Weekend upsets muddy Derby trail
The road to Kentucky was jolted by upsets last weekend, as El Areeb and Irish War Cry went down to defeat in important stakes races.
Both have been prominent on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, and both entered the starting gate as heavy favorites, with El Areeb at 2-5 in the Gotham and Irish War Cry at even money in the Fountain of Youth.
El Areeb, seeking his fifth straight victory, appeared to tower over his rivals in the $300,000 Gotham on the inner dirt track at Aqueduct, where he had dominated the Jerome and Withers in his last two starts.
One of those was J Boys Echo,
returning for another chance at El Areeb after finishing third, beaten five lengths, in the Withers.
Aided by two important factors, J Boys Echo turned the tables in the Gotham and returned $14.80 to win in the race at 1 1/16 miles.
In the Withers, he had drawn post ten, while in the Gotham he drew the inside, a more favorable situation going two turns on the inner dirt.
Secondly, El Areeb was hounded in a pressured pace scenario, first by True Timber and then by Cloud Computing, allowing the stretch running J Boys Echo to win by 3 ½ lengths.
Cloud Computing, who won his career debut going 6 furlongs at Aqueduct just 21 days earlier, finished second, while a tired El Areeb was third.
The final leg of the Aqueduct route to the classics is the $750,000 Wood Memorial at 1 1/8 miles on the main track on April 8.
In the $400,000 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park in Florida, Gunnevera won by nearly six lengths with an explosive stretch kick in the race at 1 1/16 miles.
He reversed his earlier loss to Irish War Cry in the Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 4, in which he was second by nearly four lengths.
Irish War Cry appeared to have no excuse at all, getting a perfect stalking trip behind Three Rules before coming up empty entering the stretch turn.
He failed to hit the board while seeking to remain unbeaten in four starts.
Practical Joke, winner of the Hopeful Stakes last summer at Saratoga, turned in a solid performance in his seasonal debut to be second, with Three Rules getting third money.
Gunnevera returned $10.40 and sent his earnings past the $1 million mark.
Not bad for a colt who went through the Keeneland sales ring for just $16,000 in 2015.
Gunnevera won the Saratoga Special last summer, and later won the rich Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs, Louisiana, for his final start as a juvenile.
The Saratoga Special, inaugurated in 1901 as part of the Whitney Revival of Saratoga Race Course, has been won by giants such as Colin (1907), Roamer (1913), Regret (1914), Blue Larkspur (1928), Top Flight (1931), Bimelech (1939), Whirlaway (1940), and Native Dancer (1952). All are in the Hall of Fame.
The Saratoga Special has come alive in recent years with respect to the classics, with Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags winning in 2011 and Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator taking the 2015 renewal.
Whether the trend continues remains to be seen.
In any case, Gunnevera and J Boys Echo joined Girvin, winner of the Risen Star Stakes in an upset two weeks ago over favorites Guest Suite and Mo Town, as new players on the everchanging road to the Triple Crown of 2017.