SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2017 GIRVIN GETS IT DONE IN BIG EASY DERBY DREAMING It has been better than two decades since Grindstone (Unbridled) won the GII Louisiana Derby and successfully followed up in the GI Kentucky Derby. Though some, including last year=s Louisiana Derby winner Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), have run with credit beneath the Twin Spires, Brad Grady=s Girvin (Tale of Ekati) will head to Louisville with a live shot after turning in yet another convincing performance as the favorite in Saturday=s Fair Grounds feature. Sent off the 9-5 favorite on the strength of his last-out victory in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 25, the dark bay colt wrested command at the eighth pole and went on to best >TDN Rising Star= Patch (Union Rags) by 1 1/4 lengths, with Local Hero (Hard Spun) matching his Risen Star finish in third. Cont. p6 Always Dreaming stamps his ticket to the Derby | Lauren King IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Bodemeister (Empire Maker) didn=t manage to win any of the Triple Crown races during his Classic season in 2012, but a good SNITZEL SIRES TRIFECTA IN SIRES’ PRODUCE many people would argue that, pound-for-pound, he had the Arrowfield stallion Snitzel (Aus) sired the first three home in the G1 AJC Sires’ Produce S. on the first day of The most raw ability of any horse of his generation. Trained by Bob Championships at Royal Randwick Saturday. Click or tap here Baffert for Zayat Stables and, ultimately, Mike and Tiffany to go straight to TDN Europe. Moreno, the Virginia-bred was unraced at two and therefore had curses and his own inexperience to overcome, but he skyrocketed into public consciousness, winning the GI Arkansas Derby by 9 1/2 lengths in his fourth career start before holding on gamely for second in the GI Kentucky Derby after setting a wicked early pace. He also carried a daylight advantage into the final furlong of the GI Preakness S., dropping a narrow decision on the wire to I=ll Have Another (Flower Alley). His first crop of runners are of Classic age this year, and if Always Dreaming continues to progress over the next 35 days, he could very well go one better than his sire beneath the Twin Spires. Cont. p3 Dear TDN Reader, Our video replay system has been reinstated, and links will now be active when the newsletter is published each night. Thank you for your patience. BThe TDN Rising 3yo colt ALWAYS DREAMING punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby after a dazzling 5-length win in the prestigious $1,000,000 Florida Derby (G1) Saturday at Gulfstream. [watch race] Owner: Brooklyn Boyz Stables, 1:47.47 Teresa Viola Racing Stables et al Fastest Florida Derby Trainer: Todd Pletcher since Alydar’s in 1978 Breeder: Santa Rosa Partners Empire Maker - Untouched Talent, (859) 873-1717 by Storm Cat | Fee: $25,000 S&N WinStarFarm.com LESS RISK MORE REWARD Nowhere is the relationship between risk and reward more in your favour when buying colts than in Australia. Our top colts are more affordable than other markets and, if you buy a stallion prospect, the returns are better than elsewhere. You also have a better chance of buying the next generation of sire star here. Some 67 per cent of Australian Group 1 winners were sold before their racing careers, compared to 34 per cent in Europe and 52 per cent in the US.* Top 50 Yearling Colts Sold in: 5-Year Avg. (USD) Europe (GB, IRE, FR) $1,002, 309 USA $863,200 AUSTRALIA $588,443 Top 10 Freshman Sires First-Year Fee Standing in: 5-Year Avg. (USD) AUSTRALIA $28,171 USA $24,300 GB $14,622 Ireland $11,706 France $4,899 THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY Aushorse.com.au * In the 2015 Racing Season PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Sunday, April 2, 2017 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Assistant Editors Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Jockeys Royston Ffrench and Jesus Rosales sign autographs for fans on Friday in Alexa Reisfield Michelle Benson downtown Chengdu, China. Sunday’s Chengdu Dubai International Cup will feature an international jockeys’ challenge, with five Chinese jockeys and ten international riders Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution from Dubai. “It was really busy at the signing event and very nice to see the locals Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew engaging with horse racing with so much interest,” said Rosales. “Along with the [email protected] international jockeys, the local jockeys got a great welcome from the people of Social Media Strategist Chengdu. We are all looking forward to a successful race day now.” | Andre Engelbrecht Justina Severni Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] FARRELL MAKES IT FOUR STRAIGHT IN FG OAKS 9 Farrell (Malibu Moon) made it four stakes wins in a row, easily Director of Information Technology taking out Saturday’s GII Fair Grounds Oaks in New Orleans. Ray Villa [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION TODAY’S GRADED STAKES International Editor EST Race Click for TV Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 5:17p Top Flight Invitational S.-GIII, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] European Editor 7:00p Tokyo City Cup S.-GIII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • APRIL 2, 2017 FIRST GRADED STAKES WINNER FOR SIRE 3--Gunnevera, 122, c, 3, Dialed In--Unbridled Rage, by Saturday, Gulfstream Park Unbridled. ($16,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Peacock Racing Stables, XPRESSBET FLORIDA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, GP, 4-1, 3yo, LLC; B-Brandywine Farm & Stephen Upchurch (KY); T-Antonio 1 1/8m, 1:47.47, ft. Sano. $95,000. 1--#@&ALWAYS DREAMING, 122, c, 3, by Bodemeister BRED & RAISED by Brandywine Farm (Jim & Pam Robinson) 1st Dam: Above Perfection (GSW & GISP, $380,737), by In Excess (Ire) Margins: 5, 1HF, HF. Odds: 2.70, 4.00, 1.10. 2nd Dam: Something Perfect, by Somethingfabulous Also Ran: Impressive Edge, Three Rules, Talk Logistics, Coleman 3rd Dam: Happening, by Terrang Rocky, Unbridled Holiday, Charlie the Greek, Quinientos. ($350,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Brooklyn Boyz Stables, Teresa Scratched: Battalion Runner. Click for the Equibase.com chart, Viola Racing Stables et al.; B-Santa Rosa Partners (KY); T-Todd the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $589,000. Lifetime Record: pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. 5-3-1-1, $648,900. *First GSW for sire (by Empire Maker). Favored in each of his four trips postward, Always Dreaming **1/2 to Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union), GISW, $343,252. Click gave a decent accounting of himself in his 5 1/2-furlong Belmont for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A. bow July 1, finishing a wide-trip third, then did everything DROMOLAND FARM SALES GRADUATE except having his picture taken in a six-furlong Saratoga maiden Trained at Crupi’s New Castle Farm Aug. 20, going down by a neck after looking a winner late. Those first two runs came under the guidance of Dominick Schettino, but Always Dreaming was transferred to Todd Pletcher this 2--State of Honor, 122, c, 3, To Honor and Serve--State Cup, by season, and the $350,000 Keeneland September yearling Elusive Quality. O-Conrad Farms; B-Manfred & Penny Conrad purchase ran to 1-5 favoritism in shooting clear to graduate by (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. $190,000. 11 1/2 lengths going an extended mile at Tampa Jan. 25. Registered Ontario-Bred Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • APRIL 2, 2017 Xpressbet Florida Derby cont. Trying winners for the first time at a dime on the dollar over Saturday=s course and nine-furlong trip, Always Dreaming ambled along on a pace almost too slow to be believed and came away to score by four lengths. While heavily favored Gunnevera was off a half-step slow and guided straight down onto the fence by Javier Castellano, Always Dreaming hit the ground running and was part of the vanguard early on. Things got a bit dicey just an eighth of a mile into the proceedings when Three Rules (Gone Astray) dropped over while trying to establish a clear lead, causing Always Dreaming to cop a check, while State of Honor fired up at the rail. Easing into the backstretch, Three Rules was going along at what appeared to be a good clip and Always Dreaming pulled his way into second, always traveling comfortably and confidently for John Velazquez. Given a bit more rein entering the second turn, Always Dreaming lengthened his stride, and with Velazquez sneaking a confident look under his right armpit to see what might be coming, the second betting choice hit the front looking every bit a winner with a furlong and a half to travel. Kicked into a clear lead at the eighth pole, Always Dreaming opened up with every stride for a visually impressive score as State of Honor clung on for second.