Meet Europe’s final group of Kentucky Derby contenders
The European road to the Kentucky Derby concludes Thursday with the Cardinal Condition Stakes over the synthetic track at Chelmsford City.
The one-mile race awards qualification points on a 30-12-6-3 basis to the top four finishers, and the way the European trail has unfolded so far, the Cardinal Condition winner is guaranteed to reach the top of the local leaderboard.
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The question is, will the winner accept the invitation to compete in the Kentucky Derby? None of the seven entrants are nominated to the Triple Crown, though there’s a chance one or two will pop up among the late nominees – the deadline to gain eligibility was March 29.
In the meantime, let’s meet the horses entered in the Cardinal Condition Stakes:
#1 Decisive Edge (No Nay Never – Echo Charlie, by Tertullian)
Owned by Reddam Racing of I’ll Have Another and Nyquist fame, Decisive Edge already has run well over the synthetic track at Chelmsford, breaking his maiden in a seven-furlong sprint last September. But this victory came sandwiched between a seventh-place debut over the Kempton synthetic and a 13th-place finish in the Dewhurst (G1) on turf, so the easy caliber of competition at Chelmsford might have contributed as much to Decisive Edge’s triumph as an affinity for the surface.
#2 Duty of Care (Kingman – Exemplify, by Dansili)
Third in his debut at Kempton, Duty of Care took a step forward in his second start under colors, employing pace-tracking tactics to win a seven-furlong maiden dash over the synthetic surface at Newcastle. A Juddmonte Farms homebred conditioned by Sir Michael Stoute, Duty of Care has the connections and pedigree to be an elite runner – he’s a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Mile champion Expert Eye. Duty of Care is capable of vying for victory Thursday, though his breeding suggests switching to dirt for the Kentucky Derby would be a tough task.
#3 Fundamental (Dark Angel – Integral, by Dalakhani)
After hitting the board in his first two starts on turf, Fundamental broke through when tackling the synthetic track at Chelmsford last fall, leading all the way to dominate a seven-furlong sprint by 5 1/2 lengths. The 95 Racing Post Rating he received stamps Fundamental as a logical contender for trainers John and Thady Gosden, but the competition on Thursday is bound to be tougher, and returning from a 5 1/2-month layoff is at least a small question mark.
#4 Moraaheq (Speightstown – Takrees, by Daaher)
Whereas most of the runners in Thursday’s field are competing for the first time in 2021, Moraaheq already has run twice this season. After breaking his maiden in a seven-furlong sprint at Kempton, Moraaheq tackled a mile over the Chelmsford synthetic and promptly flashed speed to score by 2 3/4 lengths. As a son of U.S. champion sprinter Speightstown out of Interborough Stakes winner Takrees, Moraaheq is bred top and bottom to excel on dirt, so he seems more likely than most to use the Cardinal Condition Stakes as a springboard to the Kentucky Derby.
#5 Oo De Lally (Vadamos – In Dubai, by Giant’s Causeway)
Oo De Lally already has earned four qualification points on the European Road to the Kentucky Derby by virtue of a third-place finish in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes at Kempton. The Andrew Balding trainee boasts a 2-for-3 record on synthetic and a 3-for-5 record overall, so the taste of victory has been far from elusive for Oo De Lally. With a career-best 100 Racing Post Rating, he’s another logical contender in this competitive field.
#6 Qaader (Night of Thunder- Redinha, by Dansili)
In terms of Racing Post Ratings, Qaader is strictly the horse to beat – he already has posted five figures of 94 or higher, including two above 100. He earned these figures while holding his own against tough competition on turf last season, most notably finishing second in the Coventry (G2) at Royal Ascot and third in the Tattersalls (G3) at Newmarket. But Qaader never has run on synthetic and faded in his lone start beyond seven furlongs, finishing last in the one-mile Autumn (G3) at Newmarket. Maybe racing over soft turf tripped up Qaader more than the distance, but any way you slice it, Qaader has questions to answer on Thursday.
#7 Quintillus (Dubawi – Epitome, by Nashwan)
A Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby, Quintillus is a son of elite sire Dubawi, who was in the Kentucky Derby headlines last week as the sire of UAE Derby (G2) winner Rebel’s Romance. Quintillus was unremarkable in his debut on turf, but switching to synthetic at a Kempton produced a big step forward as the chestnut colt led all the way to crush a seven-furlong sprint by 4 1/4 lengths. However, Quintillus ran greenly down the homestretch and hasn’t started since, so bettors will have to hope he comes back with a more focused performance at Chelmsford. If Quintillus does visit the winner’s circle on Thursday, his pedigree suggests switching to dirt for the Kentucky Derby wouldn’t be an impossible task.