MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 BLOODHORSE.COM/DAILY KENTUCKY DERBY Countdown ANNE M. EBERHARDT ANNE M. OLD KENTUCKY HOME Essential Quality Takes Bluegrass Path to Derby See page 4 IN THIS ISSUE 12 Caddo River Out of KY Derby, Brooklyn Strong Likely 15 Clairiere, Pauline’s Pearl Turn in Final Works for Oaks 22 Kentucky Derby Winning Trainer Ward Dies at 75 BLOODHORSE DAILY Download the FREE smartphone app PAGE 1 OF 41 CONTENTS 4 Essential Quality Takes Bluegrass Path to Derby 34 Keeper of Time to Continue Racing Career in America 7 Leading KY Sires by % Black-Type Winners 36 Fayathaan Strikes in Italian Two Thousand Guineas 9 On Racing: Never Judge a Derby Runner by His Points 37 Results & Entries 12 Caddo River Out of KY Derby, Brooklyn Strong Likely 15 Clairiere, Pauline’s Pearl Turn in Final Works for Oaks 16 Mandaloun Looks to Reverse Kentucky Derby Trends 19 Casse Assistant Carroll No Stranger to Kentucky Derby 22 Kentucky Derby Winning Trainer Ward Dies at 75 23 Keeneland April Sale Entices Buyers With Recent Winners 26 Sword Zorro Rallies to Singletary Score 27 University Program Celebrating Debut Winner Averly Jane 30 Japan-based France Go De Ina to Make Preakness Bid 31 Loves Only You, Golden Sixty Impress at Hong Kong COADY PHOTOGRAPHY COADY TAA a ccreditation: The G o l d S t a n d a r d in aftercare. A publication of The Jockey Club Information Systems, Inc. and TOBA Media Properties, Inc. ON THE COVER Editorial Director General Manager Essential Quality April 24 at Churchill Downs Evan Hammonds Scott Carling Visuals Director Managing Editor Anne M. Eberhardt Claire Crosby Bloodstock Editor Digital Media Manager Eric Mitchell Erin Morgan Sales Editor Senior Web Producer Meredith Daugherty Christine Wittmer Assistant Editor Digital Content Coordinator Molly Rollins Michelle Benson Associate Editors Asst. Editor/NSCB Editor Debbie Tuska Byron King Regional Sales Managers Christine Oser Kristi Heasley Features Editor Catherine Johnston Frank Angst Ellen Lambertus Senior Correspondent Amanda Ramey Bob Ehalt Director of Technology Senior Columnist Courtney Bearse Jay Hovdey Pedigree Analyst Alan Porter CN PHOTOGRAPHY Contact Us: Clairiere gets a bath following her April 25 breeze at Churchill Editor: [email protected] • Advertising: [email protected] Downs (see page 15 for more) BLOODHORSE DAILY MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 PAGE 3 OF 41 ESSENTIAL QUALITY TAKES BLUEGRASS PATH TO DERBY By Frank Angst t @BH_FAngst fter making an impressive Awinning debut at Churchill Downs on a rescheduled Kentucky Derby Day last season, Essential Quality has found the Bluegrass to his liking from that first start to his final preparations for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Godolphin homebred Essential Quality, a Kentucky-bred, has done most of his racing and most of his COADY PHOTOGRAPHY COADY training in the state where he was Essential Quality walks off the track following his breeze April 24 at Churchill Downs foaled thanks to champion trainer Brad Cox's base in Kentucky, He's one of a number of starts, four have come at either a circuit providing a variety of horses in this year's Derby field Churchill Downs or Keeneland. maiden race options in September with connections who found the Trainer Brad Cox doesn't mind at Churchill, and a little bit of rejuvenated Kentucky circuit sending a top young horse to luck in terms of the scheduling provides plenty of opportunity to Saratoga Race Course in the of the 2020 Breeders' Cup World prepare for the spring classics. summer—one of his other Derby Championships. Of Essential Quality's five career hopefuls, Caddo River, made his debut in Upstate New York. But he also knows that less travel for a young horse can allow a familiar (continued on page 5) It can be nothing but an advantage (for Essential Quality) being here at Churchill … This is really his home base.” —BRAD COX COADY PHOTOGRAPHY COADY Essential Quality breezes April 24 at Churchill Downs BLOODHORSE DAILY MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 PAGE 4 OF 41 ESSENTIAL QUALITY TAKES having breezed there so many times. It's nothing but a BLUEGRASS PATH TO DERBY good thing as far as I'm concerned with him having so many spins around the Churchill oval." (continued from page 4) Cox also likes that Essential Quality has had a race atmosphere to develop. over the surface, a debut maiden win Sept. 5, 2020, After that maiden victory at Churchill, Essential going six furlongs. In 2013 Churchill took over the Quality would close out his juvenile season with a September race dates that had previously been offered pair of grade 1 victories at Keeneland in the Claiborne by Turfway Park, and with historical horse racing at Breeders' Futurity and the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Churchill