Tag Archive for: Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby adventure off the agenda for Brave Emperor

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Archie Watson’s Brave Emperor has been confirmed as set for travelling duty – but will stay closer to home rather than bid for Kentucky Derby glory.

The three-year-old had earned a spot in the ‘Run for the Roses’ through the European qualifying system, but having weighed up all the pros and cons, owners Middleham Park Racing have decided he will be better off in a Group Three in Germany.

Should his progress continue he will then have some lofty targets on the domestic front, including likely at Royal Ascot.

“We won’t be going there on this occasion, unfortunately,” said Middleham Park’s Tom Palin.

“We ran the numbers and as much as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it would wipe out all of his prize-money and while you shouldn’t really try to make sense of this game, we did this time.

“He is on his travels, he’s going to go to Germany for a Group Three on April 28 (Krefeld, Dr Busch Memorial), that’s where he’ll run next.

“He’s got no penalties. He has won a Listed race but he’s picked up novices, handicaps and conditions races so for a serial winner like him he doesn’t have penalties so we can pick and choose.

“He should be rocking up at all the big meetings, Royal Ascot, Goodwood, so we’ll hopefully have a good summer with him.

“Trip-wise, 10 furlongs might be a question mark, but certainly nine furlongs we are of the opinion is no problem, it is almost nine furlongs in Germany and we’re confident about that.

“I can’t see why he wouldn’t see 10 out in the future. We could maybe think about something like the Hampton Court at Ascot.”

Kentucky Derby not yet out of the question for Brave Emperor

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Connections of Brave Emperor have still not totally discounted heading Stateside for the Kentucky Derby.

The Archie Watson-trained gelding won at Kempton to earn valuable points towards qualifying for the ‘Run for the Roses’ at Churchill Downs and was second in a £100,000 race at Chelmsford on Saturday evening which also carried points.

While his syndicate of owners are excited about the possibility of the challenge, the unsubsidised cost of getting to America and back is something of a stumbling block.

Tom Palin, who manages the Middleham Park Racing syndicate which owns Brave Emperor, said: “We’re still in discussions with the owners, it’s not going to be cheap. Probably about £120/130,000 to get there and back on our own which will burn through all of his prize-money and then some.

“We just need to have a grown up conversation with the owners. They provide incentives to travel to the Breeders’ Cup, but maybe the Kentucky Derby is such a standalone event they feel they don’t need to as everyone wants to run in it.

“He’s brave, he grinds and he gallops. I was really taken with how he got his elbows out and got down and dirty at Chelmsford as it was a messy race.

“You never know how they will transfer their form to dirt or adapt to American racing, but he does have a lot of the right credentials. You’d go there hopeful he could handle it but definitely not confident.

“It’s something we would love to do, but it’s just if we can make sense of the numbers. Then again, horse racing is not really an industry where one should try and make too much sense of it.”

Cairo taking Mendelssohn route to possible Kentucky challenge

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Should Aidan O’Brien’s Cairo emulate Mendelssohn in winning the UAE Derby on Saturday, Kentucky could be his next port of call.

Mendelssohn absolutely destroyed the field in 2018, winning by 18 and a half lengths, showing the dirt surface to be no problem, yet his experience in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was not a happy one.

Bumped on leaving the stalls, and again soon after, his race was effectively over after a furlong and he trailed in last of 20 behind Justify, who would go on to lift the Triple Crown.

O’Brien has not been put off, however, and given Cairo won the same Listed race at Dundalk prior to the UAE Derby, the Ballydoyle handler is treading a familiar path.

“Cairo is a powerful-looking horse. We’ve been very happy with him through the winter and we were very happy with him when he won at Dundalk,” said O’Brien.

“Obviously, he’s going over a bit further than he has run before and of course it’s a different surface, but we’re happy with him and Pat (Keating, travelling head lad) has been very happy with him since he’s been out there. We’re hopeful.

“Mendelssohn was by Scat Daddy, this horse is by Quality Road and some of his do go on the dirt I suppose.

“Of course there’s a chance he could go to the Kentucky Derby after this, but we’d have to see how he runs. There’s a good chance, we’ll just see what happens first.”

Broome won the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot last year
Broome won the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot last year (David Davies/PA)

O’Brien also runs two well-established Ballydoyle inmates. Broome steps up for just a second crack at two miles in the Dubai Gold Cup while Order Of Australia runs in the Dubai Turf having won in Qatar last time out.

“We think the trip might suit Broome, we think the good ground might suit him and he had a good run the last day in Qatar when he last ran,” said O’Brien.

“We think and hope that he should run a good race.

“Order Of Australia won his last start in Qatar and he’s in good form.

“Obviously this is a furlong longer, but we’re very happy with him and hopefully he’ll run well.

“He’s done lots of travelling, he loves it and is very professional.”

Baffert eyes Preakness Stakes for Authentic

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Bob Baffert has his sights set on a second Classic win for Kentucky Derby hero Authentic.

The Into Mischief colt will not have the chance to follow in the hoofprints of Baffert’s Triple Crown winners American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) – because the Belmont Stakes, which is usually the final leg of the hat-trick, has already been run this year.

Calendar changes enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic meant the Belmont was run in June – with victor Tiz The Law aiming to add to his impressive victory in last Saturday’s Kentucky feature, which was delayed from May.

However, Authentic proved a length and a quarter too good at Churchill Downs, and Baffert is eager to tackle runner-up Tiz The Law again in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on October 3.

The handler could also have a second string to his bow in Maryland – with Thousand Words, who was a late withdrawal at Kentucky after rearing over in the paddock, also on the trail.

Baffert told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast: “Right now, the plan is I’m going to leave him here. I was going to take him back to California tomorrow and then bring him back to the Preakness, but I think that would be too much for him because he’s a light horse and I want to give him his best chance.

“What I’m going to do is leave him in Kentucky and we’ll just run him from here, take him to the Preakness and take another shot at Tiz The Law – and if he’s doing well we’ll take him and Thousand Words, give him another try. We’ll get a saddle on Thousand Words – it was just really bad luck there.”

Authentic is a best-priced 11-2 with Paddy Power for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on November 7, but Baffert is not committing to that race at present.

He added: “I’m not sure what after that (the Preakness). I’m like the weather in Kentucky, I can switch and change – I see things and I go with my gut on things like that.

“I might change my mind and run back in California, I don’t know.”