The two-time Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick will be the deserved headliner in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby, but there’s another horse that trainer Chad Brown is strongly considering running who could be equally intriguing.
Hill Road, who finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his North American and dirt debut, is likely to be entered in the Tampa Derby. It would be his first start for Brown, who was sent the horse by owner Kia Joorabchian, who races under the moniker Amo Racing, following the Breeders’ Cup and some time off for bone remodeling. Brown said that Hill Road had foot issues as well.
“Worked on his feet quite a bit, they’ve come around, he’s turned inside out,” Brown said.
Hill Road has had five workouts since Feb. 1, including a half-mile in 49.20 seconds Saturday morning at Payson Park. Brown said he is under no pressure from Joorabchian, but he feels the Tampa Derby could be a good starting point.
“I did like his work quite a bit yesterday,” Brown said Sunday morning. “He’s a horse that really jumped forward yesterday. I wish I had a couple more works with him – Chancer maybe one more, Hill Road is maybe two works short. But I don’t want to be too conservative either when you’re talking about a race like the Kentucky Derby.”
Brown worked Hill Road in blinkers on Saturday. He also worked Chancer McPatrick in blinkers and confirmed that both would wear the equipment for the first time in a race.
Hill Road, trained in Ireland by Andre Murray for his first two starts on turf, came to the Breeders’ Cup with no fanfare and was sent off the second-longest shot on the board in the 10-horse field. He was last of 10 around the first turn and was still far back at the quarter pole. Despite remaining on his left lead, Hill Road got up for third by a neck over Getaway Car while finishing 4 3/4 lengths behind Citizen Bull.
“He ran a really remarkable race in the Breeders’ Cup, closing on a [speed-favoring] track,” said Brown, adding that Hill Road and the Brown-trained Sierra Leone, who won the Classic the following day, “are probably two on a very short list of horses that closed that weekend, so it was a good race.”
Tyler Gaffalione will have the riding assignment on Hill Road, Brown said, while Flavien Prat will remain on Chancer McPatrick. Prat was aboard for all of Chancer McPatrick’s races at 2, including Grade 1 wins in the Hopeful and Champagne.
Brown won last year’s Tampa Bay Derby with Domestic Product.
Others expected to run are Patch Adams, the beaten favorite in the Southwest Stakes; Owen Almighty, runner-up in the Sam F. Davis; Filoso, third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity; and Brodeur, a recent allowance winner at Oaklawn Park.
◗ Call Me Sue finished second in an Ontario-bred stakes at Woodbine last Nov. 24. Wednesday, he makes his 3-year-old and dirt debut in a starter/optional $32,500 claiming race at six furlongs. He won his career debut in a maiden/optional $25,000 claimer on synthetic last October. In between, Call Me Sue finished a trouble in a $40,000 claimer.
Meanwhile, Skyloft seeks his third consecutive victory for trainer Mike Dini in this spot. Skyloft just won this condition in front-running fashion by 2 3/4 lengths at odds of 8-1 on Feb. 7, defeating three of the same rivals he meets Wednesday.
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