Weekend Takeaways: Unbeaten Magnum Moon's no Apollo
Plenty happened over the weekend both in the way of massive upsets and reputations solidified. At the end of it all, here are my top takeaways:
Magnum Moon's not the next Apollo
This may not be what many want to hear, especially after Magnum Moon just won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby by four lengths. But he will not be the horse to break the curse of Apollo which, dating back to 1882, hasn't seen a horse who didn't race at age 2 win the Kentucky Derby.
All last weekend, the conversation was about how Justify got away with murder on a supposed “easy lead,” only for the numbers to come back astronomical because those “soft” splits weren’t so when factoring in that the track played slowly on Santa Anita Derby Day.
That was not the case Saturday at Oaklawn Park, yet Magnum Moon was allowed to set an even easier pace before kicking clear in the stretch. The numbers came back to reflect just how slow the race was: a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, 99 Brisnet Speed Rating and 116 from TimeformUS. This late in the game, those aren’t the kind of numbers you want to see in a horse’s final Kentucky Derby prep.
Magnum Moon also displayed a great deal of greenness in the stretch, shifting out seven paths while distracted by marks left in the dirt by the starting gate. If that is all it takes to get that type of reaction from Magnum Moon, then that does not bode well for him when he will face the roar of 150,000 fans and the thunder of 76 other hooves at Churchill Downs.
I wasn't expecting much from City of Light in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap given he was a sprinter stretching to nine furlongs and going against horses much more seasoned around two turns. Plus, he'd have to overcome the far outside post.
Not only did City of Light manage to overcome all of that, but he dominated Santa Anita Handicap winner Accelerate after a heated duel through the far turn. The final time was a quick 1:48.26, and despite tracking a blistering early tempo, City of Light managed to come home his final eighth in :12.12 seconds.
The numbers reflected the power of the race, particularly TimeformUS, which gave the race a 133, far better than Magnum Moon’s Arkansas Derby.
City of Light is expected to shorten back up for the Met Mile. There, he could meet Army Mule, who earned a 137 in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap.
Yes, Unique Bella lost as the heavy favorite in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap. I blame a combination of my own unique (no pun intended) jinx and the curse of Friday the 13th. How else do you explain a filly who typically breaks well enough to put herself in the race early on, without using too much energy, nearly going spread eagle when the gates opened?
I was amazed that Unique Bella nearly pulled off a win anyway. She pulled jockey Mike Smith into contention, where she pressured Farrell on the lead before putting that one away through the turn. She then was confronted by Unbridled Mo and Streamline at the top of the stretch.
Unique Bella battled back gamely to turn away Streamline and Fuhriously Kissed. However, she did not seem to see Unbridled Mo until that foe had already gone by. But when Unique Bella did, she opened up 2 ½ lengths on Streamline and Fuhriously Kissed, trying to get to Unbridled Mo.
Despite having everything go completely against her in the Apple Blossom, Unique Bella still ran a courageous race, proving that she does not need a perfect set of circumstances to run her race. Have no doubt about it, the daughter of Tapit will be back.