Zenyatta arrives for Apple Blossom

Jay Privman,
Daily Racing Form

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - There were signs and wonders all around. On the highway here from the Little Rock airport, a roadside sign read, "Warning: Prepare to Meet God." Closer to town, you almost felt like you were on Cloud Nine, especially if you were at the Cloud Nine RV Park. And on Tuesday morning, the faithful flocked to the Hot Springs airport, and there descending from the heavens was a large jet, from which racing's goddess emerged moments after it landed.

Zenyatta, here for the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom Stakes on Friday, stepped from the Tex Sutton Boeing 727 plane at 9:45 a.m. local time, with a crowd of some 400 there to greet her, and all four local television stations recording the moment. The fans were carrying handmade signs. "We Love Zenyatta," read one. "Hot Springs Welcomes Queen Z," read another. One lonely heart had a sign that said, "Marry Me Zenyatta." And, of course, there was the obligatory reference to the horse who is not here. It read, "Rachel Who?"

For all the excitement Zenyatta's arrival has generated, there is a melancholy feeling in town over what might have been. If Rachel Alexandra had joined Zenyatta for the Apple Blossom, the purse would have been $5 million. Money aside, though, it would have been the first meeting between the two best horses in the country last year. The race was on until Rachel Alexandra, last year's Horse of the Year, was defeated last month at Fair Grounds. Now, only Zenyatta is here. Not a bad consolation prize, considering she is unbeaten in 15 starts. But locals say the town was abuzz when the showdown first looked like it might come off.

"The whole town was really crazy. I've never seen anything like it," said Chris "Stubb" Dunkel, the pitmaster - that's what his business card says - at Stubby's Bar-B-Que, right across Central Avenue from the track, where, as the sign there says, they've been "Cookin' 'Q' since '52." "People put their houses up for rent on eBay, and some got big money before Rachel pulled out. It's still a big race. But it could have been bigger."

Jerry Hissam, the agent for jockey Calvin Borel, who rides Rachel Alexandra, said a fundraiser he held for the local Racetrack Chaplaincy of America - before Rachel Alexandra came out of the Apple Blossom - included an auction for four seats to both the Apple Blossom and the Arkansas Derby on Saturday. They went for a total of $1,700. The face value of those eight tickets is $4.50 each, or $36.

Jeff Purnell, the owner of the Comfort Suites hotel just a mile from the track, said he had a few cancellations once Rachel Alexandra pulled out, "mostly reporters," he said.

"But others still want to see Zenyatta," Purnell said.

That was in evidence by the scene at Memorial Field, a municipal airport whose only commercial flights to go Memphis, Tenn. One local person said there hadn't been this much excitement at the airport since Air Force One arrived with then-President Bill Clinton, the local boy done good, for his mother's funeral.

"This is fantastic," said Steve Arrison, the chief executive officer of the Hot Springs convention and visitors bureau, who was part of the welcome wagon. "This is such a racing community. It's a big happening for us. We were excited for the race, then disappointed when Rachel pulled out, but we've got Zenyatta going for 16 in a row. Our glass was overflowing when we had both. Now, it's just full, which is still a good feeling."

The jet on which Zenyatta arrived, following a nonstop flight of 2 hours 45 minutes from Ontario, Calif., had "Air Horse One" emblazoned on its side. The fans cheered when the cargo door was opened, and there Zenyatta stood. She was first off the plane, followed by two others here for stakes races - Line of David and Total Bull - all of whom came down a ramp and piled into a horse van.

A police escort accompanied the van during the six-mile trip from the airport to Oaklawn Park. By 10:25 a.m., Zenyatta was off the van and taking a few rounds of the shed row at the Davona Dale barn, her residence this week.

Per usual, Zenyatta had cotton balls stuffed in her ears, standard equipment to keep her calm. She has her ears stuffed with cotton when she trains in the mornings, and when she races, but the cotton is pulled out when she is put into her stall for the day after her morning training regimen.

