Class is in as Charlatan dominates
HOT SPRINGS — Charlatan came to Oaklawn with a speed edge and will leave with all the class necessary for the next step.
Off at 2-5, Charlatan — a Bob Baffert trainee with jockey Martin Garcia aboard — took control at the start and maintained it throughout to win the first division of Grade I, $500,000 Arkansas Derby in 1:48.49 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort on Saturday.
Through three career races, Charlatan has never trailed.
Both divisions of the Arkansas Derby distributed 170 points, with 100 to the winner, 40 to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth.
Charlatan, a son of Speightstown and the maternal grandson of Quiet American, finished 6 lengths in front of second-place Basin, ridden by Ricardo Santana and trained by Steve Asmussen. Gouverneur Morris was a neck behind Basin and 3 lengths in front of fourth-place Winning Impression.
“I can say I am really lucky to ride him,” Garcia said. “Mr. Baffert and the owners had a lot of choices. They picked me. I just did my job. He just took me to the winner’s circle.”
“Charlatan, what a talent he is,” Baffert said. “He’s so fast. I just love the way he ran third out. To ship and do what he did today, only the really good ones can do that.”
Charlatan was first out of the gate and led by 2 lengths over Basin, by Liam’s Map, through an opening quarter-mile of 22.88.
Charlatan passed the halfmile in 46.08 and three-quarters in 1:09.68, but his lead was just 2 lengths over Basin.
“[Basin] was in hot pursuit the whole way,” Asmussen said. “He hung in there really well. Solid fractions. I thought Ricardo gave him every shot. He just finished second best.”
The lead was up to 41/2 lengths at the head of the stretch, but Charlatan pulled away from there.
“They told me we were smoking,” Garcia said. “I went 1:09, and we were just galloping. He did it all within himself. I felt [Basin] coming at 3/8ths, and I let Charlatan go. He just took off. That’s a sign of a really good horse.”
Just as it has been since March 13, no fans were allowed on Oaklawn’s racing grounds. Last season, 45,000 fans attended the Arkansas Derby despite heavy rainfall throughout the day. The first division of Saturday’s Derby was run in late afternoon sunshine. The temperature was 85 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Charlatan’s speed was evident from the late start of his career. The colt, a $700,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, was slow to mature, Baffert’s top assistant Jim Barnes said. As a result, he did not race as a 2-year-old but ran faster than any U.S. 3-year-old in each of his two starts prior to the Arkansas Derby.
Just as he did in the first division of the 11/8-mile Arkansas Derby, Charlatan led at every call in wins at 6 furlongs in 1:08.85 on Feb. 16 and at 1 mile in 1:36.24 on March 14. In his first attempt at the Grade I level, he again led throughout.
Charlatan and his stablemate Nadal, who won the Arkansas Derby’s second division, were kept in Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ barn at Oaklawn.
“One thing about Charlatan, he did have a good foundation under him before he ran,” Baffert said. “As for the shipping thing, Charlatan is a pro, and I can’t thank Wayne Lukas enough for helping us out with his barn during these times.”