This Week in Racing: Champion Roy H dazzles in return win

Any doubts as to whether Roy H could carry over his form from a magical 2017 season were erased in fewer than the one minute and nine seconds plus it took him to dominate Saturday's Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. We didn't know much about the gelded son of More Than Ready heading into last year, but there can be little doubt he was the best sprinter in the land. Only a bad trip in a game effort defeat in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby kept the Rockingham Ranch runner from a perfect season. A strong winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Roy H raced away from his competition in the Eclipse Award voting, and in his return, it was more of the same.

Waiting for his cue to go from rider Kent Desormeaux, the 6-year-old champion needed little encouragement to go from last to first in the small but solid field. Set home for the stretch run, it was pretty much as easy as he pleased from there. The Peter Miller trainee ambled home 3 1/2 lengths clear of runner-up, Americanize. After a three month break between starts, it was the perfect way to begin the season for the Champion Sprinter. Look for him to head over to Dubai for the rich Group 1 Golden Shaheen next.

One day later at Santa Anita, we saw another easy graded stakes victory. Dream Tree, a sophomore daughter of Uncle Mo, remained perfect in four starts with an authoritative victory in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes. A Grade 1 winner and unbeaten in three starts at two, the Bob Baffert-trained filly made her 3-year-old debut look simple, running away to a near-four-length victory in the one-mile prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks. It's a victory that likely moves her to the early favorite position for the Kentucky Oaks, but it should be noted that the rest of the field did not look strong, and the final time of 1:39.45 does not come out fast compared to others the rest of the day at the Southern California oval. Still, Dream Tree did it easily, and until someone beats her, she deserves to be among the best of the division. It's clear that those early battles with eventual graded stakes winner Midnight Bisou last year have proven to be key races for the division.

Another winner during the Santa Anita weekend came from a familiar name over the turf. Itsinthepost may not get the ink that some horses in America do, but he has become a stakes winning machine. Like Roy H, he is a 6-year-old gelding only getting better with age. The French-bred had to fight all the way to the wire with Hayabusa One in Saturday's Grade 2 San Marcos, but once again, he got the job done, winning by a nose in an excellent 1:58.24 for the 10 furlongs. Already having two stakes wins in 2018, he needs to be considered as one of the top grass horses in the U.S. Overall, this one was his fifth graded stakes score in just over ten months.

Now let's talk some Kentucky Derby ... It was impossible to come away from Saturday's Holy Bull unimpressed with Audible. Granted, none of the other big names -- Enticed, Tiz Mischief, or even Free Drop Billy -- threw in a top-notch performance in the Grade 2 feature, but that should not take away from what the New York-bred was able to accomplish at Gulfstream Park. Involved from the get go, Audible turned away challenges at every turn on the way to a romping score in Florida's first major prep for the roses. Under the radar last season in New York, the son of Into Mischief seemed to turn a major corner for two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Todd Pletcher in his stakes debut. His pedigree slants a bit toward shorter races, and I'd like to see him get more than one more prep for Louisville that they seem to be planning, but this was one of the strongest races so far turned in by this foal crop. ZATT's Star of the Week is ... Audible!

Elsewhere on the road to Louisville, Avery Island won the Withers and Lombo won the Robert B. Lewis. Of the two, I believe only the Withers will have any real impact on this year's Triple Crown series. While I did not see much in the Santa Anita prep, I like all three that completed the trifecta at the Big A. Third-place finisher Marconi, of excellent breeding, continued his style of breaking slowly, but finishing well. In his first race outside of maiden company, he continues to look like a horse capable of becoming something good, especially at extended distances. The runner-up, Firenze Fire ran another solid race, and sure looks like a prototypical miler. I cannot say I like him for the Derby, but he should make a lot of money going shorter. And finally, Avery Island turned in his fourth straight strong performance. I'm not sure if he fits with the absolute best of this crop, but on the other hand, I'm not sure he does not either. His win also flatters the horse that beat him last time in the Remsen. Catholic Boy looks to build upon that impressive late season victory when he rules the one to beat against some interesting sophomores in this coming Saturday's Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs.

Two other 3-year-olds I'd like to mention from this week are Strike Power and Exclamation Point. I'm not sure either will wind up being 10-furlong types, but nonetheless, both are exciting to talk about. The former is now 2-for-2 after a stylish victory in Saturday's Swale Stakes. The son of Speightstown is a good looking colt who has run his competition off their feet in his first two starts for trainer, Mark Hennig. He's bred to get two turns, so it will be very interesting to see him stretch out. Exclamation Point, meanwhile, looked like a talented individual while winning his career debut at Oaklawn Park on Saturday for trainer, Brad Cox. The son of Concord Point happens to be the half brother to the champion, Classic Empire.

Finally, the sad news came in from Old Friends that Private Zone had lost his battle with small intestinal colic. Gone far too soon, he was only 9, and a little over a year removed from his final career race. An easy horse to admire, he was bred in Canada, and raced in six consecutive seasons from 2011 through 2016. The son of Macho Uno won 10 times in 33 career races, with just a shade under $3 million earned. A multiple Grade 1 winner, he twice finished in the money in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Among his biggest wins came a dominant score in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile of 2014. Private Zone was a true racing warrior. Rest in peace.