Frank Leal, an assistant to trainer John Shirreffs, and Zenyatta's groom, Mario Espinoza, accompanied Zenyatta. Leal said the abrupt landing at the airport, where brakes and reverse thrust have to be applied aggressively because of a short runway, got Zenyatta stirred up.

"She was a little excited," Leal said as he walked Zenyatta in a grassy area between barns in the Oaklawn stable area. "But she's good now."

KENTUCKY DERBY-Presented by Darby Dan

Steve Haskin, Kentucky Derby Dozen

Eskendereya Todd Pletcher

Giant's Causeway—Aldebaran Light, by Seattle Slew

Well, the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth certainly was no fluke. When it comes to combining brilliance with staying power, he stands alone among this year’s 3-year-olds. Only thing left is to see what he can do with a fast pace. His high cruising speed and ability to run his opponents into the ground with little effort make him a legitimate Derby favorite.

2
Lookin at Lucky Bob Baffert

Smart Strike—Private Feeling, by Belong to Me

Whoever named this colt apparently put the whammy on him. If there is a horse who can use some good luck it is him after three consecutive nightmare trips. He lost all chance in the SA Derby after having to take up badly at a crucial point in the race, but still finished well to finish third. Like the way he accelerated between horses and ran on strongly.


3
Sidney’s Candy John Sadler

Candy Ride—Fair Exchange, by Storm Cat

Didn’t you get the impression the Santa Anita Derby was over after a half-mile? He always seemed in complete control while setting another slow pace. For a speed horse he sure can motor home, which makes him very dangerous. He actually could turn out to be the only true speed in the Derby, depending on who runs. And when a speed horse can close in :35 3/5 (even on a synthetic surface) good luck trying to catch him.

4
Interactif Todd Pletcher

Broken Vow—Broad Pennant, by Broad Brush

Yes, he’s still here. No use lowering him now with the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes coming up. Persistence can be a good or bad thing on the Derby trail. We’ll find out soon which one applies in this case. Still want to see him back on dirt, but the Blue Grass will at least serve as a good gauge how he measures up against some top-quality horses from the East.

5
Setsuko Richard Mandella

Pleasantly Perfect—Dance With Grace, by Mr. Prospector

His one-for-seven career record is not the kind of statistic you want to bring into the Kentucky Derby, but as I’ve said before, I believe this horse will be far superior on the dirt, and is one horse who looks ready to peak on Derby Day. He lost a ton of ground in the SA Derby and flew home his final eighth in :11 3/5. Earnings still a bit of a question.

6
Ice Box Nick Zito

Pulpit—Spice Island, by Tabasco Cat

Getting beaten a dozen lengths by Eskendereya is not a blot on the record anymore, and in fact is becoming commonplace. He is a horse on the improve, and is in good hands, and that makes him a legitimate threat in the Derby. But the six-week layoff still is a concern. Main difference between him and archrival Pleasant Prince is he already has the earnings to get in the Derby.

7
Awesome Act Jeremy Noseda

Awesome Again—Houdinis Honey, by Mr. Prospector

He stumbled at the start of the Wood, lost a shoe, and was victimized by a slow pace. Not sure if he wants to go 1 1/4 miles, but he's a talented horse and certainly deserves another chance. He needs to have his move timed right, and if he gets the trip he should improve big-time and could be ready to peak on Derby Day.

8
Endorsement Shannon Ritter

Distorted Humor—Charmed Gift, by A.P. Indy

It’s starting to look as if the only way to beat Eskendereya is from the back of the pack and hope the pace is fast enough to soften him up. That doesn’t bode well for this colt’s style of running, but he is getting very good right now. He could be one of five WinStar horses in the Derby if Super Saver moves forward at Oaklawn and Drosselmeyer runs in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes and picks up sufficient earnings.

