Focused Filly

Horses had just come off the track, so trainers were still in shock somewhat about what they’d just seen. Therefore, when asked about how their horse’s trip went, how they’d come out of it, or how they felt, they can be forgiven for not having their Trainer Speak phasers on stun.

Graham Motion didn’t lose, so he doesn’t count.

Only Nick Zito had a prepared an excuse: “he was dead last and they never came back”. Of the 19 losing horses’ 18 trainers (Maker had 2), Peter Miller and Kathleen O’Connell are the only ones not quoted. This means that they were not found immediately after the race, either by crowd or by choice.

Off the official “Kentucky Derby Losing Trainer Quotes” list, there are:

• 5 No excuses/Ran good/Never stopped
• 4 Not Our Day
• 3 Proud/Pleased with my horse
• 2 Fabulous/Delighted

If your first inclination – to a reporter, into a microphone – is that the race didn’t suck for your horse, you don’t get to retract that tomorrow. So, other than Jinx Fires, no one gets to rev up the Excuse Generator.

When one looks for the watch-stopping work of this year’s Kentucky Derby, they will inevitably stumble upon Archarcharch and Animal Kingdom. Both horses turned in scintillating drills that showed they had turned the corner and were bonafide Derby contenders.

However, those works are essentially meaningless to most because both colts are bred for the wrong surface. Saying “turf pedigree” in the Kentucky Derby is like Julia Roberts not knowing which fork to use in Pretty Woman – so uncouth.

I personally believe in pedigree handicapping and to me turf is more about stamina than the color of the surface. There are benefits to turf breeding that are unparalleled in dirt or the new synthetic era: least of which is that horses tend to stay sounder, longer. A little stamina goes a long way when breeders have been speed-obsessed for years and we’re left with too many brittle boned animals that can’t get much further than six furlongs.

Because so many have accused Animal Kingdom, in particular, of being a two trick pony when it comes to surface,

Wrong.

Using information provided by GradeOneRacing’s pedigree analyst, the incomparable Lauren Stich, it is clear that eight of the nineteen contenders could be – and perhaps should be – competing in turf events.

Looking primarily at the stallion lines: Animal Kingdom is by Leroidesanimaux, a champion turf horse whose offspring are best on grass and synthetic surfaces; out of a Group 3 winning dam who raced exclusively in Europe on the lawn. Archarcharch is by War Chant whose first 14 of 16 foals to race won on all three surfaces on two continents; out of a dam by one of the most prolific turf stallions in history. Brilliant Speed is by a sire known for stamina, whose offspring have been incredibly versatile, yet are superior on turf. Santiva is by one of the world’s premier stallions, but his offspring are generally superior on turf and synthetic surfaces. Soldat is sired by the speed influence of the Danzig line and is out of multiple stakes winner who was especially proficient on turf. Shackleford is by a sire who was a sizzling stakes sprinter whose best offspring are best on dirt and turf.

Looking at both sides of the family tree: Master of Hounds is by one of Mr. Prospector’s best-bred sons who was a top-class miler in Europe, the majority of whose progeny were most successful on turf; out of a dam by the late Sadler’s Wells, who was Northern Dancer’s most successful son at stud in Europe and a major stamina influence on turf. Midnight Interlude is by War Chant, who has been a superior sire of turf horses and from a female family that produced an Epsom Oaks winner.

This many turf pedigrees can’t be surprising for a stamina contest such as the 1-1/4 mi. Kentucky Derby. Every year, the majority of the field winds up staggering the final sixteenth to the wire because they are simply being tested beyond their limits.

In 2009, a jockey was weighing-out in the jock’s room after the race and was heard saying “that colt had no business going beyond a mile.” And he was referring to a G1 winner who had won half of his ten lifetime starts, with distances from 1 mi. to 1-1/8 mi. This is the time of year when we learn who is a router and who just got lucky before.

Bob Baffert is a Hall of Famer because of how he managed careers, as well as for what his horses did on the track.

Last week he did something now considered extraordinary when he scratched The Factor from contention. It didn’t matter how many runners he was going to have: what was paramount in his mind was the individual horse. From the heart, Bob said “I love this horse. I don’t want to ruin him.”

The Factor is at his best at between seven furlongs and a mile. Bob knew it. The media knew it. The colt’s owners knew it. Yet, despite the lure of the Kentucky Derby – the adoration, the saddletowel, the discounted tickets – they did what was best for the colt.

If there is another trainer in this year’s field that cares more about their horses than Baffert, it is Graham Motion. A lesser trainer would probably have run Toby’s Corner when they can’t “rule out whether [they] were dealing with a minor foot abscess or a significant injury.” As Motion said in his perfect English accent, “I feel fortunate that at least I do have another contender.”

That horse? Animal Kingdom.

How many horses have made the transition safely from turf to dirt? In the last five runnings of the Kentucky Derby, two names stand out: Barbaro and Big Brown. Both won.

Whether a horse prefers the Dirt, Turf, or Synthetic, you have to look at the individual. It’s like Julia Robert’s picking the right fork in Pretty Woman: shrimp, salad, or dinner – go with what you know.