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KENTUCKY DERBY REPORT JANUARY 27, 2010 by James Scully Eight of the nine runners brought stakes experience into Saturday's Holy Bull S. (G3), but WINSLOW HOMER (Unbridled's Song) upstaged his more seasoned rivals with a visually impressive victory that bodes well for his Kentucky Derby (G1) prospects. The weekend's other graded prep, Saturday's Lecomte S. (G3) at Fair Grounds, was won from out of nowhere by the late-running RON THE GREEK (Full Mandate), who was making his first start since finishing fourth in the Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park in mid-December. Runner-up MAXIMUS RULER (Roman Ruler) came up a bit short in his stakes debut, but he flattered himself in defeat. Holy Bull Winslow Homer made his stakes debut in the Holy Bull with only three starts to his credit, but he was well-regarded despite the limited credentials, leaving the starting gate as the 7-2 co-second choice in the wagering. The Tony Dutrow-trained colt received a 106 BRIS Speed in his previous start, a 12 1/2-length allowance romp at Philadelphia Park, and bettors were willing to gamble on his stakes potential. After rating a couple of lengths off a hot pace and finding a seam to split rivals at the top of the stretch, Winslow Homer surged to the lead and out-finished JACKSON BEND (Hear No Evil) in the final furlong, winning by three parts of a length under Ramon Dominguez. The gray didn't come home very quickly and netted only a 95 BRIS Speed rating for his effort, but he looks ready to excel off this promising performance. Winslow Homer is a long-striding individual who made his first two starts sprinting. When he stretched out to two turns for the first time at Philly Park, he thrived with the added ground. The one-mile Holy Bull was around only one turn, so it didn't play to his strengths, and he figures to be much better at longer distances. It was also an important class test for him on Saturday. Winslow Homer broke his maiden at Saratoga, but it came over a scratch-depleted field in an off-the-turf race. And he defeated a questionable group at Philly Park on November 20. The Kentucky-bred signaled that he's ready for primetime in the Holy Bull, and he's going to be one of the favorites in the 1 1/8-mile Fountain of Youth (G2) on February 20. Jackson Bend will get the opportunity for a rematch in the Fountain of Youth, and he's eligible to move forward significantly off the Holy Bull. Making his first start for Nick Zito, the smallish colt was caught up in the torrid pace battle from the start, racing wide down the backstretch through splits in :23 4/5 and :45 3/5, and lost ground the entire way from his far outside post. It appeared momentarily that Winslow Homer was going to accelerate away when he struck the front in midstretch, but Jackson Bend dug down courageously and battled his perfect-trip opponent all the way to the wire, finishing 3 1/4 lengths clear of third-placer WILLIAM'S KITTEN (Kitten's Joy). The chestnut didn't deliver the win as the 8-5 favorite, but his connections had every reason to be excited. A four-time stakes winner at two, Jackson Bend doesn't own the mouth-watering pedigree for the Derby of a Winslow Homer, but I thought his best juvenile performance came in his lone two-turn effort, a 2 3/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality division of the Florida Stallion series. His damsire, Tabasco Cat, captured two legs of the Triple Crown, and sire Hear No Evil was a stakes winner at 1 1/8 miles, so nine furlongs should easily be within his scope. Jackson Bend will be tighter for his next appearance and looms as a major player in upcoming Kentucky Derby prep races. William's Kitten rallied late to be a non-threatening third, similar to his runner-up effort behind Super Saver (Maria's Mon) in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2), and he's still very light in the Speed figure department. However, the one-run closer has compiled nearly $60,000 in graded earnings so far, so he's getting close to assuring himself a spot in the Derby starting gate. Multiple Grade 1-placed AIKENITE (Yes It's True) turned in a disappointing sixth-placed effort after unexpectedly dueling on the early pace. A confirmed late runner in his three previous stakes attempts, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt can be excused for this effort, but there are still doubts about his overall quality on dirt. His best previous start came over Polytrack in the Breeders' Futurity (G1). Lecomte Ron the Greek wasn't in the picture turning for home in the one-mile and 40-yard Lecomte, but he closed with a rush to get the money, erasing a deficit of more than a 10 lengths in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths beneath James Graham. The stirring late rally netted him a whopping 122 BRIS Late Pace figure, as well a career-best 98 BRIS Speed rating. Little was expected from the Tom Amoss runner following a mostly nondescript juvenile campaign that consisted of a debut maiden special weight victory at Hoosier Park in mid-October; an allowance victory at Delta Downs a month later; and a non-threatening fourth in the aforementioned one-mile stakes race at Remington Park. After making up a lot of ground from off the pace in those starts, the bay colt took his game to another level in the Lecomte, but there are legitimate concerns about his ability to replicate the late-running theatrics in future engagements. Ron the Greek nonetheless put himself into the equation as a top contender for the Risen Star S. (G3) on February 20. Maximus Ruler, who rallied from off the pace in his first two career starts last fall, broke running from his rail post and surprisingly led the field into the first turn, establishing early splits (:23 2/5 and :46 4/5) that were too fast to sustain going two turns over the New Orleans track on Saturday. The pacesetter got a little rubber-legged in deep stretch, but he performed very admirably to hold second, a half-length better than the late-running LETSGETITONMON (Maria's Mon). It's easy to tout the runner-up off his performance. After missing by only a head with a stirring late run in his career debut, a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs on November 14, Maximus Ruler wheeled back two weeks later with a dominant win over allowance rivals going a one-turn mile. The word was out for his stakes and two-turn debut in the Lecomte, as he opened up at 6-5 before drifting up to the 2-1 choice, but his supporters weren't counting on the bizarre ride from Francisco Torres, who seemingly took the dark bay out of his game with the switch in tactics. The well-built colt had every right to throw in the towel with a host of challengers lining up behind him at the top of the stretch, but he gave every ounce that he had and will likely benefit greatly from the experience. Look for a stalking trip next time from Maximus Ruler. Letsgetitonmon raced primarily on synthetics and turf last year for Steve Asmussen, but he's turned in a couple of encouraging efforts on dirt at Fair Grounds this season, registering BRIS Late Pace numbers of 113 and 112, and is bred to run all day. He can't be viewed as a serious prospect yet, but the gray colt is making good progress and looks like a potential dark horse for his savvy conditioner. Upcoming No prep races of significance will be offered this weekend. The February 6 Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) at Santa Anita is the next important event on the schedule.
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