Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: The origin of Principe Guilherme

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 5 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space. We've got 117 days to go!

By Jonathan Lintner

Should Principe Guilherme run to his odds in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes, well, the colt will be quite the conversation piece on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail. Here’s to making sure you’ve got the name right.

Three Chimneys Farm’s Rebecca Grabert, who’s involved with the operation’s stallion nominations and sales, took time out of a busy week at Keeneland to tell us that Principe Guilherme translates to Prince William in English. The colt was named after Three Chimneys chairman Goncalo Torrealba’s son, who most just call “Gee.”

He’s about to be a popular kid.

“That would be nice,” Grabert said. “Let’s hope so.”

The homebred son of Tapit enters Fair Grounds’ Lecomte 2-for-2, with an 11 3/4-length romp in allowance company going the same mile and 70 yards distance last out. The Steve Asmussen trainee is the morning line 5-2 top choice in a field of 14.

In his previous start, Principe Guilherme was called with a French pronunciation. But the Torrealbas are Brazilian, with the official language there Portuguese. This is how they say his name at Three Chimneys: “Prince-ee-peh Gee-herme.”

Screener says…

Since Saturday, we’ve been unveiling tips to spot a Derby winner as early as January, with one final installment today. Earlier, HRN’s Super Screener handicapping tool noted that recent Derby winners have all posted a 100 or higher late pace speed rating from Brisnet.

Also important is progression. Per the Screener:

Without exception, each eventual Derby winner posted rather modest early pace figures, with the middle pace figure higher than early pace, culminating into the big Brisnet late pace figure. Not that the final Brisnet Speed Rating is not really an important separator here, as it is so pace dependent. For example, super slow-paced races will yield a lower final speed rating.

We'll circle back at the end of the month, evaluating which runners fit the criteria.

Romans managing slew of hopefuls

Trainer Dale Romans, in a Tuesday appearance on Steve Byk’s “At the Races” radio show, updated some of his promising 3-year-old prospects — and gave us a couple of new names to know.

On Dak Attack: “You would have thought the world came to an end because Dak Attack lost a stake at Gulfstream Park off a layoff in the third start of his life. It’s amazing. That was a great start back for him, and he’s going to move forward off of it. There’s a lot of time still for him to get to the Derby.”

Free Drop Billy: “One bad race in the Breeders’ Cup. We’re going to give him the excuse of the track that day. He’s doing great.”

Hollywood Star: “Worked good Saturday. He’s doing good.”

Tiz Mischief: “He’s been lighting the track on fire. He’s a horse that every day just seems to get a little bit better and better. He’s putting himself up at the top of the class.”

Romans said he’ll look for Promises Fulfilled to improve off a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes having come out of that with shin splints. Cove Blue, a Saturday maiden winner at Gulfstream Park, could step into a stakes next out and said Bandito is “a better horse than he showed in his last race,” finishing 10th in the Remsen. Romains-trained Seven Trumpets will also go in Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes, “and he’ll run big there, and we’ll see which way we go with him.”

Smarty Jones Stakes update

Monday, we took a first look at probables for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes set for next week at Oaklawn Park. It seems as if at least four of those contenders could try an easier spot. Kingsville, third in Remington’s Springboard Mile, and Bravazo, 10th in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, were both entered to run in a $62,500 allowance optional claiming event Saturday in Arkansas along with Ezmosh and Soul P Say. With the draw Thursday for the Smarty Jones, we’ll see if they cross-enter. 

The Works

Sporting Chance — The Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes winner in his third start, Sporting Chance missed the rest of his 2-year-old campaign due to a knee chip. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas had the Tiznow colt back on the work tab Tuesday for a three-furlong breeze in 37 seconds, second-fastest of 19 at Oaklawn Park. It’s there the horse is expected to return to the Derby trail later in the meet.

Derby links

Trainer Bob Baffert tells the Daily Racing Form Grade 3 Sham Stakes winner McKinzie will run “one or two more times” before the Derby and won’t necessarily keep the colt on the West Coast, making Oaklawn’s Grade 2 Rebel and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby possibilities. Baffert said he chose to run McKinzie back from the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in part because of last year’s experience with Mastery, a top contender sidelined due to injury. If the horse is healthy, race him.

Don’t place your Lecomte bets without first checking out free past performances. Courtesy of Brisnet, you can get Fair Grounds’ entire stakes-loaded card for Saturday.

HRN pedigree expert Laurie Ross lists 10 horses emerging on the Derby trail — plus gives a forecast of how they may stretch out. Meet Sea Foam, Mourinho and more.

In case you missed it…

Monday’s Daily Derby report updated the crop’s fastest debut runner, Strike Power, who registered a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. His connections will look at a stakes next time.