Downs satellite Derby City Gaming thriving presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Of in recent years, Essential Quality's debut maiden race course the schedule just happened to come up with offered a $98,670 purse. the Breeders' Cup in Essential Quality's backyard, but In November last year Cox sent out his other Derby the son of Tapit took full advantage to nail down a hopeful, Mandaloun, to an allowance win after the championship. son of Into Mischief posted a debut maiden win at the Keeneland fall meet. Speaking of Turfway, from last year to this year that track enjoyed the biggest change in terms of its viability as a Derby path. With Churchill Downs Inc.'s purchase of Turfway in late 2019, the track has been richly rewarded on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes now carrying qualifying points of 10-4-2-1 for the top four finishers while the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) is a major prep with 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers. With those points in place, as well as a significantly ALEX SLITZ Essential Quality leaves the paddock before winning the 2020 upgraded purse structure for its racing overall, Turfway Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland has caught horsemen's attention as a possible path. This year trainer Wesley Ward took full advantage, This season after one successful road trip to campaigning Like the King at the Northern Kentucky Oaklawn Park to open the year—a 4 1/4-length victory in the Southwest Stakes (G3); Essential Quality would (continued on page 6) wrap up his prep races before the spring classics on Keeneland's familiar ground. Essential Quality shadowed early leader Highly Motivated early in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) before edging that one by a neck at the wire of that 1 1/8-mile test April 21. Essential Quality will attempt to become the first Blue Grass winner to win the Derby since Strike the Gold in 1991. "It can be nothing but an advantage being here at Churchill," Cox said. "All of his works leading up to the Breeders' Futurity and the Breeders' Cup were here. So this is really his home base. He's obviously won three races at Keeneland and it's kind of his home away from home. EBERHARDT ANNE M. "I do think of Churchill as his home base, Essential Quality wins the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland BLOODHORSE DAILY MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 PAGE 5 OF 41 season going from training to racing and in racing. "I really have had a lot of success with horses staying through the course of winter here. They get all woolly and now this time of year they start shedding. It's sort of a natural progression of nature. I think it benefits them, especially my 2-year-olds and even keeping my yearlings to 2-year-olds right here." COADY PHOTOGRAPHY Brian Klatsky, co-founder of the racing Like the King wins the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park syndicate that campaigns Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G3) runner-up Hidden Stash, is ESSENTIAL QUALITY TAKES thrilled with the improved opportunity for horses, BLUEGRASS PATH TO DERBY including young horses, on the Kentucky circuit. Last year Hidden Stash made his debut at Ellis Park, scored (continued from page 5) his maiden win at Keeneland, and won an allowance track through the winter and landing a spot in the race at Churchill. Trained by Vicki Oliver, Hidden Derby due to a runner-up finish in the Battaglia and a Stash enters the Derby off a fourth-place finish in the victory in the Jeff Ruby. Blue Grass, which most recently produced a Derby "It's been proven in the past that a horse can come winner in 2007 with Street Sense. off the synthetic and win the Derby with Animal "In Kentucky the purse money is great. What they're Kingdom," Ward said of the 2011 Derby winner who doing at Churchill for Derby week is sensational; we're raced on dirt for the first time on the first Saturday looking at $118,000 maiden races. It's just fantastic," in May after racing on turf and synthetic surfaces, Klatsky said. "One of the things that we've always including a victory in the major Turfway prep, then gotten excited about with BBN is the Kentucky Downs called the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (G3). meet. We've had some success there the last couple The Spiral awarded Derby points on a 50-20-10-5 years and the purses there are great. scale that year but it would be cut to a 20-8-4-2 race "I know everyone's concerned about the future of from 2018-2020. With the purchase of the track by the sport, but with the historical horse racing in the CDI, the race saw its points increased to the major prep state of Kentucky, and what we're seeing tracks do with level this year.