SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here UNTAPABLE LOOKS INVINCIBLE IN AZERI FEATURE PRESENTATION • GII REBEL S. Like American Pharoah, Winchell Thoroughbreds= champion Untapable (Tapit) is pegged as the 1-2 morning-line favorite for her return to the races in today=s GII Azeri S., the final local prep for the $600,000 GI Apple Blossom H. during the Racing Festival of the South Friday, Apr. 10. And like that champion, it=s tough to go past the heavy chalk in spite of the ‘PHAROAH’ TO GET REBEL YELL winter=s absence. For the second time since 2010, the reigning Eclipse The homebred Award-winning 2-year-old gets his sophomore season bay was nothing started in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. The Bob short of Baffert-trained Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike) overcame sensational in a tough trip to just tag Noble=s Promise (Cuvee) five 2014, winning years ago, and today, Zayat Stables= American Pharoah each of her six (Pioneerof the Nile) makes the first of two programmed tries against her appearances ahead of what connections hope will result fellow females, in a trip to Louisville for the GI Kentucky Derby on the culminating with first Saturday of May. her 1 1/4-length Fifth behind Om (Munnings) Untapable Equi-Photo defeat of Don t as the 7-5 chalk in what has = become an amazingly key Del Tell Sophia (Congaree) with short of an easy trip in the Mar maiden Aug. 9, American GI Breeders= Cup Distaff Oct. 31. It says much that Pharoah was audaciously Untapable was made the 7-5 chalk when facing the stepped up into the GI Del Mar boys in the GI Haskell Invitational S. July 27, but she Futurity 25 days later and never got untracked that afternoon, finishing a well- made light work of that bunch, beaten fifth and effectively dashing any hopes of Horse defeating Calculator (In of the Year contention. It=s all systems go, according to Summation) by 4 3/4 lengths. trainer Steve Asmussen. Cont. p4 Stretched to two turns for the first time in Santa Anita=s GI FrontRunner S. Sept. 27, he never gave his rivals a chance, dictating a comfortable pace before kicking home 3 1/4 lengths to the good of Calculator and Texas Red American Pharoah (Afleet Alex). Withdrawn on Benoit Photo the eve of the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile with a bruise of his left front foot, he remained in the barn as Texas Red ran away with the race, further franking the FrontRunner form. He returned to the worktab Feb. 2 and has since recorded a half-dozen drills, including a race-like six panels from the gate in a freakish 1:10 2/5 Mar. 6. He also figures the lone speed of a short field and should handle these, provided his fitness holds out. AA lot is expected from this horse, and he hasn=t run in a while, but we feel confident that he's going to run well,@ Baffert said. AHe just needs some racing luck.@ Cont. p3 IN THIS ISSUE President & Co-Publisher: Barry Weisbord [email protected] @barryweisbord Sr. V.P. & Co-Publisher: Sue Finley [email protected] @suefinley V.P., International Operations: Gary King Is Seven Pletcher’s Lucky [email protected] @garykingTDN EDITORIAL Number? [email protected] Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Seven weeks away from the GI Kentucky Derby and seven-time Senior Editor: Steve Sherack Eclipse winning conditioner Todd Pletcher has seven candidates Racing Editor: Brian DiDonato Daredevil for the big event. Mike Kane gets the scoop from Pletcher on Associate Editor: Justina Severni which Derby preps his contenders will make their next starts in. Associate Editor: Christie DeBernardis Adam Mooshian Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Assistant Editor: Ben Massam Page 5 ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Q&A: OBS President Tom Art Director: Lia Kusch Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Ventura Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin With the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March 2-Year-Olds in Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster Training Sale set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Steve Sherack Social Media Strategist: Nichola Henry catches up with OBS President Tom Ventura to discuss format and CUSTOMER SERVICE policy changes and expectations. Tom Ventura Photos by Z [email protected] Dir. of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Page 8 Director of IT: Robert Williams CHC, Coolmore Buy Into [email protected] Director of Internal IT: Ray Villa Pride of Dubai [email protected] Group 1 Blue Diamond S. hero Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street WORLDWIDE INFORMATION Cry {Ire}) is set to continue his racing career for an unprecedented International Editor: Kelsey Riley partnership comprising the China Horse Club, Coolmore and the [email protected] Pride Of Dubai colt's breeder Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. Racing and Sports Assistant Editor: Alix Choppin Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Page 13 Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) EST Race Click for TV www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com 5:21p Azeri S.