BLUEGRASS OVER THE BERMUDA

Nick Hahn

The draw for Saturday’s 13th running of the $600,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs was held on Monday afternoon with no surprises on the post time favorite. Paddy O’Prado, last month’s Colonial Turf Cup winner drew the #7 post and was named the morning line favorite (7-5). Kent Desormeaux, will return to ride the gray colt trained by Dale Romans. Owner Jerry Crawford of Donegal Racing wants to repeat his stroll leading his three year old to the winners circle. The $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup (gr. II) win going beside his $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes (gr. III) win at Gulfstream Park certainly makes "Paddy" king of the Bermuda turf.....and remember he was third on the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) dirt.

The Colonial Turf Cup winner will see some familiar faces from his Bluegrass days, reuniting with foes from the prestigious Kentucky Derby prep; Stately Victor (8-1) and Interactif (3-1). Stately Victor won the Bluegrass finishing three lengths ahead of Paddy O’Prado on Keeneland’s synthetic surface. As a two-year old Interactif won the With Anticipation (gr. III) on the Saratoga turf four lengths ahead of Paddy O'Prado at the wire.

A threat that Paddy O’Prado hasn’t faced is Krypton (7-2), the talented winner of Belmont Park’s Hill Prince Stakes. Krypton thwarted the undefeated campaign of Nordic Truce in the Hill Prince in early June. Krypton who has two wins at Belmont Park at a mile will have to go a quarter mile further in the Virginia Derby.

Jockey Sheldon Russell, who piloted high priced pacesetter Two Notch Road (8-1) in the Turf Cup returns to his mount (shown here in the opening quarter). After leading the field in a consistant pace of 48.42 and 1:12.39 for the first six furlongs, the Virginia-bred maintained third at the wire. He had the lead by himself by three lengths going up the backstretch (shown below).

Two Notch Road is owned a simple two interest partnership; breeder James Hackman and trainer Glenn Thompson. The gelding followed up his Continental Mile win as a two-year old with two solid allowance wins at three. Two Notch Road is sired by Partner's Hero out of Caplana by Capote.

Russell won four races of six convention races on a single card at Colonial Downs on Sunday afternoon. The three other races were steeplechase-oriented. In the Colonial Turf Cup, Two Notch Road was over 26-1. In 2007, local jockey Horatio Karamanos won the Virginia Derby aboard Red Giant.

Other regular Colonial jockeys with longshot assignments in Virginia’s biggest race are James Vail on Awesome Dream (20-1) and Rosemary Homeister on Majestictroubadour (30-1). Formulaforsuccess (15-1), another longshot, completes the field.




Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Owner

#1 Two Notch Road, Sheldon Russell, Glenn Thompson, James Hackman and Glenn Thompson
#2 Krypton, Rajiv Maragh, Kiaran McLaughlin, Harvey Clarke & Ron Winchell
#3 Interactif, Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher, Wertheimer and Frere
#4 Majestictroubadour, Rosemary Homeister, Kevin Boniface, Eric Long
#5 Awesome Dream, James Vail, Lonnie Arterburn, Chris Kuhn and Lonnie Arterburn
#6 Formulaforsuccess, Victor Lebron, John Pucek, Robert Trussell
#7 Paddy O’Prado, Kent Desormeaux, Dale Romans, Donegal Racing
#8 Stately Victor, Ramon Dominguez, Michael Maker, Conway F. & Jack Thomas