Our Moneyman brings Calhoun back to Pennsylvania Derby
Thursday’s Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion News involving Kentucky-connected horses. Written by the PaDerby notes team (Tim Wilkin photo above of Our Moneyman after his arrival at Parx)
On Kentucky HBPA Youtube: Our Moneyman and Bret Calhoun
Bret Calhoun put Our Moneyman on the van to make the 114-mile trek from Louisville, Kentucky, to Shelbyville, Indiana, feeling good about his chances in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby in July.
The Louisiana-bred son of Mr. Money went to Horseshoe Indianapolis with eight starts under his belt and three wins and four seconds. He went to post as the third choice in the field of six, at 7-2, behind the odds-on Brad Cox-trainee Leading Change.
“I thought he was a very legitimate horse going into the Indiana Derby,” Calhoun said. “We were in there against Leading Change, and I knew what Brad thought of him.”
Our Moneyman wound up second to Leading Change, beaten only a neck after enduring a rough start, his jockey losing his whip and making a late rally.
“Obviously, he’s a very good horse,” Calhoun said of the eventual Travers winner Leading Change. “But that day, I was the best horse.”
Calhoun hopes that Our Moneyman, who has since changed ownership and made another journey from Churchill Downs, proves best without any trouble in Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Our Moneyman takes on 10 foes in the 9-furlong Pennsylvania Derby as the co-fourth choice at 8-1.
Our Moneyman drew post three for the Pennsylvania Derby and picks up the services of Manny Franco for Saturday’s race. Calhoun looks for a clean break and less drama at the start Saturday, something Our Moneyman didn’t get in three of his career defeats going back to his 2-year-old season.
“I do think the break cost me the race,” Calhoun said Thursday morning outside Our Moneyman’s stall on the Parx backstretch. “I thought I was probably the best horse that day. That being said, it was Brad’s horse’s second race of his life. I’m not saying I’ll ever be as good as him. He goes on to win the Travers, but he did flatter us winning the Travers.
“When you’re going to run against top horses, you can’t have anything go wrong. You can’t really overcome a lot to beat the top ones. You have to have a pretty good trip. I think if he gets a clean trip here, yes, I think he’s got a real big chance.”
Our Moneyman arrived at Parx early Thursday and will make his first trip to the track Friday morning. He’ll look to not only win his first graded stakes, but a Grade 1 after finishing second in the Grade 3 Matt Winn behind Pennsylvania Derby morning-line favorite Further Ado and in the Indiana Derby.
Calhoun also hopes for a better outcome in this year’s Pennsylvania Derby than his last appearance in the race. Mr. Money finished second in the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby, beaten a nose on the wire by 30-1 longshot Math Wizard after setting the pace.
Mr. Money raced for Chester Thomas’ Allied Racing Stable, which stands the son of Goldencents at Clear Creek Stud in Louisiana. Allied also bred Our Moneyman and raced the colt before selling him for $2 million in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July horses of racing age sale.
The Saudi-based KAS Stable, through agent Pedro Lanz, purchased Our Moneyman at the Fasig-Tipton sale and kept the colt with Calhoun with long-range plans to possibly make a run at the $20 million Saudi Cup in February.
“It’s an invitational race; you need to win a Grade 1, or you have to win the (local) prep,” Calhoun said. “They’re competitive people. You can tell right away. To them, it’s about competition. When you get to the Saudi Cup … it’s about competing and trying to beat each other. So, I told them, ‘look, this race here suits all your needs.’ We looked at the Travers. There was a lot of depth in the Travers. I know we fit there and we stacked up well in there. But if you think you need a Grade 1 to get in there, (the Pennsylvania Derby) is a good way to get there, too. This is a good field and there are good horses in here, but there might not be five of them that you have to beat.”
– Tom Law
Pennsylvania Derby favorite Further Ado takes first spin at Parx
Further Ado, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 betPARX Pennsylvania Derby, got his first look at the Parx Racing main track Thursday morning and it did not go without a minor incident.
After arriving Wednesday night, Further Ado, accompanied by a pony, jogged once around the track just after 8 a.m. Thursday. Just before getting off the track, a loose horse bolted on by Further Ado, who paid the intruder no mind.
“He is a very cool horse, he doesn’t get worked up over much,” Blake Cox, assistant to his father, Brad Cox. “It scared me, but not him.”
