"I also thought he took the Louisiana Derby extremely easilyin terms of how he came back from the test barn and went into the barn. Zandon (7-2), the publics fourth choice, was another half-length back in third. With a handful of preps and several workouts left before the first Saturday in may, any picks at this point should be done strictly for editorial purposes with the ability to pivot on the day as the picture becomes more clear. Weather info Powered by Dark Sky. Horses from Japan have proven that they deserve to be in on the conversation. This one is actually kind of interesting. Gun Runner and Curlin each finished third while Lookin At Lee nearly ended the drought for Derby horses breaking from post 1 when he finished second to Always Dreaming in 2017. Photo: Rick SamuelsEpicenter gallops at Churchill Downs. ", Photo: Skip DicksteinSteve Asmussen enjoys a lighter moment with D. Wayne Lukas May 4 at Churchill Downs, Ron Winchell after Echo Zulu's 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies win, Steve Asmussen enjoys a lighter moment with D. Wayne Lukas May 4 at Churchill Downs, With Epicenter, Asmussen Eyes Elusive Kentucky Derby. "He's in good shape.". Smile Happy will look to run in the Blue Grass ahead of the Derby. This runner finished second in the Fountain of Youth. He finished second by 1+14 lengths. He's not going to beat us.' He now enjoys sharing his passion with his wife and two young daughters who love going out to the track each and every summer. [2] Winchell and Asmussen had previously combined forces with champions Untapable and Gun Runner. He is a good shipper. It just is what it is. It is still far too early to lock into a Kentucky Derby pick. ", Photo: Anika MiskarArmagnac gallops at Pimlico. ", Photo: Anne M. EberhardtHappy Jack settles in at Pimlico. It might be a tougher task to run as well off nearly three months away from the races as compared to Epicenter and Trafalgar, but if Pappacap is fit to run as well as he did in his last race off workouts alone he should be a strong factor in this years Lecomte Stakes. I was really happy with him coming home," Hernandez said. This is the loser that I think you want out of this weekends races. Nope. [20] Epicenter was again the even-money favorite. Klaravich Stables' Early Voting, the 7-2 choice on the Preakness morning line, made his first visit to the track at Pimlico Wednesday morning, a day after shipping in from trainer Chad Brown's stable at Belmont Park. Epicenter , healing from a broken bone he suffered Presumptive horse of the year winner Flightline wa Editors note: This is one in a series of annual e We made it. She will likely be the favorite in that race and I dont expect her to even consider the Derby. His stakes wins include wins in the 2022 Travers Stakes (G1), 2022 Jim Dandy (G2), 2022 Louisiana Derby (G2), 2022 Risen Star (G2), and the 2021 Gun Runner (LS). "The only way I can explain it is, it just wasn't meant to be," Blasi said, adding of the torrid pace that included the first-quarter mile in a Derby-record :21.78, "I don't think anybody saw those fractions coming the first three-quarters of a mile of the race. Maybe needed to be a tad closer early, trainer Kenny McPeek said. Third in the UAE Derby this one is the least enticing as he closed into a fast pace and still could get into the exacta. This is one that you definitely want to win. Meanwhile, Early Voting tracked the early pace set by Armagnac and moved to the lead entering the stretch, pulling well clear with an eighth of a mile remaining. He was sired by Not This Time, a graded stakes winner who finished second in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile before his career has cut short by injury. He was sired by Not This Time out of the Candy Ride mare Silent Candy. "This year's Oaks and Derby are extremely exciting in terms of how strong the races look and how well all of the horses are doing going into them. Now this is where the two colts paths diverge. The Florida Derby was his third career race. Here is stable of my top 5 Derby contenders heading into the last month of prep races. American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, "Not This Time well represented in Saratoga's Travers", "Epicenter Makes Championship Claim With Travers Victory The Not This Time colt picked up an elusive grade 1 victory Aug. 27 at Saratoga", "Steve Asmussen To Saddle Morning-Line Favorite Epicenter In Inaugural Gun Runner Stakes Horse Racing News | Paulick Report", "Chart for September 18, 2021 at Churchill Downs", "Chart for November 13, 2021 at Churchill Downs", "Epicenter, North County shine at Fair Grounds", "Epicenter posts frontrunning Risen Star win", "Epicenter shows new dimension in Louisiana Derby", "Epicenter clings to top spot over Zandon in Derby dozen", "Rich Strike stuns with 80-1 Kentucky Derby Upset", "Runhappy Travers Tops Super Saturday at the Spa", "Epicenter Gives Asmussen, Rosario an Emphatic First Travers Victory", "Epicenter was pulled up by jockey Joel Rosario after sustaining an injury to his right forelimb in the Breeders' Cup Classic and was attended to immediately by an expert team of veterinarians led by KHRC Chief Veterinarian Dr. Nick Smith", "Breeders' Cup Classic: Flightline turns in anoher astonishing performance", "Breeders' Cup: Epicenter has surgery, retired from racing", "2022 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Grade 1 (race 11)", "Grade 1 Winner Epicenter to Stand at Ashford Stud; The son of Not This Time will stand in 2023 at an introductory rate of $45,000", "Thoroughbred Bloodlines Wagtail (GB) Family 21-a", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epicenter_(horse)&oldid=1138546821, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 10 February 2023, at 07:36. He seemed more calm today, more mature, said Rosario, who also rode Epicenter in the Lecomte and a maiden victory last November at Churchill Downs. He also finished second as the favorite in both the 2022 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He continued to draw away down