10 emerging names to know on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail
With the holiday season over, we can start with the 2018 Kentucky Derby hype. As with their teenage human counterparts, juvenile colts seemingly develop overnight. A lanky, scrawny goofball in December can mature into a legitimate Derby contender by April.
Most years, juvenile form has little bearing on the Triple Crown races. The Kentucky Derby points system bears this out. Since the points system was instituted in 2013, only two Derby heroes had collected early points; Two-year-old Champ Nyquist (30 points) and Triple Crown legend American Pharoah (10 points). Special mention of last year’s Derby runner-up Exaggerator (20 points) and this year’s hard-trying fourth-place finisher, the 2016 Juvie Champ, Classic Empire (30 points).
Unless Good Magic becomes the third colt to pull off the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile/Derby double, the Derby winner has made his debut, raced in an allowance race, or has earned a minor placing in one of the early Kentucky Derby qualifiers.
Using these specifications to discover colts who may take a step forward onto next year’s Triple Crown path is like untangling that huge ball of lights that got mixed in with the garland when we packed away the Christmas stuff. If we start now, perhaps we’ll have it finished by May.
Those lights aren’t gonna sort themselves. Time to get started.
(Street Sense - Kinda Spicy, by A.P. Indy)
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Race record: 4-2-0-1 ($215,332)
Avery Island dominated a maiden event and the Nashua Stakes (G2) by a combined 10 lengths. He received a learning experience in the Remsen Stakes. Although he had successful pace-setting trips in his previous two starts, the bay colt was wrangled back to settle behind the pace setters in the Remsen. Avery Island was a touch eager and had to steady slightly of heels. The son of Street Sense raced in heavy traffic much of the way and had no clear running room until rounding the far turn. He was slow to kick into gear and wasn’t going to catch Catholic Boy. Avery Island is currently breezing at Palm Meadows in Florida.
Pedigree: Avery Island has the pedigree and conformation to handle middle to classic distances. His dam, Darley homebred Kinda Spicy, raced only twice, but crushed rivals by more than 10 lengths combined, first at a mile, then in a 1 1/8-mile dirt allowance contest. Avery Island’s second dam Isola Piu Bella was Champion 3-year-old Filly and Horse of the Year in Chile. As an older mare, she competed in the U.S., and won or placed in five of seven stakes races between 1 1/16 to 1 1/8 miles. Avery Island’s sire Street Sense was the first to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champ to win the Kentucky Derby. His offspring are strongly middle distance (1 1/8 miles) types. Street Sense isn’t represented by stakes winners at classic distances in the U.S. or Canada, but four of his offspring are winners over turf in Australia and Great Britain. Avery Island’s damsire A.P. Indy is an Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race, offering stamina to his descendants.
Catholic Boy
(More Than Ready - Song of Bernadette, by Bernardini)
Trainer: Jonathan Thomas
Race record: 4-3-0-0 ($314,000)
Catholic Boy began his career on the lawn and showed talent in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. While finishing fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. Next time out, Catholic Boy answered the “can he run on dirt?” question in a big way, capturing the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths over Nashua Stakes hero Avery Island. The bay colt will have a short vacation while his connections map out their path to the Kentucky Derby.
Pedigree: Catholic Boy has a solid middle-distance pedigree. The stakes progeny of his sire More Than Ready are best up to 1 1/8 miles, although a couple have stretched to 1 1/4 miles over the lawn. Damsire Bernardini is just getting started as a broodmare sire. In this designation, Bernardini is represented by 11 stakes winners globally, including 2016 Remsen Stakes winner Mo Town. Two of his daughter’s offspring are winners at classic distances, both over the lawn. Catholic Boy’s distaff line isn’t as prestigious as some of his counterparts. His dam Song of Bernadette is a half sister to Return to Paradise, who won a listed 1 1/16 mile stakes on the lawn. She bore restricted stakes placed Canzoni. Song of Bernadette’s half-brother Capac placed in a 1 1/8 mile listed race at Laurel.
(Ghostzapper - Indian Spell, by Indian Charlie)
Trainer: Dale Romans
Race record: 3-2-0-1 ($81,530)
After galloping to an easy debut victory over three rivals, one of whom was eventual Hopeful Stakes (G1) hero Sporting Chance, Dak Attack made short work of a full field of colts in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes, drawing off by three lengths. The field included Bashford Manor (G3) winner Ten City. Sadly, the promising Ten City broke down in the stretch of the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1), while looking every part of a winner. In his first start off of a four month layoff, Dak Attack finished third in the one mile Mucho Man Stakes.
