Tiago, new Derby Boy, at $450,000
Cowtown Cat and Tiago join Top Ten and Graded Stakes Earnings Lists
While Any Given Saturday remains just on pace in graded stakes earnings, Cowtown Cat also moves into contention for Pletcher. Tiago, a new Derby hope, has credentials.
Tiago, trained by John Shirreffs, is very much the new boy on the block in graded stakes earnings and rankings (Derby Top Ten) as the top three-year-old colts race to the Kentucky Derby entry wire. Mike Smith rode Tiago to a stirring victory in the Santa Anita Derby last Saturday.
The colt, now ranked 10th by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), which racks up points for the Derby chase, romped to ninth position in overall graded stakes earnings, with $450,000 under his hooves. Tiago has a big (half) brother named Giacomo.
Giacomo's name rang a lot of bells April 7, when Tiago, by Pleasant Tap out of Set Them Free by Stop The Music, menaced the Derby picture in his Santa Anita run. Giacomo, by Holly Bull, had the same dam as Tiago. At 50 to 1 in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, Giacomo gave Smith a ride to the winner's circle.
The graded stakes earnings needed to get a Derby berth is considered in descending order for the highest twenty entrants. If more than twenty colts make the Derby roster, the earnings list becomes all important. At No.21, Any Given Saturday sits a few dollars behind Sightseeing, although AGS, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is ranked No.7 among three-year-olds in the country. However, one colt ahead of these two in earnings, Tiz Wonderful, is out of the Derby picture because of injury. That moves AGS to a qualifying position (No.20).
Here's the graded stakes earnings breakdown:
No.1 Street Sense---$1,332,000-------------------No.16 Pirates Deputy---$200,000
No.2 Scat Daddy---$1,308,500---------------------No.17 Kirklees---$199,873
No.3 Circular Quay---$1,116,134------------------No.18 Mount Nelson---$181,919
No.4 Nobiz Like Shobiz---$778,500---------------No.19 Curlin---$180,000
No.5 Great Hunter---$730,000----------------------No.20 Sightseeing---$178,580
No.6 Stormello---$642,900--------------------------No.21 Any Given Saturday---$177,969
No.7 Birdbirdistheword---$637,000---------------No.22 Liquidity---$161,200
No.8 Notional---$472,000----------------------------No.23 Officer Rocket---$153,260
No.9 Tiago---$450,000--------------------------------No.24 Cobalt Blue---$150,000
No.10 Cowtown Cat---$437,253--------------------No.25 Horse Greeley---$150,000 (out/injury)
No.11 King of the Roxy---$430,000----------------No.26 Admiralofthefleet---$148,799
No.12 Jack Junior---$401,520----------------------No.27 Sam P.---$146,500
No.13 Hard Spun---$360,000-----------------------No.28 Skip Code---$133,185
No.14 Xchanger---$202,890-------------------------No.29 Zanjero---$130,000
No.15 Tiz Wonderful---$200,592 (out/injury)-----No.30 Sedgefield---$120,000
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland (Lexington) tomorrow is the last major prep for the May 5 Kentucky Derby. At 1-1/8 miles, the race will feature Street Sense and Great Hunter. These two Derby Top Ten colts have maintained their standings throughout the season, but both are lightly raced in 2007. They are trained by Carl Nafzger and Doug O'Neill, respectively.
The last outing for Street Sense was his first race of 2007, the March 17 Tampa Bay Derby. A monumental battle in the stretch there pushed Street Sense to the top of the Kentucky Derby rankings as he nipped Any Given Saturday by a nose. Street Sense has had time to recover from that effort. He races tomorrow, just three weeks ahead of the Derby.
Great Hunter won the March 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He had an easy race, drawing off well for a 1-1/4 length victory.
Originally, Any Given Saturday was also scheduled for the Blue Grass. Pletcher opted to pull the colt back to the Wood Memorial in Circular Quay's place to give AGS a chance to up his graded stakes earnings. Quay already was qualified. AGS finished third in the Wood, appearing to struggle at the end.
Pletcher's switch-off changed the Blue Grass to a showdown between the conserved energies of Street Sense and Great Hunter. Will more rest help, or hinder the duo?
