The champ is back
Classic Empire let it be known last weekend that he is ready to defend his crown.
The Eclipse Award champion of 2016 waited until the last possible moment, but when he did he brought a significant close to the Triple Crown prep season of 2017.
When he ended his 2-year-old campaign with consecutive Grade 1 wins in the Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Classic, he became a unanimous selection among the voters as champion.
At that juncture, Classic Empire looked like a solid Kentucky Derby favorite.
Instead, the following 161 days, from the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup to last Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, were unproductive for the classy colt.
He made only one start, a dull third in the Holy Bull Stakes behind Irish War Cry and Gunnevera on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park.
Classic Empire came out of that race with a foot abscess, which was then followed by muscular issues in his back.
Things got so bad he refused to train, a scary warning sign from a talented young 3-yearold that normally would be eager to work.
His professional victory in the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park is testament to the patience of owner John C. Oxley and superb skill of trainer Mark Casse.
Classic Empire stumbled slightly at the break, had to wait patiently while racing mid-pack down the backstretch, moved four-wide on the stretch turn, and then wore down the frontrunners to win by a half-length.
In winning the Grade 1 race at 1 1/8 miles, he sent his career earnings to $2,120,220, with a record of 5-0-1 in 7 starts.
His only other loss came when he wheeled out of the gate in the Hopeful Stakes last summer at Saratoga and dumped rider Irad Ortiz Jr.
Regular rider Julien Leparoux delivered a beautiful job aboard Classic Empire in the Arkansas Derby.
When he finally got him in the clear at the top of the stretch, the colt’s quality took hold.
About 50 yards from the wire, Classic Empire seemed to know exactly what was required to win, and he surged to the lead.
I saw that kind of thing in the Whitney Handicap of 1987 from Java Gold, who surged late to defeat older runners while preparing for the Travers just 14 days later, which he won.
What impresses me most about Classic Empire’s win in the Arkansas Derby is that it represents his only productive race since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall.
The Holy Bull, in which he was favored at 1-to-2, was actually a setback for him.
As the May 6 Kentucky Derby draws near, there will be plenty of talk about whether or not Classic Empire can meet the demands of the opening leg of the Triple Crown.
With such a troublesome journey to this point, with only one real race under his belt and just 21 days between the Arkansas and Kentucky derbies, it is a fair question.
However, if there is one member of this class who can pull it off, it is Classic Empire.
He opened his career last summer with two victories at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby.
At the very end of the Derby prep season, Classic Empire delivered the goods, revealing his class when the chips were down.
He might do so again on May 6 at Churchill Downs.