| _______________________ |
NEW YORK - And your approaching Kentucky Derby the one preferred is ... Eskendereya, the powerful leader of the $750,000 Wood Memorial.
Drawing afar from a clever domain in the stretch, Eskendereya pulled off a second true flat tire in a vital Derby prep Saturday to state his box as the equine to beatthe initial Saturday in May.
And that would be excellent with Todd Pletcher, the tutor who has won only about each competition you can think of but is 0 for twenty-four in the Derby.
“It would be big to win the Derby,” Pletcher said. “We’ll try to have it happen. We’ll do the most appropriate we can.”
Eskendereya looks similar to Pletcher’s most appropriate shot to finish his Derby drought, but the tutor could have as most as 7 alternative 3-year-olds by the time an approaching full domain of twenty horses come in the starting embankment at Churchill Downs.
Eskendereya, though, is the transparent standout. And after associate Derby tip contender Lookin At Lucky accomplished third in the Santa Anita Derby about thirty mins later, there’s small evidence as to who’s the No. 1 preference for the Derby.
Pletcher couldn’t censor a outrageous grin as he stoodthe lane and congratulated his assistant, Jonathan Thomas, prior to usurpation handshakes from a large organisation in the winner’s circle.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “The serve he goes, the stronger he gets. He’s a equine that has healthy stamina.”
Ridden by John Velazquez, 1-2 the one preferred Eskendereya stormed in to the lead and won by 9¾ lengths over Jackson Bend. The domain of feat in the 1 1-8-mile Wood surfaced Eskendereya’s 8½-length win in the Fountain of Youth StakesFeb. twenty in his last start.
The DerbyMay 1 is 1¼ miles and appears to be a undiluted fit for Eskendereya, a reddish-brown son of Giant’s Causeway.
Owned by Ahmed Zayat, Eskendereya picked up $450,000 and increased his graded stakes benefit to $600,000, some-more than sufficient to validate for the Derby that has a 20-horse limit.
Zayat, who has filed for failure after a bank pronounced he defaulted$34 million in loans, was not at the race.
Jackson Bend, lerned by two-time Derby leader Nick Zito, warranted $150,000 for second to move to $230,000, approaching sufficient to have the Derby field. That would give Zito dual Derby starters — Florida Derby leader Ice Box is the other.
Eskendereya raced absolutely in third at the back of Most Happy Fella and Jackson Bend. By the time the domain strike the last turn, Eskendereya was receiving carry out as Velazquez eased the colt to the outside. From there, he was home free.
“He was only galloping,” Velazquez said. “It was a great feeling.”
Awesome Act was third, followed by Schoolyard Dreams, Carnivore and Most Happy Fella.
The winning time was 1:49.97. Eskendereya returned $3, $2.30 and $2.10. Jackson Bend returned $3.90 and $2.60, and Awesome Act paid $2.20.
Jackson Bend has accomplished second 3 times in a row in Derby preps — the Holy Bull, the Fountain of Youth and right away the Wood, with dual of the waste entrance opposite Eskendereya.
“These guys have to run opposite Muhammad Ali,” Zito pronounced referring to Eskendereya. “That’s Smokin’ Joe Frazier (Jackson Bend). He won’t give up.”
Calvin Borel, who was aboard Zito’s colt for the initial time, agreed.
“The one thing about this colt is that he’s gutsy,” Borel said. “He’s the kind of equine you wish in the Derby.”
If Borel stays with Jackson Bend, the manoeuvre would be seeking for a second true Derby win following last year’s stunner with 50-1 prolonged shot Mine That Bird.
Awesome Act had a difficult trip, stumbling at the begin and losing a shoe. But the Gotham Stakes leader formed in England accomplished clever underneath Julien Leparoux to benefit third and consequence $75,000 and give him $285,000 in graded stakes earnings.
“It was a great opening by the winner, but for my equine the gait was wrong,” Awesome Act’s tutor Jeremy Noseda said. “We’ll moveto Kentucky and go from there.”
Eskendereya was purchased by Zayat Stables for $250,000 at the Keeneland Sep sale in 2008. The name is the Arab interpretation for the Egyptian pier city of Alexandria. Eskendereya additionally is tangible as a flirty Alexandrian dance with a complicated veil, according to a bellydance list of terms of Middle Eastern dance teminologies.
ALSO ON THIS STORYDRF: Eskendereya owners privileged by Ky. commission
The colt won one of his initial dual starts prior to finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile over Santa Anita’s fake surface. Pletcher pronounced Eskendereya had a severe outing and called the competition a throw out. Now he’s 3-for-3 this year and movingto the Derby.
“We’ve never had a equine we knew could hoop the mile-and-a-quarter and we’ve never had one put together a integrate of preps similar to this one,” Pletcher said. “We’ve had a little great prep wins, but nothing as considerable as these two.”
AlsoNBCSports.com
World Cup: Brazil tones down peep in preference of substanceWilstein: Celtics’ group proceed trumps Kobe, LakersFlorio: Bush, Carroll shouldnt get off scot-freeCFT: Spurned by Texas, what right away for Pac-10?Twitter: Follow us
© ,,.| _______________________ |
No comments:
Post a Comment