No Joke, McCraken is Legit

With just a little less than three months until the 2017 Kentucky Derby, McCraken was the third undefeated horse on the Road to the Roses to make his three-year-old debut a winning one, extending his streak to four wins in four starts in fabulous style.

McCraken came into the Sam F. Davis undefeated in three starts, but with all of those starts coming at Churchill Downs, there was a lingering question of whether or not he’d take his form on the road. Not only did he succeed in winning Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes, earning 10 more points towards a start in the Kentucky Derby, but the son of Ghostzapper shattered the stakes record, and surpassed the track record, stopping the clock in 1:42. 45 for 1 1/16 miles.

Tapwrit came on well for second, but never seriously threatened McCraken at the end. Unfortunately, there will be quite a bit cynicism surrounding this race as none of McCraken’s biggest foes mounted a serious challenge. Whether it be that they needed the race, or just didn’t take to the quirky Tampa Bay surface, will remain to be seen. For now, though, it won’t stop detractors from pointing out that when No Dozing, Fact Finding, and Wild Shot failed to fire, McCraken was left running against a bunch of unknowns.

While that might be true, it should be noted that McCraken still ran a beautiful race, and that his track record setting performance should not be taken lightly.

After six furlongs, McCraken was just beginning to make his move around the far turn, at which point he was still nearly four lengths from the front. Tapwrit, by comparison was only one and a half lengths off the leaders. Jockey Brian Hernandez then took McCraken four wide around rivals and from there the bay colt inhaled his opponents.

Trainer Ian Wilkes is adamant that this was simply a stepping stone for McCraken and he is looking for improvement throughout the season. If that is the case, then it will be a hard task to keep this colt contained, even in a field of 20 horses.

Another plus to McCraken is his mid-race turn-of-foot. During the fourth quarter of the Sam F. Davis, McCraken made up nearly four lengths, and by the finish line was 1 ½ lengths the best. He ran that quarter, most of which was around a turn, in :24 2/5 and was going easily. That is the type of move that wins races, even in a rodeo like the Kentucky Derby, because it can put the horse in perfect striking range as they enter the stretch; just like it did McCraken.

McCraken is also bred to improve as the distances stretch out. Ghostzapper was the best mix of speed and stamina, winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in record time, but being out of a Seeking the Gold mare should also lend quite a bit of stamina.

All in all, the Sam F. Davis was the perfect return for McCraken. Are questions in regards to the quality of his opponents valid? Of course they are. However, they should not give one unrelenting doubt to the legitimacy of this win, or to the legitimacy of McCraken as a top Kentucky Derby prospect.