Sunland Derby: Well Timed Win for Daddy Nose Best
Daddy Nose Best caught hometown favorite Isn't He Clever, under a well timed ride by Julien Leparoux to capture the $800,000 Grade III Sunland Derby at Sunland Park.
Trained by Steven Asmussen, Daddy Nose Best passed the dirt test, as he won his first race on dirt after dedicating his previous seven races on turf or synthetic. His first two races were on dirt but he hadn't shown much on any of them.
Sent off as the third betting choice, Daddy Nose Best (3.70:1) benefited from a scorching pace set by the favorite, Castaway (1.70:1) and Ender Knivel (3.00:1).
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At the start of the race Ender Knivel and Castaway were urged to the lead and set a frantic pace duel that saw them take the first quarter mile in a sprint-like fractional of :22.48.
Jockeys John Velazquez (Ender Knivel) and Rafael Bejarano (Castaway) tried to slow down the pace for the half mile (:46.24), but the damaged had already been done.
Isn't He Clever was placed fourth on a beautiful stalking position by jockey Luis Contreras. Meanwhile, Leparoux had taken Daddy Nose Best back to a comfortable sixth place once he identified the early fast pace.
As they approached the three-quarter mile pole, Isn't He Clever started to make his move and took the lead on the outside of the weakening pace setters. But this early move might have cost him the win on the race.
Daddy Nose Best was advancing running fourth but still well in-hand, waiting for the perfect time to make his final move.
As they turned for home, Isn't He Clever looked like he would pull away from the field, but Leparoux then made Daddy Nose Best change hands and he unleashed his mad dash to the finish.
He caught Isn't He Clever with half-a-furlong to go and bested him by three-quarters length. It was seven lengths back to third place finisher Stirred Up.
Carl Lewis once said: "Life is about timing."
Well, that could not be more true for this race. This was a Swiss clockwork-like ride by Leparoux, who identified the fast pace, bid his time and made the move at exactly the right time.
On my preview for the race I had said that this was going to be a tactical race where the jockeys' strategy will impact the outcome of the race. And that was clearly on display on this race.
What I got wrong was picking Isn't He Clever to win the race and not selecting Daddy Nose Best because of his lack of success on dirt.
Isn't He Clever might have lost because of a bad timed move, or because he failed to switch hands on the stretch.
But Daddy Nose Best ran hard and showed he can handle the distance (1-1/8 miles) without any problems. It's the second consecutive win at the distance, and should do fine with added distance in the Derby.
Daddy Nose Best has entered the Kentucky Derby picture on a big way with this win. He not only had a superb ride today, his final time (1:48.59) was short of the track record by only :0.39 seconds.
The son of Scat Daddy has assured his spot in the Kentucky Derby with the $400,000 purse that goes to the winner. What will be interesting to see is which Derby horse Leparoux will choose, Daddy Nose Best, or the early favorite Union Rags.
Union Rags will be running this Saturday on the Florida Derby and we will know the answer to that question soon after that.
As for Isn't He Clever, the $176,000 purse for his second place places him, for the moment, 15th on the Derby graded earnings list. But as of today, he was not present on the 2012 nominations list for the Kentucky Derby.
The second closing's deadline to nominate was on Saturday March 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET. It remains unclear which are the plans that perennial Sunland leading trainer Henry Dominguez, has with the colt.
One thing is sure though, you have to add Daddy Nose Best to the list of contenders for the first Saturday in May.
| Sunland Derby | Grade III | Purse: $800,000 | Distance: 1-1/8 Miles |
| 6 | Daddy Nose Best | Julien R. Leparoux | 9.40 | 4.20 | 2.80 |
| 4 | Isn't He Clever | Luis Contreras | 4.20 | 3.20 | |
| 3 | Stirred Up | Martin Garcia | 3.40 | ||
| Also ran: 5 - No Spin , 2 - Ender Knievel , 7 - Tequila Factor , 1 - Castaway , 8 - Justanoldsong | |||||
Fractional Times: :22.48, :46.24; 1:10.83, 1:35.90 Final Time: 1:48.59
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