NEWS
Hangin’ tough: Barbaro wins 2006 Florida Derby
Posted: Monday, January 29, 2007 5:34 PM
BARBARO WINS THE 2006 FLORIDA DERBY
Bill Denver/Equi-Photo
By Dave Joseph
Just minutes before the 55th running of the Florida Derby (G1), the families of 1956 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Needles were honored in the winner’s circle at Gulfstream Park.
Fifty years ago, Needles became the last horse to win the Kentucky Derby off a five-week layoff. Now, a half-century later, Lael Stables’ undefeated Barbaro will attempt to follow in Needles’s footsteps after his hard-fought victory on April 1 in the $1-million Florida Derby.
Running off an eight-week layoff and for the first time on a fast track, Barbaro drove past Purdedel Stable’s game and stubborn pacesetter Sharp Humor to run his unbeaten streak to five and stamp himself as the Beast of the East. Aaron and Marie Jones’s Sunriver was three lengths behind in third while California shipper Sam’s Ace was fourth.
Barbaro, trained by Michael Matz and ridden by Edgar Prado, now heads to Kentucky attempting to become the third undefeated colt since 1977 to win the Derby and the first undefeated Florida Derby winner.
“This is a real dream for us because this is what you dream about,” said owner Roy Jackson, who along with his wife, Gretchen, bred Barbaro, a son of Dynaformer out of the Carson City mare La Ville Rouge.
From day one, Gretchen Jackson said, Barbaro has “had a certain presence,” whether it was winning his first three races on turf or winning the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on February 4 at Gulfstream on a sloppy track.
“It’s undeniable,” she added.
Although he broke from post ten in the 11-horse field, Prado gained good position aboard Barbaro in the first turn by following Sharp Humor out of the gate and simply tracking the pacesetter through fractions of :23.45, :47.35, and 1:11.37.
Prado raced Barbaro a half-length behind Sharp Humor and jockey Mark Guidry down the backstretch before pulling beside him turning for home. Barbaro appeared ready to pull away from his ten opponents as he had done in his previous races, but Sharp Humor, coming off a victory in the Swale Stakes (G2) on March 4, was game. Although Barbaro appeared to stick his nose in front inside the eighth pole, Sharp Humor came back at the favorite and battled side by side until Barbaro finally pulled away inside the final 40 yards to finish the 11/8 miles in 1:49.01.
Prado, Matz, and assistant trainer Peter Brette were thrilled with Barbaro’s victory. Not only had the colt answered questions about his ability to win on a fast track and off an eight-week layoff - ”He was a half-length fit enough,” Matz joked - but he also finally met a horse who did not back down, and Barbaro won the battle.
“This race will make a man of him,” Brette said.
“The race set up just like we expected,” Matz said. “I thought Sharp Humor would set the pace. There was a question of how far he would go. This is the first time he really had to fight with another horse, and he should learn a lot.”
Dale Romans, trainer of Sharp Humor, tipped his hat to the winner. “That’s a nice horse that beat us,” he said. “If you would have told me [a day before the Florida Derby] that I’d get beat a head, I’d be ecstatic. My horse just fought so hard and kept looking like he was going to win. It’s become a disappointment.”
Added Guidry: “No excuses—he ran hard. It’s tough to get beat like this.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher was pleased with Sunriver’s third-place finish and planned to head to the Kentucky Derby. “Right now the plan is to go to Churchill Downs,” he said. “He was shuffled around the first turn and he got parked wide on both turns.”
Barbaro has won all five of his starts and earned $849,000. He is out of the graded stakes-placed winner La Ville Rouge, by Carson City, and is a half brother to stakes winner Holy Ground.
Matz said on April 2 that Barbaro had come out of the race in good condition. The plan was to ship him to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington between April 12-16 and then head to Churchill Downs a week before the Kentucky Derby on May 6.
As for the Kentucky Derby, Matz has the next five weeks to field questions regarding whether he can train a horse to win the 1 1/4-mile race off a five-week layoff to become the first horse to do so since Needles—ironic given the pre-Florida Derby festivities.
Matz said he is comfortable with the five weeks between races, a plan he came up with after talking with the Jacksons and Brette before the Holy Bull.
“So far,” Matz added, “I don’t really see that big a deal of it. I think if this horse lost [the Florida Derby] I’d be lynched. I want to make sure if we get to the Kentucky Derby that we have a good chance. I don’t want to go there and say, 'Oh, well, we have an entry for the Kentucky Derby.' That’s no fun. The five weeks should be no problem. We should have a fresh horse. Everybody makes a big deal out of it, but I don’t think it’s a big deal for this horse.”
It was not for Needles.
Dave Joseph is a Florida-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