-GII, OP (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG 5:57p Razorback H.-GIII, OP (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG 7:00p Santa Margarita S.-GI, SA (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG 7:06p Rebel S.-GII, OP (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 3/14/15 • PAGE 3 of 14 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Saturday, Oaklawn Park, post time: 7:06 p.m. EDT REBEL S.-GII, $750,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML 1 The Truth Or Else K Yes It's True Borel McPeek 4-1 2 Madefromlucky K Lookin At Lucky Velazquez Pletcher 6-1 3 Tizwonderfulcreek K Tiz Wonderful Quinonez Martin 30-1 4 American Pharoah Pioneerof the Nile Espinoza Baffert 1-2 5 Bold Conquest Curlin Santana Jr Asmussen 8-1 6 Paid Admission K Candy Ride (Arg) Bridgmohan Richard 15-1 7 Sakima Curlin Vazquez Moquett 20-1 Though he may be limited in what he can accomplish this afternoon, Harold Lerner=s The Truth Or Else has some things going for him. A maiden winner in a busy seven-race campaign at two, the son of dual Grade III victress Lakenheath (Colonial Affair) managed placings-- albeit it distant ones--behind Daredevil (More Than Ready) and Upstart (Flatter) in the GI Champagne S. and in back of Blofeld (Quality Road) and El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) in the GII Nashua S. ahead of a sixth in the GII Remsen S. Lasix went on for the first time in this track=s GIII Southwest S. Feb. 22, and the colt far exceeded expectations with a runner-up effort to Far Right (Notional) after making a bold move into contention. Madefromlucky has shown marked improvement since being stretched to two turns. Runner-up in a Monmouth maiden last August, he belied odds of 10-1 to graduate going 8 2 furlongs over the Gulfstream main track Dec. 23. After an interest in the colt was purchased by Everett Dobson=s Cheyenne Stables, the chestnut returned 1-5 to his backers for a workmanlike 1 1/2-length success in Hallandale Feb. 4. John Velazquez, in to pilot Untapable (Tapit) in the GII Azeri S., retains the call for the Todd Pletcher barn. TDN PROGENY PP COUNTS General Sires for the last 60 days through Thursday, March 13, 2015 Sire Total Listings Unique Progeny Tapit 40 35 Dubawi (IRE) 26 20 Giant’s Causeway 26 25 Medaglia d’Oro 25 24 Candy Ride (ARG) 22 19 Distorted Humor 22 19 Street Sense 22 20 Click here to access all Progeny PP Counts lists Last Week - Well, we=re both still showing a profit, but Last Week - Neither Combat Driver nor Great Stuff ran not by much after hitting a bit of a cold spell. Classy a step, finishing ninth and fifth, respectively, in the Class gave me the best run of my three selections last Gotham and Tampa Bay Derby. I thought Bolo, weekend in the Gotham, but hung a bit late to just get however, ran a very solid race to be a close third in the tagged for second after awaiting racing room in the San Felipe. Traveling without cover throughout his dirt stretch. Danzig Moon, meanwhile, never put in a debut, the dark bay made a menacing move into the serious rally to finish a well-beaten fourth behind the stretch before being repelled by Dortmund and just ultra-impressive Carpe Diem in the Tampa Bay Derby. tagged late by Prospect Park. Bolo earned a significant Lord Nelson was equally disappointing with a fourth- speed figure top for the effort, and looks like he may place finish after sitting a perfect trip just behind the very well be effective on dirt after all. leaders in the San Felipe. I hate to get attached to one particular horse before the final preps take place, but GII Rebel S. - It=s hard to deny that this isn=t exactly the the one that I want right now on the first Saturday in best betting race we=ve seen so far in this contest. May is Carpe Diem. There=s simply nobody to run with champion American Pharoah early, and nobody good enough to reel him in GII Rebel S. - There are plenty of times to make a case late. The abbreviated juvenile campaign might be against the favorite and take a shot with a price.