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The Dixie Union colt ridden by Julien Leparoux was
pinched back at the break and caught in-between rivals that cost him
early position after being one of the most talked about contenders
coming into Saturday’s race
“He broke a step a step slow and he usually breaks
well from the gate,” Leparoux said. “Then he got bumped and we dropped
far back.”
That was only the half of it.
After Union Rags settled into stride, Leparoux had trouble finding a clear running path.
“I had nowhere to go where I could make a move,” Leparoux said. “I knew it was going to be tough to come back.”
The winner of the Fountain of Youth Stakes eventually rallied from 18th to finish seventh.
“He just had a rough trip,” trainer Michael Matz said.
Tarnished gem
Gemologist failed to run his winning streak to six.
The horse trained by Todd Pletcher had won twice at
Churchill Downs, but expectations were tempered because of weak
competition. Against an especially deep field in the Kentucky Derby, he
was fifth until the final half-mile when he fell off the pace and
finished 16th.
“I had a beautiful trip. I saved all the ground
into the first turn, very comfortable down the backside,” jockey Javier
Castellano said. “We were able to relax right behind the speed.
Unfortunately, I don’t know why he didn’t run his race.”
Castellano thought the 85-degree heat might’ve had
hurt Gemologist, while WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden searched
for answers.
“He didn’t run much. It’s very disappointing,” Walden said. “He just didn’t show up.”
Day of disappointment
Last year’s Kentucky Derby-winning group failed to
pull a repeat with Went the Day Well after its previous success with
Animal Kingdom.
Team Valor Inernational, trainer Graham Motion and
jockey John Velazquez looked to be the first owner-trainer-jockey
combination to repeat in the Derby since 1973.
But Went the Day Well fell as far back as 17th before closing to finish fourth in a crowded start.
“We didn’t break out of there well and it was
screwed up from there on,” Velazquez said. “The horse next to me clipped
heels coming out of the gate, so now I’ve got to steady and go inside
of him.
“We go to the first turn, and he gets pushed over and I have to steady again.”
Velazquez called it a bad trip, but far from his worse.
“Not at all,” Velazquez said. “I just got shut off.”
Injured Indy?
Trainer Pat Byrne is concerned that Take Charge Indy might have suffered an injury in the Kentucky Derby.
The Florida Derby winner finished 19th. Jockey
Calvin Borel, a three-time Derby winner, felt the horse might have had a
breathing problem.
Byrne is more concerned with the colt’s legs.
“He’s walking a little gingerly in his left front,” Byrne said. “We probably need to X-ray the ankle.”
Byrne is hoping the problem is nothing serious.
“It’s disappointing but we move on,” he said. “We know it wasn’t a talent issue. Something obviously went wrong.”
Take Charge Indy owners Chuck and Maribeth Sandford live in Marengo, Ill.
Rosie returns
Jockey Rosie Napravnik was back at Belmont Park on
Saturday less than 24 hours after she became the first female jockey to
win the Kentucky Oaks.
Napravnik was aboard Believe You Can on Friday in the Derby’s counterpart for 3-year-old fillies.
“It’s just been a whirlwind — I haven’t had a
chance to sit down and relax yet,” said Napravnik, who returned to
finish third on Wildcat Frankie at Belmont, her first race home since
her victory. “After the (Oaks) I had over 100 text messages, along with
voicemails, Twitter, Facebook messages. We’ve been getting tons of
support.”
Napravnik said she had flight delays from her
scheduled early morning flight because the plane needed repairs and
ended up being three hours late to the park.
“It was a bit of a rough morning,” she said. “It
was lucky for me that my first two mounts today at Belmont were
scratched, because I wouldn’t have made it.”
Believe it
Believe You Can received extra attention on Saturday as trainer Larry Jones’ newest star filly following the Oaks win.
“She’s wanting treats and she thinks she deserves
some reward,” Jones said. “She gets all kind of peppermints, carrots,
sweet potatoes, you name it. Whatever she wants, she’s pretty well going
to get.
“She ate every bite of her supper, so right now we’re good. She looks bright and happy.”
Jones doesn’t know what will be next for Believe
You Can, but will point the 3-year-old to the Mother Goose on July 21.
Believe You Can is now the fifth winner in the last eight Kentucky Oaks
to also have won the Fair Grounds Oaks.
“There is no better place to prep,” Jones said. “What can you say? It works.”
It had been an especially tough time recently for
Jones after his wife, Cindy, was kicked by a yearling and broke three
ribs, an arm and dislocated her shoulder. Then, Havre de Grace had a
career-ending injury in training last month before colt Mark Valeski was
pulled out of Kentucky Derby consideration Tuesday.
Jones believes his luck may be changing.
“May’s turning around,” Jones said. “Maybe we’ll be OK.”
Star power
The 138th Kentucky Derby had no shortage of athletes.
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn trod the red carpet
leading into the historic track on Saturday wearing 6-inch heels, while
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick came to check out the
horses.
A few minutes after Belichick entered, a group of
defensive linemen — Chris Canty of the New York Giants, University of
Louisville alum and Chicago Bears tackle Amobi Okoye and Connor Barwin
of the Houston Texans made an appearance. Tennessee Titans defense end
Kamerion Wimbley followed a short time later
Tennis players Andre Agassi and his wife, Steffi Graf, arrived to cheers from the crowds.
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