9
Dublin D. Wayne Lukas

Afleet Alex—Classy Mirage, by Storm Bird

Can he get a clean trip in the Arkansas Derby? Can he stretch out to nine furlongs and still be effective? Those are the key questions that should be answered. A win or very strong second would move him up the list. Want to see him show signs that nine and 10 furlongs are within his range.

10
Odysseus Tom Albertrani

Malibu Moon—Persimmon Hill, by Conquistador Cielo

Have no idea what to expect from him on the Keeneland Polytrack in the Blue Grass. Schoolyard Dreams didn’t boost the Tampa Bay Derby form in the Wood, but who knows how good this horse is and how good he can be with maturity?

11
Noble’s Promise Ken McPeek

Cuvee—The Devil’s Trick, by Clever Trick

There is no reason why he shouldn’t be right there in the Arkansas Derby. He always is. Because it is only his second start of the year and first at 1 1/8 miles, he needs to run a strong final eighth and show he can keep going.

12
Mission Impazible Todd Pletcher

Unbridled’s Song—La Paz, by Hold Your Peace

So tough to choose among him and other Pletcher horses like Super Saver, Rule, and Aikenite. He does have the right running style, is improving at the right time, and has already secured his place in the Derby.

12
American Lion Eoin Harty

Tiznow—Storm Tide, by Storm Cat

Sorry, had to go to a baker’s dozen again this week. It’s difficult to get a true assessment of his Illinois Derby victory. He took advantage of a track and race that normally favors speed and defeated a horse with distance question marks. But you had to love the 11 1/4-length gap to third. Horses were coming home slowly all day, so his :13.07 final eighth was actually OK.

Eskendereya crushes foes in Wood

David Grening,
Daily Racing Form

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As much as jockey John Velazquez was looking behind him aboard Eskendereya in the stretch of Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, no one could fault him if he spent part of the final furlong looking ahead to the first Saturday in May.

Eskendereya remained undefeated on dirt and likely stamped himself as the favorite for the May 1 Kentucky Derby with a 9 3/4-length blowout victory over Jackson Bend in Saturday's Grade 1 Wood Memorial. That result came six weeks after Eskendereya beat Jackson Bend by 8 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. Awesome Act, the Gotham winner, finished third and was followed by Schoolyard Dreams, Carnivore and Most Happy Fella.

Velazquez said Eskendereya was more impressive in the Wood than in the Fountain of Youth, which had been the "wow" performance in a Derby prep until the Wood.

After stalking Most Happy Fella and Jackson Bend from third through pedestrian fractions of 24.32 seconds for the quarter, 49.21 for the half and 1:13.54 for six furlongs, Eskendereya took the lead at the five-sixteenths pole and drew away from the field under his own power. He ran his final three furlongs in 36.43 seconds, while covering the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.97. He returned $3 as the 1-2 favorite.

Velazquez said the Wood was more impressive than the Fountain of Youth "because he allowed me to get him back the way I wanted to."

"Down in Florida he was on the muscle the whole first part of the race," Velazquez said. "Today, even in a slow pace, he settled really well and went to a gallop down the backstretch."

Eskendereya's trainer, Todd Pletcher, appears well-armed to make a run at his first Kentucky Derby victory. He has run in nine Derbies with 24 starters.

"I don't think he could have been any more professional," Pletcher said.

Pletcher was very happy with that Velazquez didn't have to hit Eskendereya at any point in the race.

"The thing that Johnny did today was he took pretty good care of him from the eighth pole to the wire," said Pletcher, who trains Eskendereya for Ahmed Zayat. "There was more there than what we saw even as impressive as that was. Johnny was basically looking around, just easing him up through the lane, and he just kept on gobbling up ground as he was doing it."

Eskendereya wore front bandages for the first time as a precaution. Pletcher said one of his horses earlier on the card burned his heels in the race, so he put front bandages on all his stakes horses Saturday, including Nite Light and Munnings, who both lost.

