OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It’s unclear whether Hill Road is better on turf or dirt. What is clear is the opponents he meets in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby at Aqueduct are far less accomplished than what he’s been facing most of this year.
After competing against the likes of Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza on dirt and then facing a deep group of 3-year-olds in the Grade 3 Nashville Derby five weeks ago at Kentucky Downs, Hill Road is the only graded stakes winner in this field of seven 3-year-olds in the Jockey Club Derby at 1 3/8 miles.
Hill Road won the Grade 3 Peter Pan on dirt, a result that led to him running in the Belmont Stakes, where he finished fifth behind Sovereignty, and the Jim Dandy, where he was a well-beaten third behind Sovereignty and Baeza.
Moved to the turf for the Nashville Derby at 1 5/16 miles, Hill Road traveled an inside trip to finish third, 3 3/4 lengths behind Wimbledon Hawkeye.
“He was a distant third, but I though he ran well and earned a shot in this race,” trainer Chad Brown said “He can stay a long distance.”
Hill Road, owned by Kia Joorabchian’s AMO Racing, began his career with trainer Adrian Murray in Ireland, where he made his first two starts on turf, winning a maiden before running seventh in the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes. Hill Road ended his juvenile campaign running third at 61-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on dirt.
David Egan, who rode Hill Road in his first two starts and who is the contract rider for AMO Racing, is named to ride on Saturday.
Brown also sends out Asbury Park, whom he was trying to get to the Saratoga Derby on Aug. 2 but fell behind with the colt’s preparation. Asbury Park, a son of Frankel, is coming out of a third-place finish in the listed Saranac Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 1 at Saratoga.
“I thought I’d have him further along in his development than just a few races,” Brown said. “I was trying to get him to the Saratoga Derby. I always thought he was that kind of horse, then stretch him out from there. I’m sort of skipping a step in between.”
Game Warrior, in from California for Peter Miller, ran three times in five weeks at Del Mar’s summer meet, winning the Oceanside Stakes before finishing fifth in the La Jolla and third in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby. He has not run farther than 1 1/8 miles.
Trainer Todd Pletcher entered two in here, including Noble Confessor who led throughout winning a 1 3/16-mile maiden turf race at Saratoga before finishing sixth in the Nashville Derby. Pletcher also sends out Crudo, who won the Sir Barton at Pimlico on dirt and was fourth in the Saranac, his turf debut.
Hammerhead and the maiden A Bourbon for Toby complete the field for the Jockey Club Derby, which goes as race 4 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:10 p.m.
Discovery Stakes
The undefeated Rated by Merit appears to have found a soft landing spot to make his first start in 308 days and for a new trainer when he faces four rivals in the $125,000 Discovery Stakes.
The Discovery, typically run in November and at 1 1/8 miles, was moved up on the calendar to early October and shortened to a mile.
Rated by Merit, a Florida-bred son of Battalion Runner, recorded four dominant victories last year, including a sweep of the three-race Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream Park. Previously trained by Michael Yates for Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable, Rated by Merit went to the sidelines due to bone bruising. He has since been transferred to Chad Brown.
“Observing him, he’s pretty straightforward, an impressive horse training,” Brown said. “When I saw this race there, it was something to work towards. He’s got plenty of work to give him at least a chance to keep his record intact.”
Rated by Merit went gate to wire in all four of his previous starts and figures to try and do something similar under Manny Franco on Saturday.
Brown also entered Wise Up, who is coming off a first-level allowance win going 1 3/16 miles on Aug. 17 at Saratoga.
“What I don’t like is cutting the horse back, he’s better going longer,” Brown said. “He cleared that [entry-level] allowance, so you got to run against older horses in a [second-level] allowance or here’s a chance to run in a short field against his own age group for a horse whose numbers are pretty solid. He should be competitive.”
Uncaged, a first-level allowance winner going a mile in April, makes his first start since he finished seventh in the Belmont Stakes in June. He is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has won this race a record six times.
Parx Racing-based trainer Guadalupe Preciado has entered the pair of Dreambuilder and Light Forever. Dreambuilder, whom Preciado claimed for $35,000 in March, has won a maiden and a starter allowance in his last two starts at Parx.
Light Forever, is 3 for 11 but winless in five starts when unable to race on the anti-bleeding medication Lasix, which will be the case Saturday.
The Discovery goes as race 2.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.