Forty Tales Wins Derby Trial

Will running after 10pm under the lights be any sort of factor?

Must-win situation for Titletown Five in Derby Trial
By Marty McGee

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The days until the big race have dwindled into single digits, and with most of the major players having settled in comfortably at Churchill Downs, only a few things are left to be done toward the Kentucky Derby.

One of those finishing touches may or may not be applied Saturday night with the Derby Trial, the last stop on its anagram, the Derby trail. Titletown Five, having played catch-up for months, is the only one of the nine Trial runners with designs on cracking the 20-horse Derby field by earning sufficient points toward eligibility.

As the 10th of 11 races on a Downs After Dark program that opens the 38-day Churchill spring meet, the Trial will not be run until 10:42 p.m. Eastern, a time when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is usually well into his REM cycle before rising a few hours later. In any case, Lukas is hoping the result will be something worth losing sleep over.

“We’ve been trying all winter to give this colt a shot at making the Derby,” he said. “This is his one chance. We’d love to see him make the most of it.”

Titletown Five, with Gary Stevens to ride, will break from the outside post in the one-turn-mile Trial.

Not many horses would bring a more alluring storyline to the Derby – which will be run next Saturday for the 139th time – than Titletown Five. The colt is owned by a multi-way partnership that includes Lukas and Paul Hornung, who as a retired football legend and lifelong Louisvillian surely would lend a higher degree of fun to the pre-race proceedings.

Still, there are good stories, and there are real stories, and with Titletown Five being a 5-1 chance on the morning line for the 89th running of the Trial, the odds favor the Grade 3, $175,000 Trial being no factor whatsoever toward the Derby. In an unofficial straw poll of the connections of the other logical contenders, none was remotely close to having Derby leanings, even if their horse were to earn the 20 points that almost certainly would get them into the race if so desired.

“You can rule him out of the Derby,” said Justin Zayat, who helps manage Zayat Stables, owner of the speedy Zee Bros (post 3, Mike Smith, 5-2).

“Zero percent chance,” said Ian Wilkes, who will saddle Ruble (post 5, Alan Garcia, 6-1), fresh off back-to-back wins at Gulfstream Park for owner-breeder Jan Whitham.

“No,” said Lynn Whiting, trainer of Officer Alex (post 1, Robby Albarado, 8-1), already a four-time winner.

“We haven’t really discussed this race as a Kentucky Derby prep,” said Todd Pletcher, who will send out the uncoupled duo of Forty Tales (post 4, Joel Rosario, 3-1) and Capo Bastone (post 6, Garrett Gomez, 5-1).

Even in case of a victory by Titletown Five, the colt still would need several things to unfold in his favor to actually start in the Derby. As things stood Thursday, 20 others still would maintain preference over him, although No. 20 on that list is Winning Cause, the Coolmore Lexington Stakes winner who is unlikely to run, according to Pletcher, although the trainer has not completely ruled him out as a sixth Derby runner for his prodigious stable.

“We’ll probably work him Sunday and talk it over after that,” Pletcher said.

Winning Cause, with 20 points on the new eligibility system that serves as a first tie-breaker into the Derby field, would have a slight edge over Titletown Five in non-restricted stakes earnings, the next criteria for preference. But even considering all that, Derby entries will not be taken until Wednesday morning, and, furthermore, Churchill will once again employ an also-eligibles list (up to four horses, Nos. 21-24) in case the race is oversubscribed.


www.drf.com/news/kentucky-derby-must-win-situation-titletown-five-derby-trial

This is a very tough race to pick. That horse Zee Bros looks very tough but can he go the distance and can he run like he has in his last two against these caliber horses? Forty Tales and Ruble also have some class and can run against these.

Titletown Five looks like the class of the race off his front running La Derby in 46/1, 1:11/4 at FG which is a relatively slow track. That is flying for that track. Also has proven class running in the lead at 7F last year against Violence and Orb and only loosing by a neck. He is the one they have to beat.

Capo Bastone has similar past performances to Java's War. A moping along come from behind horse. Ran pretty good from off the pace last year but has not developed into anything this year. That last race in the Spiral stunk. Won't hit the board here.

No Kentucky Derby for Derby Trial winner Forty Tales
By Marty McGee

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Forty Tales and Capo Bastone capped a sensational run-up to the 139th Kentucky Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher by finishing one-two in the 89th Derby Trial on a chilly, rainy opener to the 38-day Churchill Downs spring meet Saturday night.

Forty Tales, giving jockey Joel Rosario his fourth winner of the night, finished a neck clear of a belated run from his stablemate and technically became eligible for the Derby by earning 20 points toward eligibility into the field. However, those points will go unused, as Pletcher essentially reiterated afterward that he had no intention of running back in one week in the Derby.

“Not right now,” he said. “I mean, we’ll see how he bounces out of it and talk to the owner. Both colts would seem best in a one-turn situation.”

Forty Tales, by Tale of the Cat, returned $8.20 after finishing the one-turn-mile in 1:35.77 over a track that absorbed plenty of rain through the night but was still rated fast. The colt is owned by the Perretti Racing Stable of William Perretti.

The only horse whose connections had said they would go to the Derby in case of victory, Titletown Five, was forwardly placed throughout before finishing fourth, just behind longshot Ruler of Love in the field of nine 3-year-olds. Ruler of Love was three lengths behind Capo Bastone on the wire.

Pletcher will have five horses in the Derby next Saturday and could have as many as six. His stable dominated the 2013 Derby trail in accounting for the Tampa Bay Derby, Withers, Wood Memorial, Arkansas Derby, Louisiana Derby, Lexington Stakes, and now the Derby Trial.

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Jockey Joel Rosario and Forty Tales hold off the late charge by stablemate Capo Bastone, far left, with jockey Garrett Gomez riding to win the Derby Trial horse race on opening day of the spring meet at Churchill Downs on Saturday, April 27, 2013 in Louisville, Ky. Both colts are trained by Todd Pletcher. Photo: Garry Jones


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I have to disagree with the use of "butcher" re Pletcher. Both his fillies and colts are doing exceptionally well this year, He has so many horses, some will have problems. I'm less of a fan of Baffert as most of his 3 year olds are gone by July. Not really a fan of either as I would prefer a trainer who actually attended to my horse - all of the time. Hands On - not by fax and phone.