Correll’s Derby Top Ten: No Changes on Leaderboard
Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview —
TRINITY, Fla. – The Fountain of Youth was run at Gulfstream Park and the Gotham Stakes was run at Aqueduct on March 2 and both did little to clear up the 3-year-old picture.
The Gotham was run in the mud and driving rain in New York and Deterministic, a son of Liam’s Map won, earning a 93 Beyer speed figure. I have no idea the quality of this colt.
Trainer Christophe Clement said Deterministic, a $625,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, will be nominated for a number of Derby preps, including the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 6 at the Big A. The historic nine-furlong test for sophomores awards 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
“No decision whatsoever made for the next start,” Clement said. “At the moment, the only worry is the well-being of the horse and we’ll go from there. We’ll get him to a work and the work will tell us what to do with him.”
In the Fountain of Youth in south Florida, three of the favorites were scratched leaving Dornach with little competition. Even then the colt had to work harder than expected after being sent off at 1-9 odds. Locked and Victory Avenue were program scratches and Speak Easy was scratched after he dumped rider Irad Ortiz Jr. following the post-parade and ran off.
Both winners earned 50 points and probably a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
The San Felipe at Santa Anita Park in Southern California was delayed until March 3 because of weather and trainer Bob Baffert’s colts walked off with the top two spots. Imagination (Into Mischief) and Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) battled down to the wire with Imagination prevailing by a neck. Neither colt picked up any Derby points because of the ban Churchill Downs has placed on Baffert..
Nysos (sire: Nyquist) was scratched from the San Felipe and Baffert said he would wait for the Santa Anita Derby on April 6.
Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) received a 98 Equibase speed figure in winning the Risen Star.
Timberlake (Into Mischief) earned 105 E-speed figure for his effort in the Rebel.
Track Phantom (Quality Road) was second in the Risen Star and got a 98 E-speed figure. He is trained by Steve Asmussen and he may stay at Fair Grounds for the Louisiana Derby.
Catching Freedom (Constitution) was third in the Risen Star, but he wasn’t catching the top two.
Dornach (Good Magic) won the Fountain of Youth on March 2 at Gulfstream Park and trainer Danny Gargan is looking at the Florida Derby on March 30 or the Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland.
Muth (Good Magic) was second in the Juvenile and won the San Vicente on Jan. 7 at Santa Anita in Southern California. He is trained by Baffert.
Fierceness (City of Light) was third in the Holy Bull.
Locked (Gun Runner) was scratched out of the Fountain of Youth. Trainer Todd Pletcher is hoping for the Florida Derby.
Speak Easy (Constitution) didn’t make the Fountain of Youth after dumping rider.