Barn Tour: Sadler has eyes on Derby with Rock Your World
Entering this weekend’s action, longtime Southern California trainer John Sadler ranked just outside the top 50 in all-time wins with 2,586 and was No. 15 all-time in earnings with $130,447,640.
It has been a distinguished career of more than three decades for the 64-year-old native of Long Beach, Calif. But during that time, one race has managed to elude Sadler: the Kentucky Derby.
Sadler has long operated one of the more diverse stables in the game, from claimers to Grade 1 winners, turf or dirt, young or old. Largely as a result of this model, Sadler has had just four starters in the Kentucky Derby. The most recent was Candy Boy, who finished 13th in 2014. Previous Derby starters were Corby, who finished sixth in 1993; and both Sidney’s Candy and Line of David in 2010, who finished 17th and 18th, respectively.
Sadler will try and make the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Rock Your World. He spoke this week with HRN to talk about his plans for that colt, as well as some of the other notable names in the barn.
The son of Candy Ride was ridden-out in his debut win going six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on Jan. 1, then came right back to score even more impressively when going a mile on grass in the Feb. 27 Pasadena Stakes.
Rock Your World had his first work since the Pasadena on Tuesday, an easy half-mile in 49.2. Next up is likely a first try on dirt in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 3.
“He’s starting a pattern and if he trains well, we’re looking at the Santa Anita Derby,” Sadler said. “He trains pretty well on the dirt and we wouldn’t run him if we didn’t think he could handle it. But you never know until you do it. But I’ve also had a lot of experience with sons of Candy Ride and one thing about Candy Ride as a sire, they can run on all three surfaces – dirt, turf or synthetic. So we’re going to probably give it a try and we’re looking forward to it.”
Bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and wife Deborah, Rock Your World is out of Charm the Maker, who was multiple graded-stakes-placed on turf. His full sister, 5-year-old She’s Our Charm, is currently in training with McAnally in Southern California. She was off the board in the Nov. 29 Matriarch Stakes (G1) on turf and came back to be third in the grassy Robert J. Frankel (G3) at Santa Anita on Dec. 27.
Rock Your World went through the sales ring as a yearling at Keeneland and commanded $650,000 from owners Hronis Racing and Michael Talla.
“He’s a big horse, a stretchy horse,” Sadler said of Rock Your World. “And a little immature too. But he’s come along nicely and is just a good looking horse.”
Of course, a start in the Santa Anita Derby means an expected date with current Kentucky Derby favorite Life is Good. Sadler acknowledged that fact has left the door slightly ajar to potentially ship out for another Derby prep.
“Life is Good looks very good, there is no question about that,” Sadler said. “So there’s always the option we could ship out for another race versus running in a small field at Santa Anita. But I’m sure no one is going to ship in on him. We’ll look at the whole thing, but we’re thinking Santa Anita Derby.”
A second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby would earn 40 points, which could be enough to make the 20-horse starting gate at Churchill Downs the first Saturday in May.
Sadler looks to have a serious filly on his hands in the lightly-raced Edgeway, who is also owned by Hronis Racing. The 4-year-old daughter of Competitive Edge out of stakes winner Magical Fever, by Stormin Fever, knocked out her first two conditions at Oaklawn Park last spring and closed out the year with a second in the Dogwood (G3) at Keeneland in June.
Following eight months on the sidelines, Edgeway returned Feb. 7 in a Santa Anita allowance and rolled by three lengths, completing six furlongs in a sharp 1:09.16. Sadler said she will return to stakes company in the $100,000 Las Flores (G3) going six furlongs at Santa Anita on April 4.
“I think she’s going to be a pretty good stakes horse,” Sadler said. “She was stakes-placed twice last year and won her prep race back really nicely. We think she is going to be a big player in our stable in 2021.”
Sadler added she would likely be kept at “middle distances” this season.
This 4-year-old colt served notice when rallying to beat a competitive allowance group going one mile on the grass at Santa Anita on Jan. 9. The Irish-bred son of Camacho earned his diploma during the Santa Anita fall meet in his third start after arriving in the U.S.
Unfortunately, it will be a few months before we see an encore from Comradery.
“He had a little chip taken out of his ankle after his last start,” Sadler said. “He’ll be back next month and you’ll see him again in late summer.”
There was also some unfortunate news with this stakes-winning mare. After winning the Jan. 17 Astra Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita, the British-bred daughter of Olympic Glory suffered a bout of colic. Sadler said it was not a serious episode, but time will be needed to recover.
“She got a little colic after her last race and had to go to the clinic,” Sadler said. “So she’s turned out. But she’ll be back for the summer and fall.”
Now 7, this gelding has knocked heads with some of the best sprinters in the U.S. the past two-plus seasons. Last year, he won the San Carlos (G2); was second in the Palos Verdes (G2), Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3), Pat O’Brien (G2) and Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2); and was fourth in the Triple Bend (G2).
Following a nearly four-month layoff, Flagstaff kicked off the campaign with a close-up fourth over a sloppy track in the Feb. 6 King Cotton at Oaklawn Park. He is entered in Saturday’s Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park, featuring champion Whitmore, where he will be reunited with Joel Rosario. Sadler acknowledged it remains to be seen where Flagstaff will fit this year giving his advancing age.
“He ran fourth there the other day and it was kind of a muddy track,” Sadler said. “But he’s got his favorite rider back in Joel Rosario and this is the second race off layoff. So he’ll show us where he wants to go this year. But he’s a good horse and runs hard all the time, so I’m looking forward to running him Saturday at Oaklawn."
The diversity of Sadler's stable was noted above, and here is another 7-year-old in the shedrow competing in stakes. The Factor gelding – who has not started since the Daytona Stakes last May – is entered in Saturday’s $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (G3), a six-furlong turf sprint at Santa Anita. Cistron will break from post No. 5 under Umberto Rispoli in an eight-horse field that includes Jolie Olimpica and Gregorian Chant, among others.
“We decided to bring him back for one more year,” Sadler said of the Hronis Racing color bearer. “He’s been training well and he got a good draw. So he’s another one we’re excited to see what he can do this year.”