NEWS

Musket Man, Giant Oak in Illinois Derby

Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 10:14 AM

GIANT OAK

Four Footed Fotos

by Jeff Lowe

Musket Man, Giant Oak, and a trio of contenders from the Todd Pletcher barn are part of an 11-horse field for the $500,000 Illinois Derby (G2) on Saturday at Hawthorne Race Course.

Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner Musket Man is the group’s only stakes winner. The Yonaguska colt scored in the Pasco Stakes on January 17 at Tampa Bay Downs and finished an even third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) on February 14 before taking the meet’s premier event on March 14.

Jockey Eibar Coa will replace Daniel Centeno aboard Musket Man on Saturday. Centeno, Tampa Bay’s leading jockey, rode him for the first time in the Tampa Bay Derby.

Giant Oak has been a disappointment as a three-year-old after finishing second by a neck to Beethoven in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) on November 29 at Churchill Downs. The Illinois-bred Giant’s Causeway colt began the year with a troubled fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Risen Star Stakes (G3) on February 7 at Fair Grounds.

In the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 14, Giant Oak rallied from last in a nine-horse field to finish fourth, beaten by 9¼ lengths on a sloppy track at Fair Grounds. Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will have the mount for the first time on Saturday for Chicago-based trainer Chris Block.

Pletcher has prevailed in three of the last eight editions of the Illinois Derby, winning with Distilled in 2001, Pollard’s Vision in ‘04 and Cowtown Cat in ‘07. Two of his three entrants are coming off big efforts in allowance races.

Lord Justice won an optional claiming race on March 6 at Aqueduct, leading throughout a 2 1/4-length victory at 1 1/16 miles. Chris DeCarlo will ride the A.P. Indy colt out of Grade 1 winner Buy the Sport.

Al Khali held off Stately Character to win a 1 1/8-mile allowance race on March 6 at Gulfstream Park in his United States debut. The Medaglia d’Oro colt won two of three starts in Peru as a two-year-old, which led WinStar Farm to buy him privately late last year. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez will travel to Hawthorne for the mount. 

Il Postino, the third Pletcher charge, enters off a breakthrough win by 11¾ lengths in a $20,000 maiden claiming race on February 26 at Gulfstream Park. In his two other starts, he finished sixth in maiden special weight races.

Perfect Song, a recent allowance winner at Laurel Park, will represent trainer Michael Trombetta, who won the 2006 Illinois Derby with Sweetnorthernsaint.

Jeff Lowe is a THOROUGHBRED TIMES staff writer

Illinois Derby