Weekend Takeaways: Mott's Derby trail timing pays off

Trainer Bill Mott's group of Kentucky Derby 2019 prospects has been waiting to break through, and Tacitus did so Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). The winner’s share of 50 points is essentially enough to secure him a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

Tacitus only had two career starts heading into the Tampa Bay Derby and he was coming off a four-month layoff. He had the connections and the pedigree – a Juddmonte homebred by Tapit out of champion Close Hatches – but only a maiden victory up against stakes winners and impressive allowance horses. Tacitus went off at 8-1, the fifth choice in the 11-horse field, and came onto the scene late to win by 1 ¼ lengths and complete 1 1/16 miles in a stakes-record time of 1:41.90.

“We really didn’t know what we had until we got into September and started putting a little more pressure on him and asking him,” Mott said, “and I said, well, we’ve got to find out, let’s ask him the question, and he started to respond. The tougher the training got, the better he got.

“Then we got two races in him and got a win out of him in the fall, and for the size of horse he is and the type of horse he is, I thought it was a big accomplishment to get that completed that early in the season.”

The 22.79 and 45.85 opening quarter-mile fractions set by Well Defined certainly could have helped Tacitus close, but Mott seems to know when to take a chance with his Derby prospects. 

Last month, Mott sent maiden winner Country House to Fair Grounds for the Risen Star Stakes (G2), which was headlined by impressive Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner War of Will. Though unable to pass War of Will, Country House overcame a slow break and rallied to second over more experienced horses. He picked up 20 Derby points along the way, and could very well make it into the Run for the Roses should he finish in a top spot in his final prep.

Hidden Scroll stepped up in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park March 2. While his fourth-place finish only left him with five Derby points, the colt is allowed a couple excuses for the effort. It was only his second race, which followed an 14-length maiden victory in the slop on Pegasus World Cup day, and he set speedy opening fractions of 22.80 and 45.69 going 1 1/16 miles in the Fountain of Youth.

Then there is Mucho. While he’s unlikely to go next in a Derby prep, Mott brought him back in a spot in which he could win. Mucho returned March 1 to win a six-furlong optional claiming race at Gulfstream. He had been away since running second in September’s Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. 

Though these colts are lightly raced and have little stakes experience, Mott has shown careful placing with them at age 3.

Mind Control shows versatility in defeat

Following Saturday’s Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, we’ve discussed Instagrand as a questionable Derby prospect and how Haikal’s Gotham win measured up on the Derby trail. While Haikal was impressive in his late run down the middle, Mind Control deserves credit for his runner-up performance on the rail.

“The horse showed a new dimension yesterday,” trainer Greg Sacco said Sunday. “We had trained him in the morning behind horses, let him take dirt, and then finish up. Yesterday, he really passed a test doing that. It was a hot pace. We took a lot of dirt.”

While Mind Control had his way up front in the Hopeful Stakes at 2 and the Jerome Stakes on New Year’s Day, he settled in sixth in the Gotham and took the inside route with Much Better and Instagrand to his outside. 

“We were really proud he sat off the pace and came up the rail,” Sacco said. “He didn't see the other horse [Haikal] coming. He had the other two horses beat but he didn't see Haikal coming. Not to take anything away from Kiaran [McLaughlin]'s horse, he flew the last part and ran a great race.”

Though Mind Control didn’t come away with a win, the ability to come from off the pace and let others go when there is speed should help him moving forward and stretching back out to two turns.

Has Vino Rosso hit a better stride?

Vino Rosso, away since an off-the-board finish in the Travers Stakes (G1) in August, looked strong in his return Saturday when he pulled ahead in a stretch duel to win Aqueduct’s Stymie Stakes.

The Todd Pletcher trainee won last year’s Wood Memorial (G2) on the Derby trail, but never quite lived up to his hype beyond that. It’s too soon to say, but maybe we will see a more developed and consistent Vino Rosso this year at 4.

The Stymie kept his Aqueduct record a perfect 3-for-3. Vino Rosso could have benefited from a track he likes, but the Curlin colt also showed he was ready to fight at the end. 

Repole Stable’s Mike Repole, who co-owns Vino Rosso with St. Elias Stable, noticed an improvement from last season.

“He really broke sharp out of the gate and spotted the field several lengths before he decided to work his spots,” Repole said. “He came off the pace, came back on the pace, then came off the pace again. I thought this was his first race where he was sharp the whole time.

“When he finally got to the lead, he waited again and the best thing that could have happened is that horse that hooked up with him [No. 5, Title Ready] gave him a bump and that got him focused, and reminded him why he was here today, and he took off.

“I think they could have went around four times and nobody would have caught him.”

The whole season is ahead, but Vino Rosso got off to a good start.