Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Untamed Domain likely to try dirt

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 111 days to go!

By Jonathan Lintner

Trainer Graham Motion plans to run Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Untamed Domain on the dirt, and he said Monday that “I’m going to have to make a decision here in the next week or two” on when the colt will hit the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail.

A son of Animal Kingdom, who Motion trained up to a 2011 Derby victory, Untamed Domain has posted three workouts back from his last race, with the Feb. 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Feb. 10 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs both options for his next start.

“He happens to be one I’ve pretty much always worked on the dirt, even at Fair Hill where we have the option of Tapeta for the grass horses,” Motion told HRN. “I’ve always felt that he’s handled it, so it’s been in the back of my mind. Particularly this time of year you want to find out.”

Should Untamed Domain not show up in the entries for either Florida stop on the Derby trail, the colt could open his campaign in a grass race and attempt a surface switch later. Either way, Motion said, “At some point I think we’re really going to want to try the dirt.”

A $90,000 purchase by West Point Thoroughbreds, Untamed Domain finished Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager at 29-1 — and that was before Catholic Boy, fourth in the Juvenile Turf, came back to win Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Remsen by 4 3/4 lengths.

His sire, Animal Kingdom, ran exclusively on all-weather tracks and turf before going in the Derby, using Turfway Park’s Spiral Stakes as a final prep. That was only the beginning of a journey that included a victory in the 2013 Dubai World Cup and a trip to Ascot.

“Can you imagine if he’d won the Breeders’ Cup?” Motion said of Untamed Domain, who’s from Animal Kingdom’s first crop. “I get a little bit caught up in that. Animal Kingdom was just so special to me.”

Motion has half a dozen of Animal Kingdom progeny in his care. Untamed Domain is so far the most accomplished of them, also winning Woodbine’s Grade 2 Summer Stakes at age 2 with a strong late kick.

West Point considered Motion a “logical fit” to get Untamed Domain, who carries his sire’s “very calm” disposition.

“He’s not quite as robust as Animal Kingdom or as big and strong as some of the other (3-year-olds) I have,” Motion added, “but he’s still very well put together. So certainly he has a lot of Animal Kingdom’s quality.”

Smarty Jones takeaways

Mourinho made easy work of four rivals in Oaklawn Park’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday after hitting the first turn with the lead. Two Steve Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds colts inside of him -- Combatant and Tap Daddy -- showed early speed but not enough to top the Bob Baffert runner, who never looked back.

There's no knocking this effort by Mourinho, who was second to Greyvitos last time in the Grade 3 Bob Hope. Greyvitos went on to win Remington Park's Springboard Mile in his follow-up. Still, Mourinho put blinkers back on, and previous efforts showed the colt may be distance challenged. We'll learn much more next out.

By the way, "The Coach" making an appearance in the winner's circle photo is no accident. He saddled Mourinho. Quipped Baffert: "Who would have thought 37 years ago that Trump would be President and D. Wayne Lukas would be my assistant trainer."

• Our full Smarty Jones Stakes recap

The verdict(s) on Firenze Fire

Careful observers noted Monday that the Beyer Speed Figure assigned to Firenze Fire for his victory in Saturday’s Jerome Stakes dropped to 85 after initially posted as a 90.

The track at Aqueduct was muddy after a quick thaw in New York, plus additional rains heading into last weekend. Still, Firenze Fire rallied off a slow pace to win his third career stakes race.

What the result means has been quite divisive.

HRN contributor Laura Pugh wrote in her analysis of the weekend’s races that if Firenze Fire “can’t get beyond being so one dimensional as to have to be nearly five lengths off such a slow pace, he's sure to hit a snag on the Derby trail.” 

However, HRN Senior Writer Brian Zipse wrote that he liked the effort from Firenze Fire, adding that “I am sure not going to hold a final time over a ridiculously slow racing surface against them,” the other being runner-up Seven Trumpets, who finished a half length back.

The Works

Copper Bullet — Regarded early on as one of the crop’s best, the Grade 2 Saratoga Special winner posted his second work back from shin issues that sidelined him for the remainder of 2017. Rounding into shape, he breezed a half mile in 50.60 seconds, bettering last week’s drill by 2 1/5 seconds.

Gotta Go — A disappointing 13th in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, he was the Street Sense Stakes winner a race before that and continues to merit attention on the trail. Monday’s work was his fourth back at Palm Meadows Training Center. The Ian Wilkes charge went in 1:02.00 for five furlongs toward a start in the Grade 3 Swale Stakes, The Pressbox reports.

Navistar — Unable to make it to Oaklawn Park for the Smarty Jones, this Todd Pletcher trainee worked instead on Monday, covering five furlongs at Palm Beach Downs in an easy 1:02.07. No word yet on where he’ll make his next start.

Shivermetimbers — Fourth in the Grade 3 Sham on Jan. 6 in his stakes debut, the Shanghai Bobby colt is back on the work tab already, getting four furlongs Monday in 48.20 (10/57). He’s a maiden winner in a Jerry Hollendorfer barn that now has multiple Derby hopefuls with Grade 3 Lecomte winner Instilled Regard.

Sporting Chance — Oaklawn Park’s media department offered plenty from trainer D. Wayne Lukas on what’s ahead for the Grade 1 winner after a speedy half mile in 47.60 seconds Monday in Arkansas. The Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 19 appears a likely target. Get a look at the work below thanks to Oaklawn's Robert Yates.

Derby links

• Santa Anita’s notes team provided an update on Bolt d’Oro in its Sunday dispatch, with owner and trainer Mick Ruis saying the likely 2-year-old champion is fewer than 10 days from posting his first workout of the year.

• Christina Jelm, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, detailed what could be next for Lecomte winner Instilled Regard. It seems mostly up to the owner, Larry Best, who “educates himself to the extreme and he really does his research.”

• Omaha World-Herald columnist Mike Patterson remembered one of the state’s own, the late Derby-winning trainer Jack Van Berg. “It was once said that if John Wayne had a younger brother, it would have been Jack.” 

In case you missed it…

A “minor setback” for Solomini, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up, headlined Sunday’s Derby Daily report along with updates on how the weekend’s top prep runners were faring the day afterward.

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