Further Ado comes into the Parx race off a fifth in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes as the favorite. He was defeated by 5 3/4 lengths by Baby Vino.
“It was probably not the greatest trip for him,” Blake Cox said. “He was hustled out of there and he tried to keep up with the horse (Napoleon Solo) that was second that day. We are drawing a line though that and hope he can rebound on Saturday.”
Further Ado has won four of his nine career starts, all the wins in Kentucky. He won the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs June 7 – defeating Pennsylvania Derby rival Our Moneyman by 2 lengths – and had a rousing 11-length win in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland April 4.
He also won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs by 1 3/4 lengths last November as a 2-year-old after breaking his maiden by 20 lengths at Keeneland in October.
“He has shown signs of brilliance and has shown some races where we could not come up with any excuses,” Blake Cox said. “Some might say he is inconsistent, but he is a Grade 1 winner and a very nice horse, one that we love to train. And we’re thankful for (owner) Spendthrift (Farm) sending him to us.”
Further Ado will be ridden in the Pennsylvania Derby by Flavien Prat and will start from post seven.
– Tim Wilkin
Team Delgado hopes The Puma sings sweet tune in PA Derby
Behind every horse’s name, there is a story.
Here is The Puma’s story.
The 3-year-old colt, the 4-1 second choice in Saturday’s betPARX $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, has a unique moniker.
He is named for his trainer, Gustavo Delgado.
Delgado is a big fan of perhaps the most popular singer in his homeland of Venezuela, Jose Luis Rodriguez. Some say he is the Frank Sinatra of Venezuela.
The nickname of Rodriguez is El Puma. The singer, now 83, was also known for his thick, wavy white head of hair. Same is true for Delgado, who has also been called “The Puma.”
It was inevitable that one day a horse would be named for the singer and the trainer. That day is here.
“Back in the day, (Rodriguez) was the guy,” Gustavo Delgado Jr., son and assistant to his father, said. “He is kind of like Julio Iglesias. The Puma. That is what we call my dad.”
The Puma, the horse, is owned by OGMA Investments, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, YNG Stables and JR Ranch. He was last seen finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes August 29 at Saratoga Race Course. He has started six times in his career – all as a 3-year-old – and has one win, two seconds and a third.
His lone win came in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby March 7. The Puma also finished second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park March 28, losing by a neck to Commandment. He was scratched the morning of the Kentucky Derby when an apparent skin infection caused some swelling in a leg.
– Tim Wilkin
Pletcher looks for Zany to return to juvenile form in Cotillion
At the start, the expectations were heading skyward for Zany, who showed nothing but brilliance early in her career.
The daughter of American Pharoah blasted onto the scene as a 2-year-old, blitzing her competition in two starts. Her first runs produced two dominating wins.
A debut win by 6 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park November 2 started things off. Then, straight to a graded stakes and another laugher, an 8 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 2 Demoiselle December 6 at Aqueduct.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher thought the filly might be on the same trajectory as some of his other leading distaffers like Ashado, Rags to Riches and Malathaat, just to name a few.
The 3-year-old season has not been so good for Zany compared to how she started. Pletcher now hopes Mike Repole’s filly can restart her career in Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.
Zany has started four times so far this year and has one win, that coming in her first start, the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Since then, crickets.
A second in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland, a sixth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks (as the lukewarm 5-1 favorite) and then a fourth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.
And a lot of head scratching from Pletcher.
“Yes, I feel like she has,” Pletcher said when asked if Zany has underachieved. “Anytime you have one that you think has a chance to win some of those races and doesn’t, it’s disappointing.”
Pletcher can’t pinpoint what has happened to Zany since her sizzling start, but he knows how good she was early on. He expected big things this year. How big?
“I was expecting her to be an undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner,” Pletcher said. “I thought that was possible.”
Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez will ride Zany for the second time in the Cotillion. He rode her to a fourth in the Coaching Club American Oaks.
Pletcher said there was nothing wrong with the filly physically, she trained the right way and he knows the talent is there.
“When you win the Demoiselle by 8 lengths in your second start; that is pretty hard to do,” Pletcher said. “We’re hoping she gets back to her best. Hopefully, she will round back into her better form.”
– Tim Wilkin
