The Road to the Roses Leads Through Canada

Original article written by Alysse Peverell posted 8 years 1 week ago

The Run for the Roses, the First Jewel of the Triple Crown, the Louisville Derby. Every Week 6 Friday features a barrage of prominent races, the highlight of which is the $1,000,000 Grade 1 restricted to three-year-olds going 1 ¼ miles on dirt.

The Louisville Derby has a long history of being America’s most prestigious race and the victor’s spoils remained in the country for its first thirteen years. Brianna McKenzie was the first Canadian to capture the roses with Loki Dynasty in Year 14. Bucking tradition, she skipped the remainder of the American Triple Crown and went on to win the Canadian Triple Crown with the colt.

Since then, the Louisville Derby has been won by Canadians five other times. Brianna returned to the winner’s circle at Louisville Downs with Grant in Year 38 and kicked off a win streak by the neighbors to the north. Karl Smythe campaigned his homebred Castle Keep to victory the following year and Art Vandelay brought the roses north again with a filly in Skyfall the year after that.

Then the Canadians let loose their grasp on America’s favorite race. It has been three years in the hands of Americans again, but the Canadians are back on the trail and looking to bring the glory back north of the border. Art Vandelay returns with a small arsenal of contenders while newcomers to the trail, D’s Racing Stable and Xander Zone, look to be heard from with a couple of brilliant performers.

Vandelay is playing with a loaded hand, holding a pair of aces in James Dean and Spectre. Spectre is the first foal of Skyfall, and the son of Maelstrom made his presence known straight off the bat recording one of the fastest works of his generation. He won his debut and then lost a narrow decision in a stake to Calumet, while still running a 95. Off that performance he was pointed to the Steward’s Cup Juvenile.

“I feel he got very lucky to win the Juvenile,” said Vandelay. “Don't get me wrong, Spectre is a talented horse, but when favored Doctor Who fell to his knees at the start that helped me out considerably. Spectre, who loves the slop, was able to splash his way to the front and made every call a winning one."

Off his Juvenile victory, Spectre will get only a single prep race for the Derby in the Week 3 Owlpha Stakes at Florence Park where he faces stakes winners Brilliantly and Spellbound.

"Prior to Sim 6.5, I probably would have given Spectre two preps before the Derby, but once I found out he was "very unsound" I decided to give him just one prep,” said Vandelay of the decision. “I could be wrong, but I actually feel Spectre has a better shot in the Baltimore Crown. If he finishes in the top three in his prep he will get a shot in the Derby. He deserves it."

Despite being a Steward’s Cup winner out of his Kentucky Derby winner, Spectre is not even Vandelay’s top Derby contender. That distinction goes to James Dean. The son of Newsroom out of Distaff winner Pact debuted with an eye-popping 100 and has not lost nor run below a 90 in two starts since.

“I think James Dean is the best three-year-old in my barn, and one of the best three year olds in the game. I purposefully skipped the Steward’s Cup with him, aiming for the Derby,” said Vandelay of his charge.

Lightly raced at two to preserve him for the Triple Crown trail, James Dean began his three-year-old campaign with a win in the Giacomo Stakes. He makes his final prep for the Derby Week 3 in the Buccaneer Derby.

“I want to make sure he gets enough out of that prep without having too hard of a race. I don't want him bouncing in the Derby. He will only get better as he gets older."

As if those two heavy hitters were not enough, Vandelay also has two other colts picking up stakes checks on the Triple Crown trail. Bumgarner and Hornblower both hold a record of two wins, with one stakes win and two stakes placings, from four starts. Bumgarner, the more precocious of the two, won a stakes race at 2 and placed in his seasonal bow.

"Bumgarner put up some very fast work times as a young horse and was able to win at first asking. He galloped as a stakes horse so I wasn't sure if he would be good enough to be a Derby contender. At this point I think he could be a very nice grade II horse, but I don't think he's good enough to be among the best three-year-olds in the game," Vandelay explained.

Regarding his final contender, "Hornblower put up fast work times as a yearling and won right off the bat with 96. He's going to have to win one of his next two races to show he belongs in the Triple Crown picture."

Hornblower has won one of those two races, besting the previously undefeated Steward’s Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Let It Go in the Fountain of Gold Stakes. He earned an 88 speed figure for that effort to remain in the picture.

Although Vandelay might have the heaviest hand of the Canadians seeking Derby glory, he is not the only one who has auspicious runners. Two other colts with connections to the north have flashed speed figures over 90 to garner some of their own attention as the Derby draws nearer.

D’s Racing Stable made a significant purchase when he acquired a homebred colt from Luis Polar for $500,000. The son of Rambling out of stakes winner Isola Bella would be named D’s Friday Night and debuted with a solid 84 speed figure. The colt immediately stepped into stakes competition and has won three in a row. However, it was not until his most recent effort that he garnered any real Derby attention.

D’s Friday Night began his three-year-old campaign in the Border Derby, undefeated and the only stakes winner in the field. He exited the race the same way, firing a 95 while doing so. A future start in the Derby, however, is still not set in stone.

“The main goal is the Queen's Derby,” the racing manager said. “I thought he would run a high number at some point this year, I just didn't expect it this early. With the last race my plans might change around a little and the Louisville Derby might be considered.”

Newly minted Hall of Famer Xander Zone made his name as a leader in the sprint world. Now he finds himself campaigning a true Derby contender with his homebred The Best Man. He did warn the SIM when this horse was created that his ID number 666666 clearly makes him the son of the devil and now it appears hell has actually frozen over since the colt can run. (http://www.simhorseracing.com/simforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36180)

Emboldened by a 96 speed figure debut, Zone went right to it with his colt and faced an early Derby favorite in Doctor Who in his second start. He narrowly lost that race by a nose, but was confident the colt would improve with added ground. He finally got that shot in his first start at three.

“They let my horse get loose on the lead and couldn’t catch him. The Best Man really sent Degrassi back to school there,” Zone said of the horse running a 98 to beat a fellow Derby contender. His next start comes in the Battle Cry stakes where he faces Steward’s Cup Juvenile third-place-finisher Piper’s Pit. “I don't really fear anyone with this horse and I will duck no one if they want to run versus him.”

His fellow countrymen will be looking to catch him in they can in Louisville, all hoping to bring the roses back to Canada. Sometimes the hassle of having to make a few extra claims at customs is worth it.

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