Knowing that many will press for the lead in the Kentucky Derby, I feel this one is going to fade off late and be no factor. While this horse seems to be coming along nicely, the likelihood that he can make that kind of jump in a short time just seems like a reach. Zandon, a debut winner who lost by a nose Dec. 4 in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, blew the start going straight up at the break Saturday. The race fell apart a little bit, as it should have. Rosecroft Raceway Happy Jack, another Preakness entrant, was third, a neck in front of Armagnac. Chris first got introduced to horse racing in 2009 at Canterbury Park (Shakopee, MN). Through it all the connections have been talking about shipping this one to Europe to run on turf. The Risen Star was the most legitimate field he faced and he was a far cry from winning that race finishing 6th. Winchell Thoroughbreds'Epicenter, the 6-5 morning-line favorite for the May 21Preakness Stakes (G1), jogged a mile around Pimlico Race Course early May 18, his first morning in town after vanning from Louisville. La Crte is comfortable and weight bearing, a Tweet from owner Stonestreet Stables said Saturday night. He seemed more calm today, more mature, said Rosario, who also rode Epicenter in the Lecomte and a maiden victory last November at Churchill Downs. Keeneland Weather info Powered by Dark Sky. This is the loser that I think you want out of this weekends races. With Curlin, I just never dreamed he could get beat. Asmussen would love to help make Verne Winchell's prediction come true Saturday evening at Churchill but he's also appreciative of what he's accomplished as well as his racing family. Also settling in at Pimlico Wednesday was Fenwick, a 50-1 shot on the Preakness morning line. Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC "You look at the third-place Derby finishes by Curlin and Gun Runner and I've had horses that were good enough, they just weren't fast enough on that day or the circumstances didn't allow it," Asmussen said of his Derby drought. "He was off the pace today and inside of horses. Imean, the (Equibase) speed figure did everything for me (after his May 7 allowance victory). Fern Circle Stables, Back Racing, and Magdalena Racing's allowance optional claiming winner Creative Minister was feeling good Wednesday in his first visit to the track. Further good news was that Le Crete's condylar fracture, which will require surgery, is not expected to end her racing . This runner finished second in the Fountain of Youth. "He ran that incredible race in the allowance, and Kenny said, 'This horse has as much talent as my other stakes horses. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen had it happen Saturday at Fair Grounds. Nevertheless this horse had a really weird trip and still won convincingly at Oaklawn Park. That's not to say Asmussen hasn't enjoyed plenty of spring success. "He bounced out of the Derby with relative ease and made the ship fine. Those two figures offer this colt a double advantage over the other eight entrants, as the lower of the two is higher than the higher of the last two figures of any of the other horses. This one has lost 2 straight to Tiz the Bomb who will be a career turfer. After a mediocre fourth place finish in the Del Mar Futurity last summer, trainer Mark Casse did not give up on Pappacap and entered him in a two-turn race for the first time in the American Pharoah Stakes. (I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure and BRIS and Beyer speed figures, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions. Geared down for the final strides, he still won by 2+34 lengths over Smile Happy, with Zandon closing late for third. Pappacap began his career last spring and summer in sensational fashion, breaking his maiden easily by almost three lengths then winning the Best Pal Stake by nearly five lengths. Trainer: Michael Merryman To be able to win this race for the Winchell family is very special. Upsets by Rick Strike, Zandon or Early Voting would go a long way in solidifying their aspirations. Some will point to an injury that was reported after the last race as the reason this one didnt have its best, but maybe the answer is that hes just not a grade 1 dirt router. Owner: Guyana Rocky LLC This is another Brad Cox who looks alright on paper. ET, following the renovation break. FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 3/1/23, Covering the Spread: Men's College Basketball Regression Candidates, 3 Daily Fantasy NHL Stacks for Wednesday 3/1/23, College Basketball Betting Guide: Wednesday 3/1/23, 3 NBA Player Prop Bets to Target on Wednesday 3/1/23, 3 NBA FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 3/1/23, NHL Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 3/1/23, PGA Betting Guide for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, 3 NBA FanDuel Value Plays to Target on Wednesday 3/1/23, Horse Racing Best Bets for Wednesday 3/1/23, Horse Racing Best Bets for Tuesday 2/28/23, Horse Racing Best Bets for Saturday 2/25/23, Horse Racing Best Bets for Friday 2/24/23. With his regular exercise rider Marino Garcia up, Early Voting went out to the track at 8:30 a.m. Epicenter enters with four wins in six starts with half those efforts at 2 and half at 3. Making his second start off the layoff, second over the Fair Grounds surface and second at this distance, Trafalgar draws one position inside Epicenter in the gate, and if in the final yards these two colts are neck-and-neck, Trafalgar may have the mental talent to post the mild upset and win. "I got 23 different feelings on the Derby that I very vividly remember. Epicenter closed steadily, first on the inside and then to the outside as Early Voting shifted towards the rail. Can the Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath take on the boys and prevail like Swiss Skydiver did in 2020? His stakes wins include wins in the 2022 Travers Stakes (G1), 2022 Jim Dandy (G2), 2022 Louisiana Derby (G2), 2022 Risen Star (G2), and the 2021 Gun Runner (LS). Congratulations to the winner.". 2), New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund. #Epicenter dominates the Risen Star Stakes on the Road to the #KyDerby for Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen, and Winchell Thoroughbreds. I was really happy with him coming home," Hernandez said. "[22], Epicenter made his final start in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on November 5. The only win to date is a maiden claiming victory. Equibase Company is the Official Supplier of Racing Information and Statistics to America's Best Racing, Breeders' Cup, Daily Racing Form, NTRA, The Jockey Club, TRA, TVG and XpressBet. In the meantime, exercise rider Danny Ramsey oversaw Creative Minister's first day of training at Pimlico after vanning from Louisville on Tuesday. In the Preakness, trainer Doug O'Neill will put the blinkers back on Happy Jack. NBA Betting Guide for Wednesday 3/1/23: Will the Knicks Keep Winning? Here is stable of my top 5 Derby contenders heading into the last month of prep races. If ever there was a Derby Fever horse this might be the one. These horses get over bet because of their story, not their talent. The rest of the field appeared content to let Epicenter have the early lead. *All statistics on this page include results from all countries. To get the full benefits of numberFire, please log in. "We thought that about him all along, right from the beginning," Winchell said. In that race he ran into Corniche, who had just galloped in his maiden win and was the prohibitive favorite. However, he tired in the stretch and finished sixth. Also getting a feel for the Maryland track for the first time Wednesday were Early Voting, Armagnac, and Creative Minister. Also, horses that exited the Kentucky Derby that finished in the top half of the field own a sizable advantage coming into the Preakness, according to HRN. All rights reserved. Trafalgar Epicenter has been the most consistent and classy horse down the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Horse profile for Kentucky Derby contender Epicenter. This one could easily be the favorite especially when you consider he has thousands of casual owners via MyRaceHorse. "It's a horse race, and anybody can win. He saved ground around the first turn then shifted out around the final turn as he started to make up ground. Some horses may pass on the Derby which could then draw in horses from further down the list. ", Photo: Anika MiskarArmagnac gallops at Pimlico. That's the great thing about horses like that, the consistency of them.". You just have to come here and kind of get that done., Winchell said the March 26 running of the Louisiana Derby (G1) would be next for Epicenter, for whom he said its all good at the moment.. In the stretch, first Pappacap and then Call Me Midnight made strong moves. In 2022 he won the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby, Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes. He's hoping this might be the year that story finds a chapter that includes him. ", Photo: Skip DicksteinSteve Asmussen enjoys a lighter moment with D. Wayne Lukas May 4 at Churchill Downs, Ron Winchell after Echo Zulu's 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies win, Steve Asmussen enjoys a lighter moment with D. Wayne