Papa Clem relishes Easter in Arkansas

The worst kept secret on the Oaklawn Park backstretch last week was that Old Fashioned could not rate. Trainer Gary Stute used this information to his advantage as he and jockey Rafael Bejarano changed tactics and brought Papa Clem off the pace to capture the 73rd running of the $1 million Arkansas Derby. The colt still eligible for a NW1/X finally recorded his break-through victory in an easier spot after chasing such stars as Pioneer of the Nile in California and Friesan Fire in Louisiana.

That was not an attempt to discount the Derby field or runner-up, Old Fashioned, who again laid down zippy fractions while staying into the bit in the ninth furlong to finish a determined second. But later that evening trainer Larry Jones was dealt another blow as Old Fashioned was found to have a broken knee and will likely never race again. That leaves stablemate Friesan Fire as his last hope prior to retirement to capture the run for the roses after two runner-up finishes with Hard Spun and Eight Belles. Lightly raced Summer Bird picked up the pieces for the show spot, meaning that Papa Clem will likely be the lone representative from Arkansas in Louisville.

In the other major final prep at Keeneland, the $20,000 claimer from last May - General Quarters - was a surprise winner of The Blue Grass Stakes over favorite Hold Me Back and fellow long-shot (and my pick) Massone. Theregoesjojo and Terrain threw in clunkers to put an end to their Derby dreams.

So with most if not all of the projected Derby starters now primed for the big one, that makes Quality Road the leader in the clubhouse (it is Masters Sunday, after all!). Even though the colt developed a slight quarter crack in his Florida Derby triumph, apparently it is not as severe as Big Brown's hoof problems from a year ago, which obviously didn't slow him down. Many of you have heard me talk about "key races" early on The Derby trail. It's easy to look back and circle the February 7th Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita as such a race, where Papa Clem finished just behind Pioneer of the Nile and a length ahead of I Want Revenge. Neither of those horses have lost again, so it's going to be tough to try to separate these three come the first Saturday in May!

Hope you all had a blessed Easter.

Louisiana Day at the Track

What a race card The Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans has assembled for Saturday... it's too bad mother nature may not co-operate!

In addition to the marquee Louisiana Derby, the top regional turf horses, handicap division and fillies (led by my main gal, Rachel Alexandra) will be in action on Saturday's card, with major purse money on the line. We'll see if Rachel can continue to best the speed times of her male counterparts while she tackles a small field in the Oaks race.

Other key Derby preps (Rebel Stakes, San Felipe Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby) will also be run on Saturday, but the Gentilly oval hosts the deepest and most intriguing field. The morning line favorite is a two-time winner over this course, Friesan Fire. The handsome son of A.P. Indy has had perfect stalking trips in the Le Comte and Risen Star Stakes leading up to Saturday's test, but many others are very capable of the upset at better odds. Papa Clem will be hammered at the windows after a horse he finished ahead of at Santa Anita (I Want Revenge) came back to demolish the Gotham field at Aqueduct last weekend. While I do like Papa Clem's controlling speed in the race, I'll stay away if the underlay odds situation develops as expected. A horse I am impressed with is Flying Pegasus, who ran a nice second to Friesan Fire last out while being caught wide and returning from a long layoff. The second race back angle may put this son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus in the thick of things. In addition, Terrain's work tab has me thinking that local trainer-extraordinaire Al Stall has the 4th place Breeders' Cup Juvenile finisher cranked up for a big showing over the long stretch of the Fair Grounds course. Whoever your choices may be, you should get some decent odds in the exotics due to the deep field.

At Oaklawn Park, Old Fashioned will try to fend off upstarts Wise Kid and Hamazing Destiny to stay at the top of most Derby watch lists. While Pioneer of the Nile has already chased away most serious competitors on the California circuit and Bob Baffert is looking for an easy win to keep his sights on Churchill Downs.

Good luck at the windows!

Girls Gone Wild

Sorry for the marketing ploy, but now that I have your attention let's talk about some damn fast fillies, shall we? Historically, I seldom bet fillies or mares in "open" contests, particularly in races greater than one mile (only due to statistical analysis and not because of chauvinism). But these fillies' numbers are talking out loud! Let's start at Oaklawn Park where the veteran conditioner Hal Wiggins stables Rachel Alexandra, who dominated nine fillies in The Martha Washington Stakes while finishing a full second faster than Old Fashioned in Monday's Southwest Stakes. Even more impressive is how Rachel Alexandra's split times compared, as she was fastest at the end of the race while winning "under wraps" according to the Equibase race chart. As I watched the filly run past the grandstand it appeared that jockey Calvin Borel was flashing thumbs ups half-way down the stretch the race was that out of reach.

This may be the first time many of you have heard the name Rachel Alexandra, who has taken time off since capturing the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs last November. On that day, her winning time at 1 1/16 miles was also over a second faster than Derby trail colts Beethoven and Giant Oak. On the other hand, Old Fashioned - trained by Larry Jones, who knows a thing or two about tough fillies with Eight Belles - is at the top of most Kentucky Derby future books as well as the official favorite (other than the "field" bet) in Derby Futures Pool #1 that closed even before Old Fashioned's easy score in the Southwest. But if not for the (f) designation on the program next to Rachel Alexandra, the racing media might be all over this bay daughter of a former Oaklawn great, Medaglia d'Oro.

Meanwhile on the "left" coast, Evita Argentina is already shaking her tailfeathers at the boys, swooping from last to first in the most prestigious race of her career; the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. Not to mention impressive Juvenile filly champion from last year, Stardom Bound, who last weekend kicked off her campaign with a victory in the Las Virgenes (G1) and is scheduled to tackle the boys soon to warrant her shot at The Kentucky Derby. Like Cyndi Lauper sang, Girls just wanna have fun!