Hot Rod Charlie Finds Another Gear in Louisiana
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021 HOT ROD CHARLIE UNBEATEN LIFE IS GOOD TO MISS RUNHAPPY SANTA ANITA DERBY FINDS ANOTHER GEAR by Bill Finley Unbeaten star 3-year-old and 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good IN LOUISIANA DERBY (Into Mischief) came out of a workout Saturday at Santa Anita with what appears to be a minor problem, one that will keep him from starting in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. According to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the horse was off in his left hind leg. Baffert said it was too early to tell if Life Is Good could still make the GI Kentucky Derby. But Elliott Walden, the president and CEO of WinStar Farm, the co-owners of the horse, told horseracingnation.com that Life Is Good would be "out for a few months." If that turns out to be the case, he will not make the Derby. In the last round of betting in the Derby Future wager, Life Is Good was the 2-1 favorite. Cont. p4 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Hot Rod Charlie turns them in | Hodges Photography TIGER TANAKA THE HEADLINE ACT Saint-Cloud and The Curragh stage turf fixtures on Sunday, Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), the 94-1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with the return of G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka runner-up, was sent to the front in a heady ride by Joel Rosario, a draw at the former. and refused to lose, turning back Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. win going away by two lengths in Saturday's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby. O Besos (Orb) rallied nicely up the rail to just miss second by a head. The 5-2 second choice broke inward and bumped with a rival at the start. He led through fractions of :23.10 and :47.04 with Midnight Bourbon shadowing his every move. Midnight Bourbon, winner of the GIII Lecomte S. and a last-out third in the GII Risen Star S., reached even terms as they hit the quarter pole and looked to be going the better of the two, but Hot Rod Charlie had another gear once switching over and dug down gamely to post a career high while establishing a new track record. AI wanted to get a little position,@ Rosario said. AIt didn't look like there was much speed in the race. He broke well and in the first turn I found myself on the lead. Working with him in the morning, he relaxes and you don't have to get him in the race. He handled the distance very well. With the horse coming on his outside [Midnight Bourbon], he really fought back. He doesn't have to be on the lead. He can do anything. He can be a little bit off the pace and will run the same way.@ Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Senior Contributing Editor Sunday, March 21, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Project Manager Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Tizza Temper and her filly by Kantharos gallop on a sun-soaked morning at Brownstead Kristen Lomasson Farm in Versailles, KY. Photographed on March 17, Tizza Temper was purchased this Photographer/Photo Editor year at Keeneland January and her filly was foaled on March 7. Both are owned by Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Brownstead Farm. | Jen Roytz [email protected] Social Media Strategist TRAVEL COLUMN BESTS CLAIRIERE IN FG OAKS 5 Justina Severni Familiar foes Travel Column (Frosted) and Clairiere (Curlin) Associate Producer faced off again in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Saturday with Travel Katie Ritz Column scoring a decisive victory. Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes CLAIBORNE MANAGER GUS KOCH DIES [email protected] 11 The retired longtime Claiborne Farm manager Gus Koch passed Marketing Manager away Saturday at age 74 after a battle with cancer. Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Director of IT & Accounting TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Ray Villa ET Race Click for TV [email protected] 4:40a BMW Hong Kong Derby-LR, SHT HKJC PPs TVG [email protected] 11:15a Prix Exbury-G3, SCD -------------- ------- WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 12:00p Abu Dhabi Championship-G3, ABD -------------- ------- International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 21, 2021 Louisiana Derby cont. from p1 Hot Rod Charlie | Hodges Photography Favored Risen Star hero Mandaloun (Into Mischief) sat a good trip on the outside just behind the leaders, but had little run for the stretch after a wide journey, fading to finish a well-beaten sixth. AHe was flat and we're disappointed,@ trainer Brad Cox said. AThere's no other way to say it. I don't know. I have no excuse right now, we'll just have to see.@ A narrow maiden winner while showing speed at fourth asking at Santa Anita Oct. 2, Hot Rod Charlie followed his huge come- from-behind run at Keeneland--beaten only three quarters by champion Essential Quality (Tapit)--with a game third in a roughly run stretch drive of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. last time Jan. 30. Essential Quality kicked off his sophomore campaign with an impressive score in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. With trainer Doug O'Neill currently serving a 10-day suspension for a positive Lidocaine finding, Hot Rod Charlie ran under the name of his longtime assistant Leandro Mora. AWe are so extremely blessed,@ said winning co-owner Patrick O'Neill of Boat Racing. AI just missed a phone call from Doug and Dennis [O'Neill], my uncles. It's a family affair, but we added friends and we couldn't be more fortunate. What an amazing horse. An amazing sport. We're going to the Kentucky Derby, hopefully, ya know.@ Pedigree Notes: Hot Rod Charlie, a half-brother to champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya), becomes the third graded winner and sixth black-type winner for his classic-winning sire. Indian Miss, a homebred for the late Edward A. Cox Jr. and a maiden of two career starts, brought $1.9 million from Larry Best's OXO Equine in foal to Into Mischief at last year's Keeneland November Sale. Her 2-year-old filly by leading sire Into Mischief brought TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 21, 2021 $525,000--also from Best's OXO Equine--at last year's 3--O Besos, 122, c, 3, Orb--Snuggs and Kisses, by Soto. Keeneland September Sale. She also has a colt by Into Mischief O-Bernard Racing LLC, Tagg Team Racing & West Point of this year. Indian Miss is a half-sister to late graded winner Live Thoroughbreds; B-L. Barrett Bernard (KY); T-Gregory D. Foley. Lively (Medaglia d'Oro). $100,000. Margins: 2, HD, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.90, 7.20, 28.80. Saturday, Louisiana Derby Also Ran: Proxy, Starrininmydreams, Mandaloun, Rightandjust, TWINSPIRES.COM LOUISIANA DERBY-GII, $1,000,000, Fair Run Classic. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com Grounds, 3-20, 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:55.06, ft. PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. 1--HOT ROD CHARLIE, 122, c, 3, by Oxbow VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. 1st Dam: Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie 2nd Dam: Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken Life Is Good to Miss SA Derby cont. from p1 3rd Dam: Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($17,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $110,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). O-Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC & William Strauss; B-Edward A. Cox (KY); T-Leandro Mora; J-Joel Rosario. $610,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 7-2-1-2, $1,005,700. *1/2 to Mitole (Eskendereya), Ch. Male Sprinter, MGISW, $3,104,910. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Life Is Good working Saturday at Santa Anita | Horsephotos Life Is Good worked six furlongs in a bullet 1:11.40 Saturday. 2--Midnight Bourbon, 122, c, 3, Tiznow--Catch the Moon, by Initially, Baffert was pleased with what he saw. Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell "He breezed really well," he said. "Cooling out, we noticed the Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC problem. Something is going on. It's nothing obvious. It's not (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $200,000. that he's lame. He just isn't 100%." Baffert said the recent runaway winner of the GII San Felipe S. may be sent to Dr. Larry Bramlage for tests. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 21, 2021 "The timing is bad," Baffert said. "It's disappointing and frustrating. He is such a brilliant horse. At least this is not something that should be career ending." While Baffert may not be able to run what is considered his best 3-year-old in the Derby, he has a powerful bench.