Capo Bastone wins return at Gulfstream Park

He had to work hard for it, but Capo Bastone made his 2013 debut a winning one when he wore down Offlee Fast to win a 1 1/16th miles allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park by a head.

The son of Street Boss was making his first start since finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) last November at Santa Anita Park. Sent off as the 3-2 favorite under jockey John Velazquez, Capo Bastone got hung wide entering the first turn, and soon found himself racing on the outside in fifth place as Offlee Fast led the way through quick fractions of :22.60 and :46.66 seconds. Duke of the City, Edge of Reality, and Sky Commander were his closest pursuers, while Irsaal, Taken by the Storm, and Finn's Quest trailed the field.

Following three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.84, Capo Bastone advanced strongly on the outside to challenge Offlee Fast for the lead, but the leader was not yet will to relinquish his advance, and dug in gamely turning for home. The two colts then staged a thrilling battle to the wire, with Capo Bastone edging his game rival by a head.

The final time over the sloppy track was 1:48.16. Finn's Quest rallied well to finish third, beaten about three lengths, while Duke of the City, Irsaal, Taken by the Storm, Edge of Reality, and Sky Commander completed the order of finish.

The winner is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and is trained by Todd Pletcher. He has now compiled a record of 2-0-2 from 5 starts, with earnings of $314,100.

-Keelerman

Triple Crown Countdown 2-16-13

Although there are three Kentucky Derby prep races scheduled for this weekend -- officially only two, since the San Vicente isn't worth any points -- this weekend is actually just an appetizer for what is to come. Next week, the second stage of the Kentucky Derby prep schedule begins, with the value of each prep race jumping from 10 points to the winner to a massive 50 points to the winner.

This week's Triple Crown Countdown shall be split into three separate posts, each one covering one of the three weekend prep races. The first one, which you are currently reading, will cover the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III). The second, which shall be posted tomorrow, will cover the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II). The last, scheduled for Monday, will discuss the Southwest Stakes (gr. III).

So without further ado, let's get started!

El Camino Real Derby (gr. III)

Nine furlongs at Golden Gate Fields

To me, this race looks like a two-horse battle between Manando and Zeewat, who are -- not surprisingly -- the two favorites. The first-mentioned colt is one of two Bob Baffert-trainees entered in the race, and is coming off of a sharp third-place finish to Goldencents and Den's Legacy in the Sham Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita. What was encouraging about his performance that day was that he set a very honest pace -- 1:10.06 for three-quarters of a mile -- and fought on tenaciously in the homestretch when challenged by Goldencents. Now, there are plenty of other speedy horses in this race, so the possibility exists that Manando could get caught up in a destructive pace duel. But on the other hand, it's also possible that Manando is simply the best horse in the race.

Zeewat has won three stakes races and is a perfect 2-for-2 since adding blinkers, but lacks the same flashy Beyer speed figures of Manando. However, what he does have is experience at Golden Gate Fields, and a proven ability to overcome traffic issues. Last time out, he was forced to check sharply at the start of the California Derby, but quickly settled into fourth position and rallied well in the stretch to win by a half-length. And don't forget that he is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and will be ridden by Russell Baze, the two kings of Northern California racing.

If anyone can upset the top two choices, it's probably Baffert's other runner, Carving. The colt broke his maiden first time out for a claiming price at Del Mar, then stepped up to win the C. B. Afflerbaugh at Fairplex Park over next-out stakes winner Monument. That effort was followed by a distant fourth in the FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I), a victory in the Real Quiet Stakes, and a poor sixth in the CashCal Futurity (gr. I). Stepping down into grade III company today, Carving should have every chance at regaining his best form, and has the speed to be a presence from the start. I expect to see him settle just off of the early lead, perhaps in second or third, before attacking in the homestretch.

