Irish War Cry and Gormley are Kentucky bound after winning major preps recently but the fields they faced were a bit suspect and there lies the rub.
Before we get into what the future holds for these two colts, let’s examine how they won the Wood Memorial and the Santa Anita Derby.
Irish War Cry looked like he was the real deal until he threw in a clinker in the Fountain of Youth. It confused his trainer Graham Motion, who won the Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom in 2011. Motion gave him another shot in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and it worked.
Todd Pletcher’s student Battalion Runner made the lead and ran well to be second. Irish War Cry
was strung out three wide on the first turn and basically sat an ideal 2-hole trip. He was just off the leader turning for home and won by three and a half lengths.
Irish War Cry finished 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.91 and was striding out easily at the end. Since 2009, there have been six Wood Memorial winners that ran faster than Irish War Cry.
He improved his record to four wins from five starts, for earnings of nearly $700,000. Motion decided to change riders for Irish War Cry and Rajiv Maragh was aloft for the first time. The jockey was impressed, Maragh: “He was sharp into the first turn. There was a little pace in front of him, which is what we were hoping for to get in a good tracking positon. He was always in a smooth rhythm. He relaxed easily. He did everything I wanted him to do without a lot of effort. He did it all in rhythm. He wasn’t rank at all. He settled beautifully.”
Being from the Garden State, I am a bit biased toward Irish War Cry became he is a New Jersey bred like me. He will be looking to join Regret in 1915 and Cavalcade in 1934 as just the third New Jersey-bred to win the Kentucky Derby.
The truth of the matter is that Irish War Cry will be looking at a ton of speed in the Kentucky Derby and he will have to dig deep to repeat.
Just by the size of the field, 13, the Santa Anita Derby was by definition wide-open. Iliad was the tepid favorite at 3-1. His game is speed and he didn’t break sharply and was immediately toast.
Gormley showed that he could relax a bit off the pace and settle and pass horses. Tactical speed is a thing that is mandatory to win the Kentucky Derby. He raced four wide early and his courage was on display for all to see.
Gormley was ridden by three-time Kentucky Derby winner Victor Espinoza. The runner had an ideal trip as he tracked the pacesetters and won gamely by just under a length. The colt got a very nice set up in the race as Battle of Midway carved out splits of :22.66, :46.55 and 1:10.92. That allowed Gormley to get the right kind of pace to rally into in time. He got the 9 furlongs in 1:51.16. That is the slowest Santa Anita Derby since Sir William won the race in 1957.
That fact pretty much tells the entire story. It appears Gormley will have to improve in leaps and bounds in order to make much noise in the Kentucky Derby.
Gormley is owned by Jerry and Ann Moss. Jerry is best known as the co-founder of A and M Records as he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He not only owns the winner of the Santa Anita Derby but the third finisher Royal Mo.
One of the best things that Gormley and Royal Mo have going for them is their trainer, John Shirreffs. The conditioner teamed up with Moss to win the Kentucky Derby with Giacomo in 2005. Shirreffs also trained super horse and Horse of the Year Zenyatta.
Royal Mo was in trouble before the race began because he drew post 13. Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens was aloft Royal Mo and he was positive after the race, Stevens: “It was a tremendous effort. I got over to the three path by the time we hit the turn, and it takes a hell of an athlete to be able to do that. He’s got an unbelievable high cruising speed. We didn’t come home that fast but nobody else did, either. Royal Mo reminded me a lot of Silver Charm. He’s got fight.”
Gormley is by Malibu Moon, who won one sprint in his career. Royal Mo and Battle of Midway are sired by proven Grade 1 winners routing. Battle of Midway’s dam won the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes. Royal Mo’s dam was a non-winner and Gormley’s dam won 5 times, all on grass. None of the siblings from these runners have been very impressive on the racetrack.
Gormley locked himself into a start in the Kentucky Derby. He has 125 points at this time, second to Girvin’s 150. Battle of Midway now sits 16th in the point standings with 40 while Royal Mo could need some help to reach the starting gate at Churchill Downs. He has 30 points.
For the runners that have passed the spring tests and have put themselves in position to start in the Kentucky Derby, now is a dangerous time. There is less than a month left until the Kentucky Derby will be staged and the connections of these runners will be anxious. The trainers will have to decide to either stay at the home training base, or head to Churchill Downs early. Those that get to Churchill could have an edge as they can acclimate to the surface but that is also a slippery slope.
The surface at Churchill Downs is quite different and unique. Some horses just thrive on the deeper track; some get lost in the process. Bettors have to be extremely aware how these Kentucky Derby contenders work over the Churchill surface in the days leading to the race.
There will be numerous workout reports and they are essential for handicappers to get a good feel of what is likely to unfold.
