REFLECTING

In memory of BARBARO - died Jan 29, 2007

QUEEN'S PLATE - KENTUCKY DERBY CHATTER
It's revving up - Derby business and even Plate news.

ACTIVE DUTY, winner of the important CORONATION FUTURITY, races today (see more below).

WELL POSITIONED, perhaps one of the leading contenders for the 150th QUEEN'S PLATE at Woodbine in June, gets rolling as a 3yo on Saturday in the day's FIRST RACE, an allowance event at 1 mile.

The 3yo by AWESOME AGAIN - TACIBLE, BY HOLY BULL is owned by Paul Pompa (Big Brown) and trained by Pat Reynolds. He is 1 for 2 in his career with a maiden win Beyer Figure of 91 in his last start at Aqueduct.

Speaking of HOLY BULL, the race named in his honour is also on Saturday and a very intriguing field of 11 has been entered intlcuing the much hyped BEETHOVEN and WEST SIDE BERNIE (by Bernstein, picked at right, photo by Amber Chalfin)

Bear Stables' are in it too - with BEAR'S ROCKET, the Lion Heart fellow who was 4th in the key Display Stakes at Woodbine in his last race. Trained by Reade Baker, Bear's Rocket will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.

$150,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III, Race 7, 4:12 p.m.), 3-year-Olds, 1 1/8 Miles PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Bruce N Autumn (KY), 114, Edgar S. Prado
2. Danger to Society (KY), 114, Robby Albarado
3. Bear's Rocket (KY), 114, Kent J. Desormeaux 4. Saratoga Sinner (KY), 114, Julien R. Leparoux
5. El Crespo (KY), 114, Javier Castellano
6. Rockland (KY), 114, Jose Lezcano
7. Stately Character (KY), 120, Herb McCauley
8. Idol Maker (KY), 114, John R. Velazquez
9. Nowhere to Hide (KY), 114, Alan Garcia
10. West Side Bernie (KY), 122, Elvis Trujillo
11. Beethoven (KY), 122, Calvin H. Borel

$150,000 Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II, Race 8, 4:43 p.m.), 3-Year-Olds, 7 Furlongs PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, ML Odds
1. Break Water Edison (KY), Alan Garcia, 120, 3/1
2. Bee Cee Cee (FL), Cornelio H. Velasquez, 120, 15/1
3. Capt. Candyman Can (KY), Julien R. Leparoux, 120, 3/1
4. Hello Broadway (KY), Edgar S. Prado, 114, 5/2
5. Salo Jak (FL), Javier Santiago, 120, 8/1
6. Rocketing Returns (FL), Eibar Coa, 116, 5/1
7. Z Day (KY), John R. Velazquez, 114, 6/1


Saturday, Gulfstream Park DONN H.-GI, $500,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY WT
1 Finallymadeit Concerto Nunez 117
2 Albertus Maximus Albert the Great Garcia 120
3 Anak Nakal Victory Gallop Bravo 117
4 Bullsbay Tiznow Velazquez 114
5 A.P. Arrow A.P. Indy Desormeaux 115
6 On Board Again Awesome Again Coa 112
7 Arson Squad Brahms Prado 119
8 Sir Whimsey Jump Start Albarado 116
9 Great Hunter Aptitude Castellano 116
10 Einstein (Brz) Spend a Buck Leparaoux 122


ALSO ON SATURDAY - NICANOR DEBUTS

On the anniversary of his brother's death, NICANOR is in the news as he is set to make his career debut on Saturday.
From all reports, this fellow is not a world beater but it's nice to get racing in the headlines...

EXCERPT FROM PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
Barbaro's brother on display at Gulfstream By Mike Jensen Inquirer Staff Writer


A little before 5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, a horse will enter the starting gate for the first race of his career and he'll overshadow the future Kentucky Derby horses and past Kentucky Derby horses racing at Gulfstream Park that day - because he's Barbaro's brother.


That's half of a remarkable hour at Gulfstream. The race before, the most promising son of Smarty Jones finds out if he is a Kentucky Derby candidate. The first appearance of Nicanor, Barbaro's younger brother, steals the headline spot.

The 3-year-old bay colt is owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson, trained by Michael Matz, and will be ridden by Edgar Prado. It is the same group responsible for the undefeated Barbaro, who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby only to suffer catastrophic leg fractures two weeks later at the Preakness and spend eight months at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square before being euthanized Jan. 29, 2007.

Even in a sport where bloodlines mean so much, the same genes don't mean the same or even similar results. "To me, [Barbaro] was a horse in a lifetime," said Peter Brette, assistant trainer to Matz. Brette exercised Barbaro and now does the same for Nicanor.

"If Nicanor turns out to be a stakes winner, we'll be over the moon, I'm sure."

"It would be a miracle if he was 50 percent as good as Barbaro was," Roy Jackson said yesterday of Nicanor.

Read the rest: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20090129_Barbaro_s_brother_on_display_at_Gulfstream.html



CANADIANS ELSEWHERE

COOL GATOR and SOLITAIRE made their 4yo debuts yesterday at Gulfstream and the pair of Canadian-breds did not fare well.
The Gator, usually a main track horse, was beaten about 9 lengths in the 1 1/16 mile grass race (7th place) while Solitaire hit traffic on the turn, checked and stalled and was a few lengths back in 9th.



TODAY

ACTIVE DUTY (Deputy Commander) makes his 3yo debut today in an allowance race at Santa Anita. The 3yo gelding won the CORONATION FUTURITY last year, often a race that will spawn a Queen's Plate favourite.
This year's group of Canadian bred 3yo's is a strong one (although we won't know who is actually nominated for the race for another week) so Active Duty appears to be getting an early start on his Plate preparations.

The gelding will start from post 7 in the 9 horse field which will travel 1 1/16 miles. Corey Fraser rode the gelding last year in the big win but Patrick Husbands rides today for trainer Mark Casse.
The gelding matched up fairly well in today's field.

TWILIGHT METEOR, a Canadian bred by Smart Strike who was on the Queen's Plate trail 2 years ago, is in a turf allowance at Gulfstream today.



CREASE INFRACTION in Saturday

Canadian-bred 11-year-old CREASE INFRACTION is entered for $10,000 claiming, off the claim, by trainer Stephen Beattie on Saturday at Penn National. The classy old guy was recently trained by Anthony Adamo.