The remainder of the field would have to showcase major improvement to win. Wildcat Moon was beaten just a half-length by Zeewat in the California Derby, but that was after he ducked in sharply at the start and caused Zeewat to check. He's got decent speed, but stretching out to nine furlongs against this company will be a very difficult task. Rush In and Nina's Dragon finished just a half-length apart when second and third to the talented Greeley Awesome in a recent allowance race, and while both have flashed talent, Rush In was soundly beaten by Zeewat three starts back, and neither have run a Beyer speed figure over 77. Dice Flavor broke his maiden nicely at Betfair Hollywood Park two starts back, and was beaten just three-quarters of a length in an allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita last time out, but is trying synthetic for the first time, and has yet to earn a Beyer over 74. Nevertheless, his sire is Scat Daddy, whose son Daddy Nose Best won this race last year, and he's shown a nice turn-of-foot on the turf, so Dice Flavor could potentially be a very overlooked contender in this race. North Pacific began his career at Hastings Park, and comes into this race off a nice victory going six furlongs here at Golden Gate, but he's facing winners for the first time and seems better sprinting. Rounding out the field is Counting Days, who won a maiden claiming race at Keeneland last fall by 10 1/4 lengths before finishing seventh in the Generous Stakes and fifth in a six-furlong allowance sprint. The distance and surface seem right, but he'll need a major step forward to defeat this field.

Selections: Manando, Zeewat, Dice Flavor

Other Races of Note

At Gulfstream Park . . .

Race 4: Eight horses were originally entered in this nine-furlong maiden special weight, but the scratch of Quiros will leave seven in the starting gate. Todd Pletcher's Abraham is the morning line favorite off of a nose defeat in his debut sprinting. Being by Distorted Humor out of an El Prado mare, Abraham shouldn't have any trouble with the added distance. Successful Brother has finished second in two consecutive maiden special weights at Calder and Gulfstream, but failed to rally despite a favorable pace scenario on both occasions. Nick Zito's The Candidate turned in a nice rally from well off behind to finish fourth in a one-mile maiden race here at Gulfstream, and should appreciate the added distance. If Abraham gets leg-weary in his first start around two turns, expect The Candidate to be absolutely flying late.

Race 5: This nine-furlong maiden special weight was originally scheduled to be run on the turf, but the race was moved to the main track following heavy rains at Gulfstream, the result being eight scratches. That leaves a field of six to contest the race, led by Todd Pletcher's Unitarian. The colt has been soundly beaten in all three of his starts thus far, but with Pulpit and Dynaformer in his immediate pedigree, he should at least enjoy the distance of today's race -- although it didn't help him last month when he finished fourth in a similar race here at Gulfstream. Personally, I am intrigued by Pontiff, a Dale Romans-trained half-brother to Pulpit. Although he showed nothing when ninth in his debut last month, he has trained well enough since then, and I'm hopeful that he'll show improvement today. Conservationalist, also trained by Romans, could also improve off of a deceptively good sixth in a maiden special weight on the turf.

Race 9: To me, this 1 1/16th miles allowance optional claiming race is one of the highlights of the weekend, for this race marks the return of Capo Bastone. The son of Street Boss ran third in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I) last year, despite trying to rally over speed-favoring tracks on both occasions. Subsequently transferred to the barn of Todd Pletcher, Capo Bastone looks like a deserving favorite in this spot, but if he needs to get a race under his belt before returning to top form, there are plenty of other horses here that could pull off the upset. The most obvious are Sky Commander, runner-up to Dynamic Sky in the Pasco Stakes last month; Duke of the City, who finished second to Orb in a recent nine-furlong maiden special weight; and Edge of Reality, who absolutely romped in his debut at Parx Racing for trainer Anthony Dutrow. Given that Anthony Dutrow's horses rarely win first-time out, one has to think that Edge of Reality could be sitting on a very big performance today.

At Santa Anita Park . . .

