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Carpe Diem outclasses Tampa Bay Derby foes
Just as Divining Rod put away his pace rival, the foreboding presence of Carpe Diem was bearing down upon him. Although the front runner tried to mount a resistance, Carpe Diem was just too strong as he cleared away by five lengths and returned $4 to his fans. He earned 50 more points toward the Kentucky Derby, bringing his total up to 64. "He was very fresh warming up and when they finally got him into the gate and I got on, he settled down," Velazquez said, referring to Carpe Diem's initial reluctance to load into the gate. "We broke very well and I took a position just where I wanted to be, right behind the leaders. He rated very well and I was able to wait with him until nearing the stretch. When I asked, he came away very nicely." "We couldn't be more pleased," Pletcher said. "Johnny put him in a perfect position and he really kicked on at the top of the stretch. It was exactly what we were hoping for. "He has a history of that, a little, and we will continue to work to try to get that corrected," the trainer added regarded his gate behavior. "He has a lot of (sire) Giant's Causeway and (grandsire) Storm Cat about him; that's what makes him good. We're delighted with the way he ran today." WinStar's Kenny Troutt was elated. "I tell you what, he just took off down the lane," Troutt said. "I was really shocked and so was Elliott. He kept yelling 'Slow down, slow down,' because he didn't want to use him up." Ami's Flatter (Flatter) closed for second, 2 1/2 lengths to the good of the tiring Divining Rod. A further five lengths astern came recent maiden winner Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon), trailed by Great Stuff (Quality Road), Moonlight Bandit (Malibu Moon), Ocean Knight and My Johnny Be Good. Souper Colossal (War Front) was scratched with a fever. Carpe Diem has now bankrolled $919,800 from his 4-3-1-0 line. He first attracted attention with a smart debut victory sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga September 1. The runner-up that day, Ready for Rye (City Zip), just captured Saturday's Swale S. (G2). Bred by Coffee Pot Stables in Kentucky, Carpe Diem was the co-topper at last year's OBS March Sale when commanding $1.6 million. He is a half-brother to another Breeders' Futurity winner in J. B.'s Thunder (Thunder Gulch), who took the Keeneland feature in 2010, and another prominent half-sibling is multiple English stakes victor and Group 3-placed Doncaster Rover (War Chant). They are all out of Grade 2-placed stakes queen Rebridled Dreams (Unbridled's Song). "When they leave their two-year-old season behind, you hope they come out like he did," Walden said. "Everyone who has watched him train said he has been training better than any horse in Florida, and it's nice to see him put it together like that. He is just a natural athlete and has a great rhythm to him. "We missed (buying) him as a yearling, but thankfully John (Moynihan, representative for Stonestreet Stables) and I got together on him as a two-year-old." Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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