Could Hot Rod Charlie give O'Neill a third Kentucky Derby?

I’ll Have Another, Nyquist, Hot Rod Charlie?

Team O’Neill is hopeful that another Santa Anita-based 3-year-old will give it a Kentucky Derby trifecta with Hot Rod Charlie after victories with I’ll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016.

Nineteen horses have used the Santa Anita Derby in preparation for victory in the Kentucky Derby, and five of the last nine winners of the Run for the Roses have called Santa Anita home: Authentic (2020), Justify (2018), Nyquist (2016), American Pharoah (2015) and I’ll Have Another (2012). American Pharoah and Justify also swept the Triple Crown.

Under Joel Rosario, Hot Rod Charlie scored a front-running two-length triumph in Saturday’s Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, earning the Oxbow colt 100 qualifying points for the Derby on May 1 and assuring him a spot in the 20-horse field.

“It was surprising that he went to the lead, but when he broke so sharply, Rosario made the decision to go, which some riders don’t like to do,” trainer Doug O’Neill’s valued assistant Leandro Mora said by phone from Dubai Sunday morning.

“Some riders kind of panic in that situation and pull back, but Joel made the horse feel comfortable.”

Now if all goes well, it’s on to the Kentucky Derby.

“The plan was to go to Louisiana and try to get the points and then go straight to the Kentucky Derby,” said Mora, who is in Dubai where on Saturday O’Neill has Parsimony entered in the $750,000 Godolphin Mile (G2), Palos Verdes winner Wildman Jack in the $1.5 million Golden Shaheen (G1) and Ambivalent seeking Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the UAE Derby (G2).

“Hot Rod Charlie reminds me of I’ll Have Another, who had ups and downs before he became the horse he was at the end of his career,” Mora said. “He broke his maiden as a 3-year-old but was nothing but a speed horse early on.

“He got better with age, and Hot Rod Charlie is similar.”

Rosario’s services, understandably, are in great demand. He also rode Concert Tour to an impressive victory for Bob Baffert in the Rebel Stakes.

“We’d love to keep Rosario but he also rides Concert Tour, so we’ll have to wait and see,” Mora said. “Maybe Baffert is considering Mike Smith" for Concert Tour. Smith’s mount, Life Is Good, was declared off the Triple Crown trail Saturday after sustaining an injury following a workout.

Mora and O’Neill’s Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Lava Man, it turns out, have something in common. This is Mora's 20th year with O’Neill, while Lava Man celebrated his 20th birthday Saturday, although his demeanor as a stable pony belies his age.

“Lava Man is still acting like a 4-year-old,” Mora said.