looking Ahead
Expect to see a major shake-up in the Top Ten rankings next week, as there are a trio of graded stakes races for three-year-olds coming up on the schedule -- the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday, the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita on Sunday, and the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) on Monday at Oaklawn. Among the major names expected to contest these races are Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) winner Strong Mandate, Champagne Stakes (gr. I) third-place finisher Ride On Curlin, and Smarty Jones Stakes winner Tanzanite Cat (Southwest Stakes), Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) winner Tamarando (El Camino Real Derby), and San Pedro Stakes winner Indianapolis (San Vicente Stakes). The first two colts currently occupy the third and tenth spots in my Kentucky Derby Top Ten, while strong efforts from Tanzanite Cat, Tamarando and Indianapolis could certainly propel them on to my list.
Another colt that may run this weekend is Dance With Fate, who ran second in both the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) and FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I) last year. He was exceptionally impressive in winning a one-mile turf allowance race at Santa Anita on January 24th, and is among the nominations for the El Camino Real Derby. He's been pretty much forgotten during the last couple of months, but a strong showing on Saturday could put his name right back in the Derby conversation.
In other nomination news, whatever small chance there was that Cairo Prince might run in the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) was pretty much eliminated when nominations were released for the race, and Cairo Prince's name was not among them.
In conclusion, it's going to be a big weekend! Stay tuned!
-Keelerman
Looking Ahead
Expect to see a major shake-up in the Top Ten rankings next week, as there are a trio of graded stakes races for three-year-olds coming up on the schedule -- the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday, the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita on Sunday, and the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) on Monday at Oaklawn. Among the major names expected to contest these races are Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) winner Strong Mandate, Champagne Stakes (gr. I) third-place finisher Ride On Curlin, and Smarty Jones Stakes winner Tanzanite Cat (Southwest Stakes), Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) winner Tamarando (El Camino Real Derby), and San Pedro Stakes winner Indianapolis (San Vicente Stakes). The first two colts currently occupy the third and tenth spots in my Kentucky Derby Top Ten, while strong efforts from Tanzanite Cat, Tamarando and Indianapolis could certainly propel them on to my list.
Another colt that may run this weekend is Dance With Fate, who ran second in both the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) and FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I) last year. He was exceptionally impressive in winning a one-mile turf allowance race at Santa Anita on January 24th, and is among the nominations for the El Camino Real Derby. He's been pretty much forgotten during the last couple of months, but a strong showing on Saturday could put his name right back in the Derby conversation.
In other nomination news, whatever small chance there was that Cairo Prince might run in the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) was pretty much eliminated when nominations were released for the race, and Cairo Prince's name was not among them.
In conclusion, it's going to be a big weekend! Stay tuned!
-Keelerman
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