Triple Threats Cont
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BILL OPPENHEIM HEADLINE p. 4 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT BY FAX AND FREE BY E-MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS OF call 732-747-8060. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2007 BIG DAY IN THE DESERT ON TAP Godolphin=s Discreet Cat (Forestry) will put his un- beaten mark on the line against Triple 15 rivals in tomorrow=s G3 Lahan Burj Nahaar at Nad Al Sheba. Last season=s G2 UAE Derby victor has Threats been assigned 134 pounds for his seasonal debut. He will break DERBY TRAIL HEATING UP from the nine hole. Last year=s The road to the GI Kentucky Derby heats up with U.S. champion sprinter Thor=s major prep races on both coasts Saturday. Trainer Echo (Swiss Yodeler) also returns Discreet Cat Barclay Tagg will saddle an early Derby favorite in Sherackatthetrack to action on Super Thursday=s Nobiz Like Shobiz (Albert the Great) in the GII Fountain card in the G3 Marju Mahab al Shimaal. The of Youth S. at Gulfstream. The once-beaten bay is GI Breeders= Cup Sprint hero has coming off a 1 1/2-length victory been assigned the three slot in the in the Feb. 3 GIII Holy Bull S. and field of 16. Unbeaten Day Pass the colt has moved forward off (Five Star Day), last seen annexing of that effort, according to Tagg. the GIII Nashua S. Nov. 3, makes AHe=s doing fine,@ Tagg said dur- his sophomore debut in a ing a national teleconference yes- $150,000 conditions event on the Thor’s Echo terday. AHe hasn=t missed any undercard. He lines up against G3 Horsephotos works. We were slowed down a UAE Guineas winner Asiatic Boy little by bad weather, but he did- Nobiz Like Shobiz (Arg) (Not for Sale {Arg}). Derrinstown Stud, owned by n=t miss any works. He came out Equi-Photo Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, will sponsor of the Holy Bull well. I don=t think Thursday=s card. it was a hard race on him and I thought [jockey] Thursday, Nad al Sheba, Dubai Cornelio [Velasquez] was pretty conservative with him, LAHAN BURJ NAHAAR-G3, $200,000, which I wanted him to be.@ Nobiz Like Shobiz, who has NH4yo&SH3yo/up, 1600m only started four times, showed some immaturity down PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY WT the stretch in the Holy Bull. AHe=s a bit green,@ Tagg 1 Imperialista (Brz) Voando Baixo (Brz) McEvoy 121 admitted. AHe=s a great big horse, and he was probably 2 Jaffal Conquistador Cielo Ffrench 128 looking at the crowd. I think we got that corrected and 3 Blue on Blues (Arg) Lode Moore 128 I hope we won=t see that anymore, but you never 4 Egyptian Green Desert Hayse 128 know.@ Tagg, who also trained Nobiz Like Shobiz=s dam 5 Nelore Pora (Brz) Romarin (Brz) Mullen 132 Nightstorm, said the mare exhibited the same behavior. 6 Opportunist (Ire) Machiavellian Supple 128 AShe was a typical Storm Cat,@ Tagg said of 7 Visionist (Ire) Orpen Dettori 128 Nightstorm. AShe was antsy, good-feeling, tough to 8 Smart and Mighty (Aus) Baryshnikov (Aus) Dwyer 128 handle, but a very nice filly and a very, very talented 9 Discreet Cat Forestry Dettori 134 filly.@ Tagg thinks Nobiz Like Shobiz is an ideal Ken- 10 Blatant (GB) Machiavellian Shea 128 tucky Derby candidate. AIf you were to sit down and 11 Boston Lodge (GB) Grand Lodge Ahern 128 design a horse for the Derby, this horse is it,@ he said. 12 Yarqus (GB) Diktat (GB) Soumillon 128 AHe is the most perfect type that you could ever go into 13 Impossible Ski (Brz) Ski Champ Domingos 128 a race like this with. He has very, very beautiful confor- 14 Binary File Nureyev Hills 128 mation, he s a great big horse and he does things very 15 Gold for Sale (Arg) Not for Sale (Arg) Kinane 128 = 16 Vortex (GB) Danehill Murtagh 128 very easily, and his mental attitude is very good.@ www.taylormadestallions.