GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Instant Replay likely has more derby starts in his future after winning his second consecutive stakes race last Monday in the $300,000 Texas Derby at Lone Star Park.
Trainer Brad Cox said Thursday that Instant Replay has emerged from the race in excellent condition and options for his next start include the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis and the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. Both races will be run over 1 1/16 miles on July 5.
Instant Replay, who is based at Churchill Downs, won at that distance in the Texas Derby. He stalked the pace, angled out in the stretch, and accelerated late for a one-length win in the slop. Instant Replay equaled his best career Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
“He ran well, broke from the inside, handled the mud,” Cox said. “He trained really well leading up to the race – a little bit of the unknown shipping and then you come up with a wet racetrack, but I thought it was a very nice effort. He shipped back to Churchill and he looks really good out of the race and that’s a positive moving forward.
“We’re pleased with how he’s improved throughout the winter and into the spring.”
Instant Replay won a first-level allowance by five lengths in February at Fair Grounds, then came back and ran third in the track’s Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. From there, he won the Bathhouse Row Stakes over 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn ahead of the Texas Derby. Cox said plans are still being determined for Instant Replay.
“I’m not certain” what’s next, he said. “I think races like the Indiana Derby, Iowa Derby, those are races that probably make sense for him. And you know, the West Virginia Derby down the line. I like him at a mile and an eighth. He likes the distance.”
Itsmybirthday finished second in the Texas Derby and pacesetter Take Charge Tom was third, with both horses from the barn of trainer Robertino Diodoro. He said plans are to be determined, but that both of them would probably be considered for the Iowa Derby.
“I thought both horses ran really well and got beat by a pretty nice horse,” Diodoro said. “After the fact, I would have liked to have rerun the race on a dry track, especially for Take Charge Tom. He handled it okay, but I’m not 100 percent sure that he really loved the track. Again, I thought they both ran really well.”
Take Charge Tom came into the Texas Derby off a win in the Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park, while Itsmybirthday was a romping winner of an allowance at Lone Star.
The Texas Derby was one of six stakes last Monday at Lone Star.
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