Kentucky Derby 2019 Radar: Coliseum’s next start set
Coliseum remains one of the 3-year-old crop’s most intriguing horses, a natural talent who loves to run, but will have to overcome troubles at the gate evidenced with his slow start last time on the 2019 Kentucky Derby trail.
Trainer Bob Baffert said he plans to start the gray son of Tapit again in the Feb. 10 San Vicente Stakes (G2) along with stablemate Dessman, a recent debut winner for the barn.
“We’re working the bugs out of him and getting some changes here with equipment,” Baffert said of Coliseum, who appeared to don a different bit and halter in his workout Wednesday. “We’ll see what he does. We were so worried about slowing him down that we slowed him down to a walk because he was so rank.”
In the Jan. 5 Sham Stakes (G3), Coliseum entered the gate as the favorite, but left it last of seven with a less than alert start. Has Baffert been able to fix the issues at the break?
“Not really,” he said with a laugh.
Coliseum remains a work in progress. His two breezes since the Sham both came from the gate, but that he spotted Speed Freak some six lengths getting away on Wednesday morning didn’t stop Coliseum from swallowing up his workmate through the turn. The colt recorded Santa Anita's six-furlong bullet in 1:12.20.
“Mike Smith worked him the last couple of times,” said Baffert, who had Joe Talamo in the irons for Coliseum’s first two starts. “He didn’t get away from the gate, but I liked that he was behaving himself.
“He was tracking a horse. He needs to learn to track a horse without getting rank.”
The Sham ran around a two-turn mile, and Coliseum never got comfortable after missing the break, finishing sixth. Third out, he’ll back up to seven furlongs, the same configuration at which he burst on to the scene Nov. 17 with a 6 3/4-length debut victory at Del Mar.
The San Vicente isn’t a points-paying Derby prep but has served as a springboard for many a runner to races such as the San Felipe (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1).
As for Dessman, a son of Union Rags, the colt campaigned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum also cruised first out, winning by 7 1/2 lengths going six furlongs on Jan. 19 at Santa Anita. The fellow San Vicente contender “ran really well,” Baffert said. “I think he needed it. It woke him up. He came back and worked (Tuesday). He looked strong.”
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