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/28/07 • PAGE 2 of 9 Triple Threats cont. O’Neill Troops in the Hunt... Gorham Goes For the Gold in the FOY... Saturday=s major West Coast prep is the GII Robert B. Also going postward in the Fountain of Youth is Lewis S. which has attracted Great Hunter (Aptitude), trainer Michael Gorham=s Adore the Gold (Formal Gold). one of an army of Derby hopefuls from the barn of The dark bay colt will be stretching out to 1 1/8 miles Doug O=Neill. The dark bay, winner of the Oct. 7 GI after winning the 6 1/2-furlong GII Swale S. in his most Lane=s End Breeders= Futurity, has been off since run- recent start Feb. 3. AI don=t have a ning third in the Nov. 4 GI Breeders= problem with him routing,@ Gorham Cup Juvenile. Of the long layoff, said yesterday. AIn his second start he O=Neill explained, AHe=s already proven won at 1 1/16 miles at Delaware and “It’s the best himself. He had a good campaign as a he rated kindly. He=s the kind of horse source of two-year-old. Our goal with him is the that is speedy, but not the headstrong information there first Saturday in May, so we gave him type of horse where he doesn=t rate. is. I’m just like a breather.@ O=Neill said Great Hunter I=m certain two turns won=t be a prob- everybody else: if is ready to race Saturday, but admit- lem.@ After romping home while in for I didn’t have it in ted the horse will not be pressed too a $50,000 tag in his debut at Dela- the morning, I hard, too soon. AHe=s doing great, but ware last September, Adore the Gold don’t know what we=re definitely not going to have him won that track=s Dover S. He suffered I’d do. It keeps super-involved in the race early,@ his only loss when fifth in the GIII me up to date O=Neill said. ASo we=ll be at the mercy Nashua S.--a defeat Gorham blamed with everything I of the pace. If they=re not going that on his charge not handling the track-- need to know.” fast, we might not be able to get but rebounded with a stakes win at them. But fitness-wise, he=s great. Laurel in December. AI=m just gauging –Owner John Toffan When you give a horse a breather, you day to day with the horse,@ Gorham hope when they come back to build said. AHe=s done everything we=ve and build and build and that=s what asked of him and hopefully he=ll con- we hope he does this year.@ Cont. tinue on that way.@ vinery.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/28/07 • PAGE 3 of 9 O=Neill Troops cont. O=Neill=s other Derby contenders include Liquidity P P R E V I E W P (Tiznow), Notional (In Excess {Ire}) and Cobalt Blue (Golden Missile). Liquidity was Thursday, Nad al Sheba, Dubai passed late when second in the ELNADIM MAKTOUM CHALLENGE-ROUND III-G2, Dec. 16 GI Hollywood Futurity $300,000, NH4yo&SH3yo/up, 2000m and again in the Feb. 3 GIII Sham PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY S. O=Neill said he doesn=t think 1 Red Racketeer Red Ransom Ffrench Liquidity=s problem is stamina, 2 Singing Poet (Ire) Singspiel (Ire) O=Shea but admitted, AHe might have a 3 Eu Tambem (Brz) Wild Event McEvoy trainer problem,@ while adding he 4 Grand Emporium (SAf) National Assembly Moore was debating whether to take 5 Aleutian (GB) Zafonic Murtagh blinkers off for the colt=s next 6 Dubai Honor (GB) Highest Honor (Fr) Dwyer start. ALiquidity is a little lazy and 7 Choctaw Nation Louis Quatorze Mullen Notional hasn=t figured out being super Horsephotos 8 Chinkara (GB) Desert Prince (Ire) Supple competitive down the lane,@ 9 Money Bags (SAf) Rich Man=s Gold Marwing O=Neill said. ABut I think he might be the most talented All carry 131 pounds except Eu Tambem, 121. of the group that I have.@ Liquidity will likely go next in the Mar. 10 GII Louisiana Derby and could return to Thursday, Nad al Sheba, Dubai California for the Apr. 7 GI Santa Anita Derby. Plans for HAAFHD JEBEL HATTA-G2, $250,000, GIII Risen Star S. winner Notional remain undecided, NH4yo&SH3yo/up, 1777mT while recent allowance winner Cobalt Blue will aim for PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY the Mar. 17 GII San Felipe S. Also in the O=Neill mix is 1 Olympian Odyssey (GB) Sadler=s Wells Mullen the newcomer Family Talk (Talk is Money), who re- 2 Best Name (GB) King=s Best Dettori cently broke his maiden at Fair Grounds for trainer 3 Stage Gift (Ire) Cadeaux Genereux (GB) McEvoy Steve Asmussen. The bay is expected to start next in 4 Formal Decree (Ger) Diktat (GB) Kinane the Mar. 10 GIII El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows. 5 Great Rhythm (SAf) I=m Great (SAf) Shea 6 Seihali (Ire) Alzao Murtagh Stormello Booked for FOY... 7 Lord Admiral El Prado (Ire) Supple Bill Curin=s Stormello (Stormy Atlantic), last seen 8 Sanaya (Ire) Barathea (Ire) Soumillon winning the Dec. 16 GI Holly- 9 Irridescence (SAf) Caesour Marwing wood Futurity, will line up 10 Ace (Ire) Danehill Moore against Nobiz Like Shobiz and 11 Touch of Land (Fr) Lando (Ger) Lemaire others in the Saturday=s GII 12 Shakis (Ire) Machiavellian Hills Fountain of Youth S.