Big Truck Revs in Tampa Bay Derby
Barclay Tagg Trainee Runs Through War Pass, Boosts Pyro to No.1
Big Truck got his 3rd career victory at Tampa Bay March 15th, running over previously unbeaten War Pass and elevating Pyro to the Run for the Roses favorite.
Big Truck motored easily through the Tampa Bay Derby field last Saturday, leaving the bold and beautiful Juvenile Champion cruiser War Pass in last place dust, and catapaulting thin-sliced Pyro to the Kentucky Derby favorite position.
Large and game and displaying steamrolling capabilities, Big Truck rumbled through the lane wide, left Nick Zito's finest behind and his own trainer's elite twosome, Tale of Ekati and Elysium Field, on the bubble for Kentucky Derby contention. With the win, Big Truck gained enough graded stakes earnings to qualify himself for the Derby should the field exceed twenty entries and automatic eliminations become necessary.
No More Than Twenty, Please
In recent years, more than twenty entries have been a given for the coveted Run for the Roses, making the graded stakes dollar cutoff the defining factor for a colt's entry eligibility. As it is, an extended starting gate is used to hold the twenty contestants, which is more than triple the normal number of a race's participants. More than twenty gated horses would not fit on the wideth of a race track. In order to get a fairly even jump for every horse at the start, the individuals are gated in a straight across single line, unlike the starting positions of a race car event.
Tagg's Twosome Not As Elite As Funny Cide, Nobiz Like ShobizNot since Funny Cide in 2003 has Barclay Tagg had a Kentucky Derby contender come through. Tale of Ekati was advertised this season as Tagg's Porsche, but Big Truck proved his Mack power in the Tampa Bay Derby, while Ekati has little to boast of thus far. Elysium Field has yet to qualify for the Derby.
In 2007, Nobiz Like Shobiz led Tagg's barn with early Derby hopes. Tagg claimed if any colt could look the part of a Triple Crown champ, it was Nobiz. However, Nobiz performed erractically to Tagg's chagrin.
Brawny Mack Has the Power
If it's going to take a less publicized, power machine to lead Tagg back to Triple Crown contention, Big Truck fits the bill. His name is appropriate for his physique, not a choice befitting glitz and show. How far down the road Big Truck can travel remains to be seen. After his Tampa Bay Derby win, the brawny Mack demands attention.
Big Truck spurned his rivals in 1:44.25, outracing Todd Pletcher's Atoned to the wire, in the 1-1/16 miles, and set himself on track for a Run for the Roses. Only the smiling Tagg can stop a Churchill Downs showing.
And that's not likely.
