Three Year Olds times Three
It is that time of year and again the three-year olds take center stage with The Withers at Aqueduct, The Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park and The Robert E Lewis at Santa Anita. It remains to be seen if any Kentucky Derby contenders are in the three respective fields, but we’ll look at all three races and see what we can come up with.
The Withers is a mile and an eighth around two turns. Uncle Jim gets a narrow vote on top for me edging out Mo Quality who I liked last time in the Smarty Jones. Although the Smarty Jones looks like it grades out well and is a key race, I just wasn’t impressed enough with Mo Quality’s finish to go back with him here. Uncle Jim gets two turns for the first time, and I think sits a nice stalk and pounce type trip here. That should be enough to give him the edge and I will land here albeit not with an abundance of confidence.
I looked long and hard at Captain Cook who seemed to love both the slop and move to Rick Dutrow’s barn last out. He has a sprinters type pedigree and with that last big race on an off track I just went another way, but I wouldn’t try to talk anyone who lands here off him.
The Holy Bull might be the deepest field of the three and the toughest race. Ferocious has yet to duplicate his Saratoga form or that big win in his debut race there but I believe he had legitimate excuses in both The Breeders’ Futurity and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. At Keeneland in the Futurity he was simply wired up by an only speed on a speed friendly track. He also had a little traffic. In the Breeders’ Cup he again didn’t have the best trip and lost to another wire-to-wire winner from the powerful Bob Baffert barn. He adds blinkers and has had some time to mature and grow up a bit. I think he comes back running and fires a big one here. If Tappan Street a sharp debut winner over the track gets clear and a nice jump on these, he is a scary individual but Ferocious should have enough to run him down barring him just having too easy of a trip and run.
The Robert Lewis only drew five horses and Bob Baffert trains three of them. One is Breeders’ Cup winner Citizen Bull who obviously on paper has the edge and a 6-5 morning line, but I like him least of Bob’s three runners. I lean to the horse on the rail stretching out Madaket Road. This colt is bred to appreciate the added ground and Bob thought enough of him to debut him in a stake, The Grade 3 Bob Hope where he ran a credible second with an excellent trip and set up. He broke his maiden next out sitting just off the pace and gets Frankie for this and we all know how bad he wants a Derby mount and how Bob would love to have him on a Derby horse. He is the longest price of the three Baffert runners, but I will land here.
We should see some interesting racing as the season progresses. Let’s all enjoy it and try and win some money along the way.
