A Rough Holiday Weekend For Derby Class of '09.

It was not a good holiday weekend for horses from the Derby class of ’09. Derby winner Mine That Bird finished eighth in the grade 2 Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs Sunday; Regal Ransom (8th in the ’09 Derby), finished fourth in the Suburban Handicap (gr. 2) while Hold Me Back (12th in the Derby), lost his jockey to a bad breathalyzer test before the Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine even started Friday. And even though I Want Revenge (photo right) didn’t start in the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands last year, he was the prohibitive favorite before being scratched the morning of the race. I Want Revenge didn’t fair much better Saturday, just defeating Regal Ransom for third in the Suburban.

Hold Me Back apparently made the pre-race curfew that Kent Desormeaux missed, because he eventually won the $216,400 Dominian Day with replacement jockey Tyler Pizarro. And forgive me for not being too harsh on the other three.

I Want Revenge was making his return to the races in the 9 furlong Suburban after fifteen months off with his last race being his remarkable Wood Memorial (gr. 1) in April of last year. Around the far turn, eventual winner Haynesfield moved passed Regal Ransom, who had set the Surbuban fractions and began to pull away down the Belmont Park stretch as Regal Ransom and I Want Revenge began to tire. Regal Ransom was also making his first start of the year, having not raced since finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.

In a bit of Suburban irony, Haynesfield was a Kentucky Derby prospect in March of last year before he finished eighth in the Gotham (gr. 2) behind I Want Revenge.

Like, Regal Ransom, Mine That Bird (photo left) was making his first start since a poor Breeders’ Cup Classic as he finished ninth that day at Santa Anita. And the 2008 Canadian Champion had a few additional obstacles to overcome as well. Making his first start under the direction of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Mine That Bird had been pointed to an allowance race earlier in the week on dirt, but the race didn’t fill. The Firecracker was also Mine That Bird’s first start on turf, and judging by the performance, may be his last.

Lukas has said that they are now pointing Mine That Bird toward the grade 1 Whitney Handicap on the dirt at Saratoga August 7. There he is expected to meet the leading older male horse in the country at this time, Quality Road, with the grade 1 Metropolitan Mile and grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park this winter among his 2010 credits.

On a side note, Quality Road worked Sunday at Belmont Park going a half mile in an easy :48.84 for trainer Todd Pletcher. “It was just an easy maintenance breeze for him,” said Jonathan Thomas, Pletcher’s assistant. “He went well.” Quality Road was among the favorites for the 2009 Kentucky Derby as well before an foot injury forced his withdrawl just days before the run for the roses.

No news as to the next start for I Want Revenge from trainer Dick Dutrow’s barn nor on plans for Regal Ransom, from Saeed bin Suroor on plans for Regal Ransom. Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, said plans for Haynesworth will not be determined in the near future either.

Toby Sheets, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen said “[Haynesworth] came out of the race well. We’ll wait until he comes back and breezes, and then begin talking about it.”

Hold Me Back Has Questions To Answer in Ky. Cup

Since that November day in 2000 when Tiznow and Giant's Causeway gave us that dual down the long Churchill Downs stretch to finish one-two in the Breeders' Cup Classic, I have been a fan of both. Now that they are both retired from the track and in healthy careers as stallions, I still remain a fan. Their offspring always get a second look from me and I often like them.

One quick look at Giant's Causway's most recent photo in the Blood-Horse Stallion Register, and you'll see why one might like him as a stallion as well. With those large bones and powerful bumper-to-bumper conformation, one might expect his get to take a while to grow into such a model.

Such might to be the case with Hold Me Back, the 7-5 morning line favorite in Saturday's $200,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (gr. 2) at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. In the spring, Hold Me Back won the Lane End Stakes (gr. 2) at Turfway and finished second in the Toyata Bluegrass Stakes (gr. 2) at Keeneland before finishing 13th in a troubled Kentucky Derby. So maybe he excels on poly-track was the thinking.

But he comes into the Kentucky Cup off of perhaps his best performance, (albeit a runner-up finish) behind Summer Bird in the Shadwell Travers Stakes over a sloppy Saratoga track Aug. 29. So now we wonder if he is just now maturing into that Giant's Causeway model of his.