Lukas May 4 at Churchill Downs, With Epicenter, Asmussen Eyes Elusive Kentucky Derby. He walked onto the equine ambulance and was transported to nearby Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation. Although only winning by a head, and although the figure was lower at 82 then in his previous race, Trafalgar showed a lot of mental toughness in victory which may benefit him in the Lecomte. And bam. Even with Corniche rolling all alone on the front end, Pappacap stayed as close as he could and held second at 13 to 1 odds. ', "But now that he's been gone so long, that thought pops in my mind.". Equibase Analysis: Epicenter The One To Beat In Lecomte. "He likes it here, so he's in good shape. Just one of those things. The odds may reflect a season debut in which Echo Zulu experienced the first close race of her career, holding off Kentucky Oaks rival Hidden Connection by a nose in the Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 26. Welcome to Equibase.com, your official source for horse racing results, mobile racing data, statistics as well as all other horse racing and thoroughbred racing information. Third in the UAE Derby this one is the least enticing as he closed into a fast pace and still could get into the exacta. The horse is gelded which would be awesome because it means we could see a Derby winner runner beyond his three or four year old season. Welcome to Equibase.com, your official source for horse racing results, mobile racing data, statistics as well as all other horse racing and thoroughbred racing information. She will likely be the favorite in that race and I dont expect her to even consider the Derby. I mean, Curlin gave us so much power. He's won pretty much every other race. This one seems to just be the precocious type as he really hasnt progressed in his three year old season. The post Equibase Analysis: Epicenter The One To Beat In Lecomte appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report. He was away cleanly and thought he was very comfortable and attending close enough to the pace, and just ran a very dominating performance against a very good group. Tawny Port (24-1), Slow Down Andy (7-1), Trafalgar (24-1), second choice Pappacap (7-2), Bodock (63-1) and Russian Tank (149-1) finished fifth through 10th in that order. Klaravich Stables' Early Voting, the 7-2 choice on the Preakness morning line, made his first visit to the track at Pimlico Wednesday morning, a day after shipping in from trainer Chad Brown's stable at Belmont Park. [13] "He took a little dirt today and he didn't mind it," said Rosario. But the horse had other ideas. As a consistent, fast, and pace-versatile horse who has already won at 1 3/16 miles, hes the deserving favorite in the Preakness. That was a very impressive effort, Blasi said near the winners circle while Asmussen was back at the barn looking after La Crte. See who is a fan of Simplification. Smile Happy will look to run in the Blue Grass ahead of the Derby. Smile Happy, the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner who was the individual favorite in last weekends pari-mutuel Kentucky Derby Future Wager, spent most of the race four or five lengths off the lead. The way he did it today, the mile and a quarter (of the Derby) shouldn't be a problem. "Just an easy gallop," Yakteen said. This one was rolling at the end of the 2 year old season capping it off with a win at the Breeders Cup. His best Beyer speed figure is tops in the field at 102,. Yonkers Raceway Proprietary to and 2023 Equibase Company LLC. He's been very consistent in his training, very workmanlike, shows up and does his job. The Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes , t Hallandale Beach, Fla. Trainers always are searchi Before handicapping the Grade 2, $400,000 San Feli History (1875-2022 Derby Results & Videos), Breeders' Cup Super Screener - Expert Picks. The problem I have is that the Kentucky Derby has been a front runners game largely since the introduction of the points system. Demling just locked in his picks for Flightline, Taiba, Epicenter and every horse in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic field. Horse racing in 2009 at Canterbury Park ( Shakopee, MN ) the post Equibase Analysis: Epicenter one! Not their talent Jack, another Preakness entrant, was third, a neck in front of Armagnac in. Finds a chapter that includes him to nearby Rood & Riddle equine Hospital for further evaluation Preakness! So he 's hoping this might be the favorite in that race finishing 6th ; We thought about! Will be a problem ground around the final strides, he tired in Fountain! 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