Pedigree: Dak Attack has a middle-distance pedigree which is borderline for classic distances. Horse of the Year and successful sire Ghostzapper has eight stakes winning offspring at 1 1/4 miles, and beyond, most are winners over the lawn or Polytrack, but Queen’s Plate hero Shaman Ghost transferred his form to dirt to capture the Santa Anita Handicap. Indian Charlie is a young broodmare sire. His daughters have produced 24 stakes winners. The majority are sprinters, and six have won at 1 1/8 miles, but true to form, none have won beyond that. Indian Charlie’s offspring are best up to 1 1/8 miles. In racing, anything is possible, and certainly, a winner at classic distances isn’t out of the realm of possibility but will be the exception.
Dak Attack is the first foal out of the stakes winning sprinter, Indian Spell. His second dam is 2008 Champion Three Year Old Filly Proud Spell. The talented daughter of Proud Citizen won stakes races from six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, including the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose, and Alabama Stakes. This distaff line produced the precocious J P’s Gusto, winner of the Del Mar Futurity and Best Pal Stakes.
(Medaglia d'Oro - It's Tricky, by Mineshaft)
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Race record: 3-2-0-1 ($213,880)
Enticed flashed unusual precocity when he won a dirt sprint at first asking on closing day at Saratoga. He returned to place third in the Champagne Stakes, bested three lengths for second place by eventual Breeders’ Cup hero Good Magic. Enticed lacked running room in the stretch of the Champagne, but in his own little match race to the wire, he refused to let the fourth-place finisher Kowboy Karma pass. Enticed’s tenacity was on display in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Despite fanning seven wide on the far turn, the dark bay colt made a strong bid for the lead. Tiz Mischief gave Enticed all he could handle but Enticed prevailed by a narrow head.
Pedigree: Enticed is a Godolphin Stables homebred, and his pedigree is perfect for classic distances. Medaglia d'Oro may be known for siring super fillies Rachel Alexandra and Songbird, but his sons hold their own at top levels. Eight of his offspring are winners at 1 1/4 miles and farther. Besides Enticed, Medaglia d'Oro is the sire of probable 2017 Juvenile Champ Bolt d’Oro. Damsire Mineshaft is represented by just 16 stakes winners as a broodmare sire. Only one, a French listed winner, has been successful at 1 1/4 miles or farther. However, the bulk are middle-distance types, including Kentucky Oaks heroine Cathryn Sophia and 2014 Remsen Stakes hero Leave the Light On.
Enticed is the first foal out of multiple Grade 1 winner It's Tricky. The mare spent most of her 18-race career fighting it out with Champion Royal Delta, Kentucky Oaks heroine Plum Pretty, and multiple Grade 1 winner Turbulent Descent. It’s Tricky won from a mile to 1 1/8 miles and was second in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama Stakes behind Royal Delta. She also finished second to that rival in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Enticed’s second dam Catboat was multiple stakes placed between a mile to 1 1/8 miles.
(Arch - Enhancing, by Forestry)
Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer
Race record: 4-1-2-1 ($108,000)
Instilled Regard put it together in his third start when he tried two-turns for the first time. He followed up with a gutsy second-place finish in the CashCall Futurity, after pinballing between Solomoni and McKenzie.
Pedigree: Instilled Regard has similar breeding to 2016 Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist and Grade 1 heroine Turbulent Descent. Arch sired Champions Arravale, Blame, plus Grade 1 winners Pine Island and Prince Arch, all successful at 1 1/4 miles and farther. Arch is the damsire of Nyquist’s sire, Uncle Mo. Instilled Regard and Nyquist and Turbulent Descent share the same damsire and second damsire, Forestry and Seeking the Gold.
This million-dollar baby has a fantastic pedigree rife with Claiborne, Phipps and Overbrook Farm breeding influences. Instilled Regard’s dam Enhancing is a 3/4 sister to the multiple Grade 1 turf router Good Reward (Storm Cat)and Grade 2 winner Pure Prize. Two of Enhancing’s half-sisters bore blacktype earners; Persistently, who captured the 1 1/4 mile Personal Ensign Handicap (G1), and multiple Grade 1 stakes placed Faithfully who placed at 1 1/16 and 1 1/8 miles. Instilled Regard’s second dam is Champion Heavenly Prize, a two-time Grade 1 winner at 1 1/4 miles. Heavenly Prize’s full sister Oh What A Windfall captured the one-mile Matron Stakes (G1) as a two-year-old and another full sister, Dancinginmydreams placed in the same race. She bore Grade 1 turf router Dancing Forever.
(Super Saver - Sandi's Ready, by More Than Ready)
Race record: 3-1-2-0 ($64,360)
Race record: 5-2-3-0 ($131,600)
Curlin - Surf Song, by Storm Cat)
Race record: 3-1-2-0 ($436,000)
Tiz Mischief (Into Mischief - Indivia, by Tiznow) lost the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) by a head. There’s hope that the son of Into Mischief can stretch out. His dam won a maiden race at 1 1/8 miles, and she’s a half-sister to Black-Eyed Susan heroine, Payton D’Oro. Tiz Mischief is wintering at Gulfstream Park, under the care of Dale Romans.