A Travers Miracle

Time for a little multiple choice, ZATT style: Which one of these outlandish statements is true? A) One of our Triple Crown winners entered the Kentucky Derby 0 for 6. B) A Hungarian race mare retired undefeated … after 54 starts. C) The 1981 Horse of the Year was kidnapped at stud and never found. D) A three-year-old colt will attempt to win the Travers after only one start. A bit of a trick question, as the answer is all of the above. Yes, in 1919 Sir Barton swept the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont after losing all six starts before the Run for the Roses. Native Hungarian Kincsem, won each of her 54 starts in the late 1870’s throughout Europe. Shergar, Europe’s Horse of the Year and 10 length winner of the Epsom Derby, was kidnapped a little over a year after gong to stud in Ireland. The crime was never solved and the horse was never found. Amazing and true stories that are part of racing’s lore. On Saturday, Admiral Alex will try to add his name to the fantastic stories of racing’s rich history, when he runs in Saratoga‘s $1 million Travers Stakes. While many far more accomplished horses are still straddling the fence on whether or not to run, such is not the case for the recent maiden winner Admiral Alex. He has his connections confident that the colt belongs in the race and is in with a chance. And his connections are not a couple neophytes. Owner/Trainer Leon Blusiewicz has been training horses for some 37 years, while rider Kent Desormeaux won last year’s Travers, as well as, six triple crown races. Who is this horse who has his connections so excited after only one start? Admiral Alex made his one and only start in a Maiden Special Weight on July 31 at Saratoga. He won the 1 1/8 mile race by one length in a time of 1:49.76. That’s it, that’s the entire recap of his racing career. In fairness, Blusiewicz has liked and talked about Admiral Alex for a long time. Several setbacks had delayed the expected debut of the chestnut colt for a full year, but now everything seems to be finally coming together for him. Admiral Alex is called the best horse he has ever trained by Blusiewicz. Probably hyperbole, but it was a statement that caught my attention, especially since I loved one of his good ones. Willa on the Move was one of my favorites and a grade 1 winner for Blusiewicz in the late 80’s. Clearly his trainer thinks he is a special horse, how about his world class jockey? More of the same, as Kent Desormeaux is also touting the horse whom he works in the mornings, and was aboard for his only start. Desormeaux has gone as far as to say that he will be very disappointed if Admiral Alex doesn’t win. Strong words indeed. Should we really take the word of these experienced horsemen and expect a colt who has run only once in his career to actually run big in the Travers? My guess is Admiral Alex will be up against it on Saturday, but one thing I have learned in watching a lifetime worth of horse races, is never say never. What if Blusiewicz and Desormeaux are right and the son of Afleet Alex runs a big race, or what if, dare I say, he somehow manages to hit the wire first. What a story that would be, a Travers miracle … stranger things have happened.

No Derby, Drosselmeyer to Dwyer

When you possess the kind of hand that WinStar Farm held in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, there is sure to be some success and some failure. One of their colts, Endorsement, was injured in a recent workout, while another talented colt running for WinStar, Rule, did not train his best and was taken out of Kentucky Derby consideration. Yet another of their runners, American Lion made it to the race, but was never a factor and finished 11th. It was not that long ago that WinStar was hopeful that another of their young stars, Drosselmeyer would enter the Kentucky Derby with a real chance to win. It did not happen. Drosselmeyer was likely the best horse in the Louisiana Derby, but lacked racing room at a key juncture of the race. The bad luck resulted in a 3rd place finish, and left the son of Distorted Humor on the outside looking in on the graded earning’s list. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Heralding Drosselmeyer

WinStar Farm is in the best position of any owner at this point on the Kentucky Derby highway. Their hand is stacked with four major players ready to march on Louisville the first of May. Three of the four secured their position as early favorites by impressively winning stakes late last year, with Super Saver winning the Kentucky Jockey Club, Rule winning the Delta Jackpot, and American Lion accounting for Hollywood’s Prevue. The final horse of their big four may not be as well known, or even run in a stakes race yet, but he just might have what it takes to be the one horse draped in roses at Churchill Downs. His name is Drosselmeyer. Named for a character from Tchaikovsky's ‘The Nutcracker’, Drosselmeyer is a chestnut colt by Distorted Humor, who has already sired a Derby winner in Funny Cide, out of the grade 1 winning mare, Golden Ballet, a daughter of Moscow Ballet. The well bred sophomore, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, also has a stronger foundation of experience than many of the top candidates, with four two-turn races and a win over the Churchill Downs strip under his belt. He has already run on turf, synthetics, and dirt, but it was his two dirt races that really caught my attention. After three solid, but losing, efforts on East Coast lawns and Keeneland’s synthetic course, his first try on dirt was a race at Churchill originally scheduled for the turf. In the maiden special weight, Drosselmeyer broke from the outside post and toyed with his overmatched opponents in the one mile affair to the tune of a six length tally. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, he ran a solid time on the same strip that will host the derby, and it was one of the more visually impressive maiden scores of the year. That November 18 race would be his last of the season, and it stamped him as a horse to watch in 2010. I will admit, the maiden win was not quite enough to crack my Down and Derby Top 20 list, but he was very close, and he had my full attention for his return. We did not need to wait too long for him to reappear. It happened on the last day of January at Gulfstream Park. The nine furlong allowance race gave Drosselmeyer another opportunity to run over a route of ground, and allowed for his first dirt race around two-turns. He passed the challenge with flying colors. Drosselmeyer, ridden again by Kent Desormeaux, had to find room on the turn and for awhile it looked like he might be in trouble. Drosselmeyer was patient and professional and when the hole opened up he showed excellent acceleration and easily edged away from the solid allowance field by 1 ¾ lengths. Once again the final time was solid, 1:49.52, and the way he did it was impressive. I always look for a horse that can be patient and maneuver through openings once presented in the Derby. Drosselmeyer appears to be that type of horse. His two dirt races are impressive enough for him to sky rocket up my list of Derby contenders, which will be out on Saturday. All things look full steam ahead for the powerful colt. Elliott Walden, the Vice President & Racing Manager at WinStar, tells me that Drosselmeyer is doing good and his next race will most likely be the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds on February 20. If that is indeed where he runs next, it will mark his sixth race at six different tracks and his fifth race around two-turns. Along with impressive experience already at Churchill Downs, and being trained by one of our sport’s masters, you would have to think that Drosselmeyer will be one of the most well prepared horses in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Yes, I know I might be jumping the gun a bit with that last statement, but this is one colt I really like.