Hold Me Back will be saddled the Kentucky Cup by trainer Bill Mott, who most remember as the trainer of the great Cigar. But he also has other more notable credentials as the youngest trainer to ever be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1998 and won back-to-back Eclipse Awards as the top trainer in 1995 and 1996. He is know for his patience with horses and may have Hold Me Back right on track to the befuddlement of us all.

Less the winner Gran Estrano, the Kentucky Cup will also feature a bit of a rematch of the grade 3 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park with Dubious Miss and Wicked Style coming in off their second and third-place finishes respectively. Furthest Land from the Michael Maker barn could also rebound successfully from a short vacation after finishing fourth in the Claiming Crown Jewel Stakes at Canterbury Park as the favorite.

What also make this race interesting is the surface. Like Santa Anita, the home of this year's Breeders' Cup, Turfway Park has a poly-track synthetic surface. Not many of these horses has much of a chance at the Breeders' Cup Classic, but like Regal Ransom in the Super Derby, a big performance today will at the very least deserve consideration. Anything less than a big performance by Hold Me Back may keep him out of the Classic however.

In any case, Hold Me Back has some questions to answer Saturday and I for one will be interested in his answers.

Barbaro Brother Nicanor Tops Virginia Derby

One of the more interesting races this weekend will be the 12th running of the $750,000, grade 2 Virginia Derby from Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. where Nicanor (photo) has been installed at the 7-2 morning line favorite in the 1-1/4 mile turf race.

Owned by Lael Stables and trained by Michael Matz, Nicanor did not race as a two year old, but collected a tenth and two second place finishes in his first three races of 2009, all on the dirt. After a switch to the turf, the three year old colt broke his maiden by 15 ¼ lengths at Delaware Park on May 13th and won an allowance by 1 ¾ lengths in his most recent start, also on grass. Jockey Jose Lezcano, who guided Summer Doldrums to victory in the ’07 Colonial Turf Cup, has the mount aboard Nicanor.

Trainer Jeff Mullins is returning to Colonial Downs with Battle of Hastings from his west cost base at Santa Anita. The British-bred Battle of Hastings won the grade 2, $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup in June at Colonial Downs and is the second choice in the morning line at 4-1. A double stakes winner in Great Britian before coming to the US to win the Balwin Stakes and the La Puente Stakes on the grass at Santa Anita, Battle of Hastings has won five of ten career starts and $474,592.

Trainer Bill Mott will try for his third Virginia Derby with Hold Me Back (photo), the winner of the grade 2 Lane's End Stakes at Turfway Park in mid-march and a dissapointing 12th in the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands. Kent Desormeaux will ride.

As usual the Virginia Derby is deep in talent with the first two finishers in the grade 2 Jefferson Cup at Churchills Downs also making the trip. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will saddle Jeff Cup winner Florentino and and George R. Arnold II brings El Crespo to try to avenge his runner-up finish in the Jefferson Cup.

The first and second place finishers in the June 13th Jefferson Cup (Gr. II) at Churchill Downs are next in line at 6-1. Owned by Darley Stable and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Florentino has been on the board in five of eight lifetime starts and has a bankroll of $167,312. Trained by George R. Arnold II, El Crespo, an A.P. Indy colt, finished second in that race by ¾ of a length behind Florentino. With an early race career that mirrors Florentino’s, El Crespo has finished on the board five times in eight starts with lifetime earnings of $167,326. Rider Alan Garcia, who won the ’08 Turf Cup atop Sailor’s Cap, will guide Florentino while Julien Leparoux, who rode Lime Rickey in this year’s Turf up, switches to El Crespo.

The second, third and fourth place finishers in the ’09 Turf Cup are back to challenge. Straight Story, Lime Rickey and Take The Points, one of two Todd Pletcher horses in the field, all seek revenge on Battle of Hastings. Straight Story missed by a head after going eight wide, while Lime Rickey and Take The Points both fell 1¼ lengths shy. Jockey Edgar Prado, who has three Virginia Derby wins, will pilot Take The Points.