Jan. 19 (UPI) — Golden Tempo vaulted into the No. 2 spot on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with a victory in the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds with trainer Cherie DeVaux saddling both the winner and runner-up.
Taken by the Wind scored in the Silverbulletday Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at the New Orleans track while, on the global scene, some local horses started earning their places on the Feb. 14 Saudi Cup program.
Now that the Chicago Bears’ luck has finally run out and it’s still a few weeks until baseball spring training, we can fully focus on …
The Road to the Roses
Golden Tempo, the favorite in a field of 10, came roaring down the stretch to score a last-to-first victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Grade III Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds and move squarely into the Kentucky Derby picture.
In just his second start, the Curlin colt, owned and bred by the Phipps and St. Elias stables, took the rail route through the stretch and defeated Mesquite by a neck, giving trainer Cherie DeVaux the exacta.
Golden Tempo’s jockey, Jose Ortiz, said the colt broke “a little slow” and put him behind the eight ball.
“Sometimes, as a rider, you get your hands tied,” Ortiz said. “I knew that track was playing forward but if I have a horse like him that doesn’t have early speed, what can you do?
“Luckily, I got an opening and the horse did the rest. I’m very impressed. I was a little bit worried because you never know how a horse is going to react going two turns for the first time and he was facing stakes horses for the first time.”
The Lecomte was the first “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leg offering points on the 20-10-6-4-2 scale and Golden Tempo’s 20 vaulted him to the No. 2 spot on the leaderboard, behind only undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Ted Noffey.
Elsewhere: Start the Ride outfinished the favorite, Sammy Davis, by 1 3/4 lengths in Saturday’s $175,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby for state-breds, running 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.55.
And Sunday at Sunland Park in New Mexico, Daneyko and Way Beyond turned the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby into a virtual match race in the stretch with Daneyko finally prevailing by a nose.
The Path to the Oaks
Taken by the Wind was taken right into the top ranks of the Oaks fillies with a front-running victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds.
The Florida-bred Rock Your World filly not only led all the way, but also dug in through the final yards to hold off Luv Your Neighbor and odds-on favorite Atropa by a pair of necks.
Taken by the Wind ran 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:43.58 with Brian Hernandez Jr. up. The Kenny McPeek trainee has won all three starts, including the Grade III Pocahontas at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13.
Elsewhere: Cee Drew dropped back into the state-bred ranks and rewarded her connections with a neck victory over the favorite, Cashed, in Saturday’s $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks and Coffee Connection won Sunday’s $65,000 Borderplex Stakes at Sunland Park by 1/2 length.
Turf
Kupuna finding new life on the turf at age 7, won Saturday’s $100,000 Col. E.R. Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds by 1 1/4 lengths, his second win from three starts since trainer Norm Casse claimed the Hard Spun gelding for $100,000 and switched him off the dirt.
Neoequos, third in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby last year, also transitioned to the green course just fine in Saturday’s $75,000 Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream Park.
The Neolithic colt engaged n a five-way battle in the lane before drawing off to win by 2 lengths over Seminole Chief. Neoequos ran 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:40.36 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
Filly & Mare Turf
California import Medoro reeled in pacesetting long shot Cupids Crush through the final furlong of Saturday’s $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial at Fair Grounds and won by 3/4 length over that horse.
Turf Sprint
The punters got it right in making Usually Wrong the favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at Fair Gounds. The 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky led all the way to a 2 3/4-length victory in course-record time of 1:01.63. The horse usually gets it right, too. He won for the eighth time in 11 starts.
Classic
Accelerize, making just his fourth start and taking a huge jump in class, prevailed after a three-horse stretch battle to win Saturday’s $175,000 Grade III Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds by a neck over the favorite, multiple graded stakes-placed Just a Touch.
Sprint
Damon’s Mound, the odds-on favorite, set a pressured pace in Saturday’s $75,000 Sunshine Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and then eased away to win by 2 lengths from early tormentor Big Paradise.
Around the world, around the clock
Saudi Arabia
If the weekend results are any measure, Saudi Arabia’s local squad is making great progress toward dominating its own international racing as Hong Kong defends its events and Godolphin patrols the Meydan Racecourse turf.
Mhally, winner of last year’s 2000 Guineas and third in the Group 3 Saudi Derby, scored a starting slot in next month’s $20 million Grade I Saudi Cup with a victory Saturday in the Group 3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
And that pleasing outcome was doubled for owner Sheik Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah, trainer Thamer Aldaihani and jockey Ricardo Ferreira, who also saw their Al Haram score a rather remarkable win in this year’s Guineas.
The Custodian found four still in contention down the down the stretch in the 1,800-meter test. Mhally, however, was the one with the best finishing kick, denying the well-fancied Ameerat Alzamaan and jockey Joel Rosario by 3/4 length.
Al Haram’s victory one-upped his stablemate. After a tardy start, the Iffraaj colt trailed the field and victory seemed out of reach. Quite to the contrary, Al Haram knifed right through the field and drew off to win by 7 3/4 lengths and will be hard to dismiss in the Derby on Saudi Cup night.
Dubai
Dubai Beach was just up as the outside layer of a three-horse sandwich at the finish of the Group 2 Cape Verdi for fillies and mares, edging South African rival Quid Pro Quo by a head. Dubai Treasure set the pace and finished third after 1 mile on the firm turf.
The winner and third place are Godolphin runners from Saeed Bin Suroor’s barn, while Quid Pro Quo, now handled by Jerome Reynier, races for Team Valor International.
Labwah, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Charlatan, led into the stretch in the Cocoa Beach Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, surrendered the advantage narrowly to Tjareed, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Yaupon, and then came back along the rail to win by a short head. Labwah ran 1,600 meters in 1:39.66.
