MORE KENTUCKY DERBY HOPEFULS SURFACE IN THE TAMPA BAY DERBY AND THE GOTHAM

This year’s Kentucky Derby is starting to get very interesting and this weekend two more contenders threw their hat in the ring following the running of the Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. The respective winners were both long shots, TACITUS at Tampa Bay and HAIKAL in the Gotham. Haikal came from way off the pace to reel off Mind Control and Instagrand, and jockey Rajiv Maragh judged the frenetic pace up front just right in the mile race. The winner who is now unbeaten in three starts is a son of Daaher and will next appear in the Wood Memorial. The jubilant trainer is Kiaran McLaughlin and he sees no problem in the horse getting the Kentucky Derby distance.

TACITUS on the other hand needed a smart ride from jockey Jose Ortiz to come up on the inside and outlast Outshine and Win Win Win to win the Derby by 1¼ lengths. In doing so, Tacitus smashed the Stakes record and recorded the first win in the race for trainer Bill Mott since 1997. Tacitus is a big progressive looking colt by Tapit out of the Grade 1 winner Close Hatches so the breeding is impeccable. He had not raced since November and now has two wins from three starts.
The big news this week however has been the closure of Santa Anita following the deaths of 21 horses from training or racing accidents since December 26th.That kind of rate is unacceptable under any circumstances and Santa Anita management and publicity people have been scrambling to provide explanations. The previous track maintenance director Dennis Moore has been brought back to supervise the daily program on the dirt track which has been affected negatively by heavy rains over the last two months. More on this sensitive issue next week but all racing has been cancelled until March 22nd. This will benefit other tracks as top trainers will be sending their Kentucky Derby prospects out of town to get valuable experience and points for their lightly raced superstars. Bob Baffert announced on Sunday he was sending Game Winner and Improbable to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas to run in the Rebel Stakes next Saturday and the race may be split into two divisions if interest is high. Mucho Gusto who worked very fast on the weekend is headed to Sunland Park.