Wood Memorial
What can I say about I Want Revenge? This horse is the real deal. He was impressive in the Gotham back at the beginning of March. Now he strikes again with a late flourish, running between horses, making his own luck, and drawing away to win this one. If you watch this one closely, he gets a terrible trip, and that makes this effort even more impressive. Not only that, but he beat some very talented horses to do it. In my book, he's the one to beat right now.
West Side Bernie ran well in the Wood as well, finishing second. His performance likely earned him a spot for the Derby, as he is now in 13th place in earnings.
Illinois Derby
Since we know how this one ends, I'll be brief and just say that Musket Man ran well. After winning the Tampa Bay Derby, and following it up with this, he's certainly taking an unconventional route to the big show, but with him sitting solidly in the graded stakes earnings as of April 12th, you have to admire it. Also of note, Giant Oak ran second here, and is now in 18th place in earnings.
Santa Anita Derby
Pioneerof the Nile won a strange race in the Santa Anita Derby, trying to run off with jockey Garrett Gomez down the backstretch before being collected, then having to stretch out again while coming for home to nip Chocolate Candy for the win.
I was not particularly impressed with this race. Pioneer's erratic run may have worked in a relatively small field, but against the log-jam that is the Kentucky Derby, that sort of behavior will have you in deep trouble. Add to that the fact that all three starts this year are on synthetics, and you have a difficult guess as to how he'll perform on Derby day.
In a bit of disappointing news, The Pamplemousse, who looked to be the strongest contender for Pioneer in this race, was scratched because of a soft tissue injury. It has since been determined that the scratch will keep the Sham Stakes winner out of the Kentucky Derby.
Here are replays of all three races, for your viewing pleasure. Make sure to check out the trip I Want Revenge gets in the Wood.
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