Fish Trappe Road ready to strike in the Oklahoma Derby

In looking at the probable field for Sunday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, two names jumped off the page; Texas Chrome, the recent winner of the Super Derby, and the New York-bred, Fish Trappe Road. While the former seems to be getting everything out of his talent, with seven wins in twelve lifetime starts, including his biggest win ever on September 10 at Louisiana Downs, it is the latter colt, who really interests me from a potential standpoint.

“He was very physically and mentally immature, but he has progressed every single day we’ve had him,” trainer Bret Calhoun told me, about his Grade 3 Dwyer winner. Perhaps some of that immaturity was on display when Fish Trappe Road ran anything but a straight course down the stretch of the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes afternoon.

Still, to run second in that field three months ago, was a big effort, and a sign of the horse’s overall talent. Impressive wins, in an allowance race at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, and the Dwyer, over the King’s Bishop runner-up, Economic Model, sandwiching the Woody Stephens, only further the belief that this is one very talented colt.

Calhoun reports that the son of the nation’s second leading second-crop sire, Trappe Shot, flew into Remington Park yesterday, and made the trip to Oklahoma well. The mile and an eighth distance of the Oklahoma Derby will be the farthest race attempted yet for Fish Trappe Road. To this point, the winner of $528,185 for Martin Racing Stable has made his hay going one-turn. In fact, the only time he previously attempted two-turns was in a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds.

“Everything went south for him in the Lecomte for a number of reasons, but we’ve always thought he was a natural two-turn horse,” said Calhoun. “He grabbed a quarter, he bled, nothing went right. We started over with him after that race, and that’s how he got sprinting. Nine furlongs is a concern the first time, but we always believed he was capable of two-turns. He was in a good rhythm sprinting, so we left him there, until now.”

Calhoun was happy that he was able to line up Rafael Bejarano for the Oklahoma Derby. “He was coming in any way to ride the Catalano filly [Family Tree] in the [Remington] Oaks, so it was a nice pick up.”

The one thing Fish Trappe Road and Bejarano will need to do is work out a better trip than the grey/roan got last time in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop won by Drefong. “He didn’t draw well, and then he lost all chance at the start,” said Calhoun. I agree with that assessment. In fact, considering the break, and the horses he was running against, it was a solid effort. Just watch the grey horse move up quickly on the backstretch…

While Calhoun does not know the entire field yet, and a full game plan has not been decided upon, he did give me the impression that his charge would make his presence felt early in the race. “He’s a fast horse with a high cruising speed,” said Calhoun. “We do want to keep him settled and relaxed early in his first time at nine furlongs, but he’ll be involved. He’ll be a forward factor.”

He’s not Breeders’ Cup eligible, so Calhoun told me they have no plans of supplementing him this year to the early November festivities at Santa Anita, but he did say that next year’s Breeders’ Cup is definitely something they will think about. He also mentioned Santa Anita’s Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at the end of this year as a possibility, or they might just freshen him up after the Oklahoma Derby and look forward to his four-year-old season.

Maturing and talented, Fish Trappe Road is clearly a horse to keep an eye on, not only this Sunday at Remington Park, but beyond.