Zipse: Two Phil's could be a Kentucky Derby Cinderella

With so many options to bet in the Kentucky Derby, led by the champion Forte, it’s highly unlikely that Two Phil’s will be one of the talked about horses before the field of 20 enters the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. That seems only fitting for a horse who has had little fanfare so far in his successful young career.

A workingman’s horse, Two Phil’s does not come from flashy connections. Many of the favorites on May 6 will be trained by high-profile names such as Todd Pletcher and Brad Cox, but he resides in the barn of Larry Rivelli.

Certainly not a household name, but if you followed racing at the now-defunct Arlington Park, you are well aware of the Chicago native. A third-generation horseman, Rivelli was a fixture at the top of the training standings there and has collected better than 1,700 career wins with more than $35 million in earnings.

Equally hidden in the world of racing is Two Phil’s rider. Jareth Loveberry will get his first shot in the Kentucky Derby in three weeks. The 35-year-old journeyman jockey started working his Derby mount before he ever raced and has been aboard him in his last seven races, including three stakes wins.

Like Rivelli, Loveberry grew up around horses and has been at it a long time. He’s ridden regularly all over the Midwest but never at America’s most high-profile tracks. Working his way up in recent years, the Michigan native is getting more good mounts at places such as Fair Grounds, and the jockey with nearly identical career wins and earnings to Rivelli keeps on winning.

The path to this year’s Kentucky Derby for Two Phil’s looks a lot like his trainer and jockey. Owned by Patricia’s Hope LLC and Phillip Sagan, he has flown under the radar since building a solid record since failing to sell at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2021.

He has run at tracks such as Canterbury Park in Minnesota and Colonial Downs in Virginia. Winners of the Kentucky Derby seldom come from such places, but Two Phil’s might be a horse to break the mold.

A three-time stakes winner, he earned his place as a Kentucky Derby contender with a powerful victory in the nine-furlong Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park on March 25.

The chestnut colt finished that 5 1/4-length romp fast and in style, looking like a horse who could handle the 10-furlong demands of the Derby.

Perhaps the flashiest part of what Two Phil’s brings to the table is his pedigree.

Bred in Kentucky by Sagan, he is a son of Hard Spun, a solid sire who performed well in all three legs of the Triple Crown as part of a very strong crop in 2007. He is also the first foal produced from the General Quarters mare and 2017 Sunshine Millions Distaff winner Mia Torri.

Both his sire and dam were hard-hitting stakes winners who rarely failed to fire. Two Phil’s is becoming just such a horse. After running fifth in career debut, he has won four of his last seven.

His four wins have come at four tracks, and he has won on fast dirt, sloppy dirt and a synthetic surface. Seemingly getting better with every start, he looks to be coming up to the biggest test of his career in ideal form.

Two Phil’s, who is based at Hawthorne Park in Chicago, has the tactical speed to stay in touch early, and few horses in the field have finished faster than he did in his most recent race.

Passed over as a yearling, he has been unheralded since. With good horse people guiding the way, he has quietly proved himself a serious racehorse.

If he can replicate his last, or even take another step forward in the six weeks between the Jeff Ruby and the Kentucky Derby, Two Phil’s will be a major threat in the run for the roses. And if it rains on Derby Day, the son of Hard Spun might have an even better chance.