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Dominican edges Street Sense in Blue Grass

Dominican (outside) was just a nose in front of Street Sense (inside) in the Blue Grass (Matt Wooley/Horsephotos.com) Silverton Hill's DOMINICAN (El Corredor) stamped his Kentucky Derby (G1) ticket with a stirring victory in Saturday's $750,000 Blue Grass S. (G1), closing fast to catch champion and even-money favorite Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]) in the final strides by a nose. Held for the first time over Keeneland's Polytrack, the key Derby prep featured a thrilling conclusion, with the top four finishers being separated by less than a half-length. The Darrin Miller-trained winner passed four rivals in deep stretch to secure his first graded win. Teuflesberg (Johannesburg) quickly flashed to the front and opened a clear lead into the first turn, establishing tepid opening splits of :26, :51 2/5 and 1:16 3/5 with Zanjero (Cherokee Run) and Great Hunter (Aptitude) tracking him. Street Sense raced in fourth, a few lengths off the pace during the opening half-mile, with Dominican another length back in fifth. Teuflesberg continued to show the way into the stretch, passing the mile mark in 1:39 4/5, but the action was getting fast and furious around him, with Great Hunter to his immediate outside and Zanjero to his inside on the fence. Street Sense loomed very large at this point as he began to pick up his rivals, lugging in momentarily while at least seven wide under Calvin Borel before surging to the lead. After briefly ducking in behind the top four in the stretch drive, Dominican was guided back out by Rafael Bejarano and boldly advanced on the far outside to get up with a desperate rush, finishing off 1 1/8 miles in 1:51 1/5. The photo finish provided the chestnut gelding with his first graded win, and Dominican paid $18, $5.60 and $3.80 to his supporters as the 8-1 fourth choice. "I knew number four (Street Sense) was going to be tough, so I tried to stay right behind him and wait," Bejarano said. "When I saw him moving at the quarter-pole, I moved to the outside. My horse just gave me everything he had to win."

Street Sense, who bumped with Great Hunter a couple of times in the stretch, gave back $3.40 and $2.60. It was a head back to the 7-1 Zanjero, who grabbed a brief lead between calls in the stretch before finishing a game third and returning $3.60. Teuflesberg got a little tired and drifted out late, but he missed third by only a head at 10-1. Next under the wire came 9-5 second choice Great Hunter, who checked in deep stretch when Teuflesberg drifted out, Time Squared (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Love Dubai (E Dubai). The exotics totaled $54.60 (exacta), $225.80 (trifecta) and $892.80 (2-4-1-6 superfecta).

Bred in the Bluegrass State by Barak Farm, Dominican passed through the sales ring twice as a yearling, bringing $37,000 at the 2005 Keeneland January sale and $70,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October sale, before being acquired by his current connections for $150,000 at last year's OBS March two-year-old sale. He is the second registered foal out of the stakes-placed First Violin (Dixieland Band).

Dominican finished fourth in the Arlington-Washington Breeders' Futurity (G3) while still a maiden and concluded his juvenile season with a third in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2). He got sick over the winter and didn't make his three-year-old debut until the March 24 Rushaway S. at Turfway Park, winning the 1 1/16-mile event by five lengths.

"We needed to test him," Miller said. "We wanted to go to the Derby, and we needed to see if he could hook them."

Dominican proved that he belongs in the Kentucky Derby. And Street Sense, who posted a record 10-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs, will be one of the favorites off his Blue Grass effort.

"He ducked in a couple of times in the lane," Borel said. "There was no pace in the race. I had him (close to) the lead turning for home because of it. I had to put him there. I had no choice. They were crawling up front. We're learning with him every day. We ran a winning race."

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