Bobby On Rail for Holy Bull

Bobby On Rail for Holy Bull Jan 24, 2013 0:27:51 GMT -5

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Post by Jon on Jan 24, 2013 0:27:51 GMT -5

Shanghai Bobby headlines Holy Bull Stakes
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Champion colt Shanghai Bobby begins his road to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with the $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Eclipse Award winning colt will take on nine challengers in the 1 1/16-mile stakes.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, last year's champion 2-year-old colt has drawn the inside post with his regular jockey Rosie Napravnik in the saddle.

Owned by Starlight Racing, Shanghai Bobby is perfect in five starts for $1,687,000, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Set to break next to Shanghai Bobby is the highly regarded Frac Daddy. Trained by Ken McPeek for Magic City Thoroughbreds, the gray colt will be ridden again by David Cohen.

Frac Daddy finished second in his debut at Belmont Park last October in the mud. He won next time out by better than nine-lengths at Churchill Downs and ended the year as second to Uncaptured in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.

"That race was an excellent race," McPeek said. "He just got a smidgeon tired. It was only his third race. The other horse was going on six or seven."

The colt has earned $80,116 in his three starts.

Itsmyluckyday, winner of the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year's Day, will start from post 7 with Elvis Trujillo riding. The colt is owned by Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa, with Ed Plesa Jr. training.

"I don't get Derby Fever until at least April," said Plesa following the year opening victory.

Itsmyluckyday, a son of Lawyer Ron, has four wins in eight career starts for $185,600. His two other stakes victories came at Calder in the Fasig-Tipton Dash and Foolish Pleasure Stakes.

In post position order here is the field for the Holy Bull: Shanghai Bobby, Rosie Napravnik; Frac Daddy, David Cohen; Clearly Now, Luis Saez; Bern Identity, Paco Lopez; Sr. Quisqueyano, Joel Rosario; Dewey Square, Corey Lanerie; Itsmyluckyday, Elvis Trujillo; Tulira Castle, Javier Castellano; Fredericksburg, John Velazquez and Joshua's Comprise, Kent Desormeaux.

Post-time will be approximately 5:05 p.m. (ET).

www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=horse/news/news.aspx?id=4559376

Bobby On Rail for Holy Bull Jan 25, 2013 21:07:54 GMT -5

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Post by Jon on Jan 25, 2013 21:07:54 GMT -5

During last week’s holiday weekend, horseplayers got to whet their wagering appetites with two minor Kentucky Derby preps, the Lecomte and Smarty Jones, from Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, respectively.

Now comes more of a main course: Saturday’s $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream – without question the best 3-year-old stakes race of the year, one that features the return of newly crowned champion Shanghai Bobby.

The Weekend Warrior is ready to try to beat the champ and hopefully cash some other stakes tickets along the way.

Holy Bull [Get PPs and Watch Live]

Taking a stand against Shanghai Bobby has nothing to do with him, specifically – just principle, really. Breeders’ Cup winners are routinely overbet when they return, and as we saw last week when Beholder was upset in the Santa Ynez at 1-5 odds, they can never be considered “sure things.”

Particularly with 3-year-olds, who go through a great deal of development over the winter and into the spring, much can change from early November. And with the uncertainly of a
Breeders’ Cup winner returning from a layoff, the time to try to beat them is first crack back.

Frac Daddy is my choice. Second in the Kentucky Jockey Club last year in his final start of 2012, he is talented and inexperienced colt, and one of the most promising Derby prospects in the country with his apparent upside.

Don’t forget he ran the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the Churchill Downs meet last fall when he ran a 91 when breaking from post 12 in a 1 1/16-mile race with a short run to the first turn.

And though he subsequently regressed in terms of figures when second, beaten a neck by Uncaptured in the Kentucky Jockey Club, posting a 75 Beyer, he proved his class with a close finish that day against top company.

Further adding to his appeal are favorable remarks regarding his morning training leading up to the Holy Bull, both from his trainer, Ken McPeek, and my Daily Racing Form colleagues who have witnessed him.

McPeek also shows confidence in his horse by spotting him in the Holy Bull when he could just have easily opted to start him back as the heavy favorite in a first-level allowance earlier on the Saturday card at Gulfstream.

One caution – don’t expect him to be anywhere near his 8-1 morning line. He’s far more likely to be 4-1 or 5-1, the probable second wagering choice behind the unbeaten Shanghai Bobby.

www.drf.com/news/weekend-warrior-jan-26-2013-picks-holy-bull-affectionately-van-berg-and-houston-ladies-classic

Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography
Frac Daddy has a shot to upset Shanghai Bobby, but don't expect a price anything like Frac Daddy's 8-1 morning line