by Frank Angst

The move to synthetic surfaces in Southern California shaped the destiny of Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Colonel John, a WinStar Farm homebred.

Elliott Walden, vice president of WinStar, said Kentucky-bred Colonel John was sent west largely because of the opportunity to train and race on the synthetic surfaces at Del Mar, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita Park.

“When Southern California added synthetic surfaces at all of their tracks, we decided to send more horses out there,” said Walden, who said WinStar two-year-olds who train on synthetic surfaces are making it to the races at twice the rate they previously did when training on dirt.

“We used to see about 25% of the horses start and now that’s up to about 50% starters,” Walden said. “The more good two-year-olds you have start, the better chance you have of making it to races like the Derby.”

Colonel John enters the Derby off back-to-back stakes wins at Santa Anita Park, taking the Sham Stakes (G3) on March 1 and the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 5. Not only is Colonel John a homebred for Bill Casner’s and Kenny Troutt’s WinStar, but the farm also stands Colonel John’s sire, Tiznow, in partnership with Taylor Made Farm.

Walden said Colonel John made tremendous strides as a two-year-old, when he placed second in his debut at Del Mar, easily won his second start at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, won the Real Quiet Stakes in his first career two-turn start at Hollywood Park, and finished second there in the CashCall Futurity (G1).

WinStar has three horses with trainer Eoin Harty, who said young horses benefit from training and racing on synthetic surfaces.

“You don’t get the same pounding that you do on dirt tracks so it allows you to do more training,” Harty said. “It’s like miles on a car, it all adds up. The synthetic surfaces are easier on the young horse.”

Walden is confident in Harty, who assisted Bob Baffert with Derby winners Silver Charm and Real Quiet. Colonel John will be the first Derby starter for the Dublin, Ireland native.

“Eoin knows what it takes to get a horse here and he knows what to do now that he’s here,” Walden said. “That’s a tremendous advantage.”

Colonel John will be making his first start on dirt in the Kentucky Derby.

“He seems to be training well on it,” Harty said.

For more information on Colonel John, visit his website.

http://www.coloneljohn.com

Frank Angst is senior writer of Thoroughbred Times