the stretch to win by 5+14 lengths over Cyberknife, with Zandon in third and Rich Strike fourth. Included in the travel party was Sabas Rivera, a barn foreman for trainer Doug O'Neill. That's the great thing about horses like that, the consistency of them.". "He was jumping around," Ramsey said. Welcome to Equibase.com, your official source for horse racing results, mobile racing data, statistics as well as all other horse racing and thoroughbred racing information. Hard pass for me despite the impressive connections. New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund. He was away cleanly and thought he was very comfortable and attending close enough to the pace, and just ran a very dominating performance against a very good group. "The Derby is an event, a 20-horse race under circumstances they'll never have to be in ever again. In 2022 he won the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby, Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes. Geared down for the final strides, he still won by 2+34 lengths over Smile Happy, with Zandon closing late for third. Epicenter improved markedly last November in his second career start when stretching out to a mile (around one turn) for the first time and controlling the tempo from start to finish to beat nine other horses rather easily by 3 1/2 lengths. "He likes it here, so he's in good shape. Both of those horses, eventual two-time Horse of the Year Curlin and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, would finish third in the Kentucky Derby. Epicenter "We're very pleased with how the training has gone for both Epicenter and Echo Zulu," Asmussen said. "We were able to drop him down in competition and just get him set up with a field that would be sort of a confidence booster for him," Yakteen said. The decision to ship to Baltimore came after the allowance score. [13] "He took a little dirt today and he didn't mind it," said Rosario. The Kentucky Derby prep races are wrapping up. Historically these types of horses have a high probability to win. Winchell Thoroughbreds'Epicenter, the 6-5 morning-line favorite for the May 21Preakness Stakes (G1), jogged a mile around Pimlico Race Course early May 18, his first morning in town after vanning from Louisville. The Oaks field is so deep that 2021 NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Echo Zulu enters with five wins in as many startsby more than 22 combined lengthsand yet she is the third-choice on the morning line at 4-1 behind Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) winner Nest (5-2) and undefeated Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) winner Kathleen O. He was trained by Steven Asmussen and retired -> race for Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, and was bred in Kentucky, United States by Westwind Farms. 1993 . He is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. If this runner was a legitimate contender, the Arkansas Derby would have been his for the taking. This meant that White Abarrio tipped out first getting the third path into the lane while Charge it had to swing around to the 4th. He held second in the Louisiana Derby, 2 1/2 lengths behind victorious Epicenter after setting . Zandon, a debut winner who lost by a nose Dec. 4 in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, blew the start going straight up at the break Saturday. Proprietary to and 2023 Equibase Company LLC. [21], It was the first Travers Stakes win for Asmussen and Rosario. University of Louisville Equine Industry Program - Get a Career in Horse Racing! As has been the Midnight Lute colt's custom in recent starts, he lagged behind early Saturdayracing eighth of as Gun Runner Stakes winner Epicenter shot to the lead in the 1 1/16-mile race with. Epicenter held off Pappacap but was caught at the wire by Call Me Midnight, losing by a head. Assmussen holds the unfortunate distinction of most Derby runners without a victory. Jockey Corey Lanerie tried to find room between rivals as he turned Smile Happy into the homestretch. Some will point to an injury that was reported after the last race as the reason this one didnt have its best, but maybe the answer is that hes just not a grade 1 dirt router. He pressed the early pace while racing two-wide, then moved to the lead at the top of the stretch and won handily by 6+12 lengths. Since the race was worth 50-20-10-5 points to the top four finishers, Epicenter probably is qualified for the Kentucky Derby, a goal that owner Ron Winchell had in mind from the day he paid $260,000 to buy the Not This Time colt as a yearling. "I've had the disappointment and survived it. "[22], Epicenter made his final start in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on November 5. The following horses have earned Kentucky Derby points. Horse Profile for Epicenter | Equibase is Your Official Source for Thoroughbred Racing Information Horse Profile Home Stats Central Horse Profile (Thoroughbred) Epicenter (KY) TB, B, C, foaled January 29, 2019 ( Not This Time - Silent Candy, by Candy Ride (ARG) ) Connections as of last Start: Jockey: Joel Rosario Trainer: Steven M. Asmussen Yonkers Raceway Given the poor performance of Simplification in Arkansas this weekend, this one is probably a fade. I'm unbelievably excited to be doing this well with this much on the line.". O'Neill said he is scheduled to fly to Baltimore from California Wednesday night and will be at the barn some time Thursday afternoon. He's been very consistent in his training, very workmanlike, shows up and does his job. Epicenter (foaled January 29, 2019) is a retired Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. "He galloped a mile and a quarter. I gallop him at Churchill, and he's jumping around and feeling good. ', "It's typical of him. Brown's assistant Baldo Hernandez is overseeing the colt's activities until the trainerarrives Friday. Can the Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath take on the boys and prevail like Swiss Skydiver did in 2020? 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