Calhoun’s Louisiana Derby pair add to crowded forming field
Trainer Bret Calhoun would like to saddle two starters in the March 21 Louisiana Derby (G2), the 2020 Kentucky Derby trail’s first major prep scaling its points payout on a 100-40-20-10 basis.
But Calhoun, who won the race a year ago with By My Standards, has to hope both Mailman Money and Mr. Big News make the cut as Fair Grounds’ 1 3/16-mile feature overflows with interest.
The colts ran fourth and fifth, respectively, last month in the second division of the Risen Star Stakes (G2). All the board hitters aside from first division winner Mr. Monomoy — since declared off the Triple Crown trail due to injury — are expected back.
“He came out of the race well and breezed back good the other day,” Calhoun recently told Fair Grounds’ publicity staff of Mailman Money, a Goldencents colt campaigned by Allied Racing Stable. Before the Risen Star, Mailman Money opened his career 2-for-2, breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs and defeating winners in allowance company at Fair Grounds.
“We’re going to do a little more with him this weekend,” Calhoun added. “Everything looks to be going in the right direction as we continue to aim him towards the Louisiana Derby.”
Mr. Big News, another for Allied Racing, is a longer shot to make the Louisiana Derby should it become oversubscribed. He needed four starts to break his maiden, then went straight into the Risen Star.
That’s a resume similar to By My Standards a season ago. Calhoun entered that Louisiana Derby talking up his charge.
“We really want him to run in the Louisiana Derby,” Calhoun similarly said of Mr. Big News, a Giant’s Causeway colt. “He’s trained really well and has continued to move forward. That last race was a really good learning experience for him, and we expect a lot of him going forward.”
Calhoun saddled the fifth-place finisher in the first division of the Risen Star, too. He said Digital will cut back in distance moving forward.
“We’re going to take him off the Derby trail,” Calhoun said. “We think he has the quality to be a Derby horse but we don’t think he’s ready for it yet. We’re going to point him to the Pat Day Mile. We’ll get him ready for that in an allowance race and go from there.”
Calhoun won the 2019 Pat Day Mile with Mr. Money, who’s back on the work tab and will be looking to make his 4-year-old debut in April.
As for By My Standards, who won his own Feb. 9 comeback with ease, the New Orleans Classic (G2) on the Louisiana Derby undercard is next. Calhoun will also be represented in that race by last-out Mineshaft Stakes (G3) hero Silver Dust.
“I’d like to separate them,” the trainer said, “but both owners deserve to be in there and want to be in there. The timing is perfect for both of them so we’re going to wait and see but it looks like I’ll have both in there.”
Entries will be taken Saturday with the Louisiana Derby limited to 14 starters. Preference is given to graded winners, then is determined by lifetime earnings.