Home Run Derby Covers All Bases, Wins Long Island Classic

Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 12 years 2 weeks ago

The two colts standing side by side are nearly identical in height and both of them roared onto the racetracks as two year olds winning all of their starts.

The solid grey colt named Sword proved to the one who captured the Steward’s Cup Juvenile at season’s end and then the Louisville Derby this season. His stable mate, the elegant dark bay colt Home Run Derby couldn’t be blamed if he felt as if he were standing in his rather formidable shadow.

But Home Run Derby kicked it hard at the stretch and passed everyone including Sword to win the $1 million Grade I Long Island Classic by 1 ½ lengths over Akon. He completed the 1 ½ mile distance on the dirt oval at Long Island Park in an impressive 2:26.50.

Like Sword, Home Run Derby is bred and owned by Laura Ferguson who’s proven to be highly successful at the highest levels with her army of dirt routers. With two different horses, she managed to capture two out of three jewels of the Triple Crown.

Most of the eyes before the Classic had been on Sword and even jockey Michael Moody who had ridden both horses opted for this mount in the Triple Crown races. But Ferguson had faith in both of her horses and with Home Run Derby, there were plenty of good reasons not to disregard this regally bred and very talented colt especially in contesting the final crown jewel.

He’s out of the North American Champion Two Year Old Filly Babe Ruth, herself a daughter of Hall of Famer and Louisville Derby winner Loki Dynasty and Cherish the Moment, who’s by Triple Crown winner Tremendous. Cherish the Moment also produced Baltimore Crown winner Thriller. So Babe Ruth’s chock filled with bloodlines to more than help her race successfully at the classic distances. She had no problems navigating the 1 ½ mile distance finishing second in the Long Island Acorn behind Thornbird.

In the shed, Babe Ruth’s been very good if somewhat underestimated in her ability to churn out high quality racers. She produced one of California’s mighty Amazons, Sport of Queens as well as millionaire Greatest Game who proved quite successful at the longer routes before retiring to stud. This year, her two year old by near Triple Crown winner Sun Raider, Sun Devil finished second in his first start at a mile but looks to improve next time out. With horses like these on the racetrack, it’s looking good for Babe Ruth to be in the running this time around for broodmare of the year honors.

Home Run Derby’s by American Champion Older Male Then who won a multitude of stakes races including the Steward’s Cup Classic over a talented field including East, Magician and the female runner, Temple. At stud, Then’s hoping to turn out to be a sire of sires, with both Just Victory and Yes off to very promising starts as their first crop of yearlings have turned in some rather speedy works.

Home Run Derby proved he had ample speed too, breaking his maiden first time out at the mile distance by 7 ½ lengths. He then captured both the Don’t Hesitate and Bubbly Stakes defeating horses like Chariot and Oxidizing while opting out of a run in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile. After turning three, he drew into the End Result Stakes as a heavy favorite but tasted defeat for the first time, after chasing winner, Urban Legend most of the race. Still, he rebounded by winning the Hot Springs Derby before his fifth place finish in the Louisville Derby where he rallied from nearly the back of the crowded field only to fall short at the wire.

He sat out the Baltimore Crown to rest up for the Long Island Classic where he faced up again with Sword while Spartan skipped that race to focus on the Queen’s Derby instead.

Sword bought his own credentials into the race being a son of the hot sire War Daddy who sired the winners of the first two crown jewels and out of Wreath Of Lilies a stakes runner who had done very well at the 1 ½ mile distance during her own career. The main concern about the horse who had faced his first loss in the Baltimore Crown was whether the rigors of his journey to and through the Triple Crown races had begun to wear on him.

One of the horses hoping to go for the win himself was the highly regarded Akon, a statuesque dark bay colt bred and owned by Brianna McKenzie. He’s a handsome of champion Flames who had won the two latter jewels of the Crown and has already sired a winner of the one jewel that eluded him in Fire and Smoke who captured the Louisville Derby two years ago. His dam, Part of My Heart (by Loki Dynasty out of the recently deceased Hall of Famer Piece of the Moon) had sired among others, Brash. During his career Akon had won his first five starts, his streak broken by his third place finish in the Louisville Derby.

Cleo Patra purchased Urban Legend for $800,000 and he’s a flashy son of War Daddy out of unraced mare Dancer Dances. He was consistent enough to win his first four out of five starts, including the End Results Stakes and Buccaneer Derby. But in the Louisville Derby, he ran wide during the race and didn’t rally in the stretch, finishing sixth. Bodega Head, bred and owned by Norman Architecture is out of his North American Champion Three Year Old Filly Bodega Bay and by Father’s Day. So far during his career, he had never been worse than third winning the Southern California Derby before tanking in the Louisville Derby with an eighth place finish.

As the field loaded into the starting gate, the crowd watched in intense anticipation. The gates sprung open and Bodega Head jumped to the front of the pack by 1 ¼ lengths over Hold All Tickets with Urban Legend in third over Wide Awake Still. Home Run Derby held steady in the sixth place spot just behind Sword, running relaxed as the field headed into the backstretch. There, Hold All Tickets began to put more pressure on Bodega Head reducing his advantage to ¾ of a length. Home Run inched into fifth with Sword two lengths behind him.
In the far turn, Bodega Head bounded off again by three lengths while Hold All Tickets battled it out with Urban Legend for the second place spot. Katherine Carter who inherited the mount on Home Run Derby dropped him back into seventh to better position her horse for the stretch drive ahead of Akon as Sword raced past him into fourth.

Down the stretch, Home Run Derby unfurled his legs and had all bases covered as he soared down the stretch, every head in the grandstand following him as he pulled away all the way to the wire. Akon accelerated in the stretch mightily to finish second by ¾ of a length over Sword who finished third.

All the horses galloped out in good order and this time, it was Home Run Derby who received the accolades and the attention until it was time for him to head off to Oakbrook Farm for a much deserved rest. It’s not clear where he’ll head next or whether he’ll make an appearance in the Midsummer Classic in a few weeks. Akon and Sword headed on down to Renpher Stable not too far away to await their next races as well.

Perhaps celebrating the most was Babe Ruth, whose favored son did good going up to bat with nine others and hitting the run home.

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