Kentucky Derby 2019 Daily: Pletcher makes a Federal Case

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 4 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space.

Last August, Elliott Walden and WinStar Farm entered the 2-year-old Federal Case into Keeneland’s November sale but found the colt training well enough in the meantime to race. He won an Oct. 19 maiden special weight event at Keeneland, then prompted some second thoughts.

However, “We hate scratching horses,” Walden said after the son of Gemologist hammered for $650,000, “so we felt like we should bring him.”

Another win and about three months later, Federal Case is on the 2019 Kentucky Derby trail for trainer Todd Pletcher and owners Robert and Lawana Low, who campaigned last year’s Arkansas Derby winner, Magnum Moon.

Federal Case, an original $180,000 acquisition for WinStar and China Horse Club, is 2-for-2 having prevailed Dec. 23 in a first-level optional claiming race at Gulfstream. He had to chase down a pesky rival, beating Frosted Grace by a neck while finishing the one-turn mile in 1:36.42. It was another 13 1/4 lengths back to third.

Now it's on to Saturday's Holy Bull (G2).

“I thought he closed well and ran down a nice horse late, and he’s trained well since then,” Pletcher said. “We’re looking forward to stretching him out further.”

The Holy Bull, of course, runs at 1 1/16 miles and will mark Federal Case’s two-turn debut.

This is the time of year Pletcher normally gets his Derby contingent rolling. Having qualified four in the 2018 Derby, including Audible, a Holy Bull winner, he also has Moretti going in Saturday’s Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct and So Alive penciled in for next weekend’s Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs.

Javier Castellano, fresh off his Pegasus World Cup victory on City of Light, gets on Federal Case for the first time Saturday.

“We were pleased that he was able to win first time we started him stretching him out to a mile,” Pletcher said. “He gives us the impression, watching him train, that he’s looking to go around two turns, and we felt like in light of how well he’s been training we’re going to give the Holy Bull a shot.”

As for what could follow, Jacob West, bloodstock agent and racing manager for the Lows, was already doing some dreaming after the gavel fell at Keeneland.

“When everybody got to see him, they all started dreaming of the first Saturday in May – that’s what he reminded us of,” West said in November. “Mr. and Mrs. Low obviously have a history with Todd, winning the Arkansas Derby with Magnum Moon. We hope we just bought the Arkansas Derby winner.”

Derby links

• The Coliseum saga will continue in the upcoming San Vicente Stakes (G2), trainer Bob Baffert says, with the colt returning to one turn with some new equipment and potentially a Hall of Fame jockey in the irons.

• Trainer Butch Reid discussed Maximus Mischief’s try at the Holly Bull in depth, saying his horse is “ahead of the curve” having already run and won at a distance farther than Saturday’s prep.

• Trainer Mark Casse says he’s still learning about Our Braintrust, a recent acquisition for his barn, as the colt returns to New York for Saturday’s Withers Stakes. “I’d rather find out now,” Casse says, if nine furlongs is too far.

In case you missed it…

Wednesday’s Derby Daily report featured an update on the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) favorite Mucho Gusto from trainer Bob Baffert.