Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Another chance for Flameaway

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By Jonathan Lintner

If the 2018 Kentucky Derby turns up sloppy, trainer Mark Casse may have a prospect worth considering — that is, if Flameaway passes his next test on the trail.

Casse said Monday that the son of Scat Daddy, a recent winner of Gulfstream Park’s Kitten’s Joy Stakes on turf, will switch surfaces for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes set for Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“His record’s not bad on the dirt,” the trainer noted, with Flameaway having scored Oct. 8 in Keeneland’s Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes when the race moved off the grass.

He topped a field of 14 that day, rebounding from a sixth-place effort in his other Derby trail start in Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Iroquois.

“He kind of just jumped up and down a little with kickback,” Casse said of the John Oxley-owned colt. “We thought if he had a little more forward position, he’d have run better.”

So, expect to see some pace from the multiple stakes winner next month. Sooner than that, Casse could send out recent Gulfstream allowance runner-up Mississippi in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes on Saturday. The $700,000 Pioneerof the Nile colt ran second by 3/4 of a length to Noble Indy back Jan. 11 going 1 1/16 miles.

“We’ll look at the post position and look at the race — see what we think,” Casse said. “There’s also an allowance for him the following day, so he could scratch… He’s a young colt that’s getting better. He has a pedigree of a good horse. We’re kind of excited about him.”

And as for one other prospect Casse told us to keep an eye on, Telekinesis, a $470,000 purchase, should appear soon in maiden special weight company at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds. He was favored to win his debut last week before scratched.

“That was very frustrating,” Casse said. “I was sitting there with my tux on, waiting to go to the Eclipse Awards — ready to watch a horse run who we’ve been so excited about running. He, I wouldn’t say flipped, but he turned over in the paddock. In Louisiana that is a mandatory scratch.”

Untamed Domain to start on turf

Whereas Flameaway is moving back to dirt, Untamed Domain is staying on grass — at least for now.

“After much thought and consideration, I just feel that for his first race back this year, we should stick to doing what we know we can do,” trainer Graham Motion said of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up.

With Untamed Domain now a candidate for Saturday’s Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park, he will pass on the Holy Bull and Sam F. Davis, a pair of preps originally considered. Motion said Monday that connections will eventually test the Animal Kingdom colt’s mettle on the Derby trail.

“We thought his second race back would make more sense to try him in one of the real Derby preps where there’s more points available,” Motion said.

A victory this weekend is worth 10 points, while waiting would net 50 or 100 points, essentially a win-and-you’re-in Derby qualifier.

“We’re really not getting away from our original plan,” Motion said. “We’re just going about it a different way.”

Solomini gearing back up

Two weeks ago, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Solomini missed a workout due to a spiked fever, trainer Bob Baffert told us. The delay on his return to the tab should end this week.

“We will work him this week,” Justin Zayat, racing manager for owner Zayat Stables, said in an email. “Won’t know about races for a bit. Bob makes game time decisions.”

Ranked No. 3 in the Kentucky Derby 2018 Top 50, Solomini returned from the Juvenile to finish first across the wire in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity. While disqualified from that victory due to bumping in the lane, he finished better than impressive next-out winners McKinzie and Instilled Regard.

More on a major jockey change

The Blood-Horse’s Jeremy Balan spoke with both sides affected by the decision to switch riders on Bolt d’Oro from Corey Nakatani to Javier Castellano.

“It's nothing against Corey,” owner and trainer Mick Ruis told Balan. “It's what we feel is best for Bolt.”

Ruis planned to keep Nakatani as the rider for the multiple Grade 1 winner’s workouts, the first of which came Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

"I'm going to talk to my dad about it, but he's had a Hall of Fame career,” said Matt Nakatani, son and agent of Corey. “And the last thing I'm going to do is ask him to be an exercise rider.”

The works

Ax Man — The Bob Baffert debut winner continued to tune up for a likely start in the Grade 2 San Vicente going seven furlongs on Feb. 10. He’s a sharp workhorse and got the bullet for six furlongs Monday at Santa Anita, going the distance in 1:12.40.

Bravazo — A recent allowance winner for D. Wayne Lukas, he’s ticketed for the Grade 2 Risen Star next out at Fair Grounds. This was his second drill toward it, timed at 1:03.40 for 5/8.

Copper Bullet — What’s ahead for the graded stakes winner, we don’t know, but he remains on many Derby lists. Back from shin issues, he was among Steve Asmussen’s Triple Crown hopefuls on the work tab Monday with five furlongs in 1:02.40 (38/55)  at Fair Grounds.

High North — The Brad Cox trainee continued a consistent work schedule up to his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes by turning in a bullet 5/8 Monday at Fair Grounds, going the distance in a minute flat.

Principe Guilherme — The Grade 3 Lecomte runner-up, another from the Asmussen barn, was just a tick off High North’s time in his first workout back from the race. He went in 1:00.40 toward the Risen Star.

Snapper Sinclair — Asmussen could run two in Fair Grounds’ next Derby prep, with this his other entry. Third in the Lecomte, the City Zip colt went five furlongs in 1:01.

Sporting Chance — The Grade 1 Hopeful winner, back after knee chips were removed, has worked consistently toward a return this month, upping the distance to 5/8 in his last two moves. Clockers caught him in 1:01.40 (4/38), with a start in the Southwest a strong possibility.

In case you missed it

Sunday’s Derby Daily report provided an early look at fields for this weekend’s round of Derby preps, the Holy Bull, Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis and Grade 3 Withers.

• Catch up with all the latest Derby news by reading past editions of HRN’s Derby Daily report.