Race 7: The two favorites in this seven-furlong maiden special weight are Del Mar Sunset and Okaad, a pair of Bob Baffert-trained colts with a lot of potential. Del Mar Sunset has run once before, finishing third by a half-length behind the highly-regarded pair Demonic and Tiz the Truth in a race identical to this one. Okaad has also run just once, finishing fourth behind romping winner Treasury Bill in a 6-1/2 furlong maiden special weight on January 27th. There are plenty of other promising horses in this race, including the first-time starter Mistaken Identity, but it's hard to envision Baffert losing this race.

-Keelerman

Capo Bastone entered to race on 2-16-13 at Gulfstream Park

Capo Bastone, who finished third in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I) last year, will make his debut for trainer Todd Pletcher on Saturday in the ninth race at Gulfstream Park, a 1 1/16th miles allowance optional claiming race.

The son of Street Boss was trained throughout his two-year-old season by John Sadler, and compiled a record of 1-0-2 from 4 starts, with earnings of $288,000. Shortly after the Breeders' Cup, Capo Bastone was transferred to Todd Pletcher's barn at Palm Meadows Training Center, where he has been breezing steadily since the beginning of January.

Also entered in the race are Edge of Reality, who broke his maiden by eight lengths at Parx Racing last month, and Sky Commander, runner-up to Dynamic Sky in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa. Both colts are expected to draw a great deal of support in the wagering, and looked poised to pull an upset should Capo Bastone fail to fire his best shot off the layoff.

Post Positions:
1 Offlee Fast
2 Duke of the City
3 Edge of Reality
4 Sky Commander
5 Capo Bastone
6 Taken by the Storm
7 Finn's Quest
8 Irsaal

-Keelerman

A Three-Year-Old to Watch: Orb

Orb overcame a poor start to rally from last and win a nine-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park this afternoon, stamping himself as a colt of excellent potential in the process.

With Joel Rosario aboard, Orb was off just a touch slowly and had to steady a bit while in tight on the first turn. As a result, he was last of seven horses early on as Duke of the City and Mountain Eagle set a moderate pace of :24.32 and :49.11 seconds. Saylor's Creek and Indy's Illusion were racing right behind the two leaders, followed by Uptown Anthem, Looking Cool, and Orb.

Rounding the final turn, Rosario guided Orb to the outside and allowed his mount to advance, and by the time the field turned for home, Orb was challenging Duke of the City for the lead. Those two put on quite a show down the homestretch, with Orb going by and opening up a 1 1/2 length advantage at the eighth pole before Duke of the City re-rallied and closed the gap to just under a length at the wire. The final time of 1:51.05 seconds was about four-fifths of a second slower than an identical allowance race earlier on the card.

Indy's Illusion rallied well in the final furlong to finish third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Duke of the City. Mountain Eagle, Uptown Anthem, Looking Cool, and Sayler's Creek completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by Shug McGaughey and is owned by Stuart Janney III and the Phipps Stable. He is a son of Malibu Moon out of Lady Liberty, by Unbridled.

-Keelerman

Mountain Eagle entered in Saturday allowance race

Mountain Eagle, a promising three-year-old maiden winner trained by Nick Zito, is entered to race on Saturday in a nine-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park.

A son of Birdstone out of the Gulch mare Gulch Legacy, Mountain Eagle finished fourth sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs in his debut at Churchill Downs, then stretched out to a mile at Gulfstream Park and promptly won by 4 1/2 lengths. Owned by Marylou Whitney Stables, a victory by Mountain Eagle would likely launch him on his way to a major Kentucky Derby prep race.

Others entered in the race include Orb, who beat the super-promising Revolutionary when breaking his maiden on November 24th at Aqueduct; Looking Cool, who won a maiden special weight here at Gulfstream in gritty fashion on January 5th; Saylor's Creek, most recently seen breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs over subsequent LeComte Stakes (gr. III) runner-up Golden Soul; and Uptown Anthem, who has placed in a trio of stakes races at Calder.

Post Positions
1 Saylor's Creek
2 Duke of the City
3 Orb
4 Looking Cool
5 Indy's Illusion
6 Uptown Anthem
7 Mountain Eagle

-Keelerman