Pletcher said Eskendereya was scheduled to be flown back to the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida on Sunday. He will train there until shipping to Louisville on April 20. Pletcher also has Mission Impazible, Discreetly Mine, and Rule likely to run in the Derby, with Aikenite, Interactif and Super Saver still having prep races to run.

By getting second by a head over Awesome Act, Jackson Bend earned enough money to get into the Kentucky Derby if his connections choose to run. Trainer Nick Zito said Jackson Bend would be shipped to Louisville and a decision about running in the Kentucky Derby would be made closer to the race.

Zito and Jackson Bend's owner Robert La Penta will already be represented in the Kentucky Derby with Florida Derby winner Ice Box.

Awesome Act, who won the Gotham in his first start on dirt, was compromised by losing a shoe at the start of the Wood as well as the slow pace, which took away from his strong late kick. Still, his connections will press on to the Kentucky Derby.

"It was a great performance by the winner, but for my horse the pace of the race was wrong," trainer Jeremy Noseda said. "He lost a front shoe coming out of the gate, which wouldn't be ideal. Take nothing away from the winner, but for my horse to run his best race, that wasn't the type of [pace] that I need. We'll move forward onto Kentucky. You'd be surprised if we didn't get pace in Kentucky, and well see how we get on from there."

A crowd of 8,553 attended the Wood, up from 7,209 last year. The all-stakes pick four, which comprised Eightyfiveinafifty ($3.20), Goldsville ($5.10), Eskendereya ($3) and Warrior's Reward ($9.10), returned $95.

Jackson Bend will try to close gap in Wood

David Grening,
Daily Racing Form

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jackson Bend was beaten 8 1/2 lengths by Eskendereya when the two met in the Fountain of Youth in February at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Nick Zito is simply hoping Jackson Bend can cut the gap when the two meet again in Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

"Let's see if he can beat us two lengths,'' Zito said Thursday, before Jackson Bend drew post 5 in a field of six set to run 1 1/8 miles in the Wood. "Our deal has always been if we can get closer to the big horse, someday I'll beat him.''

In 1994, the Zito-trained Go for Gin was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Irgun in the Wood Memorial, but came back three weeks later to win the Kentucky Derby. Jackson Bend would likely need a first- or second-place finish in the Wood to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, a field limited to 20 starters and based on graded stakes earnings if the field oversubscribes.

Calvin Borel, who won last year's Kentucky Derby aboard 50-1 shot Mine That Bird, has the call on Jackson Bend. Eskendereya, among the top Kentucky Derby contenders, drew post 3 and was installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite by Eric Donovan for the Wood, which will be televised live on NBC from 5-6 p.m. Eastern.

Though only six horses entered, the field includes impressive Gotham winner Awesome Act and Tampa Bay Derby runner-up Schoolyard Dreams. The connections of Awesome Act canceled a scheduled three-furlong blowout on Wednesday due to the wet condition of Belmont Park's training track.

The New York Racing Association avoided a potential embarrassing situation when it denied entry into the Wood to the maiden filly Nicky Boy, who had been defeated 120 3/4 lengths in two starts at Sunland Park. That decision was made easier due to the late entry of Most Happy Fella, whose presence in the field made for six runners, enabling trifecta wagering to be offered on the race.

"It's our right to not accept the entry,'' said P.J. Campo, NYRA's director of racing.

Jackson Bend was among the leading 2-year-olds in south Florida last year before Robert LaPenta purchased part interest in the colt prior to his 3-year-old season. After finishing second to Winslow Homer with trouble in the Holy Bull, Jackson Bend was one of many left in Eskendereya's wake in the Fountain of Youth, though he did finish second.

Jackson Bend does not have the physical build of a classic two-turn horse, but Zito said the horse has developed some physically over the winter.

"Everybody knows how small he is, but he looks very, very strong,'' Zito said. "His coat is fantastic. He's a gem of consistency which is his strength. He'll run his normal race; if some of the big horses don't fire he's right there.''