Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Divisidero, Beach Patrol may meet again in Manhattan
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Divisidero and Beach Patrol, the one-two finishers in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Saturday at Churchill Downs, could be rematched five weeks hence in the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan on the June 10 Belmont Stakes undercard.
Trainer Buff Bradley said a next start hasn’t yet been discussed for Divisidero, but the Manhattan followed his victory in the 2016 Turf Classic and seems like the most logical next spot. With his Turf Classic repeat, Divisidero became just the third horse to win back-toback runnings of the traditional Kentucky Derby lead-in race, following Einstein (2008-09) and Wise Dan (2013-14).
Perhaps more remarkable is that Divisidero now has won graded stakes on Derby Day in three straight years. He captured the Grade 2 American Turf as a 3-year-old in 2015.
“Derby Day has been very good to us,” said Bradley. “He came out of the race well, and we’ll make a decision before too long.”
Divisidero, owned by the Gunpowder Farms LLC of Tom Keithley, now has earned $1,047,950 to become the third millionaire trained by Bradley, following Brass Hat ($2.17 million) and two-time Eclipse champion Groupie Doll ($2.65 million).
Beach Patrol, trained by Chad Brown, gave Divisidero all he could handle, making all the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Turf Classic before being defeated a halflength.
“The horse that won ran the best race,” said Brown. “He ran terrific, and our horse ran great, too.”
In other Derby weekend fallout:
◗ Brown has not yet committed Humana Distaff winner Paulassilverlining to a next start after the 5-year-old mare ran her record to 2 for 2 – both in Grade 1 races – since being purchased by Juddmonte Farms. Finest City, beaten just a neck as the Humana runnerup, was among the horses flown back Monday to California.
◗ Brown won back-to-back races on the Derby undercard when Roca Rojo edged past Believe in Bertie in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile. The Grade 1 Just a Game on the Belmont undercard is a logical next spot for Roca Rojo, a 5-year-old Irishbred mare owned by a threeway partnership, while trainer Brad Cox said the Mint Julep at Churchill the same day is probably next for Believe in Bertie.
◗ Wild Shot, the four-length winner of the Pat Day Mile for Calumet Farm, could shorten up to seven furlongs for the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on the Belmont undercard, said trainer Rusty Arnold. “He showed how good he can be going one turn,” he added.
◗ Arklow, a 15-1 winner of the Grade 2 American Turf, likely will use the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge on June 3 at Belmont as a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 8, said Cox.
◗ The connections of Limousine Liberal – owner and breeder K.K. Ball and trainer Ben Colebrook – are considering the June 3 Aristides at Churchill or the June 9 True North at Belmont as their next option after the 5-year-old gelding narrowly held off Awesome Slew in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs.
◗ Trainer Tom Amoss said Monday he is unsure of what’s next for Big World, the wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 1 La Troienne. The Louisiana-bred filly had been competing against lesser competition, and Amoss said he and owner Maggi Moss decided “it was time to see if she could step up and compete against some really good ones.”
◗ Bird Song, the winner of the Grade 2 Alysheba, will be pointed by trainer Ian Wilkes to the Stephen Foster Handicap here June 17. That Grade 1 race at 1 1/8 miles is the likely comeback spot for Gun Runner, who was second to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup in his most recent race.
◗ Cox said Green Mask, the winner of the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint for Abdullah Saeed Almaddah, will be aimed at the Grade 3 Jaipur, a sixfurlong turf race on the Belmont undercard. So, too, will Why Two, third off a lengthy layoff for trainer Mike Machowsky.
◗ Benner Island, who held off the onrushing Union Strike to win the Grade 2 Eight Belles, likely goes next in the Grade 1 Acorn on the Belmont undercard, said Cox.
◗ Mark Casse will try to keep La Coronel and Dream Dancing separated for the foreseeable future after the John Oxley turf fillies ran one-two in the Grade 3 Edgewood.