Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

It is hard to imagine that we could have been treated to a much more exciting day of three-year-old racing than what showed up on Saturday.  The Tampa Bay Derby ended in a photo finish, Lookin At Lucky overcame a bad trip and gutted out a narrow win over Noble’s Promise, and Sidney’s Candy lived up to every accolade he had received in the past month.  I am delighted that the outcome of the weekend’s races caused me to shake up my top 10 list that is shown below.

Tampa Bay Derby

The Tampa Bay Derby unfolded like the script in a movie. Super Saver made the lead, Uptowncharlybrown got away from the gate well enough to avoid getting shuffled back, and Odysseus and Schoolyard Dreams made it to the clubhouse turn in perfect stalking position.  The real racing began when Schoolyard Dreams made a visually impressive move nearing the end of the backstretch.  He overtook the leaders and looked like he was going to win as he continued to battle Super Saver down the stretch.  I truly believe that Schoolyard Dreams may have won this race if the jockey had waited only a few more strides before making that very impressive move.

Odysseus showed both his lack of experience and his natural talent in the closing sixteenth of a mile.  When he and Schoolyard Dreams stopped the timer together in a photo finish I admit I thought he had come up short, but the photo proved otherwise.  The big test for his connections going forward is to season this youngster and get additional foundation under him with what likely will be only one more prep race.

I think the top three finishers come out of this race with pluses on their report cards relative to prepping for bigger things down the line.  Super Saver did not fade away once headed – a good sign.  Obviously, little separates the top two.  The only one that seemed to not advance on the Derby trail was Uptowncharlybrown.  He did fold his tent once he was headed.  I think we will see at least one of these in next month’s Illinois Derby.

Rebel

About midway down the back stretch of the Grade 2 Rebel, Garret Gomez moved Lookin At Lucky forward and closer to the leaders.  It appeared that the colt ran up on the heels of Noble’s Promise, and before Gomez could regain control they had lost at least two lengths to those leaders.  Gomez, however, regrouped and got his charge back into position to make the grueling stretch run as he overtook Noble’s Promise.  Even before the scare on the backstretch, Lookin At Lucky seemed he might better be named Headin For Disaster on this day.  Cardiff Giant broke from the one hole and immediately squeezed Lookin At Lucky from the inside.  After several good bumps the three inside horses got untangled from one another with Lookin At Lucky in fifth place.  There can be little doubt after the Rebel about the high degree of athleticism possessed by last year’s two-year-old champion.

In this past decade I recall at least two crops of three-year-olds where the top finishers in the Derby took the same road to Louisville.  In 2003, Funny Cide, Empire Maker, and Peace Rules all emerged from the Wood Memorial to finish atop the Derby.  The next year, Lion Heart and Smarty Jones moved in tandem from Oak Lawn to the top two spots in the Derby.  I would not be surprised to see Lookin At Lucky and Noble’s Promise accomplish something similar.

The horse that disappointed in this race was Dublin.  As I expected, he was bet down to second favoritism by the betting public.  He, however, proved to be no match for the top two as they pulled away from him during their stretch duel.  Mr. Lukas had better find a jockey that can ride the horse from off the pace before Derby Day.  Today showed me that his best racing is going to be as a closer.

San Felipe

Despite the fact that I had handicapped this race with Caracortado on the top of the card, I am not surprised by the win by Sidney’s Candy.  Going two turns for the first time did not seem to bother him.  He joins a long list of good three-year-olds that like to be on the lead.  If they all make the Derby field, figuring out the pace is going to be one hard job.  I adore the offspring of Candy Ride, so this guy will become one I root for in earnest.

The horse that was gaining ground at the end of the San Felipe was the heretofore turf winner Interactif.  He actually squirted away from the highly regarded Caracortado in the final strides of the race as he got up for the place.  American Lion ran the same race in the San Felipe that he ran last month in the Grade 2 Robert Lewis.  Trainer Eoin Harty put blinkers on him before this race, and once again he seemed to tug hard down the back stretch and look anything but relaxed.  Dave in Dixie was never better than fifth during the whole race and did not close ground in this race.  These two appear to me to be fading off the Derby radar screen.  In the meantime, it is likely that the connections of Interactif will find prep on synth for him and put him in the Derby.

Caracortado appeared to have every chance to win the San Felipe, but he was not able to overtake Sidney’s Candy from his stalking position, and as previously mentioned Interactif was pulling away from him at the end of the race.  Given the poor showing in this race by the horses that came out of the Robert Lewis, we may have to consider that the race is a “negative” key race.

Looking Ahead

Gulfstream will be the center of three-year-old racing next Saturday when the Swale and Florida Derby are run.  That means we will once again see Eskendereya.

Top Ten

Lookin At Lucky, Eskendereya, Sidney’s Candy, Rule, Odysseus, Noble’s Promise, Conveyance, Discreetly Mine, Caracortado and Awesome Act.

Pletcher Derby Contenders 

Aikenite, Connemara, Discreetly Mine, Eskendereya, Interactif, Rule, and Super Saver.