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1st - Harvey Wallbanger - I liked him underneath but did not see this one coming. He got pace to chase and went last-to-first in this Derby points race. It took him four tries to break his maiden last year but he ran well in each race and was competitive vs. some good horses (Complexity, Plus Que Parfait). He has stamina and a decent late kick for trainer Ken McPeek, but he was really helped by the race shape in this event. Overall, I was not impressed with the quality of this Derby prep.
2nd - Everfast - I was surprised to see Harvey Wallbanger win, but this 128-1 outsider running 2nd was a real head-scratcher. The Dale Romans trainee was beaten by a combined 69+ lengths in his other three graded tries and was the slowest entrant in the field on speed figures. That fact that he only lost this race by a length speaks volumes to the overall strength of this field.
3rd - Maximus Mischief - A real Derby contender would have cruised home in this affair. He had a trio of easy front running victories last year including the Remsen (G2). He had to prove that he could get a route of ground in a truly run race, and he failed that test today. He clearly has talent and had every right to be short with only a trio a published workouts for this race, but he sat a perfect stalking trip and should have taken care of business. He sure looks like a miler.
4th - Epic Dreamer - Took the race to Maximus Mischief right out of the box and only ended up a length behind that one in an okay performance. He was 6th of 11 in the Springboard Mile Dec. 16 and does not quite have graded stakes ability.
5th - Mihos - I liked him in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes last time and he looked good in that one mile event around one turn. I was not completely sold on his chances in this route and the two turn distance tripped him up. He might have some kind of future in extended sprints.
6th - Garter and Tie - Never got seriously involved from the advantageous inside post. The Florida-bred tries hard but is not this good. He needs easier company and a bit less ground would not hurt either.
7th - Federal Case - My value top choice worked his way up to 3rd after six furlongs but failed to kick when the real running began. This was only his third lifetime start and first try around two turns. He has some talent for Todd Pletcher but is definitely not a Derby horse at this stage.
8th - Come On Gerry - I thought that he might be the right Dale Romans runner in this race but I was expecting him to threaten for a minor award at the most. He chased the pace for a half-mile before retreating and he ended up 17+ lengths behind Federal Case.
9th - Gladiator King - He sure has his issues with the gate. This outsider figured to impact the pace but was reluctant to load and failed to fire. In his previous start, he broke through the gate and ran off in the Pasco Stakes.
Article by Jarrod Horak
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Harvey Wallbanger capture above courtesy of Today's Racing Digest.
You can read all of my Derby blogs on my Kentucky Derby 2019 page, and my annual Triple Crown full card analysis from Churchill Downs, Pimlico Race Course, and Belmont Park will be available on my Runaway Horse Sales page later this spring.
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